Do-it-yourself Tire Rotation
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,200
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Do-it-yourself Tire Rotation
I have a medium duty concrete floor jack & normally use it to lift up one tire at a time, front or back when installing tires.
Is it possible to jack up the F150 from the side to do a tire rotation such that 2 tires are off the ground on one side at the same time, and exchange the front right with rear right, then jack up the left side and repeat? Where exactly in the middle of the vehicle would I put the jack, or would this be dumb & suicidal? :-)
Or would it be better to drop the spare & do the rotation one wheel at a time, slipping the spare in for a minute as I move the front to back and back to front tires jacking up wheels 1 at a time???
(more work but safer???)
Is it possible to jack up the F150 from the side to do a tire rotation such that 2 tires are off the ground on one side at the same time, and exchange the front right with rear right, then jack up the left side and repeat? Where exactly in the middle of the vehicle would I put the jack, or would this be dumb & suicidal? :-)
Or would it be better to drop the spare & do the rotation one wheel at a time, slipping the spare in for a minute as I move the front to back and back to front tires jacking up wheels 1 at a time???
(more work but safer???)
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: SE MN
I jack up the front tire and support that with a jackstand. I then go to the rear wheel, jack thatup and put in another jack stand. That way the whole side is safely off the ground and both tires on the other side are still on the ground.
I have a pretty decent jack and it won't even come close to jacking up the side of the truck in one shot. To me it just seems too dangerous. Have you ever noticed in nascar that if a crew member goes under the car with the side lifted up, they have to put a jackstand in first?
I have a pretty decent jack and it won't even come close to jacking up the side of the truck in one shot. To me it just seems too dangerous. Have you ever noticed in nascar that if a crew member goes under the car with the side lifted up, they have to put a jackstand in first?
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,263
Likes: 17
From: New Castle, PA
I jack up the front or the rear first and place it on jack stands. Then remove the jack. Then jack up the opposite end that the jack stands are under and leave it on the jack and do all the tires at the same time, if i had two sets of jack stands i would use them, but thats what i got. Maybe getting a set of jack stands would be a easy way to get done what your trying to accomplish quickly. I just did mine last night, took a whole 15 minutes.
More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 591
Likes: 37
From: Groton, MA
I've jacked up 1 side of the truck and changed both tires at the same time many times with no problems. I don't know what type truck you have, but I have an scab and the point I use is near the middle of the door. You will need to find the correct point for your truck. I have a jack that has alot of lift and I put a 18 in. piece of 4x4 on it's side between the jack and the frame. As for safety you can use jack stands if you want, but when I change tires I don't get under the truck so I'm not concerned about it falling on me. I do it on a concrete floor and the truck is stable when jacked up like this. If the concern is a jack failing, that can happen when you jack 1 wheel at a time too.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,511
Likes: 0
From: Marion, VA
I jack up the front or the rear first and place it on jack stands. Then remove the jack. Then jack up the opposite end that the jack stands are under and leave it on the jack and do all the tires at the same time, if i had two sets of jack stands i would use them, but thats what i got. Maybe getting a set of jack stands would be a easy way to get done what your trying to accomplish quickly. I just did mine last night, took a whole 15 minutes.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh, PA
why are you just changing/rotating the front and back tires on the same side? I thought on 4x4's you should criss-cross the fronts the back? (Front left goes to the back right, front right goes to the back left, back tires just go straight forward to the front without criss-crossing)
see the attached link: Tire Rotation
see the attached link: Tire Rotation
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More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 591
Likes: 37
From: Groton, MA
I don't jack up 1 side to rotate tires. I use that method to change from summer to winter tires.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 375
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X pattern, as long as the tires are not directional. It keeps the feathering and cupping that is common with a AT tire to a minimum. I always get at least 60,000 plus miles out of my tires using this method. Buy extra set of jack stands, had a jack fail once and sure did screw up the rotor! Never again!!!!
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,200
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
why would a dealer do it for free? Mine wants $39.00 and when you have the tools, why burn the $$ ?
Is it true that with 4x4 the tires should be rotated criss-crossed vs front to back? Opinions?
Is it true that with 4x4 the tires should be rotated criss-crossed vs front to back? Opinions?
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,873
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From: St. Peter
Usually when you buy an oil change it comes with a free rotation. Most tire resalers will give free tire rotations for life when you purchase their tires also. If you have a good jack (3 ton) you should be fine lifting up one side of your truck.
As far as how to rotate, I would say consistency is most important. I usually always go front to back. If I notice the tires are cupping, then I will do an X, or rotate the front tires side to side, then move them to the rear. I would say it depends on the suspension setup also. The front tires on any torsion bar suspension always seem to get chewed up (especially if you are lazy on the rotations), so its important to keep up with rotations (and moving the tires not only front to back, but also side to side).
As far as how to rotate, I would say consistency is most important. I usually always go front to back. If I notice the tires are cupping, then I will do an X, or rotate the front tires side to side, then move them to the rear. I would say it depends on the suspension setup also. The front tires on any torsion bar suspension always seem to get chewed up (especially if you are lazy on the rotations), so its important to keep up with rotations (and moving the tires not only front to back, but also side to side).
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
From: Titletown
I'm pretty sure it says right in the manual NOT to jack it up from under the pumpkin!?
ERIC
ERIC
I do exactly the same thing. If you have a floor jack, you certainly need jack stands if you use it for anything other than changing a tire. I jack up the front with the jack on the crossmember so I can put both jack stands under the lower control arms and then jack up the back with the jack on the pumpkin. All are off the ground at the same time and it only take a few minutes with an impact wrench.