Trolley Jack.

Obanboy666

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Looking to buy a low profile trolley Jack to carry in my motorhome, 3.5 tonne c class.
Would a 2 tonne Jack be adequate ? My thinking is I will only be using it in the event of a puncture so only lifting one corner of the motorhome.
Have a 5 tonne professional trolley Jack at home which is far to heavy / large to carry in motorhome garage.
 
The only trouble with the little 2 tone jacks they are a little unstable,
A decent bottle jack might be better and will take up less space.
I have a 4 ton trolley jack that I use when at home I also have a 2 ton trolley jack which is just about ok for the car but wouldn’t want to use it on the motorhome.
Luckily the motorhome came with a bottle jack which is supplied by Mercedes
 
The only trouble with the little 2 tone jacks they are a little unstable,
A decent bottle jack might be better and will take up less space.
I have a 4 ton trolley jack that I use when at home I also have a 2 ton trolley jack which is just about ok for the car but wouldn’t want to use it on the motorhome.
Luckily the motorhome came with a bottle jack which is supplied by Mercedes
Take your point ref stability, the one I’m looking at is wide so should be ok. Did look at bottle jacks but height is the issue hence a low profile trolley Jack.
 
The main issue with any jack is the level of the ground they all can and do slip .not good for your 3.5 ton of motorhome . Or trapped hands . Trolly Jack's can be particularly dangerous on bad ground .
 
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OK on car or 4 wheel drive with strong sills not so good on a motorhome with plastic sides .
They aren't designed to jack on sills....

But then I wouldn't jack any vehicle on the sill with anything other than the manufacturers supplied jack.
 
All photos shows air jacking on sills , have a walk to your local tyre fitters and watch .front and rear of sills are reinforced , have you any experience using an air jack , air jacks were made for rescue services doing further damage to a vehicle is not an issue .
Designed to spread the load not concentrate it....
Yes I've used them several times both on 4x4s and on ordinary vehicles...
My tyre fitters won't jack on sills
(No1 they have no idea, of the structural integrity of the vehicles sills other than a brand new vehicle
No2 its safer to lift under axles/wish bones/subframe mounts)

I don't doubt kwikfit etc would be happy to jack anywhere they can reach....

Personally Ill carry on doing what I've been doing for the last 40 years or so and what I was taught to do at college.
 
Your comments are valid for a professional , not good for a motorhomer that has no mechanical experience ,many people have been injured wrongly jacking up cars let alone 3.5 ton motorhomes .most would wisely use a recovery company , even the task of removing a seized alloy wheel would be impossible for most people .
 
2t would be man enough and IMHO more stable than any bottle jack as it's base is bigger, the biggest problem is the full height you'd get and getting it onto level ground.
 
Designed to spread the load not concentrate it....
Yes I've used them several times both on 4x4s and on ordinary vehicles...
My tyre fitters won't jack on sills
(No1 they have no idea, of the structural integrity of the vehicles sills other than a brand new vehicle
No2 its safer to lift under axles/wish bones/subframe mounts)

I don't doubt kwikfit etc would be happy to jack anywhere they can reach....

Personally Ill carry on doing what I've been doing for the last 40 years or so and what I was taught to do at college.
It should be noted that any motorhome with an AlKo chassis should NEVER be jacked on the rear axle.
 
Looking to buy a low profile trolley Jack to carry in my motorhome, 3.5 tonne c class.
Would a 2 tonne Jack be adequate ? My thinking is I will only be using it in the event of a puncture so only lifting one corner of the motorhome.
Have a 5 tonne professional trolley Jack at home which is far to heavy / large to carry in motorhome garage.
If I had room for one I would carry one. (y)
 
A small Trolly jack would handle the weight but would be very unstable and proberbly not reach the hight to fully lift the wheel and clear the skirt , the problem with small Trolly jacks is they have to roll forward while jacking if it can't roll freely it will slip and may drop the van , they need flat even level ground , just my opinion a small Trolly jack is not designed to lift a large heavy vehicle like a motor home, I personally would use the supplied jack as that it what was designed for.
 
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I use a 6t bottle jack as there are places for them on my van, I also carry some hard flat bits of wood to make up any height loss, and wheel chocks mat gloves torch, if you run alloy rims make sure you use anti fling grease on the mating face of the feckers wont come off due to dissimilar metal bonding, PS don't use copper grease.
 
A small Trolly jack would handle the weight but would be very unstable and proberbly not reach the hight to fully lift the wheel and clear the skirt , the problem with small Trolly jacks is they have to roll forward while jacking if it can't roll freely it will slip and may drop the van , they need flat even level ground , just my opinion a small Trolly jack is not designed to lift a large heavy vehicle like a motor home, I personally would use the supplied jack as that it what was designed for.
A 2t trolly jack is designed to lift 2t be it car or motorhome etc it is just a hydraulic jack, the jack can't differentiate what it is lifting. All jacks can be dangerous. it's down to the user. The supplied jack would be just as dangerous on uneven/unstable ground.
 
Many thanks to all for advise, suitability etc etc of a trolley Jack.
Hopefully it will only be used on my level drive for general maintenance issues and not out on my travels. I envisage the only time I may have to use it is if I’m in the back of beyond without a phone signal to call my recovery company. The model I have bought is low profile with an extra wide base and classed as a professional model with excellent user reviews so fingers crossed if I have to use I should be ok.
 
Make sure it has a high lift as many small units don't, if not carry a few strong bits of hard wood to put under it.
 

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