I purchused Ford e-350 extended super-duty van, and I found out the jack is missing, and I am not sure what jack I should get.
The factory jack from Ford is terribly expensive and the bottle jack from AutoZone is cheap, but it doesn't have the hollow tip Ford jack has that is the shape of the round frame by the wheel.
Right now Ebay sells F350 trick jack really cheap. and I am not sure if this is the same jack as the E350 van.
Anybody know if this is the same thing as E350 jack?
You just purchased many thousands of dollars worth of truck and you're going to cheap out on a safety item like a jack?? Just buy the correct one and move on. The bottle jack is NOT a good idea. When it slips and the van crushes your leg, it will really ruin your day.
well.. but the problem is I read on the web, the stock jack is not good either.
I would pay extra money if it's really worth it. But I don't wanna pay for more than hundred bux for a stock jack when normally bottle jacks sell for less than 30 dollars.
The jack included with a vehicle is only for emergency use and is designed for that vehicle. It's satisfactory for changing a flat tire. For any other work, you need a good floor jack. I can't think of any time that a bottle jack would be a good choice.
Agreed. Bottle jacks are -ok- for some applications, but lifting a vehicle isn't one of them IMO. They shouldn't even be sold as they come. There is no way a bottle jack with a 8 square inch base is going to be stable holding a vehicle up.
Any small hydraulic "bottle" jack will work, if the top jacking pad has some crenellations to it to stay put on that jacking pin on the front I-beams, or under the axle housing in the rear. Not the jack with the little 1" round pad with the waffle-cut top like a framing hammer, that's a disaster waiting to happen.
But remember Hydraulic means "Store and Transport ^This Side Up^. If you don't strap it down, when you get a flat and really need it you'll find an empty jack and an oil soaked carpet...
They sell aftermarket mechanical jacks too, might have to search around a little.
If you plan to change tires on anything other than hard pavement, throw some 18" lengths of 2X6 and 2X8 lumber for cribbing in the truck so you can spread the weight from the jack baseplate around on the ground, and keep it from sinking into sand or soft dirt. Or a 12" x
12" chunk of 1/2" thick steel plate, but that tends to be a bit heavy.
Myself, I have a small "portable" 2-ton trolley jack stowed in a bin for my truck because the GM factory crank-up jack was missing. But I use my full-size 3-ton trolley jack, steel jackstands and a set of real wheel chocks for any normal service work at home.
You can probably find one that will work in a "pick a part" junkyard for not much money. The advantage of the factory type of non-hydraulic scissors jack is that it will never leak fluid out, and it will never pop a seal and let the truck fall down on your foot. There is nothing wrong with the mechanical scissors type jacks for tire changing purposes. In addition, as I found out when my 64 Tbird had a flat, a scissors jack, when fully collapsed, will still be able to slide under the frame that was only about 3 inches from the ground. None of my fancy hydraulic jacks could fit in the space. You probably won't have that problem on a van though.
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