bottle jack...

[John in Santa Cruz]

What size/capacity bottle jack is suitable for an Escape 21 ? A specific jack brand/model I could get on Amazon or HF or whatever would be ideal

I've been going jackless since getting the trailer, and since we're doing a 3 month road trip next year, I need to rectify that.

I'm measuring the frame rail as about 13-14" above the ground... But I'm having a hard time figuring out what bottle jack specs mean... They aren't very clear, thats for sure. "Maximum lift", does that mean thats the highest it goes off the ground, or is that how high it can lift from its rest position ?

[Suregrip391]

Have you considered a scissor jack? Fits well between the wheels of a 5.0TA. I kept one (scissor Jack) from an old vehicle I got rid of for this purpose. Put it on a block of wood (carried in my truck bed) and good to go! I even bought an adapter for the scissor Jack to make it operate using my drill motor. Works great. Especially nice if your TV already has the scissor jack in it then you won’t need one!

[John in Santa Cruz]

my f250 does have a scissors jack, but its meant to lift the vehicle via a rod that goes through the truck's jack points, and not by a flat surface.

[MyronL]

Once when towing I hit a speed bump in the road and the hitch jumped off the ball. Was going very slow on a back road at the time. It happened because I hadn’t used a padlock on the hitch. No damage, but there the tongue lay down on the pavement, stretching the safety chains tight. No way my bottle jacks could get under to raise it back up onto the ball. That’s when my extra jack, the low profile black scissors one, got me out of a jam. Up high enough so the bottle jack could then finish the heavy lifting.

Moral of story: You never know, so carry a jack for any occasion. I have four.

[SageRpod]

I've used this for years and it works well for me. Have yet to lift the 5.0 with it but used it on our Rpod for wheel, brake and bearing service.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton...ack-56739.html

[John in Santa Cruz]

my crossed chains are slack enough for the sharpest turn the rig can make, but short enough that they catch the trailer frame and keep it from going more than about 1/2 way from the tow height to the ground.... and my trailer tongue jack has a 'slider' plate on the bottom, so I can use the jack to lift the tongue back up if it comes off the ball..

[Ian G]

I use one of these to lift and to level my 19'. Just lift by the frame right behind the axles, it has the added benefit of a locking system that prevents the jack from dropping over time. Makes leveling the trailer so easy, there are many different versions of this my a number of vendors, I bought mine through Princess Auto (Canadian version of HF https://www.catpremiumproducts.com/p...one-truck-jack

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I'm measuring the frame rail as about 13-14" above the ground... But I'm having a hard time figuring out what bottle jack specs mean... They aren't very clear, thats for sure. "Maximum lift", does that mean thats the highest it goes off the ground, or is that how high it can lift from its rest position ?

That would depend on who is providing the specs.

Originally Posted by SageRpod

I've used this for years and it works well for me. Have yet to lift the 5.0 with it but used it on our Rpod for wheel, brake and bearing service.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton...ack-56739.html

In this case, the "product height" (height of the retracted jack) is 9" and the "Lift Height, Maximum" is 18". With that maximum being about twice the jack's own height, it would be the height above ground when fully extended, not the difference between retracted and extended lengths.

A similarly sized Torin jack is listed on that manufacturer's website as

Lifting range: 9-1/8" to 18-1/4"

... which is more typical of how specs are normally given for these jacks. The low end of the range is the height of the retracted jack, and the high end of the range is the height of the extended jack, so extending it raises the top by 8¾ inches.

Most bottle jacks have a screw on the top fitting which can be manually extended, adding some amount (the same amount) to the retracted and extended lengths. A bottle jack with the screw out and the piston extended is a pretty dicey thing.

The trailer's frame is so high that a stable base to put the jack on and increase the height seems like a good idea.

[John in Santa Cruz]

years and years ago, I remember seeing bottle jacks that had like 2 nested piston sleeves so whatever their base height was, they could extend to nearly 3X that instead of not quite 2X. Poking around Harbor Freight and a few other such places, I haven't seen any such.

[CharlesinGA]

I would think you need a U shaped saddle that will slip over the frame, with a socket for a jack welded to the bottom of it.

One jack that will go quite high is a one you buy used, from a Mercedes Sprinter Van, lots of them on the market (Ebay) from scrapped early Sprinters. They are two stage and German made. The one in my motorhome had never been out, and the pump was stuck. Took a lot of effort and penetrant to get the pump working but after that it worked well.



These jacks start at 11 or 12 inches and go up to 24 inches when fully extended. They are 3.5 metric ton thus 7700 lbs or thereabouts.

Charles

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

years and years ago, I remember seeing bottle jacks that had like 2 nested piston sleeves so whatever their base height was, they could extend to nearly 3X that instead of not quite 2X. Poking around Harbor Freight and a few other such places, I haven't seen any such.

I recall those, too; I would call it a telescoping design. Telescoping hydraulic cylinders are available, and jacks like this still exist - a web search for "telescoping hydraulic jack" finds them. I'm not sure that I would want one for this purpose; I would want anything pushed with this type of cylinder to be very well controlled in the other directions, and the cylinder mounted on pivoting bushings on each end, to avoid any incidental bending load. The Mercedes jack shown has a relatively large shaft diameter, and it is probably assumed that three wheels of the vehicle stay on the ground when the jack is used, for stability.

For the trailer, I would rather have a wide fixed base which brings the top of the retracted jack nearly to the frame (with a flat tire), instead of an exceptionally long-travel jack.

[MyronL]

Stack-um up, Jack.

[Camper Scott]

I really like this for changing tires.

https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-Tandem-Changing-Change-Trailers/dp/B000I4JPZE/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=Trailer+tire+change&qid=16 92495316&sr=8-4

[MrLynn]

I have an 8-ton Harbor Freight bottle jack, which I have used, probably a spot between the axles, to change a wheel.

Last Spring I got one of those Trailer-Aids, which worked great for lifting the wheel off the ground to E-Z Lube the bearings. Of course, requires tandem axles.

[Ryanb-72]

The jack in your tow vehicle will likely be adequate. Worse case may need a few blocks to achieve the appropriate height.

Saves weight, space, and best of all $$$$.

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

The jack in your tow vehicle will likely be adequate. Worse case may need a few blocks to achieve the appropriate height.

Saves weight, space, and best of all $$$$.

YUP. But some vehicles these days don't come with a spare tire, a jack and other items. Nowadays, some with just a can of tire puncture seal goo & a cheapo compressor.

[Carmel Clown]

Originally Posted by Camper Scott

I really like this for changing tires.

https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-T...2495316&sr=8-4

Me too. Lifted my horse trailer with the horse in it.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

What size/capacity bottle jack is suitable for an Escape 21 ? A specific jack brand/model I could get on Amazon or HF or whatever would be ideal

I've been going jackless since getting the trailer, and since we're doing a 3 month road trip next year, I need to rectify that.

I'm measuring the frame rail as about 13-14" above the ground... But I'm having a hard time figuring out what bottle jack specs mean... They aren't very clear, thats for sure. "Maximum lift", does that mean thats the highest it goes off the ground, or is that how high it can lift from its rest position ?

I carry a 2 ton bottle jack. I would put it on a stack of the lego blocks(I have a flat top piece that I bought to work with the set) I carry to cheat it up to meet the frame with the screw top slightly extended. That was plenty to change my tires on my 5.0 TA a little while ago. I jacked on the frame behind the spring shackle (mine has leaf springs). It is a Cobalt I think, but most of the 2 ton jacks are about the same size.

[dstreight]

I have several Toyota LandCruiser/Tundra/Lexus LX470/570 jacks...specific models will extend to 20" and are mechanical not hydraulic; simple & dependable.

Ford also made a similar mechanical jack for F250/F350 that is rated to 11,XXX lbs and can be found in junk yards for cheap.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I ended up picking up a generic ("Big Red" by Torin) 8 ton bottle jack, for like $30, that should cover any needs.