What kind of Jack

[RWRiley]

What do you guys carry for a jack ?
I have the split Axles, and I think I have to jack up the whole side of the trailer, so about 2 tons I think. I'm thinking floor jack or bottle jack. The floor Jacks get pretty heavy....hard to handle, but more stable maybe ?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by RWRiley

What do you guys carry for a jack ?
I have the split Axles, and I think I have to jack up the whole side of the trailer, so about 2 tons I think. I'm thinking floor jack or bottle jack. The floor Jacks get pretty heavy....hard to handle, but more stable maybe ?

Bottle jack set on some solid wood cribbing as the bottle jacks can't sit on the ground and lift high enough. I think the one bottle jack I carry is 5 ton. I also have a jack stand to support things more solidly once up. My cribbing is about 4" thick and has a wide enough base the bottle jack is securely on the ground.

[travelin texans]

Floor jack is not a good choice if your off in the dirt as it won't roll.
Bottle jack is a better choice with a couple wide blocks underneath.
Or the Anderson doodad that you pull forward or back onto to raise the opposite wheel off the ground works well as long as you don't have the wide spread axles.

[chuckster57]

Bottle jack here. Lifts a lot and stores easily in the tool box in the bed.

[sourdough]

Andersen Rapid Jack, 2 8 ton bottle jacks, wood blocks.....multiple roadside assistance plans....

[GASMAN6674]

I carry a 8 ton bottle jack and cribbing also. I have the trailer aid ramp doodad but it didn't work well with my old trailer , it would not lift the wheel high enough. Fortunately I have not need to try it yet with the Cougar

[notanlines]

Bottlejack, at a minimum of 6 ton, and don't jack the whole side, just place the jack Like George said on the ground with a short 2x8 and jack where the leaf spring is attached to the axle. (Not on the axle itself)

[NH_Bulldog]

I had a staple in a tire last year and used the jack from my truck under the saddle to lift that one wheel. The load equalization system allows one to go up without having to lift the whole side. If it can lift my truck, it can lift the trailer and I don’t have to buy/haul another jack.

[skids]

I made a ramp qizmo out of 4 lengths of 2x6 sections for a total of 6 inches high. Pull front tire up to change the rear or back rear tire onto ramp to change the front. I have split axles and it works fine. I can also use as many boards from the ramp as I need to level one of the axles. I have the legos cube to level the other or possibly to help out the hitch jack.

[Getn off]

I just call AAA. If I need to change myself, I plan on just using the rigs jack system.
Troy

[RWRiley]

Picked up a bottle jack. Thanks all !

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by RWRiley

Picked up a bottle jack. Thanks all !

I would suggest, if you've never actually changed a tire on THAT SPECIFIC TRAILER, that one Saturday when you're not busy with other things, park it on in a safe, level area and gather the tools you'll need to change a tire and ACTUALLY change one. That includes mounting the spare on the wheel, then undoing all of it.....

You'd be surprised how many people "think they have what they need" only to find out, on the side of the road, that a tool is missing and they're STUCK.....

Imagine getting everything you "think" you need to change the tire, then realizing, on the side of the road, you don't have the 5/8" socket or wrench to loosen the spare tire from its mount..... That's just one of many "issues" that you might not realize you're going to get into. Others are the length of the extension needed so you can get "past the tire sidewall" with your lug wrench setup....

Do it on a leisurely pace, at home, then put everything you used in the trailer so you'll have what you need, on the road.....

[Getn off]

Great idea for sure. I keep a tq wrench, socket, air compressor, and extension for just this type of emergency. I just dont carry an extra jack.
Troy

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by Getn off

Great idea for sure. I keep a tq wrench, socket, air compressor, and extension for just this type of emergency. I just dont carry an extra jack.
Troy

The lug nuts have been tightened really tight and most of the time they are tight enough to where you need some mechanical leverage help or an air impact driver and most little compressors folks drag in their RV will not get the job done if connected to an air impact driver. An electric impact driver SEEMS to make sense but when you want to change that tire on the side of the road, may not have 110V available. In this case, having a good quality cordless electric impact driver will make life easier as well as having a 5/8" impact driver deep socket.

[MarkEHansen]

I chose to go with the battery operated impact wrench.

Note that an "impact driver" is a drill driver with impact capability - and is meant for light-duty jobs. This is likely not enough to handle the torque of our lug nuts. An "impact wrench" is a tool built just for this purpose.

Here is an example of a battery-operated impact driver:
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF885...=fsclp_pl_dp_2

Here is an example of a battery-operated impact wrench:
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XWT08Z.../dp/B01CA04RH4

You can see the impact wrench is a lot larger/beefier.

Also, the impact sockets won't fit into the recesses in my wheels, so I have to use a normal socket. I have a couple of them, just in case I break one using it on the impact wrench

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

The lug nuts have been tightened really tight and most of the time they are tight enough to where you need some mechanical leverage help or an air impact driver and most little compressors folks drag in their RV will not get the job done if connected to an air impact driver. An electric impact driver SEEMS to make sense but when you want to change that tire on the side of the road, may not have 110V available. In this case, having a good quality cordless electric impact driver will make life easier as well as having a 5/8" impact driver deep socket.

The lug nuts on my Cougar are 13/16". The nut holding the spare tire to the bumper mount (long gone on the first day of ownership) was 5/8". That's the reason I suggested "actually doing a wheel/tire change" rather than just "assuming" that someone has "what they need" only to find out "they don't".....

[flybouy]

12 ton HF bottle jack (it was on sale same $ as a 6 ton). 20 v Dewalt impact & a drill in a bag with batteries’ charger, set of “flip sockets for lug nuts”’ and a set of Milwaukee drill bits.

[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.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The lug nuts on my Cougar are 13/16". The nut holding the spare tire to the bumper mount (long gone on the first day of ownership) was 5/8". That's the reason I suggested "actually doing a wheel/tire change" rather than just "assuming" that someone has "what they need" only to find out "they don't".....

Not only that but some wheels require a thin wall socket, not impact sockets. And you may find you need an extension for the socket. Excellent suggestion to an actual tire removal and replacement.

[sourdough]

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've got 2 HF 8 ton bottle jacks that have given me no problem That may not be the case when I get back out there and open them up since I loaned them to some fellows trying to figure out how to jack up a trailer. One thing I've found that works for me is to put them in those waterproof Coleman lantern containers. Really beats trying to just "carry" them around.

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-30000...s%2C190&sr=8-3