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Old 09-01-2019, 09:04 AM   #1
Logan X
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Superduty tire blow out

I recently had a tire failure on my F250, I picked up a piece of metal somewhere. I was in the freeway and I was able to make it to the right shoulder. I started to change the tire. I was actually kind of happy because I recently purchased a Makita impact wrench and I was looking forward to using it. The jack that came with the truck was useless so I used the 4 ton bottle jack I carry with me. It lifted the truck high enough to get the wheel off but not high enough to get the new one on. The next day I went to Harbor Freight and bought a 3 ton floor jack. Now I also carry the floor jack in my truck.

Like most of us, I don’t want to get stranded and not be able to fix my own problems. Especially something as easy as a tire change. (AAA had to bail me out)

I made a video about it, check it out if you like. (The tire change starts at 1:13)

https://youtu.be/aQSbUeSXNJQ
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Old 09-01-2019, 01:27 PM   #2
rhagfo
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That floor jack will a pain on gravel shoulder, I carry a 12 ton bottle jack that takes almost zero space.
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Old 09-01-2019, 03:33 PM   #3
66joej
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I carry an 8 ton bottle jack with a good supply of blocks. Cheaper and less hassle than a floor jack.YMMV
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Old 09-01-2019, 04:23 PM   #4
notanlines
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Logan, in my opinion, the 3 ton floor jack will struggle with an actual 6k load. Spend half the money on a ten ton hydraulic with s few 2x10’s and get a refund on the jack. YMMV
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Old 09-01-2019, 04:38 PM   #5
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I’m a little concerned about raising up the truck and having one side on the bottle jack, especially on blocks. It felt a little unstable to me. I’ve had the trailer lifted on the bottle jack and that seemed more stable. I like having the floor jack and lifting the truck from the differential was easy and rock solid. The floor jack was $99, I’m keeping it! I’d rather have more tools than not enough tools. I still carry my bottle jack as well. I keep the floor jack under the toolbox in my truck. It fits well there and is tucked out of the way.

I used to be an “only bottle jack guy” until I couldn’t get my tire changed and using the floor jack was soooo easy. Yeah, the floor jack might be hard to move on gravel but on pavement it’s easy. YMMV.
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Old 09-02-2019, 03:09 AM   #6
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There is something called a "Jack Buddy?" that is nothing more than a piece of pipe with a U strap welded to it. Fits over the ram on a bottle jack. Do I have one? No. I saw it on Amazon, I think.
It should fit under the axle and stabilize things.
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Old 09-02-2019, 07:33 AM   #7
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Logan - if you read your owner's manual you will see that Ford does not recommend lifting the truck by placing a jack under the differential housing.

I know - I know "everybody" does it that way...well - I don't, but, that's me.

Jack up the truck as far as you can. Remove the flat tire. Let the jack down, resting the hub on some of the 4x4 blocks you should be carrying. Re-position the jack, turning out the extension screw and/or adding a pair of blocks under the base of the jack. Raise the vehicle high enough to install the spare. Been doing it that way for years - trucks, trailers, semi's. JMHO. YMMV
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Old 09-02-2019, 07:46 AM   #8
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Like Jack, I was always told not to jack the rear axle under the puck. It might be OK with an empty bed, but add 3000 pounds of trailer weight and you'll likely run the risk of crushing the differential housing. The Ford Owner's Manual gives instructions to jack the F250/350 SRW at the axle near the springs and to jack the F350/450 dually "on the flat surface adjacent to the differential". I don't see how (if the differential case is like my F250) to jack on the "flat surface" with anything larger than the 1.5" jack pad on the factory supplied jack. The F350/450 jack is not the mechanical jack supplied with the F250, but is a hydraulic jack that looks to be a 12 ton "lowboy".

Anyway, I'd be very concerned with axle damage if the axle is lifted at the differential housing.
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Old 09-02-2019, 08:14 AM   #9
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If you own a Ford & don't want it jacked up by the differential you'd better specify that when buying new tires or having flats repaired, every tire dealer I've ever been to jack up the rear this way.
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Old 09-02-2019, 11:43 AM   #10
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Personal experience from in the past, but I would never again jack a truck up by the differential. Every time (twice) that a tire dealer did it in MT to our old Dodge, the differential would leak and have to be fixed. Twice was expensive enough for me (and enough of a learning lesson) that from then on, every truck of ours that has needed the tires changed or rotated, I have been very explicit with whomever is doing the work - The differential will not be used to lift the rear of the truck, or it will not be me paying the bill to fix! I got tired of paying for it, and having the puddle in our garage.

I do have the Jack Buddy (or whatever it is called) that gearhead was talking about. Used it once to “test” jack the camper up, I liked it.
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Old 09-02-2019, 12:59 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead View Post
There is something called a "Jack Buddy?" that is nothing more than a piece of pipe with a U strap welded to it. Fits over the ram on a bottle jack. Do I have one? No. I saw it on Amazon, I think.
It should fit under the axle and stabilize things.

This may be it. Think I'll get one of each size and throw them in with the jacks.

https://bottlejackbuddy.net/
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Old 09-02-2019, 06:22 PM   #12
Logan X
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Those are some interesting points about lifting from the differential, I had not heard that before.

If a tire shop was causing a differential to leak by lifting it with a floor jack, wouldn’t they be liable to fix the leak?

Regarding lifting with a bottle jack and following the Ford manual. Of course the manual is going to say to lift with a bottle jack because that is what they include with the truck. But if a bottle jack were better than a floor jack, mechanic and tire shops would use bottle jacks. I have never seen a shop use a bottle jack. YMMV
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Old 09-02-2019, 06:39 PM   #13
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I think tire shops don’t use bottle jacks because it takes too many pumps to get anywhere. I have a floor jack that reaches full lift with only 3 full pumps.

Just my thoughts, and they may be muddled due to the heat and spirits injested.
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Old 09-02-2019, 07:50 PM   #14
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Interesting that you don't like the ford jack. i have used the ford jack, it has worked well both times I needed it, you just have to find the parts in the back of the seat.
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Old 09-02-2019, 08:00 PM   #15
Logan X
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Originally Posted by Roscommon48 View Post
Interesting that you don't like the ford jack. i have used the ford jack, it has worked well both times I needed it, you just have to find the parts in the back of the seat.
I found it interesting as well. I was able to find all of the parts easy enough and I set it up and started jacking. I found it to be very slow and cumbersome. Maybe it was because I was on the side of the freeway or maybe I was using it wrong or maybe both. I’m not exactly sure why but I do not like the Ford jack.
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Old 09-03-2019, 02:02 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
This may be it. Think I'll get one of each size and throw them in with the jacks.

https://bottlejackbuddy.net/
Yes, that is it.
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Old 09-03-2019, 03:57 AM   #17
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I've had my "jack buddy" for about 20 years or longer, can't remember when I bought it. It's very similar to the photos in that link, but the tube that sits over the jack screw is about 3" long. I don't know if it makes any difference, but with the longer tube, it seems like there's less chance that the axle cradle could "fold over" and slip off the jack screw pad. At any rate, using an axle cradle on a bottle jack, at least for me, just seems like a "must do" kind of device. Thinking about it, I believe I bought it at a Howard Brothers store when they were closing out before bankruptcy. So, it may have been 30 years ago. Anyway, it's a well used tool and definitely makes jacking axles on any type vehicle safer than a 1.25" steel pad with a groove filed in the surface.....
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Old 09-03-2019, 08:31 AM   #18
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I made one probably 30 years ago at work, but unfortunately when I retired I left it in the truck. My last 5er had the hydraulic level up so didn't need the jack to change a RV flat, the truck came with a jack that worked just fine, wasn't a Ford.
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Old 09-03-2019, 04:16 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Logan X View Post
Those are some interesting points about lifting from the differential, I had not heard that before.

If a tire shop was causing a differential to leak by lifting it with a floor jack, wouldn’t they be liable to fix the leak?

Regarding lifting with a bottle jack and following the Ford manual. Of course the manual is going to say to lift with a bottle jack because that is what they include with the truck. But if a bottle jack were better than a floor jack, mechanic and tire shops would use bottle jacks. I have never seen a shop use a bottle jack. YMMV
First time tire shop lifted by differential, I saw what they did, but didn’t connect the dots as to why it started leaking and leaving a spot on the garage floor. Second time about a year later, saw them do it again, noticed the leak much quicker, but it wasn’t worth the hassle of the “he said, she said” to have them pay for the repairs. From that point on, anyone jacking the rear of the truck was told not to jack using the differential. Never had it leak again. That has just carried through to all the trucks from then on, no jacking by the differential.

And, Chuckster is totally correct (of course ). Floor jacks are much easier to use (no bending over to pump on them) and quicker (less work) to raise whatever you are lifting. At least from this mechanic’s daughters standpoint. I used to “play” with and help move when needed, my dads floor jacks in his diesel shop while growing up. Made the mistake once, and only once, of taking it out onto the gravel. Now, granted these were used for lifting diesel tractors when he would split them, but hard to move! More power to everyone if you can roll those buggers around on a gravel shoulder. No thanks for me!
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Old 09-04-2019, 08:17 AM   #20
Logan X
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Originally Posted by vampress_me View Post
First time tire shop lifted by differential, I saw what they did, but didn’t connect the dots as to why it started leaking and leaving a spot on the garage floor. Second time about a year later, saw them do it again, noticed the leak much quicker, but it wasn’t worth the hassle of the “he said, she said” to have them pay for the repairs.
That is a very good point, it is usually useless and frustrating to get into those types of exchanges with service shops.
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