What kind of jack do you carry?

[German Shepherd Guy]

Howdy. So My new trailer comes with a spare but no jack. It is one of the 2018s Premiere line. Wide axel stance. In the collective wisdom here, what kind of jack do you carry?
I have looked at the drive up jacks/chocks, but there seems to be mixed reviews on whether they will lift a tire on an axel spread as wide as mine.
If a jack is used then a bottle jack?
And where would you place it, under the axel of the flat tire or on the frame near the flat?

How big of a bottle jack? 12 ton? Larger?

Those drive up things sure look easy if they work.

ok, what is the consensus out there.

Thanks in advance.

[Logan X]

I use a 12 ton bottle jack underneath the I-beam. I carry a block of wood to put the jack on or else it will not reach the frame. I can get both tires on one side off of the ground without moving the jack, which is nice when I am repacking the wheel bearings.

[cookinwitdiesel]

Is it just me or does 12 ton seem pretty excessive? I bought a 4-ton jack to use and will block it with wood to reach the frame. I figure maybe 40-50% of the trailer weight would be on the jack when lifting one side - for my trailer that is only about 4500# so I still have double the jack I "need"

[Logan X]

Originally Posted by cookinwitdiesel

Is it just me or does 12 ton seem pretty excessive? I bought a 4-ton jack to use and will block it with wood to reach the frame. I figure maybe 40-50% of the trailer weight would be on the jack when lifting one side - for my trailer that is only about 4500# so I still have double the jack I "need"

My mistake, I said I use a 12 ton jack when in fact it’s a 6 ton jack. I went and looked at it. I think the 6 ton jack is overkill for my trailer. I’m sure a 4 ton jack would work for me also.

[chuckster57]

I use the jack under the hood of my truck. If it will lift a truck axle it will lift a trailer axle.

[Wing-in-it]

Bottle jack here......

But my rig has 6 point levelers, so I just push a button now.

[JRTJH]

I have a 4 ton bottle jack that I use with a block of wood. I position the jack under the spring U-bolts and lift from there. While I have no issues with the recommendation to jack on the trailer frame, I find that with the frame 24" in the air, that to obtain enough lift to clear the tire at pavement level, the distance from the base of the jack to the frame is approaching 30-31". That height, in my opinion, is too much to remain stable. So, I prefer to life at the axle and keep it at 4-6".

As chuckster said, using the truck scissors jack will also work. The only reason I haven't used my truck jack is because it's behind the seat, in the OEM plastic bag and I've never needed it while on the road. At home, I find a 3 ton floor jack on the axle U-bolts works much faster than the small bottle jack, but it weighs a bit over 100 pounds, so I don't want to pack it in the cargo hold of the trailer. That's the reason for the small bottle jack.... Weight....

[cookinwitdiesel]

I also chose the bottle jack for weight. Your comment about frame vs axle makes sense too. Here is to hoping I never need the jack now that I bought it

[Number 4]

I also have a 4-ton bottle jack and used it just recently while re-packing wheel bearings. The jack sits on top of two thick wooden blocks and was very stable while lifting the I-beam frame. Kept the TT hitched to the TV (parking brake on) and removed/reinstalled one wheel at a time.

[AbHDToyHauler]

Originally Posted by Wing-in-it

Bottle jack here......

But my rig has 6 point levelers, so I just push a button now.

My auto levellers will also lift my complete rig up so I use them and blocks (for safety).

[Bob Shaw]

I do carry a 12-ton bottle jack. One of my previous campers had torsion bar suspension and you couldn't place a jack under any one axle and had to jack-up the whole side of the trailer. I even had some tire road service people who's jacks would not lift it. That was during the Chinese tire issues, which I hope has now passed us, since I now have a new trailer with what I think are Chinese tires, again.

[sourdough]

I carry 2 8 ton bottle jacks, blocks of wood, the plastic little blocks and an Anderson rapid jack. Had another brand of drive on jack that didn't get the tire off the ground far enough so it's "out there somewhere". Hopefully out of all that I can scrape together whatever is needed in the event of a failure somewhere.

[bobbecky]

A four ton jack may have the capacity to lift the trailer, but by going with a 12 ton jack, you usually get a longer ram which will make it easier to fully get the tires off the ground. If you do have a flat, you will have to lift the frame even higher than if all the tires were aired up. I carry one of these kits, along with their 12 ton jack adapter that fits my 12 ton jack ram. I don't have to use it often, but when it's needed, I can get the rig lifted without stacking blocks. https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...ut-bottle-jack

[busterbrown]

I had a 4 ton bottle jack. After a leaf spring broke enroute to a campground last fall, I decided to carry an 8 ton instead, due the longer ram and larger base. A couple of 8x8x2 wood pads and the axle reach is relatively safe. As previously mentioned, I agree that the jack length (from ground to the coach's point of contact) should be kept to a minimum. Even with a solid jack point (frame or axle), I still place a jack stand to bear some of the load. Such cheap and easy insurance to avoid "a really bad day".

[notanlines]

In following the subject not only on this forum but a couple others, most old timers/veterans use a larger bottle jack (6-12 ton) and very, very few jack on the RV frame. Mostly jack as described earlier, on the axle/spring shackle bolts.

[Tinner12002]

I carry 2 bottle jacks, an 8 ton and a 12 ton. I also have an adapter I made to fit the radius of the axle tube. It has a short tube on it to fit the ram on the jack so it won't slip off the axle. Also, if your going to raise only the axle, always jack as near as possible to the springs.

[Dave W]

I carry one of my two Harbor Freight 12Ton jacks, usually the low version along with wood blocking. These are a bit of overkill but they are occasionally used for other purposes - they were bought originally to jack the garage wall so I could install a new stud plate. They are inexpensive, store in their original 5x5x8 boxes and work well.

A 4T jack. IMHO, will work just fine if it will be a dedicated tool just for tire changes but for a few bucks more - bigger is (usually) a better choice

I would suspect that the OPs spread axle TT would not be a good candidate for that Anderson ramp gadget

[Gegrad]

I carry a small 3 ton floor jack in my truck (scaled down floor jack). Perfect for lifting my ultra light. If I have a flat and need to swap it, I can lift it by the axle for the few minutes it will take to swap the tire. Of course that may not work for someone with a large 5er. But since you have a premier, I suspect something like that would work perfectly for you. Like $50.

[flybouy]

I use a trailer aid + (has the rubber bad that gives another 2" to the height) to change a tire. A 12 ton bottle jack from HF and need be the truck's bottle jack. Assorted 2 X 8, 4 X 4 wood pieces and plastic blocks.

[UsTwo]

I also carry a 4 ton bottle jack in the truck.. it fits just fine in the storage area in the back floor board of my Ram.. Plus I use wood for leveling so already have that..