What kind of Jack

[GASMAN6674]

Originally Posted by mfifield01

What brand bottle jack is everyone using? I've been carrying one in my truck for 7 years. It seems to be leaking some now. It's a Harbor Freight, probably why it's leaking.

I have found most bottle jacks do not like to be stored on their sides most have a fill port on them.

[notanlines]

As most know I'm not the biggest fan of Harbor Freight over all, but there are some things that are maybe even better than acceptable. A good Blue Point 12-ton bottle jack is probably $100-150 range. I believe the 12-ton at HF could be had for $25 or so. (Might not quote me on these figures) Unless you are using this tool every day in your profession, why drop an extra $100 for basically the same results?

[mfifield01]

Great idea on the Lantern case.

It has been on it's side most of time.

[B-O-B'03]

I bought this 6-ton bottle jack on amazon and it came with a plastic carrying case.

I keep it in the storage compartment under the center section of the dinette

-Brian.

[gtodan]

Safe Jack. Some complain pricey, I say safe and effective. Been there done it!

[Wawhoss]

You might also get a 1/2” x 30” speed bar from HF for those days when your impact wrench battery dries up on you. Pack a short length of aluminum cheater pipe too. Between that speed bar and cheater pipe you won’t be stuck on the side of the road waiting for the service guy to get those over tightened lug nuts off. Don’t ask why I mentioned this.

Wawhoss

[cavediver]

First off let me say I carry me every place I go, kinda stuck with myself. In the trailer I carry a 5 ton bottle jack and a 1.5 ton aluminum floor jack. Also like many others have said cribbing, ya can't go wrong with proper cribbing.

Jack

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Wawhoss

You might also get a 1/2” x 30” speed bar from HF for those days when your impact wrench battery dries up on you. Pack a short length of aluminum cheater pipe too. Between that speed bar and cheater pipe you won’t be stuck on the side of the road waiting for the service guy to get those over tightened lug nuts off. Don’t ask why I mentioned this.

Wawhoss

I'm guessing you meant breaker bar not speed bar. My 20 volt DeWalt batteries have held a charge for well over 6 months. I don't know how long they will hold but I've personally used the battery when it was last charged over 6 months prior to use.

[DDuncan51]

My trailer is not a monster, so I don't carry a trailer jack while on the road. My truck scissor jack works just fine, one axle at a time. However, while at home, I use a 2 ton aluminum floor jack, more convenient than digging out the truck jack and not nearly as heavy as a steel floor jack.

[LCrabtree]

1. Manufacturer provided a spare tire/wheel but the only wrench was that speed handle for the stabilizers. I picked up a star lug wrench after verifying the nut sizes on the spindles and spare tire carrier.
2. First time with a flat I discovered that my Harbor Freight 4T bottle jack would not fit under the axle/spring when the wheel was flat on the ground. I used the pickup scissor jack to raise it the requisite 1”, then slipped the bottle jack under the axle. Lesson here is check clearances with the tire FLAT deflated, and verify it will fit AND lift enough to mount the fresh wheel/tire.

My trailer is rated for 6500 GVWR, so I selected a 4T bottle jack.

[Rubicon100]

I just wanted to remind some of the newer members to check the lug nuts for the spare tire.
My trailer has aluminum wheels that are pretty thick and the lug nuts are the fancy ones that have a cap on them.
The spare tire is usually on a steel wheel that is not anywhere near as thick so the lug nuts bottom out before you get them tightened.
I was fortunate enough on my little ATV trailer that I just over tightened the lug nuts and it pushed the cap off the chrome ones. I keep a spare set for the camper now. I bought the brass ones at Napa and remember the rounded acorn part goes on so that the rounded shape will center the wheels.
Hope this helps someone down the road.
Be safe and have fun, Dan

[bretrider]

I purchased the Trailer Legs for storage of my trailer. I have a bumper pull and just throw one in the back. I also carry a 5-ton bottle jack. The only time I needed to change a tire on the road, blow out, I used the Trailer Leg and worked great.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I'm guessing you meant breaker bar not speed bar. My 20 volt DeWalt batteries have held a charge for well over 6 months. I don't know how long they will hold but I've personally used the battery when it was last charged over 6 months prior to use.

Breaker bar, speed bar, whatever; a good idea if you own an Andersen Ultimate. Carry the correct size impact allen bits and make sure you
tighten set screws on the receiver part and it doesn't hurt to apply some Loctite to those screws. They tend to loosen and should be checked every trip out. A torque wrench is a good idea for the large bolts on the hitch side (or a big crescent wrench for the less mechanically inclined) although I have never had those bolts loosen a bit. I have had the Allen screws loosen on the camper side until I applied a liberal does of Loctite.

[LHaven]

I don't see any real reason to carry a jack, given the auto-levelers already on the rig.

Last week I needed to remove a wheel to examine the rating markings on the backside. When I went to loosen the lug nuts before jacking, the wheel slipped and turned until I manually lowered the levelers so I could crack the nuts. The auto levelers had raised the rig so much just in the course of a normal leveling that the tires had next to no load on them already. My rig is parked on a very level gravel pad. so it wasn't an function of uneven grade. Once I had the nuts cracked, I raised the side slightly to get the wheel off and on again.

I know that Lippert's lawyers had to include the wording about "don't use your levelers as a jack," but if the levelers' own algorithm is going to lift the tires off the ground anyway, I'm not going to give that warning a lot of weight.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Rubicon100

I just wanted to remind some of the newer members to check the lug nuts for the spare tire.

Also, it's worth taking your spare tire off the rack and back on again before your first trip.

On my rig, when installing a tire cover just after getting it home, I discovered that the factory had cross-threaded the lug nut such that when I attempted to unscrew it, the weld on the hanger bolt snapped, causing it to turn free. It was impossible to get a Vise Grip on to remove the lug nut. I ended up having to remove the tire, hanger, and all from the bumper and bring it back to the dealer for a warranty repair. They managed to ruin the hanger and the wheel attempting to remedy the problem; I got back a whole new assembly except for the original tire.

If I had discovered this when I actually needed to use the spare, it would have been so bad.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Not everyone has a rig with auto revelers capable of lifting the rig.

[wiredgeorge]

Woody, I think LHaven said his lifted using the leveling system. Am I amiss?

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Not everyone has a rig with auto revelers capable of lifting the rig.

Well, certainly. When I said that I didn't see a reason to carry a jack, I meant for me, in my rig. Maybe some other people are in the same circumstance, and clearly there are others who are not. It's just an option to consider.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Well, certainly. When I said that I didn't see a reason to carry a jack, I meant for me, in my rig. Maybe some other people are in the same circumstance, and clearly there are others who are not. It's just an option to consider.

Just thinking out loud here, but the leveling system is "GREAT" to lift a tire off the ground "when you're on relatively level ground"... If you're on an inclined road shoulder, depending on how steep the angle is, you may not want to lift the trailer by the frame (using the leveling system) as that could put your trailer in a significantly steep "side to side angle" and possibly cause it to "slide down the slope"....

In situations like that, using a jack under the axle spring hanger will not cause nearly the problem....

Just one example of when you might want to jack from the axle and not use the leveling system..... There may be other situations where it's either not convenient or even some situations where it's unsafe to "raise it by the frame"....

[markcee]

Originally Posted by LHaven

I don't see any real reason to carry a jack, given the auto-levelers already on the rig.

Last week I needed to remove a wheel to examine the rating markings on the backside. When I went to loosen the lug nuts before jacking, the wheel slipped and turned until I manually lowered the levelers so I could crack the nuts. The auto levelers had raised the rig so much just in the course of a normal leveling that the tires had next to no load on them already. My rig is parked on a very level gravel pad. so it wasn't an function of uneven grade. Once I had the nuts cracked, I raised the side slightly to get the wheel off and on again.

I know that Lippert's lawyers had to include the wording about "don't use your levelers as a jack," but if the levelers' own algorithm is going to lift the tires off the ground anyway, I'm not going to give that warning a lot of weight.

Great in theory and I gave it a go myself last month. Unfortunately the break down lane on I 70 was angled is such a way that I could not get the jacks to deploy (Ground Control TT system), even in manual mode. 'Angle too severe' or some similar message displayed. Even tried it after pulling it up on my Anderson style levelers. So, in most circumstances, I definitely agree that using the auto level system would do the job but it won't work all the time.

A bottle jack is now in the bed of the truck!