Bottle jacks for offroad recovery and flat tire replacement

[ENVErider]

I'm shopping for bottle jacks to see if I can use one for off-roading instead of the larger, 4-wheeled trolley-style due to its compact size, but I'm worried I won't get enough travel, even with a compound bottle jack. In theory, the air suspension should help by setting the jack at the highest suspension and setting the suspension to the lowest when it's on a jack, but I don't know how much jack travel I'll really need. Currently considering this https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/jacks/50015-bulldog-winch-15pc-tallboy-off-road-jack. Anyone with actual off-road recovery experience who can help me get the right jack the first time?

Sponsored

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Lots of existing threads on bottle jacks. Rear suspension has longer droop than front. Using 6-ton Torin Big Red as reference, its max extension is not enough to lift rear tire off of ground. You will need to add lift height via jack pads, which is something you will need/want anyway for stability and to counter sinking jack into soft ground. In addition to jack pads, you can also add a bottle jack extension by safejacks.com. The Bulldog kit you linked looks more than sufficient. And will fit into the bottom of Megawatt or jackpucks.com pucks.

 

[usulio]

LOTS of existing threads on bottle jacks. Use the forum search.

I don't think lowering the suspension would work since the suspension doesn't "hold up" the tire off the ground. You'll just have farther to jack. It's not recommended.

The issue is not just how high the jack goes, but the travel - distance from fully compressed to fully jacked up. As mentioned, the rear tires have a lot of travel. If you're on a flat tire, you might have to start as low as like 11 inches off the ground and jack up to as high as like 20 inches or something. Not exact numbers but ballpark.

I've used the Torin Big Red 10-ton bottle jack to change a tire on and off road, got the job done. It's barely enough travel for the rear. Needed to put some 2x4s underneath and follow these steps.

1. Don't forget to chock the other wheels
2. Put the suspension in Highest
3. Jack up as high as you can.
4. If the tire doesn't come off the ground, bring the jack back down. The suspension will stay up a few inches higher than before.
5. Put some more blocking under your jack and raise it again. Now since you are starting higher, it should be enough to get the tire off the ground.
6. To get a full size spare on, you might even need to dig out some dirt or deflate the tire if you haven't quite lifted high enough.

 

[SwaziCAR]

One thing I learned about bottle jacks recently is that with a fully deflated tire and even with the suspension on highest setting, my combination of (unextended) bottle jack plus XL jackpuck is too tall to fit under the vehicle, so I ended up using the Rivian scissor jack, which worked fine for a rear tire. The bottle jack + XL jackpuck do fit if the tire still has air, however. So, if you get a bottle jack, my suggestion is that you have a regular size jackpuck and perhaps the steps noted above will work.

 

[EdwardM2005]

I'm shopping for bottle jacks to see if I can use one for off-roading instead of the larger, 4-wheeled trolley-style due to its compact size, but I'm worried I won't get enough travel, even with a compound bottle jack. In theory, the air suspension should help by setting the jack at the highest suspension and setting the suspension to the lowest when it's on a jack, but I don't know how much jack travel I'll really need. Currently considering this https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/jacks/50015-bulldog-winch-15pc-tallboy-off-road-jack. Anyone with actual off-road recovery experience who can help me get the right jack the first time?

If interested.

I just sold my R1S and have a 10 ton bottle jack and 4 puck set available. Jack never used, pucks, 1 once, for a flat addressed at a tire shop. I can get more details on the jack and pucks in a few.

 

[ENVErider]

LOTS of existing threads on bottle jacks. Use the forum search.

I don't think lowering the suspension would work since the suspension doesn't "hold up" the tire off the ground. You'll just have farther to jack. It's not recommended.

The issue is not just how high the jack goes, but the travel - distance from fully compressed to fully jacked up. As mentioned, the rear tires have a lot of travel. If you're on a flat tire, you might have to start as low as like 11 inches off the ground and jack up to as high as like 20 inches or something. Not exact numbers but ballpark.

I've used the Torin Big Red 10-ton bottle jack to change a tire on and off road, got the job done. It's barely enough travel for the rear. Needed to put some 2x4s underneath and follow these steps.

1. Don't forget to chock the other wheels
2. Put the suspension in Highest
3. Jack up as high as you can.
4. If the tire doesn't come off the ground, bring the jack back down. The suspension will stay up a few inches higher than before.
5. Put some more blocking under your jack and raise it again. Now since you are starting higher, it should be enough to get the tire off the ground.
6. To get a full size spare on, you might even need to dig out some dirt or deflate the tire if you haven't quite lifted high enough.

Thank you for the response and recommendations. After thinking about it more, I agree. I was confusing air suspension with hydraulics, which will act differently once unloaded. I plan to test out some of these aspects in my driveway or local dirt roads so I'm better prepared to do it in the backcountry. Will be adding a shovel and some wood blocks to my off-road kit.

 

[ENVErider]

If interested.

I just sold my R1S and have a 10 ton bottle jack and 4 puck set available. Jack never used, pucks, 1 once, for a flat addressed at a tire shop. I can get more details on the jack and pucks in a few.

Thanks for offering, Would you happen to be in the Bay Area or near Sacramento, CA?

 

[EdwardM2005]

Thanks for offering, Would you happen to be in the Bay Area or near Sacramento, CA?

Near Glenwood Springs, Colorado

 

[chrismc]

One important bit to be cautious of with bottle jacks- they all need to be stored upright, not on their side, or they will leak hydraulic fluid and make a mess as well as not work when you need them to. I have yet to find a way to store one in the spare tire well with the spare tire (the obvious location).

 

[EdwardM2005]

One important bit to be cautious of with bottle jacks- they all need to be stored upright, not on their side, or they will leak hydraulic fluid and make a mess as well as not work when you need them to. I have yet to find a way to store one in the spare tire well with the spare tire (the obvious location).

One Gallon Zip top bags are the horizontal insurance policy

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

One Gallon Zip top bags are the horizontal insurance policy

Lots of great info in this thread. We manufacture magnetic jack pucks and currently have over 24,000 in the field—including both standard and XL sizes.

For most situations, a regular set of magnetic jack pucks, one XL puck, a 10T Torin Big Red bottle jack, and either a 2" wood block or RV lift pad will cover just about anything you encounter.

As others have noted, during a flat, the XL puck may be too tall to fit with a bottle jack. The solution is to start the lift with a regular puck, then transition to the XL for full height. It's also true, as someone wisely mentioned, that the rear suspension has more travel than the front, so lifting the rear requires more height. If you carry an off-road-style floor jack, everything works smoothly.

Jack Puck Hack for Rivian Rear Lifts:

Due to increased suspension droop in the rear, the bottle jack can tilt inward when fully lifting a rear wheel with an XL puck.

Solution: The Double-Pump Method (Thanks, Sam C!)
Lift until you see the jack start to tilt
Gently lower to release pressure (vehicle will retain quite a bit of jacked height)
Reposition the jack
Pump again to finish the lift
Repeat if needed

This method ensures a safe and stable lift for rear tire service.

Buy a kit and get and save $5 on an XL using discount code: XL Combo

Mark

 

[Waterunder]

“As others have noted, during a flat, the XL puck may be too tall to fit with a bottle jack. The solution is to start the lift with a regular puck, then transition to the XL for full height.”

I must be missing something. How does one “transition” to the XL puck after starting with the regular puck?

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

“As others have noted, during a flat, the XL puck may be too tall to fit with a bottle jack. The solution is to start the lift with a regular puck, then transition to the XL for full height.”

I must be missing something. How does one “transition” to the XL puck after starting with the regular puck?

When you lift the vehicle with a standard puck and then slowly lower the bottle jack to install the XL, the suspension will remain raised a few inches—giving you enough clearance to slide the XL into place.

Sponsored