Rotate full size spare tire?

[DHappel]

I checked eBay for the OEM scissor Jack, $90+! 

 

Where is a good/safe place under the suspension to lift the truck with a bottle jack?  Is the control arm steel or aluminum?  How about this bottle jack and stand combo with 18-3/8" lift: https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-640912-3-Ton-Bottle-Stand/dp/B003ULZGFU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1516035617&sr=8-5&keywords=bottle%2Bjack&th=1

 

I have put the floor jack, OEM scissor jack and jack stands under the Tactical Rover rock slider, is that a safe place to lift the truck?  If I get a Hi-Lift jack, can I lift the truck using the nerf bars?  Is that safe to use on a regular/non-emergency basis?

Yes, the sliders are plenty strong to lift the truck by.  I often lift mine by them.  In fact, my LR3 is sitting about 5' in the air currently on my lift supported on the sliders.  I do try to place the lift pads directly under the main mounting bolts or frame where possible to help distribute the load.

 

The control arms are steel and can be good lifting points if you can find a flat spot to lift from.  That's the hardest part.   And if using a bottle jack it can be hard to find one short enough to fit under the control arm if you have a flat tire.

 

A hi-lift can pick the truck up high enough to change a tire by lifting on the nerf bar of the sliders, but it's not a very good option if you have other choices.  It still makes you lift the truck quite high as you are lifting through the suspension travel before the tire comes off the ground.  And a hi-lift jack is inherently unstable (by design actually).  A very useful and versatile tool on the trail but not something I use for maintenance or around the shop.

 

I definitely would not spend $90 for a factory scissors jack!  They are nothing special; pretty poor actually.   There are tons of options for the same thing at far lower prices:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scissors+jack

 

A basic bottle jack is cheap and fairly safe, but likely won't have enough lift to pick a wheel off the ground unless you can get it under the suspension.  The one you linked with a built-in jack stand is nice, but the problem with it is how tall it is full collapsed.  It definitely won't go under the suspension!  It's also too bulky to carry in the truck daily.

 

The OEM RRC/D1 (D2?) bottle jacks are great - they are double-acting so they have more lift than a normal bottle jack.  they're also somewhat hard to find in working condition.  

 

I don't know if you have a garage or are in an apartment.  If you have a garage and place to store it, a floor jack like I linked in my earlier post is the preferred method of lifting, followed by placing a jack stand under the vehicle once it's in the air.  For a trail tool, I'd consider a hi-lift since it can do many things.  But for just a daily 'in case of flat tire' jack, I'd probably either get a small bottle jack or another scissors jack since they can be stored in the stock location, are cheap, and can do the job.  

 

In my personal Rovers I only have hi-lifts.  These are not daily drivers and I'm comfortable using the high lift (with a strap around the axle) to change a tire if I need, even on the side of the road.  But I certainly wouldn't expect Michele to be able to do that and I don't know if you'd want your wife using a hi-lift - for that matter if you haven't used one before I'd recommend you do some research on how to use it before trying.  It's easy to damage the truck or hurt yourself if you're not careful.  There are tons of youtube videos on using one but if you'd like I can run though it with you at the next MORG.  We can actually lift your LR4 with one so you can see the pros and cons.  We can also look at other good lifting options using your specific truck.   There are lots of ways to skin this particular cat.

 

I'd offer to take some pictures of mine, but it's stuck on the lift in the shop for at least a week waiting on some new parts. 

[DHappel]

I've never really given it any thought, but I suppose not everybody 'just knows' how/where to lift a vehicle.  Many of us learned it as kids hanging out in the garage with our dads, or by trial and error (and I bet a lot of us have mishap stories that almost ended in disaster).  We covered some basic hi-lift use during the recovery clinic at the last MORG, but I'll be happy to bring a few different jacks along at the next MORG and demonstrate different ways to lift the truck if you'd like.  Of course people are welcome to come by my place any time I'm here, but it's a bit of a haul just to play with some jacks!

 

Funny side-story - last week I had to use a small bottle jack to lift an engine in a boat so I could remove a motor mount.  The engine probably weighs around 1200 lbs and I only needed to lift it a tiny bit to take the load while the mount was off, but it was still pretty sketchy since there's such limited access in the bilge and of course the bottom of the boat is slanted.  (V-hull)  I had no problems, but boy was I nervous the whole time the jack was holding the engine up.

[Elherbinator]

I checked eBay for the OEM scissor Jack, $90+!

 

Where is a good/safe place under the suspension to lift the truck with a bottle jack? Is the control arm steel or aluminum? How about this bottle jack and stand combo with 18-3/8" lift: https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-640912-3-Ton-Bottle-Stand/dp/B003ULZGFU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1516035617&sr=8-5&keywords=bottle%2Bjack&th=1

 

I have put the floor jack, OEM scissor jack and jack stands under the Tactical Rover rock slider, is that a safe place to lift the truck? If I get a Hi-Lift jack, can I lift the truck using the nerf bars? Is that safe to use on a regular/non-emergency basis?

I carry a similar bottle jack / stand combo. It works great for lifting under my solid axles. I have a hi lift, but avoid using it if I can. The minimum height of the combo jack is around 11" I believe, so you would have to have some pretty big tires to make it work with IFS. It also has a relatively wide base, which is nice on trail, but you can't get it as close to the tire as you might with just a regular old bottle jack. Not really an issue for a solid axle tho. For anyone with solid axles I would recommend this bottle jack/ stand tool for removing tires. I have used it many times on tires up to 42". A hi lift is ok if that's all you got, but it's a hassle and, depending on your suspension droop, it may not work. On my old 4runner, I pretty much had to max out a 48" hi lift to get a rear tire off the ground and I wasn't running coilovers or anything, just some 63" Chevy leafs. It was just annoying to use and less stable than the jack combo. With the wide base and minimal lifting required, it feels super safe. You may not run into many people using it on trail, but trust me that it works and works well for removing tires on trail.

 

 

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[Elherbinator]

I also use it to level my Tahoe when I sleep the back while camping. I don't lift the wheels off the ground, just take a little weight off the suspension. The pictures shows it can extend pretty far. May be useful for you RTT guys.

 

 

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[DHappel]

Yeah, it's certainly easier to lift a solid axle truck!  Just slide the jack under the axle tube and good to go.  The IFS/IRS stuff is a bit trickier. 

 

I recall trying to change a tire on Erin's LR4 maybe 2 years ago.  We had a bottle jack on hand but with the tire flat we couldn't get it under the control arm (too tall) and of course it didn't have enough lift to get the tire off the ground from the slider or frame.  I think we ended up using a factory scissors jack from somebody else's truck since they collapse so flat you can get them under almost anything, but boy are they cheap and not for every-day use.

[JFuller]

One good trick to use a high lift when changing a tire is to first use a suitable strap to eliminate any suspension droop. Much easier on solid axle trucks. That way the springs stay compressed as you lift and things stay much lower.

[Jethro]

One good trick to use a high lift when changing a tire is to first use a suitable strap to eliminate any suspension droop. Much easier on solid axle trucks. That way the springs stay compressed as you lift and things stay much lower.

Never thought of that, another reason to carry ratchet straps.

 

 

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[erinw.rrc]

I had a UniJack on the Rebelle Rally and had nothing but problems.  It got stuck and then wouldn't go back down, which is weird because we had practiced with it.  Nena shows up with her scissor jack and saved the day.  Boo.  Definitely need to reevaluate my jack situation.