It’s your first time raising a truck and you don’t know how to jack up a lifted truck? Well, this article will guide you on how to raise a lifted truck.
Jacking up a lifted truck is more challenging than with other vehicles due to its heavy weight and high ground clearance. As you have modified your truck, you will need to find new ways to perform your mechanical work. You may not easily find proper jack points like in normal trucks, and who knows when you may need to change your truck’s tire. Therefore, learning how to jack up your lifted truck is essential.
If you have a flat tire or need to perform any mechanical work on your lifted truck and want to raise it, you’ll find this article useful.
So, let’s learn how to jack up your lifted truck.
How to Jack up a Lifted Truck Safely:
- Safe Work is a Must
- Find an Area for Jacking the Truck
- How to Chock the Wheels of a Lifted Truck?
- Where are the Jack Points under a Lifted Truck?
- How to Place the Jack under a Vehicle?
- How to Raise a Lifted Truck?
- Where to Place a Jack Stand under a Lifted Truck?
- How to Lower a Lifted Truck?
- Video Tutorial
- Conclusion
Safety First:
Work by the rules, and work safer. Safety is not only essential in jacking up a lifted truck, but also in other vehicles. When it comes to a truck, you need to be extra careful. Careless work could cause injury to you and your truck.
Raising a lifted truck involves simple rules that you must follow before and during the job. Use a jack that has a load capacity greater than the weight of your truck. Using a quality jack is also vital for safe work. Floor jacks are great for lifting heavyweight over other hydraulic jacks.
Besides the jack, you also need jack stands with enough capacity to hold the weight of the truck. Chocks will also play a significant role in the job.
Locate: where to jack up the truck
Before starting your job, find a suitable ground to raise your truck. Look for a hard concrete or asphalt surface to park it on. If you want to lift the truck in your concrete garage, that’s also suitable for this work.
If you’re on the road, it’s even better. Just make sure the ground is solid and hard. Lifting a heavy truck on soft ground could cause a sagging issue, and your jack and jack stands may sink into the ground. Do not jack the truck on an inclined or uneven surface.
After you have selected the right spot, ensure that the vehicle transmission is in park. If you have a manual gearbox, shift it to first gear. Don’t forget to engage the handbrake as well.
How to Chock the Wheels of a Truck?
Now let’s chock your truck, which prevents it from rolling, especially when the ground is inclined. Most garages have a slight inclination for water flow. If you’re jacking the truck in your garage, never do it without blocking your truck wheels.
You need at least two chocks. Always block the opposite side of the truck that you want to raise. If you want to lift the front of the truck, place chocks on the rear wheels.
Suppose you want to raise both front wheels; you have to chock both rear wheels. Place the chocks behind the rear wheels in this case. If you want to lift the rear wheels, block both front wheels by placing the chocks on the front wheels.
If you want to raise one corner of your truck, you need to chock the opposite diagonal wheel. For example, if you want to change the rear right tire, chock the front left tire. There is no need to chock both front tires in this case. If you have more chocks, it’s better to chock both wheels.
Where are the Jack Points under a Lifted Truck?
Jack points play a crucial role in lifting your truck. These are the areas that come in contact with your jack and jack stands. You should look for a jack point under the frame because all the weight of the truck is on the frame, and if you lift the frame, you’ve raised the vehicle.
Each wheel in your truck has a jack point around the tire. In the case of the front wheels, jack points are just behind the wheels. Two jack points are to the front of the rear wheels. You can also find jack points near a wheel to the axle side.
Two more jack points are between the front wheels and rear wheels. These points, if you jack them up, raise both the front wheels or back wheels together. Lifted trucks have more jack points than other vehicles, and you can easily find them. The frame of the truck gives solid jack points.
If you’re uncertain about the jack points in your lifted truck, check your owner’s manual. It indicates the right jack points in your truck.
How to Place a Jack under a Vehicle?
Once the jack is securely in place under the jack point, it’s time to lift the truck. Use the handle of the jack to start pumping it up. Keep pumping the jack until the truck is high enough to allow you to install the jack stands under the appropriate jack points.
Remember that you should never rely on the jack alone to hold the weight of the truck while you work underneath it. Always use jack stands to support the vehicle while you work on it. In fact, some experts recommend using two sets of jack stands for added safety.
Once the jack stands are securely in place, lower the jack slowly until the weight of the vehicle is resting on the jack stands. Give the truck a good shake to ensure that it’s stable and secure. If it wobbles or feels unstable, double-check the placement of the jack stands and the jack before proceeding with any work.
Working on a lifted truck can be dangerous, so it’s important to take all necessary precautions to ensure your safety. Always wear appropriate safety gear like gloves and eye protection, and make sure you have the right tools for the job. Follow these guidelines and take your time, and you’ll be able to safely work on your lifted truck.
How to Raise a Lifted Truck?
It’s important to note that you should not lift the truck too high with the jack. Only raise it enough to place the jack stand securely under the appropriate jack point. Once the jack stand is in place, you can slowly lower the truck onto it by releasing the pressure on the jack.
Make sure the truck is stable on the jack stand before you begin working on it. Wiggle the truck gently to ensure it is securely in place. If it moves or wobbles, then you need to readjust the jack stand or lift the truck slightly higher and adjust the jack stand again.
Where to Place a Jack Stand under the Truck?
Right after lifting your truck, place a jack stand near the jack. Follow the same rules for jack stands that you’ve followed for jack.
Bear in mind that jack only lifts your truck. Jack stand holds the weight. Most people don’t use a jack stand. They rely on a jack only, which could cause injuries. Because jacks could fail at any time. And if you haven’t installed a stand, the truck will come down at once, which could cause serious injuries. Work by the rule, work safer.
When you’ve placed the jack stand, lower the jack so that the jack stand holds the truck’s weight. Check again whether the jack stand has securely supported the weight.
Once you are satisfied that the truck securely rests on the jack stand, get under your truck for the mechanical work that you’ve been doing all this stuff for.
How to Lower a Lifted Truck?
The vehicle will be resting on the jack stand you placed earlier. Bring the jack back and place it near the jack stand. Raise the jack until it comes in contact with the jack point, lift your truck, and pump the jack a few inches higher than the jack stand so that you can easily remove the jack stand.
After removing the jack stand, slowly open the release valve of the jack, and the truck will come down at a slow pace. Once you have lowered the jack, the truck will rest on the ground and be ready to drive.
Video Tutorial
Conclusion:
You’ve seen that jacking up a lifted truck isn’t a big issue as it seems. The job is the same as in normal vehicles. In the case of a lifted truck, you just need the proper tools and care to jack the truck up. You don’t need a professional to raise your truck when you know how to jack up a lifted truck. Follow the method mentioned above and lift your truck safely.