Jack suggestions and recommendations

[eaneumann]

I‘ve been doing this a really long time and just recently almost got my self into a bad spot. I’ll start by saying I carry pretty much everything, definitely the over prepared type, collision technician by trade, and very handy. My vehicle is pretty heavy, 8000k lbs ish loaded. We were on the Old Mojave Road about 60 miles in and blew a tire. I was with my wife, but the only vehicle in the group (did actually see a few other people that day). I was able to change the tire, but it was dicey. Being with my wife, we left the trail and did not finish it. I will be back! I carry a bottle jack and a piece of wood block as my jack. With how deep the sand was in this area I had to dig under the rear axle to fit a jack. With the sand being so deep I used my Maxtrax (two of the stacked) as a base instead of the wood. By the time I got the tire off, the truck had sank a foot and almost fell off of the jack. Luckily the wife is a trusted exploring companion and was able to slowly inch the truck back while I got the jack straight again and was able to throw the tire on. She was cool about it.

In this case, there were people around. I hadn’t seen anyone for awhile so who knows how long I would’ve had to wait for someone with another jack if it had fallen off of my jack. But, we’re usually very remote and like to be 100% self sufficient. I suppose worse case I could’ve dug and got the jack back under the axle and dug my tire hole even deeper, but I’d like some redundancy or a better system. On the trip out I saw a 4 Runner with a Pro Eagle Jack strapped to the bumper and laughed at him. Would‘ve been perfect here haha.

Thoughts:

Keeping my bottle jack and adding a Safe Jack kit to it or ditching my bottle jack for the factory Toyota jack with some home made attachments and base.
Adding a Hi Lift jack to my kit (Already own, we have a farm so use this for work anyhow).
Building a Tauler Jack to add to my kit.
Adding a ARB Jack to my kit.
Just carrying a 3 ton Pro Eagle jack (Already own, gravel driveway on the farm).

Ease of use and space is huge. Cost isn’t really a concern as I’ll use this stuff for many years. Theres many times that its just the wife out in the truck. She’s handy, but shes gotta be growing tired of this hobby! I’m sure I’m overthinking this.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Why jack the axle? Its the lowest point and forced you to dig a hole. No owner's manual I have ever seen ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED using the axle, always a jack point on body. Or frame, or knuckle. Then you could have jack exposed , no hole dug. Axle also tippiest jack point, bad for soft base. Frame better.
Maybe there were reasons, Im thinking maybe your jack travel is short and axle droop forced this to get tire clear?

Anyways. I carry a tall bottle jack and the scissor jack truck came with. When not in garage, I jack frame up at standard point with scissor, then knuckle or axle I guess depending on your suspension, to lift tire up sufficient to change it. Then truck weight is on 1st stable frame jack, other only supports the tire weight. This gets as close as I can to using a jack stand for all work, having a 2nd support safety point is critical ESPECIALLY in offroad messed up situations! If you're ever gonna drop the truck on yourself and get hurt, it will be then.

 

[WOODY2]

Safe Jack for the win.

 

[Herbie]

I carry a Safe Jack kit (with the jack-stand adapter base) and the factory scissor jack in my truck.

The Safe Jack is my preference for big lifts, but as Dave points out, sometimes you need to be able to get low. The scissor jack also serves a lot of other functions as a spreader, etc. if you're doing trailside repairs...

 

[dstefan]

A few thoughts:
— Two jacks IMO are absolutely necessary. Modified off-road suspensions droop so much that you cannot just jack from the frame, or off-road bumpers, etc in a lot of situations. So jacking up the axle is often going to be required sometimes as well as jacking up the chassis.
— HiLifts are great tools for some things, but tire changes aren’t easy with just a HiLift. Either the axle droops a lot, or you have to use hooks or soft shackles and lift the tire itself, but then what do you do? That’s where a second jack or maybe a stand comes in to support the axle and remove the tire.
— I think a HiLift(or ARB or Tauler jack) and a bottle or scissors jack is a good combo. Especially if you are “wheelin” more and might need the HiLift for reposition or lifting the vehicle or wheels to free youself, not change a tire. Stuck and flat tire changes are really two different problems that require different approaches.
— All that said, I’ve gotten to where I carry two stock Toyota OEM non-hydraulic jacks — my Tundra’s and the one from my 4Runner (which strangely is rated for a few hundred more pounds!?? ReallyToyota??). This is for weight and functionaliy. I have a axle cradle attachment for the top to spread the load and prevent slippage. I also have a 1’ square piece of 3/4” hardwood plywood as a base along with a couple blocks of hard rock maple that can be bolted to the jack bottoms and get me the extension my rig and mods need . . . safely
— If I’m going somewhere technical, I’ll carry the HiLift and one OEM jack. I have a Safe Jack system, which is good, but so heavy with all the damn solid steel extensions that I don’t take it anymore. In addition to two big Maxxtraxx, when I changed to my Tundra with camper and no winch (so far . . .) I also got a pair of MaxxTraxx mini’s which I find endlessly useful. One of them is designed as a jack base and is very rigid and a huge footprint for sand. They’re also great for leveling the camper, and a great replacement for rock stacking due to their smaller length and rigidity. Very easy to whip out and use and restore vs the full size MaxxTraxx.
— I also tend to plug flats on the vehicle before even thinking about changing tires, if that’s possible. I’ve never had a well plugged tire fail, and it still gives me a spare in case of another flat ( or as the British cycling community would say “a visit from the puncture fairy”, which I used to get a kick out of cycle racing commentators saying😁). But it looks like your tire wouldn’t have been pluggable.

It’s all horses for courses and depends on the rig and where you go.

Edit: Great thread topic!

 

[dstefan]

I got curious about scissors jacks, and searching around, I found this Jack overview which is pretty good, IMO: https://www.takethetruck.com/blog/4x4-off-road-jacks

It’s got affiliate links, of course, but still a good overview

 

[Dave in AZ]

I got curious about scissors jacks, and searching around, I found this Jack overview which is pretty good, IMO: https://www.takethetruck.com/blog/4x4-off-road-jacks

It’s got affiliate links, of course, but still a good overview

That guy is a good dude, and he has what I believe is the best single blog/site for truck camping info. Tons of real world reviews with ACTUAL USE, not just unboxing, good design info, etc. He is also almost zero monetization, by which mean he isn't marketing and pushing, just good writeups. You should putz around his site, you'll like it

 

[yamaha225]

Why jack the axle? Its the lowest point and forced you to dig a hole. No owner's manual I have ever seen ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED using the axle, always a jack point on body. Or frame, or knuckle. Then you could have jack exposed , no hole dug. Axle also tippiest jack point, bad for soft base. Frame better.
Maybe there were reasons, Im thinking maybe your jack travel is short and axle droop forced this to get tire clear?

Anyways. I carry a tall bottle jack and the scissor jack truck came with. When not in garage, I jack frame up at standard point with scissor, then knuckle or axle I guess depending on your suspension, to lift tire up sufficient to change it. Then truck weight is on 1st stable frame jack, other only supports the tire weight. This gets as close as I can to using a jack stand for all work, having a 2nd support safety point is critical ESPECIALLY in offroad messed up situations! If you're ever gonna drop the truck on yourself and get hurt, it will be then.

Since the OP has a Tacoma, I just want to chime in and mention that Toyota recommended rear jack point is in fact the axle tube just inside of the U-bolt plate. I think it would be very difficult to jack up the truck off the frame in the rear with the stock jack due to how much higher the frame is and the suspension droop, especially if the suspension is modified.

Often on trucks and keeps the axle is the best place to jack from if you need to change a tire. On my F-350 the axle tube is the recommended stock jack point as well, front and rear. One thing I’ve seen done is adding a cradle to the top of bottle jack to help it stay in place on the axle tube. There are companies that make slip on ones. Beyond that a nice stable base helps a lot.

I think carrying the stock bottle jack and a hydraulic one makes sense. Or one of the “off-road” floor jacks with the large wheels. They’re quite versatile and stable. High lifts are dangerous for wheel removal in my opinion. I carry one on my jeep but it’s for getting unstuck, not changing tires.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Since the OP has a Tacoma, I just want to chime in and mention that Toyota recommended rear jack point is in fact the axle tube just inside of the U-bolt plate. I think it would be very difficult to jack up the truck off the frame in the rear with the stock jack due to how much higher the frame is and the suspension droop, especially if the suspension is modified.

Often on trucks and keeps the axle is the best place to jack from if you need to change a tire. On my F-350 the axle tube is the recommended stock jack point as well, front and rear. One thing I’ve seen done is adding a cradle to the top of bottle jack to help it stay in place on the axle tube. There are companies that make slip on ones. Beyond that a nice stable base helps a lot.

I think carrying the stock bottle jack and a hydraulic one makes sense. Or one of the “off-road” floor jacks with the large wheels. They’re quite versatile and stable. High lifts are dangerous for wheel removal in my opinion. I carry one on my jeep but it’s for getting unstuck, not changing tires.

Good info.
Yeah, @eaneumann made a really good and interesting post here, there are a ton of variables and he did a good job with pics and describing issues, then came up with anlot of smart options to improve handling in future. He really has me thinking. In retrospect, I have had decently firm ground on all my tire changes, and his post makes me wonder if I'd have found myself with same issues as him. I am interested to hear what he decides to do moving forward.

 

[Gravelette]

What about H1 Hummer jacks, are they still available?

 

[eaneumann]

A few thoughts:
— Two jacks IMO are absolutely necessary. Modified off-road suspensions droop so much that you cannot just jack from the frame, or off-road bumpers, etc in a lot of situations. So jacking up the axle is often going to be required sometimes as well as jacking up the chassis.
— HiLifts are great tools for some things, but tire changes aren’t easy with just a HiLift. Either the axle droops a lot, or you have to use hooks or soft shackles and lift the tire itself, but then what do you do? That’s where a second jack or maybe a stand comes in to support the axle and remove the tire.
— I think a HiLift(or ARB or Tauler jack) and a bottle or scissors jack is a good combo. Especially if you are “wheelin” more and might need the HiLift for reposition or lifting the vehicle or wheels to free youself, not change a tire. Stuck and flat tire changes are really two different problems that require different approaches.
— All that said, I’ve gotten to where I carry two stock Toyota OEM non-hydraulic jacks — my Tundra’s and the one from my 4Runner (which strangely is rated for a few hundred more pounds!?? ReallyToyota??). This is for weight and functionaliy. I have a axle cradle attachment for the top to spread the load and prevent slippage. I also have a 1’ square piece of 3/4” hardwood plywood as a base along with a couple blocks of hard rock maple that can be bolted to the jack bottoms and get me the extension my rig and mods need . . . safely
— If I’m going somewhere technical, I’ll carry the HiLift and one OEM jack. I have a Safe Jack system, which is good, but so heavy with all the damn solid steel extensions that I don’t take it anymore. In addition to two big Maxxtraxx, when I changed to my Tundra with camper and no winch (so far . . .) I also got a pair of MaxxTraxx mini’s which I find endlessly useful. One of them is designed as a jack base and is very rigid and a huge footprint for sand. They’re also great for leveling the camper, and a great replacement for rock stacking due to their smaller length and rigidity. Very easy to whip out and use and restore vs the full size MaxxTraxx.
— I also tend to plug flats on the vehicle before even thinking about changing tires, if that’s possible. I’ve never had a well plugged tire fail, and it still gives me a spare in case of another flat ( or as the British cycling community would say “a visit from the puncture fairy”, which I used to get a kick out of cycle racing commentators saying😁). But it looks like your tire wouldn’t have been pluggable.

It’s all horses for courses and depends on the rig and where you go.

Edit: Great thread topic!

I do carry an OEM jack as well. Actually it’s out of a 4 Runner as well because of the higher weight rating haha. If I’m working on a Toyota and it gets totaled, I keep the jack. Sorry to anyone thats bought a totaled out Toyota and was missing the jack! I have a set of the Mini Maxtrax but have never carried them. They would’ve been helpful here for sure for ease of use, but I would imagine the full size ones floated on the sand better? They definitely flexed a lot. Maybe the small ones are stiffer?

I got curious about scissors jacks, and searching around, I found this Jack overview which is pretty good, IMO: https://www.takethetruck.com/blog/4x4-off-road-jacks

It’s got affiliate links, of course, but still a good overview

I should’ve linked this in my post. It’s a really good read and as mentioned by @Dave in AZ lots of good stuff there.

Since the OP has a Tacoma, I just want to chime in and mention that Toyota recommended rear jack point is in fact the axle tube just inside of the U-bolt plate. I think it would be very difficult to jack up the truck off the frame in the rear with the stock jack due to how much higher the frame is and the suspension droop, especially if the suspension is modified.

Often on trucks and keeps the axle is the best place to jack from if you need to change a tire. On my F-350 the axle tube is the recommended stock jack point as well, front and rear. One thing I’ve seen done is adding a cradle to the top of bottle jack to help it stay in place on the axle tube. There are companies that make slip on ones. Beyond that a nice stable base helps a lot.

I think carrying the stock bottle jack and a hydraulic one makes sense. Or one of the “off-road” floor jacks with the large wheels. They’re quite versatile and stable. High lifts are dangerous for wheel removal in my opinion. I carry one on my jeep but it’s for getting unstuck, not changing tires.

Truck is a Tundra so even larger/heavier. But, yes the axle is a suggested jack point. It’s got a ton of travel which makes things more difficult.

What about H1 Hummer jacks, are they still available?

Yes they are. See the link that @dstefan posted. It’s a good read.

 

[eaneumann]

I’ve thought about doing a H1 Hummer jack too, but all of my experiences with a scissor jack haven't been great. It could be very handy in a lot of situations And I’m sure this jack is much more stable than most. In this situation I think theres a lot of things that I could’ve done to get out of the situation if my truck had fallen off of my jack. But ease of use, safety, and vehicle damage are what I’m concerned with. I want this to be easy. None of us get to travel as much as we‘d like. I’m not out there to work on my truck or get stuck (especially with my wife!). If I had been traveling with my group of dude friends, we would’ve had multiple jacks and people to help. I even would’ve finished the trail without a spare. We live in Colorado and most of our travel is to the Pacific Northwest. Sand was a new learning experience for me for sure.

Currently these are the options I’m leaning towards:

Tauler Jack/ARB Jack and OEM bottle jack with DIY attachments/base
Tauler Jack/ARB Jack and Pro Eagle 3 ton jack
Tauler Jack/ARB Jack and H1 Hummer jack with DIY attachments/base

One of my biggest concerns is keeping this fun and manageable for the wife. I don‘t want her using a Hi Lift and I wonder if she‘ll be able to use the Tauler Jack. It seems like it’s pretty hard to turn under load, but I’ve never used one or seen one in person. Might make one to test out, but that’s why the ARB Jack is on my mind. I‘ve also read mixed things about storing the ARB Jack on its side. I‘d be surprised if its a real issue, but something to consider. I would‘ve never considered the Pro Eagle if I didn’t already own one. If I found a bag for it or had one made, that could be a good option. I bought it when they first came out to use on my gravel driveway. Maybe even a smaller Bad Lands off road jack could work well. Weight savings is also a consideration, this thing is heavy.

Thanks for all of the great replies so far! Also some more pictures because that’s half the reason we’re here.

 

[dstefan]

They would’ve been helpful here for sure for ease of use, but I would imagine the full size ones floated on the sand better? They definitely flexed a lot. Maybe the small ones are stiffer?

They are much stiffer. I have the Mini and so-called JaxBase combo. It’s one mini and the second is reinforced with a footprint space in the middle to fit the bae of a jack (will fit a bottle, Toyota, or HiLift and I assume an ARB too). The jaxBase is cross gridded on the back and super rigid.

MAXTRAX Mini and Jaxbase combo SIGNATURE ORANGE

MAXTRAX is the lightweight, easy-to-use vehicle recovery and extraction device thats easily carried by almost anything with four-wheels ensuring an easy way out if your vehicle becomes stuck. MAXTRAX now bring you the MAXTRAX Mini and Jaxbase, still made from the same super-tough engineering...

maxtraxus.com

Yes the full MaxTrax float better on sand — for sticking under tires to get out, but they flex a whole lot and aren’t as good support for a jack, and IMO for bridging. I really like having two full sized and the Mini/jaxBase combo. In the the three years I’ve been in the Tundra I have never used the full sized though. I have used the Minis multiple times for various things though. Plus, the mini’s can be placed under a full size to rigidify it.

Also: The point has sort of been made earlier by me and others, but I’m just gonna point out again that no non-HiLift jack (and to a lesser degree the ARB and the Tauler) is going to be able to help us recover a rig that has slid off a rock or a steep edge of a trail or road where there’s only sloped ground or rocks and the wheel has to be lifted ( or the whole vehicle) to get something under the tire to get you going again. Of course you have to have lift points, but even a wheel can be. Definitely not the same circumstance as the OP’s dilemma, but has to be be considered in picking the right combo of jacks for the conditions and expected/possible needs.

 

[yamaha225]

I do carry an OEM jack as well. Actually it’s out of a 4 Runner as well because of the higher weight rating haha. If I’m working on a Toyota and it gets totaled, I keep the jack. Sorry to anyone thats bought a totaled out Toyota and was missing the jack! I have a set of the Mini Maxtrax but have never carried them. They would’ve been helpful here for sure for ease of use, but I would imagine the full size ones floated on the sand better? They definitely flexed a lot. Maybe the small ones are stiffer?



I should’ve linked this in my post. It’s a really good read and as mentioned by @Dave in AZ lots of good stuff there.



Truck is a Tundra so even larger/heavier. But, yes the axle is a suggested jack point. It’s got a ton of travel which makes things more difficult.



Yes they are. See the link that @dstefan posted. It’s a good read.

Whoops I clearly should have looked closer at your photo!

 

[eaneumann]

Whoops I clearly should have looked closer at your photo!

To be fair, it does have the whole “I wish I was a Tacoma” package.