What's better to jack a tacoma double cab? High lift jack or jack stands?

That would be too easy...

 

Now, now smartasses. The reason why I wasn't sure about the stock jack because other jacks(oem) that I've had in the past were total garbage. I just figured that these ones were the same, maybe I am wrong.

 

I can tell you first hand, DO NOT GET UNDER A TRUCK with a jack holding it up, Learned that when my Land Rover fell off without two wheels on it and smashed my fender all up Jack Stands are a must if your crawling under it or even jacking up your vehicle for more then a couple minutes.

 

Oh man! When I got my first car(88 Accord that was low for a stock vehicle), I did an oil change with the OEM sizzer jack. The jack was 20 years old(I was 20), it was really dumb. If the jack were to fail I more than likely would have been killed by the vehicle. I can get under my truck without a jack which is fine, but really I have no reason to get under there.

 

Ha, i didnt get smashed but i was under the vehicle before it happened. Point is, I may not have been under when the jack gave out but i was under it... Luckily i was at the toolbox when it happened. Still scared the shit out of me haha

 

I should make a thread of scary stores of what people have done and learned from it. It's more of a "what not to do" kind of thread while working on your truck.

 

I dunno. I wouldn't go under the truck unless I have to(I did when I first bought it to check things out). I am not mechanically inclined at all lol. The 2nd generation don't have those kind of jacks, they have the floor pump jack(I think that's what it's called).

 

Depends what you want to do

 

I think trucks come with bottle jacks and cars come with scissor. Get a standard floor hydro jack and 2 jack stands and call it a day.

 

Just to throw this out there, if your running stock bumpers, Hi-Lift makes a couple alternatives, the Bumper Lift for factory bumpers, and the Lift-Mate to lift from the wheels. I've seen guys lift from a shackle hitch as well but only in the worst of situations. Hi-lifts are made to get out of tough jams, I wouldn't use it to work under unless I had to unwrap zombie limbs from the driveshaft.

 

Give this a try. It is a jack stand and jack all in one.

http://www.toolsmithonline.com/prod...All%2dIn%2dOne-Bottle-Jack{47}Jack-Stand.html

At first I was skeptical, but it actually works great.

Shawn

 

If you are using jack stands use EXTREME caution when placing them under your vehicle. Make sure they are seated in a position where they can not shift. The contact point will be metal on metal and thus can slip 'fairly' easily if placed at an angle or on a non-flat surface.

I personally have small wood blocks I use to place between the stands and the frame of the vehicles I am lifting. Makes it less prone to slipping and protects your vehicle too.

Also I always place with the wheels/tires under the vehicle or a large wooden block, and if I had my choice I would use wooden blocks always. (Long story but imagine working in a shop and hearing a fellow mechanic was crushed at home due to a jack stand, probably a cheap one, gave out suddenly and killed him...when your 14 years old.)

All that being said I have 6000 pound rated stands each, I use to lift a 3000 pound car, and I still use auxiliary blocks as safety and block the wheels.

NEVER trust a hydraulic jack to work under either.

Again sorry for the rant, just when I was young a family friend was crushed into a pool of goo and it's just always stuck with me.

 

Often a dilemma for me depending on the vehicle.

On my DBL Cab, where do you recommend placing the jack stands?
Axle, frame?

For instance, to remove the wheels and plasti-dip them.

 

I stick the jack stands under the axle in the back and under the frame in the front.

 

Looks like a lot of the pros/cons and cautions about jacks and jack stands have been covered but it can't be stated enough because improperly jacking a vehicle could very likely result in injury or death. It's a simple process but it's serious business and needs to be done right.

OEM scissor jack, it's under the back seat, have a look.

Pros: You already have it and it will do the job. Designed for the truck.

Cons: Muscle powered, though fairly easy to use. May not have enough height to lift oversize tires. Fairly unstable because of small base to height ratio.

A hi-lift is a great jack for off road but look at the pic:



If you have a stock truck what are going to hook that 3" tooth into to lift? The fender? The plastic bumper? The tin rear bumper? You won't jack the truck but you will do some serious body damage. There is a wheel hook adapter but that's not going to help you change the wheel unless you can block the axle and remove the jack.

Pros: Lifts really high for high flex suspensions and very uneven ground situations off road. Quite versatile IF you have offroad bumpers and sliders. You can use it like a winch too if you have the appropriate gear.

Cons: Mostly useless on a stock truck because there's no suitable jacking points. Real tall with a small base means it could be quite unstable and prone to tipping.

On to the bottle jack, illustrated here:



Pros: Small, cheap. Hydraulic power for easy lifting.

Cons: Again, small base & large height makes it prone to tipping. Small contact point can be tough to align with a suitable jacking spot.

Other concerns, make sure you can get it under the truck when the tire is flat and still have enough lift to get the tire up and off.

The floor jack:



Pros: The biggest most stable jack, low initial height with good raised height. Easy operation.

Cons: Typically the biggest, heaviest, most expensive.

Jack stands:



These aren't a jack at all, they won't lift anything. What you do is lift the vehicle to an appropriate height, place the jackstands underneath somewhere secure and then lower the vehicle onto the stands. The stands are solid and you can then safely put your body underneath the vehicle without worrying about the jack tipping over or an O-ring or valve failing on the jack and dropping the vehicle.

My thoughts:

The stock scissor jack is good for a side of the road emergency tire change. If you want to be prepared then on a nice warm day on flat pavement somewhere safe (like your driveway) use it to lower the rear tire, then jack the truck up and see how it works. When you need it chances are it's going to be cold, rainy, dark and on a crappy highway shoulder somewhere. When you find yourself there it's nice to have an idea of what you're doing. I don't use my OEM jack for anything but emergency repair.

Bottle jacks are alright, might be easier for a roadside repair but make sure you keep the factory tire iron and rods for lowering the spare. I don't really like them for anything else. If you want to jack the rear end up by the pumpkin for instance you basically have to crawl under the truck to lift or lower it because of the short handle.

I like the floor jack best for garage service work, it's big and stable and has the biggest seat. If you're not toting it around in the truck box there's no need to ever lift it. You can roll it right under the truck and stay safely away from the truck while lifting or lowering. Mine had a cup with a rubber pad and I can usually find a suitable protrusion that fits right in the cup for a safe and secure lift.

I always secure the vehicle the jack stands before going under it or doing any service work in the wheel well. You don't want to be up close to the vehicle pulling hard on a wrench doing some brake or suspension work when the you have a jack failure. Obviously you don't want to be under it.

If possible I don't jack at all. I can fit under the truck to do an oil change/inspection so I just roll under it and leave it on all four wheels.

On roadside repairs: When using a small footprint jack always block the wheels and set the park brake so the vehicle doesn't roll and tip the jack. Like I said before chances are it's not a flat hard level surface when you do an emergency repair. Regardless if the jack, jackstands, tools and ego you have the very best tool for a roadside repair when the shoulder is narrow, loose, out of level, and/or beside a busy highway, especially in poor weather or with a flat on the road side of the vehicle is a CAA/AAA card. A tow truck can pull out and provide physical safety, it has bright lights, reflective vests and can tow you down the road to a safer pullout if need be. Also if you ever get a flat and aren't at a safe pull out spot, maybe you don't have cell service too, drive (slowly) on the flat to a safe spot to change it. You can replace a damaged tire/wheel, you can't replace your life.

 

Right, we don't. I was thinking back to my last roadside repair, I used my toolkit and a scissor jack but the jack was from the other truck (a Ford) that was missing one piece of the crank setup, hence my toolkit.

Tacomas have a manually operated bottle jack from factory.

 

x2, awesome writeup.

Not a bad idea about testing the jack on the truck "before" you need it. Last roadside tire replacement I did was on my boat trailer, on a bridge, on a highway and it was NOT fun.

Now, it might be useful if someone could do a similar writeup of jack positions and also, jack stand positions.

I've placed stands under axles, frames or similar, just not always sure what is THE best place...

This year, something happened to me that had never happened before and could have cost me a leg, or worse.

Jacked up the back/right of my Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab to remove tire, check pads. Placed a jack stand under right axle, removed tire and was inspecting. Somewhat slowly, the truck lurched forward, tipping over/off the jackstand and landing on the driveway.

Scared the piss outta me but, I wasn't hurt. Lesson learned, my driveway isn't level and I didn't block the wheels.

 

Another point that no one mentioned; hydraulic jacks (bottle jacks and floor jacks) can experience sudden fluid loss letting the truck fall to the floor or a gradual loss slowly dropping the truck toward the floor. How many of you have left a raised truck using only a hydraulic jack to hold it up only to come back later and found it was no longer at the same height?

For this reason; I always, always, always place jack stands under the truck after raising it!

 

It is impossible to lift a truck with jack stands. You need a jack first to lift it up to set it on the jack stands.

 

Great thread! Bump for awesome information! Sticky?