car jack

[358429]

I'm a fan of the ultralight aluminum Harbor Freight racing jacks they're pretty good to have next to the spare tire. They are extremely low profile and reasonably strong and easy to manipulate, they are so light.

[45workhorse]

Teach your youngins (male and female) how to change a tire, if you haven't already!
At home!
Zero dark thirty is not the time to try and find everything to change a tire!
I hate to say it, but your not always going to be there, to do it for them.

[brass410]

I'm a fan of the ultralight aluminum Harbor Freight racing jacks they're pretty good to have next to the spare tire. They are extremely low profile and reasonably strong and easy to manipulate, they are so light.

these are a very good choice coupled with a breaker bar, because you wont have to get underneath vehicle, and they're not nearly as tippy as a bottle jack.

[MaryB]

I have always carried a cheap floor jack, and these days I carry a battery operated impact wrench with the proper torque socket for the lugs. And a breaker bar just in case. I charge the battery once a month to make sure it is topped off after I run it flat in another tool(or the impact depending what projects I have in the shop). They also make the impact that clips to your battery, I used to have one until it was stolen when I used valet parking at a clinic in MPLS(I went up to see a sinus specialist). I suspect the valet stole it, it was laying loose in the back seat of the pickup. The 20 volt battery impact has more torque though! Either is a good choice for a wife or daughters who may not have the upper body strength to pop a lug nut loose with a breaker bar.

[nvbirdman]

I was at my daughter's house one day and my grandson was going to change a flat tire. I actually had to tell him to loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the truck, and also to block the opposite wheel with a couple of rocks.

[Battis]

For what it's worth, I ended up buying a 2-Ton Hydraulic Trolley Floor Jack at Home Depot ($34.00 and weighs only 18 lbs) and a breaker bar. Stronger and safer than a scissors jack, and a bottle jack won't fit.
Never woulda thunk there'd be this much planning to buy a jack.
I did find a jack kit at a junk yard that would have fit the car - $160.00 shipped (scissors jack).

[Tracy]

Another option is an exhaust jack. Basically an airbag that attaches to the tailpipe and uses the exhaust gas from the idling engine to inflate and lift the car. They are lightweight and fold into a small package.

[john.k]

I had one of the airbags years ago in a 4x4 as get out of trouble aid.......blow up the bag,then you can roll the vehicle sideways some.............however,I wonder if a modern car might have some problem with exhaust back pressure?

[Tracy]

I had one of the airbags years ago in a 4x4 as get out of trouble aid.......blow up the bag,then you can roll the vehicle sideways some.............however,I wonder if a modern car might have some problem with exhaust back pressure?

I can't think of any reason why it would.

[MaryB]

I can't think of any reason why it would.

My turbo engine would hate it, might trigger limp mode... lot of sensors on that exhaust now...

[jonp]

I carry a bottle jack and a PT 6x6 in my pick up. The factory scissor was a joke and broke first use. If I had the room in my other vehicles I'd carry one of the HF scissor jacks that comes in a plastic case but the bottle works fine.

[jonp]

Another option is an exhaust jack. Basically an airbag that attaches to the tailpipe and uses the exhaust gas from the idling engine to inflate and lift the car. They are lightweight and fold into a small package.

I've watched those bags life semi's that have tipped over but never knew you could buy them to jack up a car.

[country gent]

I taught all 3 to change a tire before they started driving. Showed them how and then walked them thru it. Found out the middle daughter needed a length of pipe to break lugs loose. They also learned to check the oil, change wiper blades, and check add other fluids.

[mjwcaster]

Not having a "spare" of some sort and not having a jack to use to mount the spare ...
Should be against some "Safety Law" ... the can of Fix-A-Flat is not a proper substitute for a spare (even a small spare temporary tire) and a proper jack . That kind of nonsense can leave you stranded and get you killed ...
Gary

Gary you have to realize that the majority of the current driving population would just hurt themselves with a jack and lug wrench, if they could even find it in the car.

If there isn’t an phone APP for it, it can’t be done.

I’ve been helping a young man work on his van this last week, he wants to learn.
To me the sad part isn’t that he doesn’t know how, it’s that he doesn’t have a group of friends to help him.
In my youth fixing cars was a social activity for us guys, many a night was spent in someone’s garage. And if needed someone could reach out to the older crowd for tools or expertise.
There was always a brother, dad, uncle, someone who would stop by and help us out before we did too much more damage.

Used to be able to cruise around the neighborhood on a Friday night and see garages lit up with music blaring and a bunch of wanna be grease monkeys playing around.


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[MaryB]

Gary you have to realize that the majority of the current driving population would just hurt themselves with a jack and lug wrench, if they could even find it in the car.

If there isn’t an phone APP for it, it can’t be done.

I’ve been helping a young man work on his van this last week, he wants to learn.
To me the sad part isn’t that he doesn’t know how, it’s that he doesn’t have a group of friends to help him.
In my youth fixing cars was a social activity for us guys, many a night was spent in someone’s garage. And if needed someone could reach out to the older crowd for tools or expertise.
There was always a brother, dad, uncle, someone who would stop by and help us out before we did too much more damage.

Used to be able to cruise around the neighborhood on a Friday night and see garages lit up with music blaring and a bunch of wanna be grease monkeys playing around.


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Wasn't just the guys in the group I hung out with LOL 3 of us girls drove dragster and worked on them... our car club garage was always busy, 4 stalls and 1 lift, always had it full with people working in a car for the track or their street car. Beer fridge, and 2 bunk rooms and a full bathroom with shower for overnight stays. I often spent the weekend there working on the drag car or on my daily driver or helping somebody else... music blared, beer was drank(yes we were underage but nobody drove after drinking, crash in the bunk room or on a chair in the shop if getting up the stairs was to much work. Cops let us be, they knew we were safe and didn't allow driving if you were drinking. To get a beer you had to turn in your car keys, they went in the safe for the night. We always had a designated driver available too who would drive you home and the next day come get you to get your car.

I drove a 1974 Gremlin X on the track, 750+HP 401 V8 and a 4 speed, wheelie machine without the wheelie bars on it! mid 9 second car... the stock car was stored there and worked on as needed too but that was the adults in the club...

It was a fun place, we had a kitchen too, plus the BBQ pad outside with 2 grills and a smoker... couple of the guys from bad family situations often ate there to get some food... their parents were to busy getting drunk at the bar to care... we were a giant car family and nobody went without.

[mjwcaster]

MaryB, we weren’t that organized nor blessed with gearhead ladies.

In college my then best friend was all sorts of upset when I let my GF drive my mustang but not him.
He was complaining when she took it to go get us food.
When she got back she said that it was missing at high revs. He laughed and made some joke.
I knew what it was right away, I had forgotten to fully tighten the distributor hold down after resetting the timing the day before.

And that is why she got to drive it and not him, she had car sense from helping her brother.

I let my friend drive it one time, he about put us in a ditch, never again.


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[fiberoptik]

I've watched those bags life semi's that have tipped over but never knew you could buy them to jack up a car.

I didn’t know they even existed!
What next? The 4 tires are extras???


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[Wayne Smith]

At my age and condition I'm glad I've paid for AAA for the past 20+ years!

[john.k]

Back in the 70s ,even used to change our own tires......not wheels,tires....its was easy until car makers put a safety ridge on rims......Nader ,I imagine,...then you had to use the jack to get the bead past the ridge .....I used to buy el cheapo remoulds for $1 each...all the taxis used them........When I bought a new car (Ford),I pulled the engine to bits ,and it had a small piece broken off the block ,took it back to the dealer and demanded a new block......ended up Ford gave me a new motor in exchange for all the bits of the old one.