Where do you buy jacks, stands, power packs, and the like?

Couldn't find a place to put this question! Hoping to take a 400 mi round trip around a week from now, if I can get the wrinkles out of my plans and my Ex! Need to get a jack, jack stands, a tire inflator, maybe an extra battery for camping/possible jump start, later a trickle charger and small cooler. What do you like for jacks for instance? Walmart, Harbor Freight, somewhere else? Low budget but don't want something that breaks/is hazardous.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

for trail use got an hf 12t that thing is strong, lol. also can fit one of those bottle jack buddy axle adapters to it, vs it cant fir the 8T

 

[Ray Hutchinson]

Couldn't find a place to put this question! Hoping to take a 400 mi round trip around a week from now, if I can get the wrinkles out of my plans and my Ex! Need to get a jack, jack stands, a tire inflator, maybe an extra battery for camping/possible jump start, later a trickle charger and small cooler. What do you like for jacks for instance? Walmart, Harbor Freight, somewhere else? Low budget but don't want something that breaks/is hazardous.

Do you have a Harbor Freight store near you? Great source for such things. Reasonable prices Disclaimer: I get absolutely no benefit form recommending HF, just a happy customer

 

[CDW6212R]

HF began as a shipping only parts source, in CA. I bought my earliest tools from them when shipping was free after $50. Now they are located all over the country, I have at least two within 20 miles of me.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Another thing to not skip out on at harbor freight is a moving pad. Excellent if you have to change a tire, or crawl under the car for something. Also does double duty protecting the interior.

 

[joney]

Another thing to not skip out on at harbor freight is a moving pad. Excellent if you have to change a tire, or crawl under the car for something. Also does double duty protecting the interior.

due to the time factor, will have the most necessary items by today, from Walmart, and Amazon. Cardboard will have to do instead of the moving pad for now, but it's a great idea! Maybe U-Haul has them, could call as they're close by.

 

[Turdle]

I still vote for a cheap set of rubber floor mats for that. They can be hosed off,

 

[joney]

I still vote for a cheap set of rubber floor mats for that. They can be hosed off,

Sounds like a plan for wintertime!
I got all kinds of help getting the Ex in shape: one friend gave me a tire, took it to a towing place who took it off of the rim, a neighbor helped me lower my spare rim (no tire!) from under the Ex, the mechanism worked fine, amazingly. Went to a shop which mounted my rim on it, the first friend changed my oil for me (actually a retired mechanic) faster than it would take me to find the oil pan! For my part, took a flat black spray can and sprayed the faded panels on the doors back to black. And pumped up the tires to 34 psi.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I'm too late to be of help here, but I'm glad I finally checked this thread. We're looking to make a quick round trip from Iowa to Florida in December, and I hadn't thought of some of this stuff. Good info here! Most of the tools I'd need are always in the truck, but some of the other stuff isn't. I like that uni-jack!

An alternative to cardboard is a piece of wall panel. It's flat and slick enough to slide on. A friend turned me onto that 40 years ago, and I still use it. Maybe not so good in wet conditions, though. Another option is a plastic chair mat - particularly one without the sharp nubs on the bottom.

Moving blankets are inexpensive at HF. Smaller and thinner than what the pros use, but more than adequate for occasional use. I have several I brought home from a previous job after they got too torn and worn for use at work.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Shortly after my last post I did a web search to see if any local businesses carry the Uni-Jack just so I could see one in person, and found the local Fleet Farm carries them. Next time I was in the store I took a look, and found they were on sale! $69.99 for the 4000# model, or Amazon price without any shipping costs, so I bought one thinking I might return it.
I held onto it, and used it for the first time today to change the battery in my daughter's Dodge Journey. Yes, you need a jack to change the battery. It's mounted behind the front bumper and accessed through the wheelwell, so the tire has to come off. The jack worked great. I did use my floor jack to lift the vehicle a little before getting the Uni-Jack out. It probably isn't short enough to get under most vehicles to change a flat, but it's great for other work. My only complaint is, it didn't go down the last 1 1/2" and was still tight under the car when I lowered the car, so I had to use the floor jack to get the Uni-Jack out. Don't know what the problem was, as I was able to push it down by hand after it was out. I guess it needs pressure to completely collapse vs continuing to collapse on its own when the valve is open.

 

[joney]

Shortly after my last post I did a web search to see if any local businesses carry the Uni-Jack just so I could see one in person, and found the local Fleet Farm carries them. Next time I was in the store I took a look, and found they were on sale! $69.99 for the 4000# model, or Amazon price without any shipping costs, so I bought one thinking I might return it.
I held onto it, and used it for the first time today to change the battery in my daughter's Dodge Journey. Yes, you need a jack to change the battery. It's mounted behind the front bumper and accessed through the wheelwell, so the tire has to come off. The jack worked great. I did use my floor jack to lift the vehicle a little before getting the Uni-Jack out. It probably isn't short enough to get under most vehicles to change a flat, but it's great for other work. My only complaint is, it didn't go down the last 1 1/2" and was still tight under the car when I lowered the car, so I had to use the floor jack to get the Uni-Jack out. Don't know what the problem was, as I was able to push it down by hand after it was out. I guess it needs pressure to completely collapse vs continuing to collapse on its own when the valve is open.

I ended up getting a bottle jack, jack stands, and wheel chocks to carry around. Thinking of building a carry box along one interior side, for stuff like that and some tools - they take up a bit of room! Want to use it as a camper next year.

 

[toypaseo]

One option for some ground cover is flexible black plastic sheeting. Grocery retailers will receive pallets of product, and occasionally, that black plastic sheeting will be between the wood pallet, and the product itself. Typically the product would be a damp item or a frozen item. The last few I have got are from a local big blue box store that I deliver chips to.

The sheeting is stiff enough to lay flat, but will stay curled if you roll it up and tie it. You could take the sheeting, and cut it to line the rear cargo area.