Jack Advice

D

dht

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #1

I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
gratefully received.

Cheers
Dave

 

M

Mother

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #2

On 28 Jun 2004 01:32:13 -0700, [email protected] (dht) wrote:

>I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
>my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
>and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
>height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
>gratefully received.

A fairly good bottle jack should be fine, and easy to store. I've
left the argument as to which jack is safer than other jacks. They're
all sodding dangerous if used incorrectly or without extreme care.


--
Some Land Roveresque (101 biased), links available
from: http://links.solis.co.uk/Geek/X4_Land_Rover/
I also have a little Land Rover site biased toward
my beloved 101 "Grumble", at: http://www.101fc.net


Reading this in 'alt.fan.landrover'? Did you know
there's a group FAQ: http://www.aflfaq.dyndns.info

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #3

dht typed:
> I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
> my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
> and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
> height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
> gratefully received.

A lot would depend on which Landy I guess, but my Disco has a bottle jack in
the engine compartment that works. Gotts to be a tad careful about it
though ..

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

DavidM

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #4

"Paul - xxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> dht typed:
> > I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
> > my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
> > and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
> > height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
> > gratefully received.
>
> A lot would depend on which Landy I guess, but my Disco has a bottle jack
in
> the engine compartment that works. Gotts to be a tad careful about it
> though ..

At the ange of five I was helping my Dad change a wheel on his VW LT
motorcaravan. With everything securly in place he allowed me to opperate the
wind up jack, but in a classic 999 moment he allowed his attention to be
diverted while his eager son slowly jacked up the camper.
His face was a picture when he turned to find the hightop van at an insane
angle, ready to topple, and little me still winding away.
There was no disaster, but it was a good introduction to jacking up
vehicles.

Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails while
changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?

David

--
-------
# | |
:===[==¬|====;
[/ \|___|_/ \|
\_/ \_/
DavidM djm81NOSPAMatcam.ac.uk

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #5

DavidM typed:

> There was no disaster, but it was a good introduction to jacking up
> vehicles.

Heheheh, saw something similar with a 'friend' who had a garage next door to
him with a 'proper' ramp and vehicle hoist. His old, but good, Ford Sierra
on the hoist, he's stood pressing the button and diligently watching the
roofline .. until the garage owner brought in the coffee .. which he
collected with the other hand while hand one was still pressing the hoist
lift button. A change of exhaust became a new roof panel ...

> Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails while
> changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?

Now there's a challenge .. I'll try it this weekend with my Disco ..

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #6

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails while
> changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?

It's the head one.

 

D

DavidM

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #7

"David French" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails
while
> > changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?
>
> It's the head one.
>
>

That's a shame. So in the wind and rain, probably blocking a small country
lane, you have to balance 1.5 tons of old steel on a bottle jack or choose a
corner that will take the hilift. Carefully trying to get the new wheel on,
hoping that the jack does not slip, knowing that one wrong move might end in
big trouble.

I might get one of the giant exhauset inflatable lifting bags, just incase
of a puncture.

--
-------
# | |
:===[==¬|====;
[/ \|___|_/ \|
\_/ \_/
DavidM djm81NOSPAMatcam.ac.uk

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #8

DavidM typed:

> That's a shame. So in the wind and rain, probably blocking a small country
> lane, you have to balance 1.5 tons of old steel on a bottle jack or
> choose a corner that will take the hilift. Carefully trying to get the
> new wheel on, hoping that the jack does not slip, knowing that one wrong
> move might end in big trouble.

I generally actually carry a small 2 ton trolley jack (Halfords special,
about £20 ish) as well ...

And two cubed blocks of wood ..


--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #9

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > > Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails
> while
> > > changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?
> >
> > It's the head one.
> >
> >
>
> That's a shame. So in the wind and rain, probably blocking a small country
> lane, you have to balance 1.5 tons of old steel on a bottle jack or choose
a
> corner that will take the hilift. Carefully trying to get the new wheel
on,
> hoping that the jack does not slip, knowing that one wrong move might end
in
> big trouble.

I was being flippant.

If used properly, the bottle jack will be perfectly safe. The ones LR
supply with their current vehicles are perfectly up to the job. Even so,
you're not going to want to do anything like sticking your head under the
diff casing without having it on axle stands as well. But to change a
wheel, it's fine. Personally, I don't normally put my head under the
vehicle when changing a wheel . REMEMBER TO CHOCK THE CAR TOO - LR supply
chocks on their current vehicles (on the Discos at least) for this purpose.

I would never recommend using a hi-lift to change a wheel, unless there is
no better alternative, because the vehicle is too unstable on a hi-lift. I
had to do it once (bottle jack no good on soft ground, didn't have an
alternative support) and knew I was risking possible damage to the vehicle
if it had fallen off, although I made damn sure I wasn't likely to drop
anything on myself. If you're off-road and you get a puncture, you may have
no choice, but it's best avoided. Try using your hi-lift in various
positions and see how stable it is, then you'll understand why.

David

 

D

DavidM

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #10

"David French" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

> > > It's the head one....

> > > > That's a shame....

> > > > >I was being flippant.
> > > > >I don't normally put my head under the vehicle when changing a
> > > > >wheel .....

No, no, no. The head is not _under_ the LR, it's attached to your body?!

I was just wondering whether a Land Rover would balance on three wheels, or
drop onto the brake drum or roll over completely in the event of a jack
failure. Head crushing would occur as a result of the LR rolling over
completely ontop of anyone trying to change a wheel, probably along with
leg, nad and chest crushing.

I'm just worrying over extreme outcomes (head crushing) in difficult
situations.

Hilift jacks really are unstable, thats why they are so good at getting a
grounded LR out of deep ruts. Jacking it up then pushing it sideways
shouting TIMBER at the same time, called scaling or something like that by
"professionals". Probably safe for changing wheels if you have rock sliders
with lifting holes and a set of chocks.

Anyway, I agree with all the chock stuff and bottle jack advice, and keeping
heads well clear, all good stuff.

David

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #11

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> No, no, no. The head is not _under_ the LR, it's attached to your body?!

>
> I was just wondering whether a Land Rover would balance on three wheels,
or
> drop onto the brake drum or roll over completely in the event of a jack
> failure. Head crushing would occur as a result of the LR rolling over
> completely ontop of anyone trying to change a wheel, probably along with
> leg, nad and chest crushing.
>
> I'm just worrying over extreme outcomes (head crushing) in difficult
> situations.

Given suspension travel, I'm pretty sure your hub would hit the deck,
although I've not tried it. Of course, then it's difficult to get it all
jacked up again, potentially. Depending on loading, the weight of the
vehicle could tipple onto the aforementioned hub as well. I think you'd
struggle to have the whole vehicle over, otherwise it'd capsize every time
you put a wheel into a ditch. It's not a Suzuki after all!

 

D

David G. Bell

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #12

On 28 Jun, in article
<[email protected]>
[email protected] "dht" wrote:

> I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
> my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
> and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
> height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
> gratefully received.

I have a small Halfords bottle jack which works fine, although I would
be reluctant to use it off-road. Goes under the axle/spring on my S3,
and it lifts OK.

Something a bit bigger might be a better choice.

--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.

"History shows that the Singularity started when Sir Tim Berners-Lee
was bitten by a radioactive spider."

 

D

David G. Bell

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #13

On Monday, in article
<[email protected]>
[email protected] "David French" wrote:

> "DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > No, no, no. The head is not _under_ the LR, it's attached to your body?!
>
> >
> > I was just wondering whether a Land Rover would balance on three wheels,
> or
> > drop onto the brake drum or roll over completely in the event of a jack
> > failure. Head crushing would occur as a result of the LR rolling over
> > completely ontop of anyone trying to change a wheel, probably along with
> > leg, nad and chest crushing.
> >
> > I'm just worrying over extreme outcomes (head crushing) in difficult
> > situations.
>
> Given suspension travel, I'm pretty sure your hub would hit the deck,
> although I've not tried it. Of course, then it's difficult to get it all
> jacked up again, potentially. Depending on loading, the weight of the
> vehicle could tipple onto the aforementioned hub as well. I think you'd
> struggle to have the whole vehicle over, otherwise it'd capsize every time
> you put a wheel into a ditch. It's not a Suzuki after all!

I once had a wheel come off an 88, at some speed.

There was a slight flat work on the rim of the brake-drum, and no other
damage. It was a long walk to fetch the wheel back from the middle of a
field. Jacking was tricky, as I couldn;t get the jack under the axle.

The worst of it was buying new wheel nuts.

--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.

"History shows that the Singularity started when Sir Tim Berners-Lee
was bitten by a radioactive spider."

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #14

DavidM typed:

> There was no disaster, but it was a good introduction to jacking up
> vehicles.

Heheheh, saw something similar with a 'friend' who had a garage next door to
him with a 'proper' ramp and vehicle hoist. His old, but good, Ford Sierra
on the hoist, he's stood pressing the button and diligently watching the
roofline .. until the garage owner brought in the coffee .. which he
collected with the other hand while hand one was still pressing the hoist
lift button. A change of exhaust became a new roof panel ...

> Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails while
> changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?

Now there's a challenge .. I'll try it this weekend with my Disco ..

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

David G. Bell

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #15

On Monday, in article
<[email protected]>
[email protected] "David French" wrote:

> "DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > No, no, no. The head is not _under_ the LR, it's attached to your body?!
>
> >
> > I was just wondering whether a Land Rover would balance on three wheels,
> or
> > drop onto the brake drum or roll over completely in the event of a jack
> > failure. Head crushing would occur as a result of the LR rolling over
> > completely ontop of anyone trying to change a wheel, probably along with
> > leg, nad and chest crushing.
> >
> > I'm just worrying over extreme outcomes (head crushing) in difficult
> > situations.
>
> Given suspension travel, I'm pretty sure your hub would hit the deck,
> although I've not tried it. Of course, then it's difficult to get it all
> jacked up again, potentially. Depending on loading, the weight of the
> vehicle could tipple onto the aforementioned hub as well. I think you'd
> struggle to have the whole vehicle over, otherwise it'd capsize every time
> you put a wheel into a ditch. It's not a Suzuki after all!

I once had a wheel come off an 88, at some speed.

There was a slight flat work on the rim of the brake-drum, and no other
damage. It was a long walk to fetch the wheel back from the middle of a
field. Jacking was tricky, as I couldn;t get the jack under the axle.

The worst of it was buying new wheel nuts.

--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.

"History shows that the Singularity started when Sir Tim Berners-Lee
was bitten by a radioactive spider."

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #16

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> No, no, no. The head is not _under_ the LR, it's attached to your body?!

>
> I was just wondering whether a Land Rover would balance on three wheels,
or
> drop onto the brake drum or roll over completely in the event of a jack
> failure. Head crushing would occur as a result of the LR rolling over
> completely ontop of anyone trying to change a wheel, probably along with
> leg, nad and chest crushing.
>
> I'm just worrying over extreme outcomes (head crushing) in difficult
> situations.

Given suspension travel, I'm pretty sure your hub would hit the deck,
although I've not tried it. Of course, then it's difficult to get it all
jacked up again, potentially. Depending on loading, the weight of the
vehicle could tipple onto the aforementioned hub as well. I think you'd
struggle to have the whole vehicle over, otherwise it'd capsize every time
you put a wheel into a ditch. It's not a Suzuki after all!

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #17

dht typed:
> I'm looking for a jack to use for changing the tyre in an emergency on
> my landy. I don't want to be carrying my trolley jack around with me,
> and the original has disappeared. The biggest problem seems to be
> height and stability for jacking the vehicle. Any suggestions
> gratefully received.

A lot would depend on which Landy I guess, but my Disco has a bottle jack in
the engine compartment that works. Gotts to be a tad careful about it
though ..

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #18

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails while
> changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?

It's the head one.

 

P

Paul - xxx

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #19

DavidM typed:

> That's a shame. So in the wind and rain, probably blocking a small country
> lane, you have to balance 1.5 tons of old steel on a bottle jack or
> choose a corner that will take the hilift. Carefully trying to get the
> new wheel on, hoping that the jack does not slip, knowing that one wrong
> move might end in big trouble.

I generally actually carry a small 2 ton trolley jack (Halfords special,
about £20 ish) as well ...

And two cubed blocks of wood ..


--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

 

D

David French

Guest

• Jun 28, 2004

• #20

"DavidM" <djm81@(I hate spam)cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > > Will a defender or series LR stand on three wheels? If a jack fails
> while
> > > changing a wheel is it going to roll onto your head or balance nicely?
> >
> > It's the head one.
> >
> >
>
> That's a shame. So in the wind and rain, probably blocking a small country
> lane, you have to balance 1.5 tons of old steel on a bottle jack or choose
a
> corner that will take the hilift. Carefully trying to get the new wheel
on,
> hoping that the jack does not slip, knowing that one wrong move might end
in
> big trouble.

I was being flippant.

If used properly, the bottle jack will be perfectly safe. The ones LR
supply with their current vehicles are perfectly up to the job. Even so,
you're not going to want to do anything like sticking your head under the
diff casing without having it on axle stands as well. But to change a
wheel, it's fine. Personally, I don't normally put my head under the
vehicle when changing a wheel . REMEMBER TO CHOCK THE CAR TOO - LR supply
chocks on their current vehicles (on the Discos at least) for this purpose.

I would never recommend using a hi-lift to change a wheel, unless there is
no better alternative, because the vehicle is too unstable on a hi-lift. I
had to do it once (bottle jack no good on soft ground, didn't have an
alternative support) and knew I was risking possible damage to the vehicle
if it had fallen off, although I made damn sure I wasn't likely to drop
anything on myself. If you're off-road and you get a puncture, you may have
no choice, but it's best avoided. Try using your hi-lift in various
positions and see how stable it is, then you'll understand why.

David