A FWC Flat Tire? Advice?

[huckfinn]

Our first FWC trip to the eastern sierra.

Changing a flat tire with the stock jack seems sketchy off-road with the weight of a FWC: a Hi-lift jack seems like the right tool but where on my stock Tacoma can it be used?

 

[The Next Adventures]

well you will probably get a lot of conflicting answers here. In my opinion using a hi-lift anytime to change a tire would be super sketchy. The bottle jack your Tacoma came with will do just fine. The hi-lift does have its place as a piece of valuable equipment for winching or getting a vehicle off of a high centered situation like being stuck on a tree stump or rock. To use it effectively for any of these situations on your Tacoma you would want to install some rock slider bars on the sides. Your bumper covers could get fairly beat up as well from the Hi-lift so steel bumpers would do well.

 

[Stalking Light]

AFAIK you can't on a stock rig. You can get an adapter to use it on rock rails (I had one for my FJ) and my ARB front bumper has slots for a Hi-Lift, but in the rear about the only good lift point is the trailer hitch, and that's going to lift both tires. A heavy duty bottle jack will lift the truck and camper but you need pretty level ground for that. I carry a Hi-Lift but also carry an ARB tire patch kit and a compressor and hope that's all I'll ever need.

 

[llavaseur]

safe jack

http://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories

 

[huckfinn]

Hi TNA, thank you. It sounds like you've used the stock jack to fix a flat offroad with a FWC. Was it front or back? What were the road conditions? Any thoughts appreciated.

Thank you SL. It seems to me being prepared for a flat tire on any wheel and on the usual marginal road conditions (occasionally uneven and steep forest or desert roads) would be a fairly basic kind of preparation. To be frank, I'd worry about lifting both back wheels off the ground at once, but maybe that's just my ignorance.

In the truck we've often been 20-30 miles from help. Does anyone have rock sliders or both front and back bumpers, so as to enable the comprehensive use of a hi-lift jack? Or will a bottle jack answer sufficiently in most all conditions?

 

[Stalking Light]

I have an ARB front bumper and Aluminess rear. I just added CBI rock sliders. I asked Aluminess about using their rear bumper as a jack point and it was they who suggested the hitch. I doubt I'd ever try it that way, that's one reason I carry the patch kit. I have changed tires using a Hi-Lift and you do have to be real careful. My Hi-Lift was my wife's when we got married and is at least 40 years old. If it comes down to it I'd use the rock sliders as jack points long before I'd try the hitch. Now I just need to find my WabFab rock slider adapter, which is in my garage somewhere. ;-)

 

[huckfinn]

Thanks, SL. It sounds like you've got it together. I have wondered about the use of a hi lift on sliders—the Wab Fab adapter makes sense. My plan has been to get sliders and a hi-lift—even before replacing the front bumper.

That said, TNA, I am open to the minimalist idea that a stock bottle jack is sufficient, less is more, and much cheaper, but I really don't want to get stuck either.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I carry a small 2 ton floor jack in the jack compartment of the Tundra AC,and keep the bottle jack in the left rear
tie-down access area.Also carry a 12v air compressor and a can of tire stuff.Also a 6"x6"x4" wood block to use between the jack and axle.

Also make sure before a trip the spare is aired up and good. Mine was all cracked and the valve stem split.It was good I checked this before the last trip.
Had a new stem replaced than the first day out stopped at a Les Schwab for a good used tire of the right size.
Frank

 

[Stalking Light]

Depending on the front bumper you get I recommend the Fourtreks modular Hi-Lift adapter for carrying your jack. I have mine mounted horizontally on the top tube of my front bumper. They come in sizes to fit almost any tube diameter.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I just used the truck Jack for the one flat I've had with the FWC on. Nothing like changing a tire when it's well into the 90's.

 

[ntsqd]

I carry this for flats & related work:

Just a std compact floor jack with the wheels removed and a skid-plate made to fit in their place.

 

[MarkBC]

I'm not driving a Tundra, so maybe they're different. But I had no trouble using the stock/OEM bottle jack to jack up my F250 with FWC Hawk the last time I needed to remove the wheel.
I was on rough dirt when I changed the tire and there were no issues. Maybe if I was on a steep side-slope or in the middle of a steep hill it might be different. But since I've only had two flats in 140,000 miles I'm not gonna worry about it.

(I do carry a Hi-Lift jack, but that's for getting unstuck, not tire-changing.)

 

[takesiteasy]

I bought a larger bottle jack for our truck- it still fits in the storage compartment. I haven't had to use it yet. I like the Bogert safe jack accessories but haven't bought any yet. We don't have jack points for a high lift either. I do carry a compressor and now that our tires are getting a bit worn I'm planning on buying a tire patch kit.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I carry this for flats & related work:

Just a std compact floor jack with the wheels removed and a skid-plate made to fit in their place.

Thanks for posting this.I remember you posting this a while back but couldn't find it.
It's such a good idea to use the skid plate.
Frank

 

[The Next Adventures]

Hi TNA, thank you. It sounds like you've used the stock jack to fix a flat offroad with a FWC. Was it front or back? What were the road conditions? Any thoughts appreciated.

Huck, I have never had to change a tire offroad with the camper. I have had flats and all of them I was able to plug. I keep a tire plug kit under my seat for fast deployment, my wife is pretty rad the last time we got a flat she had the air compressor all set up by the time I got the plug in. I have used my stock bottle jack to jack one side in the front when a rock got wedged under my control arm. I use my leveling blocks under the jack to give it a stable base. You mentioned you were worried about using the stock jack with the weight of the camper, you could just get a larger capacity bottle jack. Again unless your doing some serious off roading and need a Hi-lift as a recovery tool I could not see a Hi-lift having any advantage when changing a tire.

 

[LAWNMOWERMAN]

If you have airbags you will damage them lifting the frame with a hilift. The floorjack with a skid is a great idea!

 

[Stalking Light]

If you have airbags you will damage them lifting the frame with a hilift. The floorjack with a skid is a great idea!

Don't most shop lifts use the frame? My airbags seem fine after I get my tires rotated and I'm pretty sure the truck is lifted by the frame then, not the axle. For a tire change in the field I agree it's much better to lift by the axle, though. As was mentioned, a Hi-Lift is more for getting unstuck than changing tires. The floor jack w/skid is a neat idea, but I just don't have room to stow it without it being in the way all the time.

 

[Advmoto18]

As previously mentioned....

SAFEJACKS Hi_Lift stabilizer plate if you are going to use a Hi-Lift. I saw the owner give a demostration at OW-West last month with both his Hi-Lift adapters and SafeJack Bottle bottle jack recovery kit. The Safejack stabilizer plate makes the Hi-Lift a better tool. I ordered the bottle jack recovery kit (without jack) and Hi-Lift stabilizer plate.

While some would recommend a Hi-Lift, IMO, it is not the best or safest tool for changing a tire in most situations.

Working overseas, I have witnessed vehicular damage and a few injuries using a Hi-Lift (even following H-L instructions) as received from the manufacturer. I carry a Hi-Lift, but, would only consider using it to lift the corner of a vehicle using the wheel/tire attachment (not a tire changing technique) in order to perform maintenance under the vehicle (after installing a secondary safety support) or to build/setup a sand/mud bridge.

 

[Advmoto18]

Don't most shop lifts use the frame? My airbags seem fine after I get my tires rotated and I'm pretty sure the truck is lifted by the frame then, not the axle. For a tire change in the field I agree it's much better to lift by the axle, though. As was mentioned, a Hi-Lift is more for getting unstuck than changing tires. The floor jack w/skid is a neat idea, but I just don't have room to stow it without it being in the way all the time.

I think it is the assymetric weight loading on the frame when lifting with a Hi-Lift that can potnetially damage the air bags. No assymetric loading when using a 4 point shop frame lift.

 

[Stalking Light]

My bags have separate air lines, and an off camber situation would certainly result in asymmetric loading. I have a Hi-Lift jack base plate and a lift mate and like you said mainly use it to lift up a tire to get off high center or to put material underneath the tire. I think the last time I actually used a Hi-Lift to change a tire was when cars came with bumper jacks.

Lots of folks have been hurt with Hi-Lifts, even used properly, but I have also seen them used in crazy stupid ways when someone should have gotten hurt and didn't.

I was mainly curious about the statement that air bags 'will' be damaged by lifting by the frame, but I'm also hoping I never have to find out first hand. My bigger problem with a flat would be getting the spare off and on my rear swing out spare tire carrier.