Want to change a flat tire and don’t know how to jack up an SUV? Well, your search ends here. Because this article will guide you on how to lift your SUV safely.
In short, you need a car jack that can lift your SUV. Park the car on hard and level ground to avoid the jack’s sinking. You’ll also need a jack stand to hold the weight after the jack has raised it. Located the right jack point to securely raise the load.
But elevating your SUV won’t be that easy. You’ll have to do it carefully. For more safe work, let’s walk through the step-by-step process of raising your SUV.
Search for a Concrete Ground
Your home garage is the perfect spot for jacking your SUV. Most garages are not level. They’re made slightly inclined for water flow. It’s essential to look for a level ground to securely lift the SUV. How you can lift your car in an inclined garage, we’ll come to that ahead.
But first, see if you can find a solid and even surface nearby. Roads are also best for the job but check if you’re allowed to do so on the road. Note the traffic as well to avoid any mistakes.
If you get a flat tire in the middle way, you won’t take your vehicle to a safe place. It’s better if you can drive a little bit towards the side. Don’t jack up your SUV in a soil or muddy surface or moisture ground. You’ll get your SUV and the jack sunk in.
Also, change the gear to park mode or first gear if your SUV has a manual gearbox. So the first step, concrete ground. Let’s get ahead.
Block the SUV Wheels
While doing this job in your garage, you should have proper chocks for blocking the vehicle’s wheels. They become more important if the garage has a little inclination. If it’s the latter case where you got a flat tire on the way, you can use some brick or wood or anything that you think will stop the wheels from rolling.
Chock your car’s wheels before jacking it up. The tires that you don’t want to change and will stay on the ground should be blocked. Say, you want to raise the back end of your SUV, chock the front wheels and vice versa Wheel blocking prevents unexpected rolling.
Find the Right Jack Points
Now locate the jack points in your SUV. If it’s a body-on-frame SUV, it has solid jack points. You can fit a jack anywhere under the frame. But if it’s a unibody SUV, it’s recommended to see the manual for finding the factory-indicated jack points.
Most vehicles including SUVs have jack points near each wheel. Front tires have jack points just behind them. And other jack points are ahead of the back wheels. The metal ribs under the doors also host perfect jack points under the SUV.
Install a Jack beneath the Jack Point
After you’ve selected the jack point, slide a car jack under the point. The car jack should have sufficient lifting power to easily raise your SUV. It should also have more max height so that you have more space if you want to get under the car.
You can use either a floor jack, a bottle, or a scissor jack. If you got any model in your garage or trunk, fit it under the jack point. If you want to know about the right car jack for your SUV, click on this article: best car jack for SUV.
Lift Your SUV
Now time for raising the tires off the ground. In hydraulic jacks: floor and bottle jack, move the handle up and down a few times so the jack elevates the load. If you’re using an emergency jack, rotate the crank handle clockwise for extending the jack.
How high should you lift your SUV? Well, if you want to do a flat tire, just high enough that you can rotate the tire. And if you want to do other repair work in your SUV and want to get under it, you’ll need sufficient area to go beneath it. Lifting height depends on the following factor as well.
Fit a Jack Stand
A jack stand holds your SUV after the jack lifts it. Never get under your SUV if you haven’t installed any jack stand. Trusting on a jack only could hurt you. The vehicle could come down in the case of jack failure.
The jack stand’s height answers the question: how high should you lift your SUV. You can also adjust the stand’s height. It should be placed near the jack, under the same solid jack point.
Lower the SUV
When you want to lower your SUV, just raise it again with the jack high enough so you can remove the stand. Then rotate the jack’s lever counterclockwise to get it to its original height, lowering the SUV.
The Verdict
You’ve seen that jacking up an SUV doesn’t need a professional. You can do it yourself as well. Just make sure the tools you use are matching your car’s needs: lift range and load capacity. Look for a level and solid ground to prevent any problems. Follow the above steps and you’ll get your SUV up.