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Post Info TOPIC: Lighter jack


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Lighter jack


In the never ending attempt to save weight, I was wondering if anyone has innovated a lighter (but safe of course) type of jack.

My jack  (standard one supplied with the caravan) weights about 12-15 kgs depending on what bits I take with me) and is very heavy to carry.

I could be sensible and assume it is this heavy duty to accommodate the weight of the caravan which is about 3.2t when loaded. 

Has anyone looked into this issue and found a lighter type of jack to carry in your caravan (and I don't mean something that is dangerous or obviously not heavy duty enough for the job).

Perhaps in my ramblings I have answered my own question!!!!!!

 

smilesmilesmilesmile



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Why can't you use the car jack?
Cheers,
Peter


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OKA196, 4x4 'C' Class, DIY, self contained motorhome. 960W of solar, 400Ah of AGMs, 310L water, 280L fuel. https://www.oka4wd.com/forum/members-vehicles-public/569-oka196-xt-motorhome
 

 



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Air Bag (Jack) may fit your requirement - if you already have compressor on board.


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I have a 12 V driven, 5 tonne hydraulic jack, which is very light (probably less than 2 kg) and very compact. But you have to crawl under the vehicle being jacked to place the jack in position. Once this is done, it is simply a case of turning on or off the switch. Bought off EBay for around $100 from memory. I bought this because the standard jacking system on my Pajero was too difficult for me to safely use ( I have limited mobility and severe respiratory problems, and could no longer use the 2 T trolley jack which I used to carry around). Naturally, because I am prepared, I don't need to use the jack at all.... (Shhhh)

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Would be good to know what type of jack you have now - scissor, bottle, trolley - before we can suggest what to replace it with?

Personally I don't like scissor jacks, but unfortunately that's what came with my car, caravan, and now camper trailer. If I had the room and weight allowance I'd take my trolley jack, but I don't so I carry a bottle jack with me on the road. Small, easy to use, and safe (if used with a pad under and a locator onto the chassis).

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Depending on your tow vehicle's engine bay and the physical size if your Jack you could mount a Jack there. I store my 2T bottle screw type hydraulic Jack there.
Tony.

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I am using my Trailer Mate Jack.

A. As a jockey wheel for the caravan at the front.

B. With the attachment behind the rear axle of the caravan as a lifting point when and if I need to remove a wheel

Best point is the Trailer mate is doing 2 jobs.

It is friendly towards the wife to use.

You do not need to climb down under the caravan to change a tyre. Amajor big plus.



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-- Edited by jade46 on Sunday 2nd of May 2021 07:54:29 AM

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erad wrote:

I have a 12 V driven, 5 tonne hydraulic jack, which is very light (probably less than 2 kg) and very compact. But you have to crawl under the vehicle being jacked to place the jack in position. Once this is done, it is simply a case of turning on or off the switch. Bought off EBay for around $100 from memory. I bought this because the standard jacking system on my Pajero was too difficult for me to safely use ( I have limited mobility and severe respiratory problems, and could no longer use the 2 T trolley jack which I used to carry around). Naturally, because I am prepared, I don't need to use the jack at all.... (Shhhh)


 Would like more info about this jack. Lookin at using 2 to level a MH instead of ramps



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Pradokakadudavid wrote:

In the never ending attempt to save weight, I was wondering if anyone has innovated a lighter (but safe of course) type of jack.

My jack  (standard one supplied with the caravan) weights about 12-15 kgs depending on what bits I take with me) and is very heavy to carry.

I could be sensible and assume it is this heavy duty to accommodate the weight of the caravan which is about 3.2t when loaded. 

Has anyone looked into this issue and found a lighter type of jack to carry in your caravan (and I don't mean something that is dangerous or obviously not heavy duty enough for the job).

Perhaps in my ramblings I have answered my own question!!!!!!

 

smilesmilesmilesmile

 

 


 Yes, my new van had a jack which was ridiculously large and heavy. Obviously designed to lift the entire van.  Since I only ever want to lift one wheel at a time I bought a small (4000kg) hydraulic bottle jack.  Not very expensive, and easier to use than the scissor jack that came with the car.



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Jade:   Go to EBay.com.au and type in "12 V hydraulic Jack". The first entry which came up was the jack I have - a 5 ton. It is compact, although the lift stroke is a bit limited - it is perfect for under the axle, but to lift the body you may not have enough stroke. I chose the 5 T jack because the price difference was minimal over lower capacity jacks, and also I wanted something with a bit more reserve. I have a 2 T 12 V scissor jack for my wife's car and this lifts my Pajero wheel, but it struggles. The 12 V hydraulic jack barely notices the load, and is much lighter than the scissor jack as well.

My wife lent the jack to some men who were trying to jack their Toyota 200 series and the jack didn't have enough lift to remove the wheel. They used my jack and were rapt about it and were going tp buy one as soon as they got home. I have used it several times to do wheel rotations, but never in anger with a flat tyre. The main reason I bought this jack was that I had a flat tyre and the car was on a harsh side slope. I didn't trust the OEM bottle jack, and I was using my 2 t trolley jack, but the bulge of the tyre wall was such that I could not get the trolley jack pad into the correct place under the suspension arm - the wheels on the trolley jack were too wide. The scissor jack would have done the job in this instance, but it was hundreds of km away. This 12 V hydraulic jack has a narrower footprint and will do almost every job I can ever conceive for it.



-- Edited by erad on Sunday 2nd of May 2021 10:02:26 AM

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Off road suspension and larger tyres means van  is too high for the car jack!



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Yes I do have one of these for 4 wheeling so I will test it to see if it works.

Thanks. 



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That sounds great I will check these out.

Thanks. 



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It's a heavy duty KOJACK bottle jack with numerous (heavy) attachments to extend the shaft. 



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That sounds like a great idea too  with a few mods. 



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Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

Why can't you use the car jack?
Cheers,
Peter


 Yep, + a couple of 2x4 which are also wheel chocks



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oldbloke wrote:
Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

Why can't you use the car jack?
Cheers,
Peter


 Yep, + a couple of 2x4 which are also wheel chocks


 Me too. 

I use the mechanical screw type bottle jack ($50 at wreckers) that came with the GQ Patrol.  There was none provided with the van.  To give it enough height, I use a large piece of lightweight Douglas Fir & where necessary to give a firm base, a bit of marine grade 5 ply. 

I am far more comfortable with mechanical screw jacks than hydraulic or scissor types and am quite nervous about high lift types that real 4WD'ers carry.

It's a rare thing to have to change a van tyre, especially if you maintain good tread depth.

 



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Trail.a mate for me too, in fact I have two. Red 1 tonne for jockey wheel and blue 1.5 tonne to Jack van at fitting behind rear axle. Only and easiest way to do it as van has deep wheel tubs.

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My caravan came with a scissor lift which was too short to reach the chassis of the off-road caravan, so we bought a "top hat" hard plastic jack base which magnetically attaches to the scissor lift. Both the scissor lift and the top hat are relatively light.



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Derek Barnes


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Just a note of warning for those uninitiated with "Jacking" caravans or heavy trailers; Caravan axles are easily bent, causing tyre alignment problems and chewing out tyres.

Ensure that caravans are only lifted at appropriate "lift points" and van is chocked to prevent any movement. Some caravan manufacturers provide guidance in manual, regarding appropriate lifting technique and jacking points. I have seen forklifts being used to lift vans and the tynes damaging (therefore weakening) chassis.

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Spoiled with stabilisers on MH . We carried a wedge when we towed horse floats. On duel wheels it works .

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Whats out there


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There is also the Couple-mate Ezi-jack. It is lighter than a conventional jack and suites vans with square or round axles, fits wheels 13-16" wheels & will lift the wheel off the ground.
That is its only function! It will not lift the body so that is a restriction. So then you use the car jack.

I would not suggest you carry one jack only as there are times when two jacks might be required (you may have to lift on a leaf spring to get enough height to safely get the main jack under the axle - that is if you haven't got an Ezi-jack (as I have).

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