Extend Reach of Floor Jack?

Tom Bowman · Mar 14, 2014

When I cribbed up the front of the TO-20, and put jackstands under the rear axles, I used a hydraulic bottle jack, which made me a little nervous.

I'm going to buy or borrow a floor jack to use when I have the wheels back on, but the floor jacks I've seen don't reach high enough.

What's the safe way to make a floor jack taller? Cribbing under the jack? Or a chunk of 4x4 or 6x6 between the lifting pad and the tractor? (I'm working inside, on a concrete floor.)

Richard L · Mar 14, 2014

Personally I would put the wood under the jack and if you have to make it even taller turn the next set of wood 90 degrees opposite of the first layer. You may want to put blocks at the ends and sides of the top layer so the wheels can not leave the top boards.

s19438 · Mar 14, 2014

I have put short wooden planks under the wheels of the floor jack many times for extra reach.
use your common sense though.

Tom Bowman · Mar 14, 2014

Thanks, guys.

I removed 12.4-28 tires, and I'm putting 11.2-28 on, and I'm hoping it will be easier to adjust the height of the axle with a floor jack.

Steve@Advance · Mar 14, 2014

An old starter case works well, just be careful.

Remember, as the jack goes up, it needs to roll forward at the same time. Whatever you put on top or underneath needs to be able to allow for this.

Bruce(OR) · Mar 14, 2014

Been back yarding a few years.
The bottle jack on top of criss crossed 4x4's with
a 2x4 pad directly under center can work nicely.
Wood block between jack and vehicle is nice.
Rolling floor jack on lumber is not too safe. The
rolling floor jack has wheels to roll while
raising the vehicle. Not rolling? The vehicle can
slide off the floor jack instead. Not that it
can't be done, just do it slowly.
Yes, I have done all of them. With time and
patience you can raise a vehicle 6 feet in the
air. Have seen this done with a simple bottle jack
and rail road ties.
If it teeters, your gofoing up. Stop and take a
look at what your doing.

Charles in Aus. · Mar 14, 2014

Keep an eye out for an old pallet jack , Fairly cheap sometimes at clearing sales . The length and width give you the safest and most stable lift you can get. The added advantage is that the 'forks' are close together on the older ones and can be slid under a back wheel to let you lift it off no matter how much water ballast you have .

Z-man · Mar 14, 2014

why do you need to move it around so much, I guess if it were me I would build something out of wood if you have the jack already to use

Jerry/MT · Mar 14, 2014

When jacking the front axle, I like to put a block of wood under the axle with the jack underneath. The wood "gives" at little on the jack's lifting point and where the wood meets the axle and gives some stability. I then use a pair jack stands to suppoert the axle. this may be obvious, but always place the wood so that the weight of the lifted device is perpendicular to the grain. If the load is parallel to the grain the block can split under load with severe consequences.

Ark68SS · Mar 14, 2014

(quoted from post at 09:03:18 03/14/14)
Or a chunk of 4x4 or 6x6 between the lifting pad and the tractor?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This. As you jack it up, place jack stands or blocks under the tractor so that if it does come off of the jack, the stands will catch it. Watch the wood block as the jack comes up, if the block starts to tilt, reset the block on the lifting pad.
Use a block long enough to straddle the pad, don't set a 4x4 upright into a dished jack pad, that's a recipe for disaster.
BillL

Extend Reach of Floor Jack?

Tom Bowman

Member

Richard L

Well-known Member

s19438

Well-known Member

Tom Bowman

Member

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

Bruce(OR)

Well-known Member

Charles in Aus.

Well-known Member

Z-man

Member

Jerry/MT

Well-known Member

Ark68SS

Member

Similar threads