What jack should I use for tire rotations?

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

3-ton capacity minimum and lift height of at least around 18”.

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[the_mace]

Please share your experience on what jack to use on the R1s!! Thank you in advance.

I wonder what people charge for rotations in various areas. Here, for my R1T, they charge $35 for a rotation.

People are always linking those $300+ jacks, you need 2 I think to do it well (they use 2 on my R1T), then a torque wrench, etc. I have a torque wrench now (thanks to my running boards) but not the jacks. $600 in jacks is 17 rotations which is 85,000 miles of driving just to break even. And it would take me longer to do the rotation than the shop does.

Perhaps people like doing this sort of thing but it doesnt make sense to me.

 

[R1Thor]

I wonder what people charge for rotations in various areas. Here, for my R1T, they charge $35 for a rotation.

People are always linking those $300+ jacks, you need 2 I think to do it well (they use 2 on my R1T), then a torque wrench, etc. I have a torque wrench now (thanks to my running boards) but not the jacks. $600 in jacks is 17 rotations which is 85,000 miles of driving just to break even. And it would take me longer to do the rotation than the shop does.

Perhaps people like doing this sort of thing but it doesnt make sense to me.

Several things.

1- I had equipment to do vehicle maintenance well before purchasing my truck. My wife still has her vehicle, so even though I *did* have to upgrade to another jack, it works for both vehicles. Not much of an investment. I also help friends with their standard automotive maintenance and basic repairs, so I have a rather extensive toolset. And I love excuses to buy more tools!

2- if *I* do it, I know it's done right. I don't have to look over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb to figure out if there are new dents/scratches, etc. Not saying there are a lot of unscrupulous shops out there, but if you look around the internet, you'll find some that simply charge people to 'claim' they did work and sit in the back smoking and joking. Again, peace of mind (piece of mind?). That said, for sure, there have been more times than not that I've noticed simply by the characteristics of the lug nuts (or lug bolts as it were with my previous vehicle): a lot of mechanics just impact-gun lugs back on. I prefer to know that all of my lugs are torqued properly. And *technically* (though very few people do this), after ~25 miles of driving, you should verify your torque. So, this comes back to me doing work anyway, or having to take it back to the garage that probably over or under torqued it anyway by simply throwing the impact gun on there and squeezing the trigger until they felt it was tight enough.

3- If I do it, I get the satisfaction and reward of doing it. And I don't even have to leave my home. It takes me less time than it does to drive it somewhere and have someone else do it. Then what am I doing? Sitting in the waiting room twiddling my fingers? What a waste! I'd rather be productive, or at least not bored.

4- I grew up in a day and age and area where being a shadetree mechanic got you your man card. So, I've always taken pride in being able to do my own maintenance (and honestly, wrenching on cars is what got me into Mechanical Engineering in the first place).

5- If it's a nice day, this is a stress reliever for me. I can shut my brain off and just accomplish things. I enjoy doing it. Enough said

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Several things.

1- I had equipment to do vehicle maintenance well before purchasing my truck. My wife still has her vehicle, so even though I *did* have to upgrade to another jack, it works for both vehicles. Not much of an investment. I also help friends with their standard automotive maintenance and basic repairs, so I have a rather extensive toolset. And I love excuses to buy more tools!

2- if *I* do it, I know it's done right. I don't have to look over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb to figure out if there are new dents/scratches, etc. Not saying there are a lot of unscrupulous shops out there, but if you look around the internet, you'll find some that simply charge people to 'claim' they did work and sit in the back smoking and joking. Again, peace of mind (piece of mind?). That said, for sure, there have been more times than not that I've noticed simply by the characteristics of the lug nuts (or lug bolts as it were with my previous vehicle): a lot of mechanics just impact-gun lugs back on. I prefer to know that all of my lugs are torqued properly. And *technically* (though very few people do this), after ~25 miles of driving, you should verify your torque. So, this comes back to me doing work anyway, or having to take it back to the garage that probably over or under torqued it anyway by simply throwing the impact gun on there and squeezing the trigger until they felt it was tight enough.

3- If I do it, I get the satisfaction and reward of doing it. And I don't even have to leave my home. It takes me less time than it does to drive it somewhere and have someone else do it. Then what am I doing? Sitting in the waiting room twiddling my fingers? What a waste! I'd rather be productive, or at least not bored.

4- I grew up in a day and age and area where being a shadetree mechanic got you your man card. So, I've always taken pride in being able to do my own maintenance (and honestly, wrenching on cars is what got me into Mechanical Engineering in the first place).

5- If it's a nice day, this is a stress reliever for me. I can shut my brain off and just accomplish things. I enjoy doing it. Enough said

This is my sentiment 100%....

 

[madgrey]

The Daytona long-reach low-profile jack mentioned previously is, independent of price, a really good all around jack. I use it for a 1/2 dozen other vehicles also, but for tire rotations on an R1, it's really good, for reasons stated below, regardless if you buy a tire dolly to make the job easier.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/a-less-painful-diy-wheel-swap-tire-rotate.20648/

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Here's a more price sensitive option that comes recommended by other forum members and I just picked up for myself: Daytona™ Long Reach Low Profile Heavy Duty Car Jack (harborfreight.com)

This is the jack I personally use (have 2), because it has 24"+ of lift height, which you need to get the rear wheels off the ground, due to more suspension droop with Jack Pucks. Don't get anything less. The other option is what another poster said is the Badlands 3T Off Road Jack Badlands 3T Off Road Jack w/29" of Lift Both of these floor jacks readily lifts the R1 off the ground.

Some use Jack Stands, which I will use on occassion (shown below), which is a 4T flat top, which works great with our Grip Tech rubber cap.

Pictures below of our 5-Magnetic Jack Pucks in Rivian Yellow using the Daytona Long Reach Low Profile 24"+ 3T Jack. You need the additional lift for the rear (said it again).

 

[the_mace]

Several things.

1- I had equipment to do vehicle maintenance well before purchasing my truck. My wife still has her vehicle, so even though I *did* have to upgrade to another jack, it works for both vehicles. Not much of an investment. I also help friends with their standard automotive maintenance and basic repairs, so I have a rather extensive toolset. And I love excuses to buy more tools!

2- if *I* do it, I know it's done right. I don't have to look over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb to figure out if there are new dents/scratches, etc. Not saying there are a lot of unscrupulous shops out there, but if you look around the internet, you'll find some that simply charge people to 'claim' they did work and sit in the back smoking and joking. Again, peace of mind (piece of mind?). That said, for sure, there have been more times than not that I've noticed simply by the characteristics of the lug nuts (or lug bolts as it were with my previous vehicle): a lot of mechanics just impact-gun lugs back on. I prefer to know that all of my lugs are torqued properly. And *technically* (though very few people do this), after ~25 miles of driving, you should verify your torque. So, this comes back to me doing work anyway, or having to take it back to the garage that probably over or under torqued it anyway by simply throwing the impact gun on there and squeezing the trigger until they felt it was tight enough.

3- If I do it, I get the satisfaction and reward of doing it. And I don't even have to leave my home. It takes me less time than it does to drive it somewhere and have someone else do it. Then what am I doing? Sitting in the waiting room twiddling my fingers? What a waste! I'd rather be productive, or at least not bored.

4- I grew up in a day and age and area where being a shadetree mechanic got you your man card. So, I've always taken pride in being able to do my own maintenance (and honestly, wrenching on cars is what got me into Mechanical Engineering in the first place).

5- If it's a nice day, this is a stress reliever for me. I can shut my brain off and just accomplish things. I enjoy doing it. Enough said

Makes sense. Im terrible mechanically. Give me a keyboard and i'm dangerous

My local tire shop is small and Im with the truck the whole time (they change the tires outside) so I know exactly what they're doing and i've used them for a long time. They're close and its quick and convenient. I also have a compromised back so there's that too.

 

[madgrey]

Don't forget the jack puck!

FYI: The "regular reach" version of the Daytona jack mentioned a few times is essentially a copy of a $1000+ Snap-On unit. So much so that Snap-On sued Daytona, claiming the jacks “are substantially identical in shape and appearance”.

There are some minor build quality differences but It's a great jack regardless. The long reach version just makes it more versatile. I use it to reach the front or rear subframe on my low cars, which can't easily be done with the regular version.

 

[BigSkies]

This is the jack I personally use (have 2), because it has 24"+ of lift height, which you need to get the rear wheels off the ground, due to more suspension droop with Jack Pucks. Don't get anything less. The other option is what another poster said is the Badlands 3T Off Road Jack Badlands 3T Off Road Jack w/29" of Lift Both of these floor jacks readily lifts the R1 off the ground.

Some use Jack Stands, which I will use on occassion (shown below), which is a 4T flat top, which works great with our Grip Tech rubber cap.

Pictures below of our 5-Magnetic Jack Pucks in Rivian Yellow using the Daytona Long Reach Low Profile 24"+ 3T Jack. You need the additional lift for the rear (said it again).

I feel like this is a dumb question, but I just can't figure it out.

How do you get the jack stand under the vehicle when the puck is your only lift point?

My auto maintenance education came with a rule of ALWAYS use a jack stand. So I'm inherently skeptical of changing a tire from the jack itself, even though I logically know that's what most people do.

 

[Acoustic71]

Please share your experience on what jack to use on the R1s!! Thank you in advance.

Black, if he's available.

 

[oskeei]

. And it would take me longer to do the rotation than the shop does.

Perhaps people like doing this sort of thing but it doesnt make sense to me.

One of the reason I do it myself is that it's less time. For me to get a rotation done, it'll be at least an hour at a shop. Even without power tools, 30 minutes will be the longest it will take to rotate all four.

I get my new tires at CostCo or Sams so lifetime balance and rotation is always included, so no "extra' cost to have them do it. I do utilize the balance when I drop off the winter tires set in spring and spring set in the fall to get balanced. A lot of times they can get it done before I'm done shopping.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I wonder what people charge for rotations in various areas. Here, for my R1T, they charge $35 for a rotation.

People are always linking those $300+ jacks, you need 2 I think to do it well (they use 2 on my R1T), then a torque wrench, etc. I have a torque wrench now (thanks to my running boards) but not the jacks. $600 in jacks is 17 rotations which is 85,000 miles of driving just to break even. And it would take me longer to do the rotation than the shop does.

Perhaps people like doing this sort of thing but it doesnt make sense to me.

Only need one jack if you have full size spare and doing 5-tire rotation. A benefit of having full size spare. Harbor Freight jacks are quite a bit less than others. Their 12-ton Daytona bottle jack is $65. There are other brands (like Torin Big Red) and models for less than that. Still affordable if you get two. You don’t have to have a wheeled floor jack. The advantage of DIY is you can take your time and care to make sure it’s done right. Taking it to a shop, they don’t always do either, especially if they are swamped… which is often the case since the more cars they get through the shop per hour, the more $ they make.

There is nothing technical about the process. If you can turn a screwdriver (righty tighty, lefty loosey) you can do it. The rest is just time and physical labor.

Bonus, you get to take a closer look at the suspension and belly for wear or missing fasteners.

 

[Fmc]

Just curious what longevity does a 5 tire rotation create?

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I feel like this is a dumb question, but I just can't figure it out.

How do you get the jack stand under the vehicle when the puck is your only lift point?

My auto maintenance education came with a rule of ALWAYS use a jack stand. So I'm inherently skeptical of changing a tire from the jack itself, even though I logically know that's what most people do.

It's a reasonable question. I use two HF floor jacks and lift from right front and left rear, to a point high enough to place the jack stands in the other locations.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

It's a reasonable question. I use two HF floor jacks and lift from right front and left rear, to a point high enough to place the jack stands in the other locations.

I respect a man that likes extreme risks....

/jk ?

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