What would be a good replacement for the scissor jack on the X ?

After ruining one of my 3 week old BFG AT (ran over a 1/2" bolt, OUCH), I used the scissor jack last night for the first (and hopefully the last) time. And let me teel you it was a bear to use. I know the X is heavy and I'm probably not as string as I used to be, but this was ridiculous. It was the hardest jack I had ever used.

Needless to say, I want to replace it with something easier to use.

I ruled out a high-lift since it can't be used on a stock X.

A floor jack is probably too big.

So I thought a 6 ton bottle jack. (I don't have the owners manual with me so I don't know how much the X weighs, but I figured it's better to oversize it then undersize it)

What do you guys (and gals) think? Are there any other options ?

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Gabe
gabe@ntplx.net (home)
izrga01@cai.com (work)

[This message has been edited by Charrua (edited January 10, 2001).]

Just to let you know, 6 tons is equal to 12,000 pounds. That's WAY more than the X weighs. The 2000 X SE 4X4 weighs-in at just over 4100 pounds (a little over 2 tons). I think the 6 ton jack is a bit overkill, but you may have other uses for it.

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known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board

I do hope you had road hazard protection on that tire, otherwise that's a big hit in the wallet.

Brent

Unfortunatly, they said there was no road-hazard on these tires. So, there goes the great deal I got on these tires. :-(

They said? It's not something that the tires have on their own, it's an extra "insurance" the store/chain offers for an extra fee, usually about 10% of the tire's cost.

Bummer,
Brent

You're right. If the X is loaded, then a 3 ton would be cutting it close (since I would hate to test the jack's rated max) but a 4 ton would be plenty.

Any possible drawbacks on a using a bottle jack?

Sorry, I meant they didn't offer it on these tires. BUMMER is right.

Nothing wrong with a bottle jack - small size, good capacity. If you find the bottom of the jack a little small and sinking into the dirt, put something under it like a piece of wood or whatever.

I'd love to have a hydraulic shop jack, but jeez, it's bulky as sin.

I got road hazard coverage on my BFG A/Ts at Merchant's Tire. They're in the greater DC area at least...

Brent

I guess next time I'll have to look for a better dealer. BTW how much was the road hazard coverage ? (for future reference)

10% of the tire's cost.

You pay a percentage of the replacement cost based on mileage since the tires were installed. The more miles, the more you pay to replace it. I'd say you would have paid <$20 for a new tire.

If you wanna be a real sleaze since all your tires are so new, get the replacement tire someplace else w/ road hazard coverage, and if any one of your tires goes again, you can replace it under the coverage, they won't know the difference Seems almost silly to get coverage on all 4 tires, unless you lose more than one at a time. But once you get a second single tire replaced this way, only the newest tire will be covered since the mileage discrepancy will be too great to ignore.


Brent


[This message has been edited by OffroadX (edited January 11, 2001).]

I've been looking for a normal heavy duty jack for a while. The only drawback to a bottle jack is it has to be stored standing up ( So I've been told ), and wanted to store mine in the original place. Don't forget to check the overall jacking height, which seems to work with max. load. ( I think the original expands to 12" or 13" )
I think I found a scissor Jack at our local Canadian Tire, a lot beefier, max height 14 3/4" and a better crank system. Still have to check it out.

I ran over a foot long, 1/4 thick, 2" wide bar on the highway with my BFG A/T's at 50 mph, at the time I didn't know what I hit, but had a V shape gash on the sidewall. When getting the new tire on, the installer found the bar inside, bent around my rim. How I didn't shread the tire, I never know.. but I still kept the bar.

you dont even need a full 2 ton bottle jack...you are only lifting one corner of the vehicle...no where even close to the full 4100 lb weight. A 2 ton jack would be fine, and probably cheaper and easier to store than a 6 ton.

Walmart has a small 2 ton floor jack that fits in a nice plastic carry case with a handle for $19.95. I carry one in my Ford truck. Its only about 13 pounds and lifts the entire rear of my 1972 full size pickup with no problem.

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Coolerman
1991 XE V6 5sp Pathfinder
2000 SE V6 Auto Xterra
1972 Toyota Land Cruiser

I was recently out playing in the dunes and we got the X highcentered on a big sand mound. One of the things we tried to get unstuck was to jack up one corner of the truck to get the other side low enough for the wheel to gain traction. The scissor jack was pretty much useless, even with plenty of driftwood tucked underneath. I've been thinking about purchasing a new jack, but I'm rather unsure of what would be the best for offroad use(aside from a hi-lift since i'm driving a stock X).

How much good is a floor jack going to do in the mud(or sand in my case)?

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'01 SE Just Blue 4x4

What modifications are required to use a high-lift? I would assume rocker guards, but is that true?


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Eric Miller
University of Chicago
Also from southwest MO.

Like someone posted you have to check the height of the jack and the higher the rating most of the time so is the higher the jack I have a old 6 ton bottle jack and with 31" tires and torsion bar lift it won't go high enough with out blocks under it to lift the tires off the ground.

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Kevin
00' Super Black SE 5 speed
31" BFG M/T's, ARB, Rancho RSX's
superblackxterra.tripod.com

One thing to remember if you buy a floor jack for the garage, get one with a lot of travel.
My Wal-Mart has several models, but most don't lift past 20".

That's fine if you only lift from a suspended point, but useless if you want to lift from the frame.

Nissan shows how to jack the Xterra from the frame for a front tire change, but you have to add the height of the frame to the suspension droop.

Jacking the front from the lower a-arm makes for a much quicker lift.

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Regards,
Ian