# Exhaust Air Jack



## Terryg

Hi all,

Hope this is the correct area to post this.

I am not happy about using the Fix&Go solution provided by Fiat for puncture repair. I intend to purchase a spare wheel and jack because Fix&Go may not always be the answer to puncture repair, particularly if the side wall is damaged.

Whilst looking for a suitable jack I came across the *Exhaust Jack*, basically its a air bag filled from exhaust gases.

Does anybody have one of these or experience of them, are they any good?

I would appreciate your views,

Terry


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## Spooky_b329

I've never used one but I did hear that they caused lots of problems due to poor positioning. It is easy to damage items under the vehicle such as the exhaust, fuel tanks etc as they are not designed to take the weight of the vehicle. With a motorhome you have additional items such as the water tanks that you wouldn't want to damage.

If your van has a proper chassis I'd go for a bottle jack, otherwise try and find the manufacturers jack either via dealer or ebay.


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## wobby

If there's a fireman/woman on here they would know all about them as I think the brigade have them.

Wobby


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## JockandRita

Terryg said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Hope this is the correct area to post this.
> 
> I am not happy about using the Fix&Go solution provided by Fiat for puncture repair. I intend to purchase a spare wheel and jack because Fix&Go may not always be the answer to puncture repair, particularly if the side wall is damaged.
> 
> Whilst looking for a suitable jack I came across the *Exhaust Jack*, basically its a air bag filled from exhaust gases.
> 
> Does anybody have one of these or experience of them, are they any good?
> 
> I would appreciate your views,
> 
> Terry


Hi Terry,

We haven't got one, but have considered one, and if we had one, we'd jack up the axle rather than the body. It's much easier if only changing the wheel, (pending the depth of the wheel arch).
I'd never trust one if working under the vehicle though, without axle stands in place.

I have used industrial air jacks, in road traffic crash situations (RTCs), and they are the business, but can be unstable if not positioned correctly. They can also be easily damaged if not protected from sharp edges/corners

HTH,

Jock.


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## davesport

Using one of these bags for moving a vehicle in an emergency is one thing. Using it to change a roadwheel is IMO a strict no-no. 

There are a number of good reasons for this. The first is safety. The second is the potential damage to the underside of the vehicle. 

Personally I carry the factory provided scissor jack. For longer trips I carry a small trolley jack. I'd give serious consideration before using either & would more than likely get the AA out if I was in any way unhappy about the stability of the vehicle.

D.

Edited to add, sorry if my post sounds prescriptive. Things like this worry me. I've seen a car fall off of stands onto two blokes underneath. They were OK as the toppled stands took most of the weight. But the image has stuck with me especially when it concerns lifting something like a MH.


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## JockandRita

davesport said:


> Using one of these bags for moving a vehicle in an emergency is one thing. Using it to change a roadwheel is IMO a strict no-no.
> 
> There are a number of good reasons for this. The first is safety. The second is the potential damage to the underside of the vehicle.
> 
> Personally I carry the factory provided scissor jack. For longer trips I carry a small trolley jack. I'd give serious consideration before using either & would more than likely get the AA out if I was in any way unhappy about the stability of the vehicle.
> 
> D.
> 
> Edited to add, sorry if my post sounds prescriptive. Things like this worry me. I've seen a car fall off of stands onto two blokes underneath. They were OK as the toppled stands took most of the weight. But the image has stuck with me especially when it concerns lifting something like a MH.


Hi Dave,

I appreciate your concerns, but if used properly, ie, only to raise the axle for the wheel to clear the ground by a couple of inches, there shouldn't be a problem, (even less on a tag), providing it's rated for the job, and is used as per the manufacturers instructions.

I have already said above that I'd never trust one, when working underneath the vehicle without proper axle stands in place.

TBH Dave, I wouldn't give the scissor jack (provided by Fiat), the time of day, as it is blooming useless. If in any doubt, I'd use my Britannia breakdown service.

Regards,

Jock.


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## erneboy

I agree with Davesport, although having had to jack our van up using the scissor jack provided I would say get a good low access two stage bottle jack. The scissor jack is unstable and very hard to wind. I got my bottle jack on a web site (sorry can't remember which although PM me if you do not find one and I will look at the box and see where it came from) for around 130 pounds, not cheap but well worth it if you need it, Alan.


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## camallison

Would this do the job?

Colin


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## Dougle

I bought an Easylift car jack years ago. It was [is] a very easy and fast way to raise a car, taking all safety aspects into consideration. There is a safety valve fitted and it is fully controllable when releasing the gas. As with all jacking operations, correct positioning of device, brakes, chocks etc are paramount. To me, the pros outweighed the cons. As you can never choose as to where a puncture etc occurs, the surrounding surfaces can not always be ideal. In an awkward situation, with a flat tyre and little or no clearance for a standard jack, a relatively flat bag is dead easy to position. The airjack [used correctly] will accommodate many irregularities in surface and still give a stable lift. As previously mentioned, emergency services get the best rapid response from their [presumably industrial grade] equipment. I would say, however, that my particular 'jack' would not give sufficient lift height for my 'van' and therefore I am restricted to the scissor jack [which I had to use three weeks ago, on a flat surface etc and took me 45 mins start to finish]
They aren't the answer to every situation but used correctly [and safely] they are pretty damned good.


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## MikeCo

The scissor jack provided with the van is just about okay on the front but I found it impossible to use on the back as, on our Burstner at least, there is no jacking point . You therefore have to be well under the van to use it on any suitable but you cannot wind it up.
I tried a small 2 ton bottle jack but it would not go low enough to be placed under anywhere suitable.
I now carry a trolly jack which I know will work under the rear if we really had to use it.

Mike


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## Terryg

Thanks for all the useful comments and suggestions, they have helped me greatly.

Terry.


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## gaspode

I have two exhaust jacks and carry a 3 tonne one in the M/H at all times. They're excellent for a M/H as you need only an inch or two of clearance under the axle to lift the van. When you have a flat tyre on the rear axle you'll find it almost impossible to get a conventional jack into position. The other advantage is that they'll lift the van on soft ground with no effort whatsoever. Much better than the supplied jacks which are almost useless if you have a flat tyre.

Having said that, they must be used with great care and you must never work underneath without a stout axle stand or similar in place to support the weight. Placing is crucial, under a chassis section or axle is obligatory, they'll push your water tank straight through the floor if you jack in the wrong place. Also you'll need a strong pair of hands to hold the nozzle onto the exhaust pipe whilst taking the weight.


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