Bottle Jack - Anyone actually needed to use it?

Has anyone actually needed to use their bottle jack for an emergency tire change?

So, yesterday..... something about 12" flat and probably metal.... went bouncing around in front of me and I could only swerve enough to hit it with my passenger side (tire) of the truck. I thought I was in the clear.... until the TPMS light came on. Got off the highway and found a parking lot.... front passenger side tire went completely flat as I got out of the truck.

I've changed many tires but never using this cheesy bottle jack and setup they give you. My fault for not having a flashlight - took a bit to aim the hook to get the jack down. Durr... I'm a girl, so I'm not all that strong. Had to rig up some origame with the kit to get leverage to loosen the lug nuts. Again - my fault...I used to carry a cheater bar in the truck. Durr...

So...wheel is on the ground. I get the bottle jack under the frame and start cranking. It lifts the truck up about 1/2" and stops....I'm cranking and cranking and cranking and nothing is happening?? WTF???
The main shaft was out entirely and the outter sleeve just barely sticking out.... What was I missing?

Husband works only a mile from where I was. He picked me up and we drove home (3 miles) to get the floor jack.

I came home and manually cranked the bottle jack up - and it went up another 2". Tried to lift the truck with it this morning and it barely lifted it...but damn, not sure I'd trust to use this thing if I had to!!

And what's up with the spare tire wheel not being 'compatible' with the lug nuts??

Ok...rant off. New tire is on order - sucks. My tires only have 8000 miles on them (Dueller Revo). It has a slice in it about 1.5" long.

Thoughts? Insight? Lol

 

I changed rims on my truck, I had better throw in a set of lug nuts and hope the jack works if needed.

 

I use a bottle jack often, but not the one that comes with the truck. I like floor jacks also but sometimes bottle jacks are more portable and easier to fit in small ares. I dont think i have ever touched the one that comes with the truck ( i assume its simply for emergency use, not exactly intended for routine maintenance) .
Agreed the one that comes with the truck is next to garbage. I literally have a floor jack in the back of my cab now with a bunch or baords and other shit necessary for tire change

 

Yeah Jan it is an interesting setup pretty much unchanged by toyota.
It reminds to check on the tundras setup for it is the same bottle jack!
I have used the them on the trailer.
For years I kept a had a wood block with a recessed area for the jack's base to give it some lift in case of an emergency tote.
Also a gorilla extend bar for cracking the lugs. I have recently added a headlamp just in case.
I am overly ocd when it comes to my kit lol....
Being in the northeast, it was customary for the cranking mechanism to corrode which, even with the best of maintenance.
I had two cut off on my previous toyota trucks.

Great report on the tpms doing its job. Sorry to hear about the tire.

 

I don't usually like the OEM jacks that come with vehicles these days so i replaced the stock jack for a 8 ton bottle jack from Canadian Tire. Fits perfectly in the same spot but much more heavy duty. For $30 or less i'd recommend the same thing to anyone.

 

I used it once to change a flat front tire. That little jack extended just enough to lift the tire off the ground and get the job done. It looks small and cheap but it worked for me.

 

I used it to help me install my sliders. Seemed to work ok, didn't have any problems

 

Hmmmm, never had to use mine yet, knock on wood, but now I want to try it! And what do you mean the lug nuts are not compatible with the spare? Just curious, as I don't want to be stuck anywhere.

I think its sad on any car/truck you buy these days, they really cheap out on the jacks for changing a flat.

 

@Janster: where are you jacking the truck from? For single front tire change, jack from the LCA, not from the chassis jacking point. This way the jack only has to extend a little for the tire to come off the ground, without having to take up all the suspension droop travel. For the rear, jack from the diff pumpkin housing.

 

BTW, take a look at the newest Prius models the next time you are at the dealer. Due to the bulk of the battery pack, the spare tire has been eliminated. All you get is tire sealant and a small electric pump.

 

I was able to use mine in the garage to swap all 4 wheels. I'd imagine in an offroad situation or with oversized tires it would be virtually useless.

 

^I can confirm it still works with 32" tires. Off road, a hi-lift or inflatable cushion should be mandatory.

 

It has worked a few times for me.

 

I used it to push out my stock fenders

 

It only works on the LCA which is scary. I need to mount the hi lift in the bed so I can use that.

I've never had a flat in the Tacoma by the way, but I have tried the worthless jack.

 

I used it when I was inspecting the truck pre-purchase jacking up all corners as the manual said to but that's it. Knock on wood no flats yet.

 

We used the bottle jack on a recent leaf pack install to flex the springs away from the truck so we could line up mounting bolts. I think that's about all it's good for on a lifted truck. Stock trucks, use the LCA or pumpkin like stated above.

 

It works fine on all the lift points stated in the manual. Lift should have no impact on the front, unless you have a lift with more down travel. Use 2x10"s under the jack equal to the height of the lift for the rear. That is, if you don't feel like buying a new jack.

 

Yeah Judy...I was thinking the same thing (Tundra Jack)!! Can you imagine using that thing on a Tundra?

Ken, I was using the frame mounting point. I thought about using the LCA - but decided against it. I didn't like the surface area I would've had to work with PLUS the small 1.5" nub on the end of the bottle jack..... slippage....
I wasn't in a dire emergency. Help was only a few miles away.

I don't know if this jack had a 'hiccup' or what. As soon as it reached the max lift amount on the inner shaft, it wasn't moving the outter sleeve at all. But yet, when I did it at home under no pressure....it worked. I'll have to try this tomorrow when I get my new tire back....tomorrow.

Deevon, The Lug nuts for the stock wheels (SPORT wheels) are conical. And perhaps that's specific to alluminum wheels/centering. The stock steal wheels are flat. Just feels WRONG to torque a conical lug nut on a flat surface. Thank God the spare will only be on the truck for a day......

Gylar,
What's the specs on that bottle jack? Total height? Even Harbor Freight has some pretty beefy 20 ton bottle jack for $40 - max height 18". I don't even know what the stock bottle jack goes to....I should measure it. Not a bad idea......You could sell the stock one for $40 on ebay!

 

Not trying to call you stupid, but I assume the spare is on the correct way? My owners manual shows that the spare has the same conical type of lug holes.