Which Jack for a Defender?

Ive used a trolly jack and half a railway sleeper for years.... Its even got little dents in it now so the jack doesnt move! :)

I'd have thought any of the suitably rated trolley jacks would do, provided you are jacking on the suspension not the body... Far more stable than a bottle jack, assuming that is what you have.

A selection:

?p=3D020110273?p=3D020110295 Bung "jack" into the search box for even more, depending on your definition of "shed loads of =A3=A3=A3's".

Jon came up with the following;:

Same as Mark S. Halfords often have a 2 ton jack on offer with axle stands for £20 ish .. I've had one for about 5 years now and can't find any real faults with it.

I would prefer to use a larger one if I were using it every day in a workshop situation, but as an occasional weekend thing and for roadside emergencies it's great. We have a Hi-lift too, but have only used that off-roading .. ;)

We use a 2T trolley jack from ScrewFix (about 10 years old) - it's fine. I suppose different makes have different reaches.....

Richard

Ooops. forgot to say it is a trolly jack... just a small reaching 2T one.

My block of wood has lots of marks in it too.

I'll have a look at some of the links provided.

Thanks guys.

Jon

Tool sites are awash with cheap jacks that can handle the Defender. For about 5 years now I've had a Halfords 3-tonne long-reach jack that cost me less than £40 IIRC, it's been fine although the Pinzgauer stretches it, it's finally topped out for the first time at the end of its travel but managed to get the front wheels about 1cm off the ground when jacking off the bottom of the differential. It can get the Defender a good 20cm off the ground.

A good type of jack to get just for wheel changing is a bottle-jack with a curved bar of metal on top that fits around the axle of the landy, I've got one of these and it makes lifting wheels a breeze, and safer than a high-lift. They do cost though, up to £60 for a good one! On a dark, stormy night on the M6 with the truck being rocked by passing lorries, I'd have killed for one.

On or around Fri, 26 May 2006 09:11:33 +0100, Jon enlightened us thusly:

high lift trolley jack, I'd go for, like

for example, for normal purposes, or a jackall/hi-lift for off-roading, such as

The latter, although very good at lifting, is utter crap at stability - you don't even want to be beside the vehicle, far less underneath. Of course, you shouldn't be underneath with *any* jack without a secondary support such as a stand or blocks or something, but if you have to, a good trolley jack is as good as anything.

I'm not in favour of the cheap "diy" ones.

if you're on a budget, this looks quite like the one I have here:

which is not so high lifting but cheaper.

I'll go with Austin and add

which is perfectly adequate I've used mine on Rangie and now on the Disco but get decent set of axle stands what ever you buy before you work underneath one other thing if you buy one similar the silly carrying handle is a booby trap and liable to drop the jack on your foot if you are not vigilent. For roadside wheel changes put the other bottle jack away for other uses and buy a bigger truck bottle I use a 6 ton which has an adjustment ram screw to allow you to get the offload height up to the jacking point before you pump the jack up similar to it physically a lot bigger than a two tonne and more stable a metal plate to stand it on is a good idea for uneven or softer ground or keep your thick block .Derek Disco 200 Tdi

*How Much!!!!!!* - and that's a Jackall - which don't work properly.... we can do proper Hi Lift's for £55.50 inc VAT & delivery! Or 5ft ones for £59.17 inc VAT & delivery.

Sealy, Machinemart, etc etc all seem to be the same with different labels these days.

Richard

I like the look of this as the height is much better than my existing...

I guess if a jobs worth doing, its worth doing right so time to start saving!! Still its cheaper than some Ive seen elsewhere.

Think I'll get myself a couple more decent axle stands whilst Im on with it. Then I can get all corners in the air at once.

Already got the genuine 4ft Hi-Lft for those just in case times when out playing...

I 've had a few tools with stick on labels and like you say they seem to be all from the same manufacturer s

this would look to be one makes you wonder why we pay a premium for a brand when the same bloke is knocking them out on a bench somewhere in china.Derek

Hmm, personally I'd avoid four axle stands lifting the vehicle up, instead go for four wheel ramps, and put two with the slanted part of the ramp towards the rear of the vehicle, and the other two with the slanted part towards the front. With axle stands, if you bash the vehicle hard enough or grab it to pull yourself out from under it, it can topple off all four at once. Ramps can topple in one direction if they are all facing the same way (but still much more stable) but with them pointing in opposite directions then it's not going anywhere.

I've got some long-reach truck axle-stands, four tonnes tested each. They have wide bases and often don't need to be raised from their lowest setting to be used. I point the apexes of the bases in different directions too to make sure it's not unstable in one direction, as it would be if they all pointed in the same direction.

Err, yes I am paranoid about being crushed by a vehicle ;-)

|| Hmm, personally I'd avoid four axle stands lifting the vehicle up, || instead go for four wheel ramps, and put two with the slanted part of || the ramp towards the rear of the vehicle, and the other two with the || slanted part towards the front. With axle stands, if you bash the || vehicle hard enough or grab it to pull yourself out from under it, it || can topple off all four at once. Ramps can topple in one direction || if they are all facing the same way (but still much more stable) but || with them pointing in opposite directions then it's not going || anywhere. || || I've got some long-reach truck axle-stands, four tonnes tested each. || They have wide bases and often don't need to be raised from their || lowest setting to be used. I point the apexes of the bases in || different directions too to make sure it's not unstable in one || direction, as it would be if they all pointed in the same direction. || || Err, yes I am paranoid about being crushed by a vehicle ;-)

Just done a four-day First Aid course for work and learned about crush injuries - real eye-opener for me. If someone is crushed underneath a car or whatever, if you can lift the car and get them out straight away, do so. However, if they have been in the crush situation for over 10 minutes, doing that might be fatal. Apparently toxins can rapidly develop in the crush area and if the weight is removed these will be released to travel round the body and can make the casualty much worse. In these circs, wait for paramedics/ambulance.

I didn't know this, and I imagine not many do. My first reaction would be to get the weight off the casualty at all costs. Just a thort while on the subject.

Good advice on the ramps and stands, which I have mentally logged and will use next time I am going underneath.

Ian Hi,

You can always find a secondhand one off a Discovery or RaRo Classic.

Remember the axles are the same on Defenders, Disco 1 and RaRo Classics and the hydraulic lift provided with the later two types of Landies is excellent.

Take care Pantelis

P.S. remember to also take the two long metallic handles for operating the jack.

Indeed, although I'm always hesitant to use a second-hand one, I have one at the moment but it sinks slowly rather than holding the weight so always has to be used with axle stands. That's OK for use in the garage, but a PITA when just quickly changing a tyre.

On or around Fri, 26 May 2006 18:17:46 +0100, "Richard Brookman" enlightened us thusly:

WTF do the paramdeics do with the toxins, then?

it depends on the situation, though, I'd have thought. It might be that waiting is just as fatal - depends on the extant and type of injuries. The only vehicle that ever fell on me just bruised me a bit, so I guess I was lucky.

meanwhile, before I go under a vehicle on stands I give it a good shake to make sure it *won't* fall over when I grab it or heave on a nut underneath.

|| On or around Fri, 26 May 2006 18:17:46 +0100, "Richard Brookman" || enlightened us thusly: || ||| Just done a four-day First Aid course for work and learned about ||| crush injuries - real eye-opener for me. If someone is crushed ||| underneath a car or whatever, if you can lift the car and get them ||| out straight away, do so. However, if they have been in the crush ||| situation for over 10 minutes, doing that might be fatal. ||| Apparently toxins can rapidly develop in the crush area and if the ||| weight is removed these will be released to travel round the body ||| and can make the casualty much worse. In these circs, wait for ||| paramedics/ambulance. ||| ||| I didn't know this, and I imagine not many do. My first reaction ||| would be to get the weight off the casualty at all costs. Just a ||| thort while on the subject. || || WTF do the paramdeics do with the toxins, then?

Dunno, but a lot more than you or I could! Seriously, I think it would involve a lot of backup and facilities for blood transfusions and all sorts before a quick dash to A&E and a spell in IC. The point is that the obvious thing (to remove the weight from the casualty) may well result in the death of said casualty unless expert medical advice is available. I thought it worth mentioning because (to me at least) it is totally counter-intuitive.

|| it depends on the situation, though, I'd have thought. It might be || that waiting is just as fatal - depends on the extant and type of || injuries.

If the crushing weight is constant, the toxins are held in the injured area and not released into the bloodstream. The casualty can survive for long periods like this. It's the releasing of the crush that is the major risk - after, as I said, 10 or so minutes.

|| meanwhile, before I go under a vehicle on stands I give it a good || shake to make sure it *won't* fall over when I grab it or heave on a || nut underneath.

Me too, especially if there are others around who might want to lean on the vehicle and have a smoke and a chat. :-)

On or around Mon, 29 May 2006 09:55:14 +0100, "Richard Brookman" enlightened us thusly:

quite agree, and a good point. There must be a judgment call though - for example, you could get internal injuries that would gradually kill you irrespective of toxins. I guess if the victim remains conscious and breathing then leaving them well alone would be favourite.

It's like the one about motorcyclists and helmets. You run the risk of causing (more) spinal injury by removing a modern bike helmet and as such it's better if the paramedics do it. However if the chap's unconscious and not breathing, he's got about 4 minutes... under which circumstances the only thing you can realistically do is remove the helmet as carefully as possible so as to be able to resuscitate.

yeah, good and useful info.

this is part of the problem with becoming a first aider, I reckon. That and the fact that these days if you do it wrong you're liable to get sued.

|| It's like the one about motorcyclists and helmets. You run the risk || of causing (more) spinal injury by removing a modern bike helmet and || as such it's better if the paramedics do it. However if the chap's || unconscious and not breathing, he's got about 4 minutes... under || which circumstances the only thing you can realistically do is || remove the helmet as carefully as possible so as to be able to || resuscitate.

Advice is that if the casualty isn't breathing, you remove the helmet in any case. If he ain't breathing, he's gonna die or suffer serious brain damage whatever. There are ways of removing the helmet (involving another person) that will mkinimise the possibility of spinal damage, however.