this 20 ton bottle jack? this air compressor?

[Losangeles]

this 20 ton bottle jack? this air compressor?

Hi smart and experienced folks - - - I have a F350 crew cab long bed gasser, with a pop up truck camper always on it, that is about 2,700 lbs wet.

If I happen to get a flat tire… it is my understanding that the Ford OEM jack wont be appropriate to jack up the truck with the camper on it.

Would this 20 ton bottle jack be good?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000234IT4

Anything else I need?

also - novice question - any other tips for how to safely jack up the truck to swap a wheel?

and secondly… I need an air compressor for blowing out the air lines in our pop up camper when I winterize it…. also on the chance that I need to air down the tires due to sand … I need a compressor to be able to air back up. They are 18” All Terrain Wranglers. LT 275 / 70R x 18 E

VIAAIR have been recommended. Supposedly this is a good size for my tires.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9B32M

Any thoughts on this model?

Thanks :-)

[C&G in FL]

John,

I cannot reliably comment on the bottle jack as I have no experience with it, but it would definitely seem to have the lifting capacity you need. I would suggest that you also have a jack stand to use with it for safety purposes.

I do have that model Viair compressor and I cannot say enough good things about it. It will inflate a tire rapidly; not as fast as a floor compressor but much faster than the inexpensive 12v compressors sold at Walmart and many auto parts stores. I cannot speak to its appropriateness for blowing water out when winterizing, because I have never winterized any of my trailers, due to my residence in Florida. I do know that when using air to winterize, the standard recommendation is to use 30 or 35 psi. The Viair is a powerful compressor capable of inflating tires to much higher pressures than that. However, if would expect that because it doesn’t have an air holding tank, it would be “safe” to use to clear water lines.

[padlin]

When I was shopping for a Viair for my F150 I called Viair with the tire size, they recommended the 300P for my needs, might be worth to get the right one. When/if you get one,make sure you can reach all the tires when hooked up to the battery, they sell extension hoses if needed.


I don't know which jack you need, but which ever you get, they are not the safest things to use. Safe Jack makes adapters that are well worth looking into. https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...ck-accessories

[rubicon327]

That 20T bottle jack looks perfect to me. Guys on at least one truck camper forum seem to recommend something exactly like this.
http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...changing-jack/

[Losangeles]

Update - someone pointed out that I’d need to jack up the truck/pop up truck camper combo from the axle, (?) so I’d need a * cradle * to do it safely. (?)

Yes this kit is expensive, but it comes highly recommended by a number of people, as being very safe.

I hope to be traveling and RVing for many many years to come, and safety is priceless to me.

thoughts? Never mind the price. :-)

They are currently 20% off, (back ordered 2 weeks) so the 20% off takes the sting out. and happy to support a small business.

https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...th-bottle-jack


Do I want to add the UNIVERSAL BOTTLE JACK BASE ? $40.

Also I understand I should carry a basic jack stand with me, to put in place, after the corner is jacked up, to be extra safe. Any recommendations? Bonus points for an Amazon link (yes it will be weeks ‘till I get it)

p.s.. So the RV manufacturer showed me a very specific way to open all the water fixtures in the RV, and set to 1/2 cold 1/2 warm so both lines will get blown out...

also to close off special valves *before* the water heater, so it 100% shields the water heater from the pressure.....

and take the head off the shower hose, so I dont have to hold it open.... and for safety.... so it is always open....

and then when I attach the compressor to the city water supply.... it will be safe, at any pressure, if I follow the above protocol

so in that case... seems like I likely dont need a pressure regulator? and no air tank.... (i would much prefer no air tank, so much more portable, so I can carry with me)

sound cool?

thanks.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

Update - someone pointed out that I’d need to jack up the truck/pop up truck camper combo from the axle, (?) so I’d need a * cradle * to do it safely. (?)

Yes, to change a tire on a beam axle (which means both front and rear for a 4WD F-350), the jack is used to lift the axle, not the frame of the vehicle. If you jack on the frame you will need to lift it much higher as the suspension moves; when you jack on the axle you only need to lift by the amount that the tire sidewall has squished. This should be in the truck's manual, complete with the correct point on the axle to place the jack. And that means that the jack must have a long enough handle to operate it from safely out from under the vehicle, even though the jack is well under the vehicle and access is blocked by the wheel.

Bottle jacks normally have a small, round, flat (but toothed) top, so there is no safe way for them to lift on a round axle tube; there's a reason for the shape of the top of the provided emergency jack, and for a generic bottle jack a cradle may be an appropriate solution. In the case of an F-350, the dual-rear-wheel vehicles come with a bottle jack with this ordinary top, and specific flat locations on the axle housings where it fits properly; for a SRW F-350, the provided jack has a shallow saddle top. It's probably worth looking at the stock jack and how it fits in the correct locations (with reference to the manual) to see what would work - a typical saddle adapter might not fit.

The owner's manual from the Ford support site shows the jacking locations. I note that it shows a mechanical screw jack for SRW and a hydraulic bottle jack for DRW.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Yes, to change a tire on a beam axle (which means both front and rear for a 4WD F-350), the jack is used to lift the axle, not the frame of the vehicle. If you jack on the frame you will need to lift it much higher as the suspension moves; when you jack on the axle you only need to lift by the amount that the tire sidewall has squished. This should be in the truck's manual, complete with the correct point on the axle to place the jack. And that means that the jack must have a long enough handle to operate it from safely out from under the vehicle, even though the jack is well under the vehicle and access is blocked by the wheel.

Bottle jacks normally have a small, round, flat (but toothed) top, so there is no safe way for them to lift on a round axle tube; there's a reason for the shape of the top of the provided emergency jack, and for a generic bottle jack a cradle may be an appropriate solution. In the case of an F-350, the dual-rear-wheel vehicles come with a bottle jack with this ordinary top, and specific flat locations on the axle housings where it fits properly; for a SRW F-350, the provided jack has a shallow saddle top. It's probably worth looking at the stock jack and how it fits in the correct locations (with reference to the manual) to see what would work - a typical saddle adapter might not fit.

The owner's manual from the Ford support site shows the jacking locations. I note that it shows a mechanical screw jack for SRW and a hydraulic bottle jack for DRW.

super duper helpful - thanks!!!

so Brian - any thoughts about this whole setup?

(never mind the price)

https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...th-bottle-jack

thanks.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

so Brian - any thoughts about this whole setup?

(never mind the price)

https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...th-bottle-jack

I think the saddle is a great idea for anyone who needs to jack on a round tube such as an axle, and it could work (as-is or modified) for a trailer frame as well; unfortunately, I doubt it will fit the correct jacking locations on the F-350.

The extensions would be much better than some other approaches, and you will likely need something for additional height with any reasonable bottle jack and the F-350, but I would rather have the jack on a wide-base stand rather than extend the jack. On the other hand, I haven't seen anyone offering a suitable base stand - most people just use random blocks of wood, and the extensions would be better than that. I have wooden pads for use under RV stabilizing jacks, and I have used those when jacking up our motorhome (which makes the F-350 look light and low).

I think that the jack needs a longer handle to avoid reaching under the vehicle. Really long handles are not a big deal for a screw jack with a handle that is turned, but are a pain for a hydraulic jack with a handle that is pumped, since room available to move the handle can limit the amount of jacking per stroke.

Some posts recently have shown a combined hydraulic bottle jack and jack stand; although big and heavy, that seems like a good idea to me, especially if more than just a tire change is required. The type of top fitting is still an issue with those - they usually have a jackstand-style top saddle, rather than a bottle-jack-style round pad.

[rubicon327]

Maybe this is old news but it seems a recurring issue is access to the spare. Can you still get to the crank access hole on bumper with truck camper on? If flat is on the rear and maybe even off-road (soft) it can be very difficult to get a jack under to lift enough to drop spare. Some guys have gone to spares mounted on front receivers. Just something to consider...

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Maybe this is old news but it seems a recurring issue is access to the spare. Can you still get to the crank access hole on bumper with truck camper on? If flat is on the rear and maybe even off-road (soft) it can be very difficult to get a jack under to lift enough to drop spare. Some guys have gone to spares mounted on front receivers. Just something to consider...

Yes I can still get to the spare. No issue at all.