Air bags for lifting and recovery

[cruiseroutfit]

I'm a fan. Through several unique uses a Bushranger X-Jack has made leaving the Hi-Lift home a thoughtless process. Is it the end all solution? Absolutely not. It is another tool that in the right situations can save the day, just like the hi-lift. Personally I no longer carry a hi-lift in my Tacoma but do in my 40 (hard-mounted, used under a half dozen times in 10 years), in both I carry the OEM bottle jack and prefer to use it 10 fold to the others when possible.

The X-Jack really sold itself to us on Impossible Hill south of Canyonlands. An XJ in our group broke a shaft on a rather precarious climb up out of Fable Valley. We were close to the top so we could have winched him to a flat enough spot to use a traditional jack. Instead we chocked the back tires and used the air jack, a perfect application. The second was on the annual Outlaw Run in the remote Henry Mountains in southern Utah. An 80 Series in our group lost a bolt in his track bar... we needed to get the entire rear end of the 80 Series up high enough to re-align the axle and get a bolt in place. We couldn't jack under the axle so the Toyota botltle jacks were out, would have taken two hi-lifts on the back bumper... or a single X-Jack under the spare tire. He purchased an X-Jack when he got home

 

[ntsqd]

I've posted this before, but I'd really like to have this one for the Baja.

 

[762X39]

John, which bags are you buying?

I am purchasing two different air bags.The first is a regular X-Jack and the second is a much more substantial bag recommended by Charlie on this forum, I think it will be 36 by 36 at it's base with a 30 inch lift capability
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22939
I always carry cribbing with me in the Mog, I have several pieces I rescued from the local steel company and the odd construction site so I am good to go in that department.

 

[dzzz]

My concern with airbags lifting a heavy axle is the need for a sheet of steel on top. Perhaps the best way is proper cribbing under a hydraulic jack. A high lift isn't an option.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My concern with airbags lifting a heavy axle is the need for a sheet of steel on top. Perhaps the best way is proper cribbing under a hydraulic jack. A high lift isn't an option.

For my clarity what is your definition of a heavy axle? I've not had any issues on vehicles up to say 6k lbs but I can see how it would be an issue on heavier vehicles.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm of the opinion that the weight of the axle isn't a concern. It is how distributed or not that the loading is that matters. A point loading by a 2,000 lbs. vehicle could be far more destructive to the bag than a distributed loading of a 20,000 lbs vehicle.,

 

[dzzz]

I should have said a heavy truck. 25Klbs
The bag will just form around the axle without a rigid surface on top. The arb bag in the pics show how this happens.
I don't see a way to lift a mog except by the axle.
Under 12K or so the ARB bag is a great price. The big rescue bags are expensive.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I should have said a heavy truck. 25Klbs...

Yeah, that is heavy No experience there other than I can only imagine that appropriate bags and cribbing/trussing seem like the safest way to do anything under a truck of that proportion? Would love to see them in use.

 

[Ron B]

I have used the larger Titan air-jack on my h1 and it worked well, but there are lots of flat spots with all the rocker guards and ucp. It lifted half the truck with no problems and fast using my ob compressor/tank/airchuck attachment (it won't work with my exhaust tip). But my hummer is only 8000 lbs so it's no where near as heavy as your truck. I see your concern with the body height and lifting under the pumpkin as it becomes really tippy doing that (if you can even reach it). I too did some research before buying mine and you are right about the prices on the really hd bags!

I was originally looking for something like this:
http://www.zendextool.com/rakjak/TBT2-RakJak.html
I was surprised that I couldn't find one with more capacity without spending $$$ and requiring much more than the 200 psi I can provide with my current set up.

Got one of these:
http://www.mytoolstore.com/astro/asthyd01.html
works well and it was cheap.

Now I usually just haul a floor jack, cribbing and jack stands with me -- I just feel safer. I hate the hi-lift and just don't bring it anymore.

 

[adventureduo]

Does anyone know if you can use a c02 tank to fill these bags? Im wondering about freezing the inside of the bag and causing it to fail.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...I was originally looking for something like this:
http://www.zendextool.com/rakjak/TBT2-RakJak.html
I was surprised that I couldn't find one with more capacity without spending $$$ and requiring much more than the 200 psi I can provide with my current set up.

That is a very neat jack. Would love to hear some more real world feedback on that.

Does anyone know if you can use a c02 tank to fill these bags? Im wondering about freezing the inside of the bag and causing it to fail.

We did it but used turned down the adjustable regulator to the slowest possible setting (~20). On the flip side we used CO2 to fill up a float tube and the plastic around the shraeder valved froze and cracked. So I think it needs some more experimenting...

 

[Bugspray]

I'm still waiting for a tire changing robot/jack to come on the market,

 

[adventureduo]

We did it but used turned down the adjustable regulator to the slowest possible setting (~20). On the flip side we used CO2 to fill up a float tube and the plastic around the shraeder valved froze and cracked. So I think it needs some more experimenting...

Gotcha.. i'll be inflating one tomorrow for testing the load of the LC.. i was just wondering because we don't have an onboard compressor. I don't want to ruin the thing by freezing it.

 

[Schattenjager]

What the heck is 'cribbing?'

 

[cruiseroutfit]

What the heck is 'cribbing?'