trolley jack or something else

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John_Conrad

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would like to carry something other than the jack the car comes with car that is stout and lifts faster and at the moment only finding trolley jacks, but i don't much like them unless if I could find a good sturdy one.
So what are you guy's carrying? Only other option is a short bottle jack. Obviously don't want a full heavy floor jack in the trunk of my car....

post up, let me know.
 
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What kind of vehicle? Kind of hard to say what the solution might be without that.

I think bringing another jack is a waste of space barring some very specific requirement or challenge you have.

At that point, the only thing I'd consider is one of those 1.5 ton HF aluminum jacks. Smallish, super light, cheap. And I'd be hard pressed to think of why I'd want to do that...
 
Personally, I have never carried anything but the jack that came with vehicle, and have so seldom had to use it that I usually forget where to find it and how to use it.
smile.gif
 
didnt want to go the aluminum route, but could.. looking for a jack I could use in event of flat tire and for oil changes as I am traveling a lot these days and much prefer to do my oil changes.

vehicle now using is 2005 Buick Lesabre i bought used with 80k miles a couple weeks back. I love these 3.8's....built well and i have put 400k on another one i still have..

thanks
 
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so looking for something strong but not as heavy as a floor jack obviously and most trolley jacks i see just look cheap and flimsy..
 
If one drives a car with tires that have decent tread and not in construction sites, how often do you get a flat? Almost never.

If your car has pinch welds and that is where you will be lifting the vehicle, I would stick with the jack that comes with the car.
 
There are some good scissor jacks in the trunks of cars in the junk yard, like some older full-sized cars. Much better than the crap they sell at the stores. They are still the best option, with wheel chocks, and maybe a 1 foot square piece of 3/4 plywood. The problem with hydraulic jacks, besides being a heavy projectile is, they can't get low enough to get under most cars with a flat tire.
 
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Originally Posted by Donald
If one drives a car with tires that have decent tread and not in construction sites, how often do you get a flat? Almost never.

If your car has pinch welds and that is where you will be lifting the vehicle, I would stick with the jack that comes with the car.


i am in the construction industry. i manage and visit up to 50 major construction sites a year and each site several times a year.
 
Originally Posted by Traction
There are some good scissor jacks in the trunks of cars in the junk yard, like some older full-sized cars. Much better than the crap they sell at the stores. They are still the best option, with wheel chocks, and maybe a 1 foot square piece of 3/4 plywood. The problem with hydraulic jacks, besides being a heavy projectile is, they can't get low enough to get under most cars with a flat tire.

interesting...
 
Originally Posted by Donald
If one drives a car with tires that have decent tread and not in construction sites, how often do you get a flat? Almost never.

If your car has pinch welds and that is where you will be lifting the vehicle, I would stick with the jack that comes with the car.



Gotten a few. Low profile tires can't take a hit and maybe it's just all the construction in general going on in the state, but I've picked up several nails and I'm not even in construction sites, but I drive by them just being on the road.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Skip the cheap 2 ton ones. No way in Hades they would ever lift 4,000 lbs, anyway!

The 2.5 ton one I keep in the trunk is the perfect balance of small, yet big enough - with decent capacity.

https://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-Vehicles-Lowrider-Extra-wide-stability/dp/B00X2AXZQG

I had one of those in my van. INIB and I never tested it, big MISTAKE!!!! About 2 years after buying it I got a flat on the parkway and tried to use it. It lifted the van and the van quickly went right back down again. Yes it was full, and had no visible issues. Long story short I was able to change the flat by some out of the box thinking. Bottom line is this, if you opt to buy a jack like that, test it before tossing it in the vehicle and later finding out the jack has issues.
 
When I was younger all the cars I drove always came with those awful vertical bumper jacks. I noticed the newer cars came with scissor jacks. I would go to the junk yard and scope out the best scissor jacks from the biggest cars. Space saver spares too.
 
thanks,

well iv'e heard above idea more than once, so i will try that for sure.
i believe a battery operated impact is a good idea to drive the jack!
 
For a long time I kept a trolley jack in the car, as it was bought not knowing better, but I found it worked well in the pinch weld. For a while I kept a HF 1.5T jack, once the trolley started showing age, but usually I leave it home now. But I'm tempted to put it back in and get a bigger one for the house!

Bottle jacks are nice and small but I don't think they will get under many (most?) cars if they have a flat. But if you have a truck that might be the ticket, even with a flat they might be short enough.
 
its for a car..and i do like the bottle jack idea. one could always carry a foot long piece of a 2"x6" lumber to drive flat tire on to get a little extra clearance
i will look into short bottle jacks too
 
These ratchet jacks work great! They are kinda like a little mechanical floor jack, but much lighter with a near vertical lift, and low enough to fit under a car with a flat. GM and others used them on lots of cars during the 80's with different saddles. This one would have been for a full frame car which I will weld a channel to, for using on pinch welds.


IMG_7223.JPG
 
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