WanderingBison
Advanced Member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2017
- Messages
- 35
Awesome conversation and great article, not to mention everyone’s experience.
I travel extensively in my self-converted Ford Transit and bought a Safe-T Jack kit early on to replace the factory jack.
It includes a much better hydraulic jack, large beefy base plate (to help with stability and to spread the weight over a larger surface) along with extensions and adapter to help the hydraulic jack securely lift the vehicle.
I’ve used it to replace a tire on paved parking lot and to help raise the van so I could fit traction boards to get unstuck when nearly bottomed out.
I love the system and couldn’t be happier.
Of course, I also benefit from the VanCompas “sliders” to provide several, MUCH better lift points that a factory Transit has (lift points on a Transit are few and far between, especially in the front).
But I recently had a tire blow out (oye!) and discovered a serious limitation of my current setup.
Because of the blow-out, I did not have any point with enough clearance to fit my hydraulic jack and lift the rear axle enough to fit the fully inflated spare.
I had to lift from the leaf spring mount immediately behind the axle which did not provide enough lift.
A quick call to the local “tire guy” got me a floor jack and the ability to finish the tire change.
SO, I will be adding a second hydraulic jack to my current kit - a second hydraulic jack would have allowed me to lift the axle using the leaf spring enough to then slide in the second jack under the axle to finish the lift securely.
@Machinebuilder ; - That 6 ton hydraulic jack with telescopic rod would be perfect. And my current Safe-T Jack plates and cradles will continue to be perfect!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope this helps this conversation.
I travel extensively in my self-converted Ford Transit and bought a Safe-T Jack kit early on to replace the factory jack.
It includes a much better hydraulic jack, large beefy base plate (to help with stability and to spread the weight over a larger surface) along with extensions and adapter to help the hydraulic jack securely lift the vehicle.
I’ve used it to replace a tire on paved parking lot and to help raise the van so I could fit traction boards to get unstuck when nearly bottomed out.
I love the system and couldn’t be happier.
Of course, I also benefit from the VanCompas “sliders” to provide several, MUCH better lift points that a factory Transit has (lift points on a Transit are few and far between, especially in the front).
But I recently had a tire blow out (oye!) and discovered a serious limitation of my current setup.
Because of the blow-out, I did not have any point with enough clearance to fit my hydraulic jack and lift the rear axle enough to fit the fully inflated spare.
I had to lift from the leaf spring mount immediately behind the axle which did not provide enough lift.
A quick call to the local “tire guy” got me a floor jack and the ability to finish the tire change.
SO, I will be adding a second hydraulic jack to my current kit - a second hydraulic jack would have allowed me to lift the axle using the leaf spring enough to then slide in the second jack under the axle to finish the lift securely.
@Machinebuilder ; - That 6 ton hydraulic jack with telescopic rod would be perfect. And my current Safe-T Jack plates and cradles will continue to be perfect!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope this helps this conversation.