Want to jack up your UTV? If so, this article will guide you on how to jack up a UTV in the field or your garage.
You’ll need a car jack whether a floor or a scissor jack. Besides that, solid ground is also essential for lifting your UTV safely. You should fit the jack under a proper jack point to avoid any damage. A jack stand should also accompany the jack.
But it’s not that easy. You need a proper method to follow. So we’ve brought a 7-step process of jacking your UTV. Let’s get started.
Look for a Solid Ground
If you can find a concrete surface for lifting your UTV, that’s great for secure jacking. A solid ground gives a strong base to a jack. Since the jack will support all the weight of your UTV, it should have a solid base to prevent sinking.
If you’re not in the terrain and you’re at your home, the garage is the best spot for jacking your UTV. If not the garage, a hard ground anywhere nearby should be your next stay for doing any maintenance in your UTV or a tire change.
You should make the jack’s base stronger in the field if you cannot find a concrete ground. You can do so by placing a rectangular wood or a piece of rock under the jack. If the soil is hard enough that you think it will support the weight without sinking, you should jack right there. Because if you already got a flat tire, you’re not able to move the UTV.
Chock the Wheel
Block the wheels that will stay on the ground. It prevents unexpected moving of the UTV. You should also pull in the E-brake. With that, chock the tires with proper tools. If you’re at your garage, you’ll probably have some chocks.
You can use some woods or rocks for blocking the wheel if you’re in a desert or outdoor. Just ensure UTV’s steadiness. Place the chocks near the wheels that you don’t want to lift. If you want to raise the front wheels, block the rear tires and vice versa.
Find Proper Jack Points
Just like a secure jacking needs a strong base, the jack point that touches the jack should also be strong enough to avoid sinking the jack into the UTV. You can check this on the instruction manual to locate the jack points.
But the proper jack points that you find under the frame. The UTV’s frame has strong jack points. If you want to raise the front or rear end at once, the middle of the two wheels, either front or back, is a good option. More tips on jack points in the next headings.
Fit a Jack under the Jack Point
After you’ve located a jack point, bring a jack and fit it under the point. The jack should have enough load capacity to lift your vehicle. Since most UTVs have around 2,000 lb weight, almost every jack can lift such a weight.
Floor jacks are the best hydraulic jack that you can use for lifting your ATV if you’re at your home. These jacks are heavier and you cannot take them yourself off-road. In that case, a scissor jack or hi-lift jack are the best options. Because they’re light and you can keep them in your UTV.
If you don’t have any of them, you can get a floor jack, a scissor jack, or a Hi-lift jack in this article: best floor jack for UTV. The jack you want to use should have a high lift range, especially max height. Because ATVs have higher ground clearance and most jacks won’t work well. More on it in the given article.
Pump the Jack up
After going by the book, now stroking time. Pump the jack to raise your UTV. For a tire change, lifting the UTV a few inches is enough to remove a tire and plug in a new one. In hydraulic jacks, moving the jack’s handle up and down elevates the load.
If you want to use a jack stand, recommended, you should lift the UTV high enough to install a jack stand underneath. More on a jack stand, in the next section.
Install a Jack Stand
Place a jack stand near the jack after it lifts the UTV. Never get under your vehicle until it rests on the jack stand, not a mere jack. Just like it, the jack stand should also have sufficient load capacity to withstand the UTV’s load. Most stands can hold your UTV. Because ATV’s are lighter compared to other heavy vehicles.
So the question is where to place a jack stand? Here’s the answer: the rules are the same for a jack and a stand. First, you should use a jack which is also a jack stand! Many jacks work as both jack and stand. Like scissor jacks, or Hi-lift jacks.
Some bottle jacks also come with an all-in-one feature. Like the one you’ll find in this article: Best bottle jack for off-road. Alltrade all-in-one bottle jack in the given article fulfills the need. In these cases, you’ll not need a separate point for the jack stand.
In the case of floor jacks, place the jack under the frame trail and raise it. Then fit a jack stand near the tire you want to change. Placing a jack near the wheel and then the stand nearby is harder because of the low space and the axle gets up.
The UTV’s frame hosts the best jack points where you can place a jack stand as well under the body. If you cannot place a jack or jack stand near the wheels, you should fit them under the frame or body.
Bring down the UTV
So you’ve done the job and everything went well, and now time for lowering the ATV. If you’ve installed the jack stands, bring the jack back and lift the UTV again. Raise it high enough so you can easily remove the jack stand.
Then rotate the jack’s lever counterclockwise and lower your vehicle. Congrats! You’ve lifted and lowered it successfully. For more on how to jack up a UTV in the field, read the next heading.
How to Jack up a UTV on Off-road
If you’re on a trail and got a flat tire, the process is slightly different from discussed above. The first thing is that the ground will not be hard enough. You should check if it’s solid enough to jack the UTV.
You can place some woods or stones under the jack to give a strong base to it if you cannot take your UTV towards solid ground. Also, block the tires you don’t want to raise with woods or stones. Use them especially if the ground you’re standing on is not level. You should take the UTV to a level ground if you need to push it.
Jack’s sinking is as big an issue as if the UTV got out of hand. So an even solid ground with wheels blocked. Follow the steps mentioned above and jack the car up with any jack you got.
The Verdict
Winding up this article, you need to do this task carefully. Go through each step again and make sure that you can do it. If you don’t use the right tools: jack and stand, you could damage your UTV or maybe yourself.
In the case of terrain, you should carry a jack, let it be a scissor jack. That’s way better than attempting to jack up without a jack. The article has covered everything you need to know on how to jack up a UTV.