Air jacks

[Ukeman]

Have any of you fine folks any experience with 3 ton air jacks ? Are they worth 100 quid or so for the three bellow type rather than using Fiats underseat kit ?
Al

 

[glenn2926]

I don’t know what an air jack is but if it’s anything like the airbags that inflate off the exhaust then they are ok . I’ve used them in the Fire Service a couple of times.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Had air jacks for many years, the one I currently have is particularly handy for our motorhome as the rear chassis is an ALKO & can be a bitch to jack with normal trolley jacks.

I used them for rescuing Land Rovers from particularly sticky situation & I've given them some hellish abuse.

 

[tonyidle]

Have any of you fine folks any experience with 3 ton air jacks ? Are they worth 100 quid or so for the three bellow type rather than using Fiats underseat kit ?
Al

I'm thinking of buying one too. For roadside use don't forget you need a compressor. My concern wouldn't be the jack but whether a 12v compressor is man enough

 

[PeteH]

Most of the ones I have seen work off the exhaust?. They rely mainly on high volume gas rather than pressure hence partly why the can be quite large. Also spreading the load to the vehicle parts is better distributed

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mike mcglynn]

I had the tyres changed on the drive and the the guy used an airbag with a compressor fitted in his van he said they are more reliable than the trolley jack , safer ,and easier to move about underneath .

 

[Ukeman]

Many thanks, Peeps. What one you currently using, Ambulance kid? The 5 inch clearance at the lowest point looks to be a positive move to get the ol girl airborne on the road.
Likewise Mike, could see that a tyre fitter had used one on a Merc for a street wheel change.
Al

 

[tacr2man]

Two different varieties being discussed the low pressure large volume air bag type powered by exhaust , and the truck airspring type high pressure version . The first , is good for soft surfaces and unbogging , but need to be careful of sharp protrusions . The second is used in place of a bottle type jack , usually in garage as speedy and no hydraulic problems. But using with a 12v compressor without a reservoir would be a slow business I would think .

 

[monzer]

I had a look on Amazon to see the kinds being discussed. The 3 bag ones look the handiest but like tacr2man says they might not be too functional with just a 12v cigar lighter compressor and they would also take up quite a lot of space by the look of them.

The other one is basically just a big balloon which can be inflated via exhaust. I'm sure it is sturdy enough but on first look it does seem a bit unstable.

First one:
Amazon product ASIN B07QD59526
Second one:
Amazon product ASIN B07QR1P1TH
I did find this which could be useful:
Amazon product ASIN B087T6NJ5Q

 

[Bailey58]

Old thread but I've been looking at these lately in order to get the wheels off the ground for the winter. As ambulancekidd said an alko chassis is a problem with a trolley jack. I enquired about the 3 ton/6600lbs capacity but the two suppliers I've messaged have come back with a chinese inspired answer saying basically they are not man enough, get a larger one. If I'm lifting one corner at a time would this not do the job on a 3500kg van?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ambulancekidd]

Old thread but I've been looking at these lately in order to get the wheels off the ground for the winter. As ambulancekidd said an alko chassis is a problem with a trolley jack. I enquired about the 3 ton/6600lbs capacity but the two suppliers I've messaged have come back with a chinese inspired answer saying basically they are not man enough, get a larger one. If I'm lifting one corner at a time would this not do the job on a 3500kg van?

The one I use is a three tonne version, but the reason I went for the 3 tonne one was for extra height, it lifts up to about a metre when required.
As you've rightly said, your only lifting one quarter at a time, so you should be fine with a two tonne upwards air-jack.