Audi Scissor Jacks

Most of the OEM jacks provided with the vehicle are shzt. They are engineered to the last gnat's weight of steel and will work, on flat, level concrete at 25 degrees C. Put them in a position where they are twisted just a bit and down they go.

Consider that in today's world that even having a jack is a holdover from a bygone era. When tires weren't as good as they are today. So given half a chance, the OEM's would not even provide a tire change kit. Or make it an option.

How many people change their own tires nowadays? Us dudes that maybe choose to (or have to) run our tires a little closer to the ragged edge know we will be eventually stopping to change one.

I do a lot of backroads and the little hydraulic bottle jacks, while powerful, don't have a lot of travel. This doesn't work in rough terrain very well without a armload of blocking. I have a floor jack like Mech has shown...I don't trust it 'cause it is chinese made and I'm worried that it is only a little better than the OEM jacks...may fold up when not used in perfect conditions. The good floor jacks are kind of heavy....I use the good old jackall. It can be dangerous as heck if you aren't sure of its operation and stick your jaw in line with the handle... But you can't beat 4 feet of lift and it's ability to be a comealong if you need one of them.




I picked up an older F350 4x4 a year or so ago. Got a flat on some ugly country and had to use the OEM jack 'cause I was too stoopid to follow my own hard learned lesson to throw my Jackall into the box. In the photo, I'm trying to figure out how that spindly piece of OEM shzt can fit under the axle and even lift that behemoth of a front end. And, of course, it is way to heck under the vehicle so is awkward to position and then to crank on.



The only caveat with using a jackall you need to be sure to have a hard corner on your rig to jack on. But there's no crawling in the mud or snow.

Don't forget a decent wrench with an even more decent cheater to bust loose the wheel nuts. And on some rigs I've needed a sledgehammer or heavy pry bar to pull the wheel off the truck hub...they are tigher than heck on my GM 1 ton.

Never very much fun...

Jon.