Hey all

After learning that the bottle jack that comes with a 1989 F350 XLT Lariat Crew Cab w/ 460 + manual 4x2 is...

a) missing on our truck
b) generally regarded as poor quality
c) barely able to lift the truck high enough to swap a tire
d) very hard to find even at local junkyards

I thought it would be good to get some recommendations from the gang here regarding what DOES work well.

The truck will become my son's daily driver as his first vehicle. I need a reliable jack he can use in the event the truck has a flat.

Not looking to break the bank - something cheap but effective in such situations. Could go with a floor jack style as long as it fits behind the rear seat AND is OK to use on the soft shoulder of the road.

 

Would the jack need to fit behind the seat as you suggest? Could he have a full size floor jack in the box? He could chain the jack if theft is a concern. Just a suggestion.

 

I'd probably go with a hydraulic bottle jack and a plywood scrap (3/4" thick?).

 

^^^ this^^^
4 ton bottle jack and a 2 foot X 2 foot piece of 3/4 plywood. maybe 2-3 4X4 or 6X6 blocks to use as wheel chocks or jack lift blocks would not hurt to have either.

 

I have the original that works like it should...sitting in my basement. I replaced it with a 4 ton bottle, placed in the original spot, and keep a piece of 2X10X12 piece of pressure treated wood behind the seat, to set the jack on when in use. The only reason I removed the original is because it didn't have the reach I needed.

 

Black or green label, stay away from the honey.

 

agreed, but the winter jack is pretty good warmed up.

 

I ended up needing 2 bottle jacks in my F-250 4WD. I don't know off-hand what the sizes / weight ratings are, but the biggest one that fits under my front axle when the tire is flat isn't tall enough to lift the rear tire off the ground, so I ended up with one for each axle.

I could get away with just the smaller one if I carried some pieces of wood to set it on when jacking the rear axle, but I went with 2 jacks to avoid the potential safety issue of having a jack up on a stack of anything. Both fit into one old ammo can which lives in the Rubbermade tub that lives in the bed of the truck. But they'd fit behind the seat too (but probably not in the ammo can).

 

After my OE jack bit the bullet I bought two jacks. A 5 ton Norco bottle jack and a 3 ton Arcan floor jack. The bottle jack obviously will fit behind the seat...the floor jack will too but you would need to remove the handle.

 

@'89F2urd
Which brands would those be? I'm not familiar with the references you're making.

I found one at Harbor Freight for $17 at 4 Ton Hydraulic Bottle Jack

 

Same brand. Different models

 

Ah, so HF is OK just not the ones with yellow labels? i.e. not the one I picked?

 

 

Am I the only one who isn't incapable of using the stock jack? It's really not bad.

I even have a few around bolted to brake rotors that I use as jack stands for cars.

 

i use the stock jack if I ever get a flat, though that has never happened when I run good AT tires. I keep a hilift under the supercab seat too but no longer carry a bottle jack. The factory one works (I lube it on occasion) & is conveniently stowed.