Will this jack hold my truck for a tire rotation?

[NJExplorerFan]

Hey all, I need to do my first tire rotation on my Explorer and was wondering if my old 2 1/4 ton jack will do the job? Maybe I can lift one side and the other 2 wheels can support the weight? What do you guys think? Or is it a safer idea to get a new heavy weight truck jack.

 

[limit]

Hey that jack will do the trick, make sure the surface is nice and flat, and the place the jack on the actual frame of the truck, it will lift with no problems. For you own saftey put a jack stand as well.

 

[HiImBrian]

Hey that jack will do the trick, make sure the surface is nice and flat, and the place the jack on the actual frame of the truck, it will lift with no problems. For you own saftey put a jack stand as well.

Since you're supposed to rotate tires to diagonal corners, that means all 4 tires need to be off the ground. I'd just get the whole thing up on jack stands to do it.

 

[waskly]

invest in jack stands....

a jack is to lift a vehicle, not work on it when its in the air.

 

[swshawaii]

If you're using this Craftsman 2 1/4 ton floor jack be very careful.
It STRAINS to lift both front wheels of my ST of comparable weight.
Blew out the valve on one, and buckled the pivot hinge on another.
As suggested, lifting one corner at a time is much safer using stands.

 

[NJExplorerFan]

I do have one pair of jack stands, I'll just have to buy 2 more. Last year, I put on new General Grabber tires and probably threw on about 10-12K miles now. I assume these need to go in diagonal rotation? (passenger rear to driver front and vice versa and driver rear to passenger front).

 

[Maniak]

Since you're supposed to rotate tires to diagonal corners, that means all 4 tires need to be off the ground. I'd just get the whole thing up on jack stands to do it.

You can still rotate them like that by lifting only 1 side at a time.

Lift the front, rotate the tires side to side.. now put it back down..
Now lift the left and rotate front to back and repeat for the other side.

That is how I did it before I had jack stands..

~Mark

 

[delexploder]

Its funny to me that people still go side to side and change the rotation that there tires have taking a set too. I have had several family and friends go nuts chasing vibrations because of this.

 

[HiImBrian]

You can still rotate them like that by lifting only 1 side at a time.

Lift the front, rotate the tires side to side.. now put it back down..
Now lift the left and rotate front to back and repeat for the other side.

That is how I did it before I had jack stands..

~Mark

That just sounds like a PITA. At $15 for a pair of jack stands at harbor freight, why do it the difficult way?

 

[Maniak]

That just sounds like a PITA. At $15 for a pair of jack stands at harbor freight, why do it the difficult way?

Because some people can't afford the extra $15. I remember my younger days when that was me.

~Mark

 

[Exproblems]

Hey all, I need to do my first tire rotation on my Explorer and was wondering if my old 2 1/4 ton jack will do the job? Maybe I can lift one side and the other 2 wheels can support the weight? What do you guys think? Or is it a safer idea to get a new heavy weight truck jack.

If you need to get a new jack, "Harbor Freight Tools" sells a very solid and sturdy, Pittsburgh 3 ton, dual piston pump, long handled vehicle jack. I bought mine last year and it cost $69 + tax, works great and easy to use!

 

[waskly]

you could just lower the spare, and put it on the tire you removing then rotate them each corner till you come back to the start and put the running tire and spare back.

but like i said, jacks can let go, they really are used to lift the vehicle not work on it.

 

[screamintrashcan]

I don't ever change direction of rotation, and a lot of tires are directional, look for the arrow. My lady friends 05 Explorer has 2 sets of tires/ rims, one summer, one winter, the better tread always goes on the rear when it's tire changing season. There's a crossmember associated with the frame beneath the front seats, I jack about 6 inches aft of that, on the frame, the front wheels come about 4" off the ground when the rear clears, and in the fall, I spray fresh undercoating on the welds on the frame, $4 a can at Walmart - takes one can a year, and with 150K on it, it has proven itself effective. I don't know if one of those $29.95 jacks will pick up high enough, and they arent real stable in the side to side axis. When you can afford it, pick up one of those 3 ton or better jacks at an estate sale, it's a 1 time purchase, if you let it down whenever you're done with it!