FYI to Tacoma owners

D. Hinton said:
After my Jack fiasco a couple of weeks ago I purchased a hydraulic bottle jack for a replacement.

A 6 ton bottle jack will fit perfectly in the factory space … do yourselves a favor and upgrade

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Do they lift enough? When I use bottle jacks for stuff like that I often find they don't have enough travel as the suspension decompresses, especially if they are sinking into the soil. Maybe also add a stack of blocks in addition (you may have those already).
 
tod osier said:
Do they lift enough? When I use bottle jacks for stuff like that I often find they don't have enough travel as the suspension decompresses, especially if they are sinking into the soil. Maybe also add a stack of blocks in addition (you may have those already).
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I hope so. But yes sir after last weekend keeping a couple of boards as well
 
D. Hinton said:
I hope so. But yes sir after last weekend keeping a couple of boards as well
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Dax and Tod~

Inadequate jack dimensions are not restricted to Tacomas....

I had a Ford Ranger whose scissor jack worked just fine - as long as the tire was full of air. If one adjusted it to lift a flat tire there was not enough lift (travel) to fit the fully-inflated spare onto the wheel. Thus, I always carried a short length of 2x6 to enable side-of-the-road tire changes. I think too many auto engineers "field test" their designs in fully-equipped shops.....

For my boat/flatbed trailers I carry this bottle jack (saved from my Dad's 1967 Nissan Patrol - the vehicle on which I learned to drive.) and a special block so I can lift the frame.

sm Jack and Blocking FULL.jpg

The triple-layer block does the trick. The tape is on the 13/16" socket - for my trailer lugs.

sm Jack and Blocking CLOSEUP.jpg

Also, I usually carry a rolled-up "GI" sleeping pad - to keep me dry and clean. It's usually right inside my shop - for whenever I need to crawl beneath a vehicle or vessel outside. When hauling a trailer, both the jack bag and the pad go in the back of my Forester. The jack bag also has a rag in it as well.

BTW - for a different post. Yesterday I installed a light in the hatch of my Forester. Its only light in the storage area was low and on the right. So, a single item could/would block light throughout the "trunk". The new light is a great improvement. Only $35 - but about 2 hours to remove and replace all the interior panels and snake the wiring along its "serpentine" path. Because it's in the hatch (unlike a dome light) it also illuminates the ground behind the vehicle.

All the best,

SJS
 
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