Club 80-90 Forums

Another good thread to nudge me to get my a$$ in gear. Can anyone advise range required for bottle jack? i.e. min height to get under van with flat tyre, and max height to get wheel clear of the ground? I always had a bottle jack in my T2 but it was in it when it self cremated so ain't got it no more! That reminds me, I need to find out where to jack a T25... TIA, Bri

Part 1 of answer to my own question- 15" is needed to get rear off ground. I stuck a tape measure under while my tyres were being changed at weekend. I'l have a look at min height when I get chance. Bri

A lot of syncro owners use hi-lift jacks. You need to buy an extra 'arm' to slot into the jacking points.
Also, some use bottle jacks from a Crafter van (find on fleabay), as they have the right weight and lift.

Ok so im going to get a 4 tonne machinemart bottle jack instead of the old thing i have which i have never had to use but i realise is probably too tall
https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... k#p7988625" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

range looks good to me at 190-385mm
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... tle%20jack" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
please can somebody confirm they are ok to store on their side inside the spare wheel?
thanks
Paul

Paul, what's wrong with that old screw type jack that you currently have? I have a soft spot for old jacks and am often looking for good uns on the bay. Does it require much elbow grease to get up sufficiently?

itchyfeet wrote:please can somebody confirm they are ok to store on their side inside the spare wheel?

The standard-issue bottle jack on my Shogun was stored on it's side, so there's clearly no inherent issue.

Whether it'd like the potentially weather-ridden inside of the spare is another question.

what2d wrote: Does it require much elbow grease to get up sufficiently?

this is going to end up in tooc thread if you are not careful

Nothing wrong with it, i can get it up very easily, i just find its a bit too long to slide in at 10" mimimum, flat tyre no chance

AdrianC wrote:

itchyfeet wrote:please can somebody confirm they are ok to store on their side inside the spare wheel?

The standard-issue bottle jack on my Shogun was stored on it's side, so there's clearly no inherent issue.

Whether it'd like the potentially weather-ridden inside of the spare is another question.

Thanks, im happy to grease it up just didnt know if hydraulic fluid would leak as it would on a trolley jack

Looked to me like MM stopped doing bottle jacks- no stock of any on their website? Bri

baj25 wrote:Looked to me like MM stopped doing bottle jacks- no stock of any on their website? Bri

Well spotted, didnt check stock

More measurements- my rear cross member is 10.5" off the floor, tyre is about 4.5" high at normal inflation. So with tyre flat, jack would need to be about 6" to fit under. Then raise to 15" to get spare on.
Front cross member is 12.5" off the floor. I didn't measure height needed to get wheel clear of the ground, I assumed wrongly that front and rear would be the same. Might need to extend to 17" to lift front. Jeez, seems a lot of faff to work out what jack I need!! Bri

AdrianC wrote:The standard-issue bottle jack on my Shogun...

Just moving that on the shelf this morning, I noticed something interesting. It's missing the screw-adjustable top seat that virtually every aftermarket bottle jack has. With that, you slip the jack under and - FULLY DEFLATED - unscrew the top until it gently contacts the suspension component. THEN you pump. It can give you anything up to three or four more inches of travel. So... if you're trawling around for a bottle jack to buy or scrounge, avoid the bright red ones from a Mk2 Shogun, and whatever you do find, give the top a twiddle to make sure it's screw-adjustable.

Interestingly, it's "only" rated to 1500kg - on a wagon that's both heavier unladen and has a higher GVW than our vans. 'course, since you're not balancing the whole vehicle on it...

I use a 6 ton one (for use on my Merc as well) - it is amazing the amount of effort that my 3 ton one needs compared to that. I raise the Merc with the 6 ton then lift the rear axle with the 3 ton to remove a wheel!

baj25 wrote:More measurements- my rear cross member is 10.5" off the floor, tyre is about 4.5" high at normal inflation. So with tyre flat, jack would need to be about 6" to fit under. Then raise to 15" to get spare on.
Front cross member is 12.5" off the floor. I didn't measure height needed to get wheel clear of the ground, I assumed wrongly that front and rear would be the same. Might need to extend to 17" to lift front. Jeez, seems a lot of faff to work out what jack I need!! Bri

Yes i have been doing the measurements but i have been looking at jacking (as i usually do with a trolley jack) from trailing arm and track control arm as this means you only have to lift a few inches rather than the whole travel of the suspension.
problem is tgey will be as little as 4-5 inches off the ground with a flat and the smallest bottle jacks are about 7 inches

so either ditch the idea and jack from the body or drive the wheel up onto something like a block of wood or one of those levelling blocks we all carry (snigger)

or a scissor jack maybe which goes down to 4 inches
http://www.screwfix.com/p/1-5-tonne-sci ... 205879#_=p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


What do other folk with a bottle jack do?

some here
http://www.screwfix.com/p/2-tonne-bottle-jack/54957" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.screwfix.com/p/3-tonne-bottle-jack/90276" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.screwfix.com/p/5-tonne-bottle-jack/40473" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or perhaps you never needed to?

Ok so got this scissor jack today to tide me over until i find something better
http://www.screwfix.com/p/1-5-tonne-sci ... 205879#_=p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
it wont fit in the spare wheel without mods but i have a slot in the van for it
jacks ok from trailing arm or front control arm ok and will go low enough if a tyre is flat.