jacking up a Roadtrek

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by booster

I found that jack but it is long out of stock every where so must be discontinued. I have found one at 6.7" to 16.5" but haven't been sure how to place it.


I did run across this, that is pretty interesting if you have an air compressor and a place to store it.



https://www.walmart.com/ip/BENTISM-3...Red/1068896120

The only weakness in the airbag jack is will it work after five years in hot storage. A pinhole leak and it is useless. I do have an air compressor. Other than the durability issue I like the solution. Storing it in an airtight box may help. or test it every year and replace it every five. I do carry jack oil for my little bottle jacks.

[otr]

Originally Posted by jjrbus

Hmmm, does your bottle jack have a screw extension on top? I carry a couple pieces of 2x10 to use for leveling and if needed to put under jack on soft ground. Never needed to raise jack on my 02C200P Never heard of one but wonder if you have a 4 ton stubby jack? Thought they started at 12 ton??


Mercedes vans have a dual cylinder hydraulic jack if you want to save a few bucks in a junk yard.

https://www.amazon.com/BIG-RED-Doubl...637897231&th=1

The link to the jack on Amazon looks really great! I was not aware of this type of jack. So do you think the two ton would be adequate for changing/lifting a single wheel?

[booster]

Originally Posted by otr

The link to the jack on Amazon looks really great! I was not aware of this type of jack. So do you think the two ton would be adequate for changing/lifting a single wheel?

I think a two ton should be able to lift on wheel without issue as the wheel load is less than 4000#.


There is also this similar on Amazon that starts a bit shorter and stops a bit higher than the one in the link you have.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...LAB10LN6&psc=1


Everybody should be aware that a lot of these jacks don't have as much travel as the difference between high and low would indicate because the low rating is with the screw height adjuster in all the way and the high is with it all the way out, so you have take off that much. The link above does show how much that difference is but I didn't see it shown on the other brands.

[hbn7hj]

I purchased a Baoshishan jack and put it in my Jeep. When I needed to use it a year later, it wouldn’t even pump up with no load. Plenty of oil. Test it when you receive it. Never bought a bottle jack that was absolutely useless before.

Still have it if anyone wants a paperweight. One of these years I might try to take it apart and see why it won’t work.

[booster]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

I purchased a Baoshishan jack and put it in my Jeep. When I needed to use it a year later, it wouldn’t even pump up with no load. Plenty of oil. Test it when you receive it. Never bought a bottle jack that was absolutely useless before.

Still have it if anyone wants a paperweight. One of these years I might try to take it apart and see why it won’t work.

I think by now it is very possible there are only one or two Chinese manufacturers of these jacks and they private label them for everyone. Of course sometimes that is hard to find out, but looking at the pix they construction looks identical in many of them and they have the same amount of lift and travel.


I wonder about the having them being laid down for long periods in a van as I recall back in the day that was considered a bad thing as it could cause them to airlock and move, like you described. It would be interesting to find that out, I think, and if there is some kind of bleed of air that could be done.

[TomF]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

No need for such an unpleasant/sarcastic tone. It works well for me because I travel by myself so I have plenty of storage space, it fits well in the trunk space in the back, and I mainly use it for regular maintenance and have nowhere else to store it. If it doesn't work for you that's all good. I only mentioned it because it is an excellent jack for lifting a small Dodge Roadtrek, which can be difficult because many of the jack points are covered by tanks, etc. and, for a three ton floor jack, it is more manageable than most.

I'm with you on the desire to carry any size tool or implement that you might need. We are fortunate that we have an abundance of storage capacity in our Dodge RT's. In the side and underfloor compartments, I store tools, spare parts, camping chairs and table, fluids, etc., etc. Nowadays, a lot of class B's have no side or underfloor storage. I test drove a 2018 Dodge Ram Van RT 190, which had zero storage space. I passed on buying it, since I couldn't figure out how I would be able to go camping, traveling, etc.

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by booster

I think by now it is very possible there are only one or two Chinese manufacturers of these jacks and they private label them for everyone. Of course sometimes that is hard to find out, but looking at the pix they construction looks identical in many of them and they have the same amount of lift and travel.


I wonder about the having them being laid down for long periods in a van as I recall back in the day that was considered a bad thing as it could cause them to airlock and move, like you described. It would be interesting to find that out, I think, and if there is some kind of bleed of air that could be done.

It has stayed vertical the last year. It will now pump up a little bit but can be pushed back down. No time to work with it as I’m on the road tomorrow but at the next opportunity I’ll see if it will take any oil. If that doesn’t work I might learn something trying to take it apart. It does seem there is a defective seal inside.

I still assume it did not work when I received it. It is nice that it has a case which is the reason I bought it. Even with a Hi-Lift jack there are times when a little bottle jack is an additional convenience.

[Doneworking]

TomF, we bought a 1997 RT 190 new on a Dodge chassis and loved it. My brochure shows that unit has a storage capacity (in and out combined) assuming you have a few options that were available back then to be a huge 72 cubic feet. I still remember how much we could pack in that baby. It also had a 12 gallon black tank, 20% larger than the 10 gallon tank in our 2007 210P.

One thing we also refuse to give up and one reason we keep our RT is the storage which is huge. RT back in those days actually calculated and stated in their information the storage capacity. That was back when the company was family owned and they were engineers.

[booster]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

It has stayed vertical the last year. It will now pump up a little bit but can be pushed back down. No time to work with it as I’m on the road tomorrow but at the next opportunity I’ll see if it will take any oil. If that doesn’t work I might learn something trying to take it apart. It does seem there is a defective seal inside.

I still assume it did not work when I received it. It is nice that it has a case which is the reason I bought it. Even with a Hi-Lift jack there are times when a little bottle jack is an additional convenience.

There is a specific procedure for air bleeding that you should probably try. Easy to do in a couple of minutes. A lot of the jacks need to have it done after being shipped as they would never be vertical then.

[hbn7hj]

The bleed procedure did make a change. It is back to not moving the ram at all. It now acts like there is no oil in it. I’ll see if it takes any oil when I get back.

[jjrbus]

Originally Posted by otr

The link to the jack on Amazon looks really great! I was not aware of this type of jack. So do you think the two ton would be adequate for changing/lifting a single wheel?

I am sure the 2 ton would work. But I am not a jack expert and would buy the 4 ton. Going higher tonnage takes too many pumps on the jack handle!

I mention running tire up on board for height, I carry a compressor and would air up the tire if possible to avoid damaging tire!