Looking into getting a new (larger) floor jack. It will be used on gravel a lot, so if anybody has experience with using a floor jack on gravel, give a shout. Need to lift the XJ and Tundra, neither are lifted.

My current floor jack is a 20+ YO Sears compact 3-ton. By the time I get it under the axle, I don't have enough leverage with the short arm to pump the critter.

Harbor Freight and Amazon have many to choose from. HF has the usual mixed quality reviews. I live in the boonies, lots of mountains but no big boxes nearby. Have a Napa and CarQuest in town.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Put plywood under the jack whenever you can. Otherwise it'll try to pull the car towards the jack. We have a HF jack, and it works adequately. Of course I'm comparing it to an ancient sears jack that bled down as you tried to pump it...

 

gravel driveway, just use a racing floor jack, the low profile one for my miata

i put a couple 2x16's under it, works perfect

 

That's what I did also. What kind of Miata Na, NB , or Nc ?

I recently traded my Na8c for my YJ.

It had FM coilovers , FM swaybars, bbs ra wheels , Jackson racing header , apexi cai , 2.5" magnaflow cat, mid pipe and magnaflow muffler, harddog M2DDHCHT roll bar.

 

My driveway used to be paved, now most of it is only very loosely kept in place by 60 year old tar. I use a 3.5 ton floor jack with plywood underneath. The occasional cracking sometimes freaks me out but it works very well. Jack has a decent saddle with a rubber insert and goes up to 19". However, it also weighs like 90 pounds and is a real PITA to move lol.

EDIT: Definitely don't use a cinder block

 

Cinder block...never.

 

Ply wood works 1/2 and thicker position wheels on jack so it can roll when jack up jeep .And don't forget jack stands .

 

Sold my supercharged NA 2 years ago. Track day car and DD.

 

Know what's wrong with a bottle jack and a cinder block? The cinder block can turn back to dust with no warning, causing serious injury or death.

 

I had a JR MP45 on mine for a few years I sold the SC when I was going to sell the car then I wound up keeping the car only to trade it 2 years later.

 

Mine was a sebring SC. Still a JR I guess. I had the metal pipes. Installed it in 5 hours. Pretty fun. Went BBK as time went on. Tuned it with a fuel pressure gauge and vacuum/boost gauge zip-tied to the wiper bleades.

 

Thank you all for the replies, exactly what I needed to get me out of my self imposed box.

Plywood and 2x's:

• I don't have any plywood handy, could purchase a sheet. Concerened about storing and carrying the thing in the frequent winds. I usually use some cardboard to lay on under the vehicle, plywood would be nicer.
• Do have some 2x's which I'll experiment.

Bottle Jack and Cinder Blocks:

• While I do have a 2 ton and 20 ton bottle jack, both have the same disadvantage of having the pump well under the vehicle, so I have to reach a long way to pump. Basically the same problem I have with my current compact floor jack.
• Don't have any cinder blocks, but I have 100's of wood blocks in log form. I burn ~4 cords a year, which are stored as 12-16" long blocks then split as I burn the wood. Any of these will easily hold up either vehicle.

I used the term gravel, easily understood, but it's more closely course sand on base rock, very firm. While the tiny wheels of a floor jack dig in, I've never had a problem with vehicle motion as the jack is pumped up.

Appreciate all the thoughts, keep um coming.

 

Here are the two floor jacks I'm currently considering:

I'd probably add a handle to either, but the HF is over 70# so a stretch to carry in any case.

Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/low-pro...eel-68049.html



Torin 3 Ton SUV:



Any thoughts?

 

NEVER use cinder blocks. They can kill you. They return to powder form with no warning under load.

 

Didn't realize that. That's a pretty good reason for not using them!