Ducato/Peugeot/Citroen PVC Scissor Jack any good

[HymerVan]

For 10 years I have carried a 5 ton bottle jack on the hypothesis that the factory supplied accessory won't be up to the job. I have Rescue subscriptions but in remote corners of Europe they may not materialise or take forever During that time I have not had a puncture where I could change the wheel myself. I did have a dramatic deflation on the M6 due to a valve failure and in that case even the professional with two trolley jacks struggled with the job.

 

With a view to de-cluttering my question is whether the factory supplied scissor jack we carry is likely to be up to the job should I need to use it in anger. The jacking points are not compromised by coach built bodywork or other non standard appendages.

So has anyone actually used their jack and how did it perform ?

[trevor166uk]

Hi

 

I have used mine several times, when messing around with the van, doing odd jobs and so on. I'm an inveterate tinkerer. More recently I have got a trolley jack to make it easier. If you jack the van on good solid level ground with the scissor jack supplied it is okay but hard work. I once had a puncture by the roadside and wished I had got my trolley jack with me as it would have made it a whole lot easier and quicker. I now carry a trolley jack with me and don't bother with the scissor jack.

[witzend]

I have used mine and it does what it's intended for well you need to make sure it's on a level base and is vertical when raising.

[John52]

I've used mine. Its OK. Not as easy as a profesional garage jack, but then what can you expect but the cheapest lightest jack to do the job safely.

[Brambles]

I doubt my 6 tonne bottle jack would fit under the jacking point if I had a flat tyre so no point carrying it in the van. As others have mentioned, the scissor jack does work albeit hard work but it does get easier as the lift gets higher. Tip.. drive up your leveling ramp (if you have one) with wheel which is not flat on same side and it makes jacking very much easier.

[Keithl]

Brambles - 2016-11-05 1:27 AM

 

I doubt my 6 tonne bottle jack would fit under the jacking point if I had a flat tyre.

 

Jon,

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

[Brambles]

Keithl - 2016-11-05 10:05 AM

 

Brambles - 2016-11-05 1:27 AM

 

I doubt my 6 tonne bottle jack would fit under the jacking point if I had a flat tyre.

 

Jon,

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

 

Ahhh, but will it lift it high enough to get the leveling ramp out easily?

[John52]

Brambles - 2016-11-05 1:27 AM

 

Tip.. drive up your leveling ramp (if you have one) with wheel which is not flat on same side and it makes jacking very much easier.

 

Good Idea which I haven't heard before B-)

[Keithl]

Brambles - 2016-11-05 10:59 AM

 

Keithl - 2016-11-05 10:05 AM

 

Brambles - 2016-11-05 1:27 AM

 

I doubt my 6 tonne bottle jack would fit under the jacking point if I had a flat tyre.

 

Jon,

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

 

Ahhh, but will it lift it high enough to get the levelling ramp out easily?

 

But when you put your fully inflated spare on you do not put the levelling block back under! The levelling block only makes up for the loss of height with the flat tyre :-)

 

Keith.

[Steve928]

Keithl - 2016-11-05 10:05 AM

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

 

Have you tried this, Keith? I ask because although this idea has always sounded good in theory, in practice I suspect that the levelling block would just get scooted along in front of the flat wheel.

[lennyhb]

Used mine on the drive and on the roadside, providing you have solid base they are OK but if you have Alloy wheels and have not copperslipped or greased the contact area around the hubs you will need axle stands and a big hammer to get the wheels off.

[Brambles]

Keithl - 2016-11-05 11:31 AM

 

Brambles - 2016-11-05 10:59 AM

 

Keithl - 2016-11-05 10:05 AM

 

Brambles - 2016-11-05 1:27 AM

 

I doubt my 6 tonne bottle jack would fit under the jacking point if I had a flat tyre.

 

Jon,

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

 

Ahhh, but will it lift it high enough to get the levelling ramp out easily?

 

But when you put your fully inflated spare on you do not put the levelling block back under! The levelling block only makes up for the loss of height with the flat tyre :-)

 

Keith.

It is if the flat tyre reforms its round shape which can cause the difficulty.

[jb6981]

Steve928 - 2016-11-05 11:32 AM

 

Keithl - 2016-11-05 10:05 AM

 

There is a very simple answer to that problem, gently roll the flat tyre up onto your levelling block to lift that corner of your MH, the bottle jack should then fit under the chassis. Simple!

 

Keith.

 

Have you tried this, Keith? I ask because although this idea has always sounded good in theory, in practice I suspect that the levelling block would just get scooted along in front of the flat wheel.

 

I have a 5 ton bottle jack; I did a dry run and it lifted my 4.5 tonne van (Ducato) easily.

 

Then I had a front wheel puncture in France, rather than hang about waiting for the RAC I removed the flat tyre/wheel (16 inch) myself. The problem then was I could not get the fully inflated spare on because the jack was at it's height limit and the wheel fouled the wheel arch.

 

So I had to call out the RAC, after a two hour wait a recovery truck pulled I explained the situation to the French mechanic he said "Ah oui" and drove off; he returned with an axle stand, put it under a suspension arm and then put a wooden block under my jack and this gave us the extra lift needed to get the inflated wheel on.

 

So now I carry an axle stand and wooden block with me and this definitely works on front wheel punctures. I had a rear wheel puncture in Spain (tag axle) and the bottle jack on its own lifted the van high enough to get the spare on.

[mikejkay]

Definitely NOT up to the job (!) I had the front nearside of my old Chausson Flash S2 (5.99m, 3500kg and an X250) jacked up when there was a gust of wind which rocked the vehicle and the jack fell over.

 

Handbrake was on. Fortunately I was not under or near the vehicle and the wheel was still on. This was on a small road in the wilds of SW Ireland and I had to trek a mile or so to find a friendly farmer who came out with a trolley jack to help me out. The scissor jack was a write off as the threaded rod was bent as a result of the collapse.

 

I now carry an 8 ton bottle jack and a 2 ton trolley jack. I also carry a proper cross shaped wheel brace. All of these are heavy and awkward to stow but you will thank yourself if you ever need them.

 

However, it could be said that if you only ever use your motorhome in urban areas and you have roadside assistance then perhaps you could reasonably rely on someone else getting you out of trouble. Just try to avoid using the Ducato scissor jack, or at least be very mindfull that they can quite easily topple over

(!)

[Noody]

This thread has reminded me about a puncture I got at a really Shute CL just outside Glasgow, Green Flag sent a local garage that had the same problem, lifting high enough. Even with a garage jack, I found this very odd at the time though he used the jack that came with my van, blocks of wood and the garage jack.

 

I had often though about carrying a few blocks of wood though since I filled my tyres with Puncturesafe I didn't bother carrying a spare within the UK.

 

Did you know that a quality internal tyre sealant negates the problem of a red-zone puncture-repair ?

 

Ask me.

[Cap44]

Ive used the Ducato scissor jack a few times and as long as its upright and the tang located in the hole in the front subframe it should not fall over. There are exception,s soft ground, no handbrake on. ect.

I was impressed with it really.

[John Allen]

Has any one tried or considered using an inflatable jack as it could also be useful if stuck in a mud on a grass site.

[Noody]

An inflatable jack, what a good idea. Does anyone have one ?

[keninpalamos]

I have just retrieved my scissor jack from the back of the garage as it is the only practical jack to take away as far as weight goes IMO. I have tried a bottle jack but find it just as unstable plus you need to avoid using a metal to metal contact (a piece of wood etc) between jack and jacking point. A light weight trolley jack is just to heavy at a minimum of 17Kg for something you may or may not use. I had to change a wheel in the Sahara Desert with my scissor jack and found it adequate, just and also had another puncture just south of Estepona on a front tyre. A real pain as the bottle jack I was carrying at the time didn't have enough lift. 4 UK 'vans went passed me and not one stopped to ask if I needed help. Then a German offered help just as I lowered the 'van back on all fours. :-S

[Derek Uzzell]

I think I may still have an ‘air jack’ (example here)

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NI4QZO/ref=pd_sbs_263_img_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9NWRGEEXFT28K4BJM53R

 

that’s inflated via the vehicle’s exhaust pipe.

 

These jacks really need a flattish surface on the vehicle’s underside to push against and that requirement may be difficult to meet with a motorhome. My jack (assuming I haven’t got shot of it) would be around 30 years old now. I experimented with it when new and found it effective lifting a car but tricky to use single-handed (the vehicle's motor needed to be running and the air-connection to the exhaust pipe could fly off) so I never bothered to carry it with me, relying instead on the standard scissor-jack.

 

With all three of my motorhomes I’ve always used the standard scissor-jack provided with the vehicle. I’ve found this adequate (though one obviously needs to be careful) including lifting my Rapido’s front end when I bogged the motorhome down on a remote French campsite earlier this year. 10 seconds of inattention followed by an hour and a half of hard work and cursing and swearing - no fun on a cold day for a stripped-to-the-waist 9-stone weakling on his 72nd birthday.

[Noody]

Derek Uzzell - 2016-11-06 9:36 AM

 

that’s10 seconds of inattention followed by an hour and a half of hard work and cursing and swearing - no fun on a cold day for a stripped-to-the-waist 9-stone weakling on his 72nd birthday.

 

Thanks for your experience and view of the inflatable jack, I had sort-of pencilled-in some imagined negative moments and the importance of protecting the bag from anything sharp or abrasive. I used to use smaller versions for all sorts of duties when working alone. Right now I'm thinking about using one to lift my ride-on mower for the twice annual service and I'm wondering about a bag being able to tip the machine so I can get at the belts on the underside.

 

They appear to be out of stock by the few sites I visited.

[goldi]

good afternoon,

 

Earlier this year I changed all the wheels round with the supplied scissor jack.

 

norm

[Derek Uzzell]

Noody - 2016-11-06 10:21 AM

 

...Right now I'm thinking about using one to lift my ride-on mower for the twice annual service and I'm wondering about a bag being able to tip the machine so I can get at the belts on the underside.

 

They appear to be out of stock by the few sites I visited.

 

Amazon currently carries adverts for exhaust-inflated jacks. Besides the link I gave above there’s this one

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noryb-Tonne-Exhaust-Lifting-Offroad/dp/B00VEV2IXQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_263_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J7JJGHBSWYQQADW0J7X3

 

It’s perhaps stating the obvious, but if a vehicle does not have a traditional ‘straight’ end to its exhaust pipe, connecting up this type of jack may not be practicable. Similarly, if the vehicle’s silencer has more than one outlet, the extra outlets would need to be plugged somehow.

 

There are industial and garage 'air jacks' operated by compressed air, but these are much more expensive and probably not much use for lifting a motorhome in an emergency.

 

[Keithl]

Noody - 2016-11-06 10:21 AM

 

Right now I'm thinking about using one to lift my ride-on mower for the twice annual service and I'm wondering about a bag being able to tip the machine so I can get at the belts on the underside.

 

 

Far safer...

 

http://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk/victor-garden-tools-sit-on-mower-jack-prodst09449i/

 

I used one when we had a ride on mower and it worked fine.

 

Keith.

[kevina]

I've used the scissor jack 8 times a year to swap winter and summer tyres. It is important to remember NOT to use the handbrake when jacking the rear end of an Alko chassis otherwise the van will creep an inch. I have a pair of sturdy rubber chocks which I strap firmly together around the opposite wheel.

 

My original jack did eventually strip a burr of metal off the thread making it hard work. I still use it at home, well greased, but bought a new one for the van. For the first time ever I had to put the spare on yesterday. I'm in rural Portugal and just had to find a flat bit of tarmac.