Bottle Jack (1 Viewer)

[pelliott1954]

Hi Again,

I have a Autotrail 635SE which I am told has a possible weight of 3.5 Tonne, it did not come with a Spare Wheel or a Jack, both of which I intend to buy.

Three questions then, does anyone know where the best place is to get a spare wheel and tyre at a reasonable price and secondly, should I get a complete flat tyre how high can the bottle jack be and still get to a lifting point, I don't want to get one that is too tall to get underneath when have a flat!! Also what capacity of Jack do I really need, bearing in mind I am only lifting one corner of a 3.5Tonne Van??

help would be appreciated

 

[Snowbird]

A small 1 1/2 ton jack should do the job nicely and not take up much room.
I always carry a few pieces of an old scaffold plank cut into lengths of about a foot long,these will do for support when changing a wheel and also use as leveling ramps when on site.

 

[pappajohn]

just posted the same question over on RVOC and due to the replies i have to disagree, dave..

my RV is 7500kg and the recommendation is between 8ton and 10ton.

a 1.5t jack will lift a 3.5t van, but not safely.

many 4ton bottle jacks for sale on ebay for less than £15 which would be a lot safer (bigger, more stable base) and a damn sight easier to jack up for your 3.5t van.

one RVer uses a 20t bottle jack on an 'under 10t' RV.

as for height.....measure the lowest point under the chassis, if its an alko chassis as the axle tube will maybe crush, or under the axle or spring seat for a standard chassis, then deduct about 4 inchs for the flat tyre.

you could raise the flat tyre side by driving onto levelling ramps with the flat tyre if a low enough jack cant be found.

and remember....dont rely on a jack alone...always use an axle stand....a pain in the neck but how do you lift a motorhome when its slipped off the jack and the brake drums on the floor and maybe a leg/foot under that.

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[Snowbird]

But why would he want a 10 ton jack to lift one wheel of a 3.5 ton Autotrail?
A 1.5 ton jack is well on top of the job to lift one wheel up.
I have stopped carrying my 10 ton jack in the RV,no way would I even try to change a wheel on the hard shoulder,I send for a man that can.
I do have a 1.5 ton jack in my 3.5 ton VW and that copes admirably.
As said carry plenty of wooden blocks for safety,and never rely on a jack.

 

[rainbow chasers]

Go to the local breakers yard, and purchase a bottle jack for a NISSAN PATROL (could even look on ebay)!

They are 3.5t screw type, they have much wider heads and bases and are absolutely fantastic jacks! Always keep that and a smaller one on board and a couple of wooden blocks. Change a rear tyre and you will see what I mean! (You will need to go quite high to clear the skirt!)

Use the smaller jack to start off, place the bigger one on a block. Then take over with that one- it will give you the height.

If you have air ride, you can pump it right up until the block/jack fit underneath and go from there.

 

[upmarkethippy]

Imho, i would buy a bottle jack designed for a land rover,
More than strong enough to lift your van and is a two stage ram so starts very short, and has a long travel. And i will also say do not rely on jack alone, but instead of carrying axle stands I put the spare wheel under the lowest part of the vehicle. then a quick change and put the flat under the vehicle. if the worst should happen then at least the width of the wheel will save your legs!!!!!

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[rainbow chasers]

The Land rover jack is tiny compare with the nissan one. Nissans weigh more than a land rover and the jacks are far more substantial.

Land rover Jack;

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Patrol Jack;

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Talking from experience, the land rover jack is very narrow with a small base. With weight applied, they can lean, and don't even lift very high. The hydraulic nature means that they can leak, seep and have other problems associated.
The patrol on the other hand is much larger bore, with longer shafts and much lager base and contact point. These are very sturdy, and run on a worm drive. This mechanical type is far more robust.:thumb:

 

[robnchris]

Have to say we carry a 7.5 bottle jack but for me I pay the RAC to do all that sort of work, if we were to get a flat it would be a quick phone call, kettle on and wait for the nice man to come along. :thumb:

 

[rainbow chasers]

Have to say we carry a 7.5 bottle jack but for me I pay the RAC to do all that sort of work, if we were to get a flat it would be a quick phone call, kettle on and wait for the nice man to come along. :thumb:

I am guilty as well! I did this when I first had a blow out in a motorhome...pulled out the jack (standard van jack) and thought, "what the..." and put it back. Call Mr Green Flag, and like yuou said - put the kettle on, then went and sat on the bank!

Funny thing was, the driver was too fat - so I had to put the jack underneath! He was a little concerned...until I told him I was recovery qualified too!

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[American Dream]

Very useful thread Guys....

I am going to need a substantial Jack to remove the rear nearside wheels and fit the 2 new tyres that My "Helpful" local garage didn't fit when I asked them to.....

Now...Do any of you Own/carry substantial axle stands? Can you recommend any particular Make?

My GVW is 10,500 lbs or 4.7 metric tons....although I don't forsee getting near this.

I already use the "Place the spare under the vehicle" (Passed on by my Father) method for safety but this is the heaviest vehicle I have had and it must be a Belts and Braces safety thing.

I want to play it safe and realise all that weight is distributed across the whole van so was looking around the 6 ton mark?

Steve.

 

[W18BLA]

When saw the title and read the thread i was so shock to read that "Bottle Jack" was not what i thought it mean't..........

Bottle Jack to me is -


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[normanandsue]

Imho, i would buy a bottle jack designed for a land rover,
More than strong enough to lift your van and is a two stage ram so starts very short, and has a long travel. And i will also say do not rely on jack alone, but instead of carrying axle stands I put the spare wheel under the lowest part of the vehicle. then a quick change and put the flat under the vehicle. if the worst should happen then at least the width of the wheel will save your legs!!!!!

Thanks for the tip - using the spare wheel in place of the axle stands; as a believer in everything in the van having more than one use this makes perfect sense and a tip I shall certainly use when next I have a flat.