Changing Tire on the Trail???

[jhackathorne]

Bottle jack here. I had a flat from a busted valve stem this past weekend playing in the rocks. Had to get on a level surface and we were good to go. Put a flat rock under it to keep it from sinking in the dirt too much. Done and done in 15 tops. And about half of that was trying to maneuver the Jeep into position with a flat tire and overheating the power steering.

Sponsored

 

[bthomp]

I'll speak from the pro hi-lift side. It's what I use out on the trail due to its versatility. It's far more than just a jack. That said, if I need a jack in my garage It's always a floor jack. It's a better safer jack, but it's nothing more than that so i dont want it on the trail.

You're seeing why people tell others not to use a hi-lift. I'll always recommend hi-lifts as a tool. Theyre amazingly useful. I don't recommend most people as users of the tool. You must have strong mechanical common sense and the mechanical creativity to use it for more than just a jack. Not everyone has that. Probably 80% of the people I know fall into that category. If you dont have that a hi-lift can punish you. Youre literally creating and dealing with forces beyond your understanding. Why assume that risk if you don't fully see the risk and youll never think to use it for all the other things it can do besides jack up a tire. Get a safer but far less versatile bottle jack.

There is more to using a hi-lift than just having one. You must think it through, which you've done. You must have hi-lift jack points on the Jeep. You must have the accessories to use it as a winch, a spreader, a compressor, an anchor, etc. Since you've already started down this path of thinking things through I think you can keep going and understand the hi-lift. Its uses, procedures, versatility and risks.

But if all you're seeing is a jack, get a bottle jack. It's a better and safer jack, and not much more than that.

As for changing tires, I always just use the spare and deal with bad tire back home. If I get two flat tires (which hasn't happened yet) I'll at least have a choice of which one is the most likely to be repairable and focus my tire repair kit on that one. I will not waste my tire repair kit on the first tire that goes bad unless I have a 2nd bad tire that's even worse.

Really good feedback and detail, much appreciated.

 

[bthomp]

There are plenty of haters of the ARB hydraulic jack, but I have one and love it. It's not cheap, but it's compact, lightweight and easier and safer to use than a hi-lift. Gets my XR off the ground with room to spare. Some say it doesn't work well in the cold, but I don't wheel in the winter, so I don't know about that. Yeah, you have to step on the jack pad to get it to retract, but all of that is a small trade off for how easy and safe it is to use, at least in my experience.

Wow that is spendy, but pretty dang cool! Thanks for sharing the link as well.

 

[Rangemaster]

I carry a bottle jack and hi-lift. Bottle jack for changing a tire. Hi-lift to remove weight on suspension to work on a failure.

 

[Vanburi]

Bottle jack here. I had a flat from a busted valve stem this past weekend playing in the rocks. Had to get on a level surface and we were good to go. Put a flat rock under it to keep it from sinking in the dirt too much. Done and done in 15 tops. And about half of that was trying to maneuver the Jeep into position with a flat tire and overheating the power steering.

This situation could benefit from a colby valve.

 

[zrickety]

This thought process started with me realizing that I don't have good jack points for my hi-lift jack on my Rubicon XR with factory steel bumpers and rock rails. It quickly turned to reading a variety of threads where while some are pro hi-lift jack as a recovery tool, but surprised that many MANY are against it as a safety hazard. So after reading multiple articles and countless posts, what I am not clear on is what the recommended way to change a tire on the trail? Do the experienced folks lean towards a repair instead of a tire change as their plan A? Is there some kind of bottle jack that is preferable to a hi-lift? I know I need to purchase some new gear, but not sure if I need a soft shackle or other hi-lift jack accessories to create safer jack points or go in another direction entirely. I've thought I was pretty well prepared, only to find that after thinking through the scenario in detail that I'm not nearly as prepared as I thought I was for a flat tire while wheeling. Thanks all for the input.

I don't change on the trail. Haven't seen Matt change a tire on his channel either. I swap a leaky tire with the spare back at the house/camper. I do understand some people rip their tires, but I've had good luck just airing down and going slow.
TLDR, have some scrap 2x4s and the factory jack.

 

[roaniecowpony]

... We use a bottle jack to lift on the axle for tire changes on the trail. That way you only have to lift the axle 1/4" to get the wheel off.

https://www.amazon.com/Starter-Bott...ocphy=9032173&hvtargid=pla-628482448707&psc=1

Not exactly.

When you have a flat, the axle is about 6" off the ground. You need a jack that will fit under that height or you have to dig out a hole for a taller jack to fit, or drive the flat tire up on a rock (further exposing the tire to damage). Once you get a jack under the axle of a flat tire, you have to jack it whatever height your flattened sidewall expands to with air. This is where having a low scissor jack works well and guys that bought a bottle jack using measurements under their axle when their tire was inflated, are going to be surprised when they get a flat.

 

[ChuckQue]

I've had two trail swaps, both were sidewall tears and would be extremely difficult/impossible plugs.

You got the XR jack spacer, right? That should do ya. You could upgrade the scissor if you want.

I'm in the never a high lift camp. Only tried one once and it failed and damaged the Jeep and could have hurt someone. You have to get the jeep sky high to overcome suspension droop.

You'd need a low profile/high stroke bottle to work for an axle lift from flat tire to inflated.

What I have that I very much recommend is this: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/2555-20

I’ve thought about trying the GlueTreads kit for sidewall tears. Reviews seem great. Would work for keeping the damaged tire in the game as a backup after swapping to the spare.

 

[Flip]

I've used a hi-lift on the bumpers or rock sliders to change a tire. It sucks especially if your jeep is really flexy.

I carry one of these now, it's a bit bulky to store in the Jeep, but a safer alternative. Plus the big flat base is a plus in mud/sand/snow so your jack doesnt sink into the ground as easily. You use it to jack under your axle, works for my 37s perfectly.

I 2nd this jack and it reaches something like 21" tall. I paid around $37 for it about 2 years ago, I noticed the price has skyrocketed since then. It fits in a small plastic $10 tote from Walmart.

 

[Medsker]

This is where having a low scissor jack works well and guys that bought a bottle jack using measurements under their axle when their tire was inflated, are going to be surprised when they get a flat.

I know I was surprised when my Safe-Jack bottle jack didn't work. Especially as much as I paid for it. Luckily I had a couple of 2x4's to put under the factory jack and just used it. I've since got the AEV Jack block.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I 2nd this jack and it reaches something like 21" tall. I paid around $37 for it about 2 years ago, I noticed the price has skyrocketed since then. It fits in a small plastic $10 tote from Walmart.

Will it fit under the axle with a flat tire?

 

[jhackathorne]

I don't change on the trail. Haven't seen Matt change a tire on his channel either. I swap a leaky tire with the spare back at the house/camper. I do understand some people rip their tires, but I've had good luck just airing down and going slow.
TLDR, have some scrap 2x4s and the factory jack.

So if you get a flat on the trail you just abandon the Jeep?

 

[Catiajockey]

The benefit to these is that they are compact and light weight. They are also fairly inexpensive compared to almost all other jack options. I have the Mopar one just in case. I carry that and a battery powered impact (with the proper socket for my spline lug nuts) not just offroad but for long highway trips. I don't relish the idea of ever being on the side of the road for long periods of time.

 

[jhackathorne]

This situation could benefit from a colby valve.

Probably not a bad idea to keep some of those on hand.

 

[roaniecowpony]

So if you get a flat on the trail you just abandon the Jeep?

Plug it if possible. Only a big hole would I get the spare down.

Sponsored