How do you jack up your van?

[Doodlebug]

When changing a wheel or for general maintenance what do you use to jack up your van.

I tried to lift the van yesterday with the supplied jack and it did not feel safe at all, in fact I did not continue and thought I would use my trolley jack that I use on my other cars, this too did not lift the van enough which is ok as it is only rated at 1.5 tons.

I am looking to purchase a higher rated jack and wondered what you knowledgable people use.

Thanks in advance.

 

[andyman]

I use a 3T trolley jack. I tried a 3T trolley jack from machine mart and it was crap. But at under a £100 I suppose it was to be expected.

Andy

 

[JeanLuc]

At the risk of stating the bl**ding obvious - the jack that comes with the van. The standard Sprinter jack is a hydraulic pillar version that is capable of lifting the vehicle high enough to do the job. I also carry a 1 1/2" thick block of oak to place under it in the event of soft / uneven ground: otherwise it tends to sink!

Only had to do it once in anger.

Philip

 

[ips]

what do you use to jack up your van.

An RAC man

 

[Douglas]

The scissor jack that came with my Fiat based Swift is basically dangerous as its unstable, partially due to the fully loaded condition of the MH.

When I am at home I use a 3 ton trolley jack and when traveling I use two 3 ton hydraulic jacks. and if possible I find something to use as blocks too add to the safety.

Doug...

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[Doodlebug]

The scissor jack that came with my Fiat based Swift is basically dangerous as its unstable, partially due to the fully loaded condition of the MH.

When I am at home I use a 3 ton trolley jack and when traveling I use two 3 ton hydraulic jacks. and if possible I find something to use as blocks too add to the safety.

Doug...

Doug

The two 3 ton hydraulic jacks are they bottle jacks?

Regards

 

[Doodlebug]

At the risk of stating the bl**ding obvious - the jack that comes with the van. The standard Sprinter jack is a hydraulic pillar version that is capable of lifting the vehicle high enough to do the job. I also carry a 1 1/2" thick block of oak to place under it in the event of soft / uneven ground: otherwise it tends to sink!

Only had to do it once in anger.

Philip

The jack that comes with the van is a scissor jack and does not feel stable at all.

 

[SIFTA SAM]

The scissor jack that came with my Fiat based Swift is basically dangerous as its unstable, partially due to the fully loaded condition of the MH.

When I am at home I use a 3 ton trolley jack and when traveling I use two 3 ton hydraulic jacks. and if possible I find something to use as blocks too add to the safety.

Doug...

I do the same as Doug and use a 3 ton trolley jack at home, but am unable to find any hydraulic jacks that will fit under the low rear jacking points of the Alko chassis.

 

[Spacerunner]

Viagra.:Cool:

 

[dikyenfo]

Ex army screw jack for me. Broad base and huge lift height. These can be got dirt cheap from the right shops that deal ex military. Altho. fairly heavy they are lighter than my 3-ton hyd. jack and a lot more compact.

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[VMax666]

Whichever jack you use, you MUST put an axle stand under before doing anything else. Hydraulic jacks can lower slowly if the seals are suspect or even drop quickly as Len Fairclough found out many years ago! VMax

 

[Doodlebug]

Whichever jack you use, you MUST put an axle stand under before doing anything else. Hydraulic jacks can lower slowly if the seals are suspect or even drop quickly as Len Fairclough found out many years ago! VMax

Good old Len Fairclough, liked a swim if I remember correctly. :thumb:

 

[iceni]

Hi
Im glad you posted this.
I had to change the wheel on my 09 Boxer last week and the scissor jack was worse than useless. the jacking point is a short bit of 1in pipe welded under the chassis which the top of the jack goes into. Not only was it hard to jack up but the jack squealed and groaned when i was doing it and it started to tilt over.
I am looking at other options now like air jacks. There are also quite a few bottle jacks on ebay that can be done by hand or a tyre air compressor

As other have said a trolley jack is Ok if you have room and can take the weight.

Phill

 

[Doodlebug]

Hi
Im glad you posted this.
I had to change the wheel on my 09 Boxer last week and the scissor jack was worse than useless. the jacking point is a short bit of 1in pipe welded under the chassis which the top of the jack goes into. Not only was it hard to jack up but the jack squealed and groaned when i was doing it and it started to tilt over.
I am looking at other options now like air jacks. There are also quite a few bottle jacks on ebay that can be done by hand or a tyre air compressor

As other have said a trolley jack is Ok if you have room and can take the weight.

Phill

Thats exactly what happened to my scissor jack, it did not give me any confidence and I would be reluctant to try it again so I am on the lookout for a better solution.

 

[sedge]

as Len Fairclough found out

So what happened to Harry Hewitt then?

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[olley]

press a button on the dash, simples.

Olley

 

[pappajohn]

the standard, supplied scissor jack isnt meant to be use with the van fully loaded.
i had to use mine once at the front as the hydraulic jack failed (lack of oil and maintainance:Blush...never again

 

[rainbow chasers]

Trolley jack at home, with the bottle jack as back up (Usually find with the rear end, you need two - one to go so far, then another lifted into block to go the rest of the way and clear the skirt)

Bottle jacks can be bought fairly cheaply, rating up to 6 ton and easily stowed - which is my main preferance to them - trolley jack is never all that good for dragging round the country unless you have a large garage!

As always, carry chocks - or use the levelling ramps to chock the wheel.

 

[Douglas]

Doug

The two 3 ton hydraulic jacks are they bottle jacks?

Regards

Yes, They are bottle jacks, I dont have an alco chassis though and the jacks are about 8" high which gives plenty of room to get them under the van. Now this might upset you a bit, I bought the jacks in Lidl at Tavira for 14 euro's each.

Doug...

 

[VMax666]

Sedge- you are right. It was Harry Hewitt who was crushed under a car, Len had a heart attack according to wiki. Still think he should have used an axle stand. Moral is don't live in Coronation St or Emmerdale if you want to live a long and normal life. VMax

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[KenandSue]

I should steer clear of Albert Square as well - they've had more than an acceptable level of weird and wonderful deaths!!