My regular floor jack is long enough to reach the central lift points in front and rear, so that addresses my typical needs. If not, I'd be getting one of the extended reach floor jacks you mention. Bottle jacks scare me.

KeS

 

I use a cheap Sears floor jack. It by it self does not lift high enough, so I went to Home Depot and bought a 2" x 10" x 12' board. Cut it into 4 equal lenghts. I put two together and put the jack on top, it is just high enough to get the tire off. Oh I put a jack stand under it and then jack up the end, to do my rotation. To answer your question why 4 pieces, I use two on each side of the ramps when I drive my wife's Accord on them. Hope this helps.

 

I went with the scissor jack. 18 inches just barely cuts the clearance . Mine gets up to 20 inches

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...gle-pla-_-Auto Repair-_-Jacks-_-144870&ci_sku=144870&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw={keyword}

 

I'd much prefer this over the OEM jack included with the RL. That is a major piece of junk.

 

My 2 1/2 ton long frame floor jack does the lifting for me on the central jack points. It has a lifting range from 5 3/4 to 31 5/8 inches.

On the jack stand side, I have 3 sets in my garage and won't consider buying anything under 6 tons in the future... not for the weight, but for the working range. You need a minimum of 18" to get the wheels off the ground.

My 6 ton units work from just under 15" to 23.5 inches. When I have it lifted for tire rotations or brake jobs, I'm around the 18" mark to the j/s saddle. My lighter j/s are either at the top of the range or in the top 75% of the range, which I find a bit uncomfortable when I'm working under the truck.

The 12 ton units start at 18-ish and go to about 29 1/2 inches.

Don't go cheap here. Your life might depend on it.

I have an old 3 ton pair of j/s that I have to block up with wood to get the lift I need, even at max extension. I retired those and bought some 4 ton units from Sears. But then I found those were working in the top 25% or more of the working range so I bought the 6 ton units referenced above. I like the working range of that much better. Yes, it took me 3 pair of j/s to figure this out. I always end up spending more money when I try to go cheap. You think I'd learn.

Frankly, I don't think you're going to find a decent jack for $50. But if you can, use the central jack points and put decent j/s under the side lift points. That would be my recommendation.

My RL on the wimpy 3 ton j/s (now mostly retired):

My LF floor jack:

My j/s collection:

-The 3 ton is at max extension and is 17 3/8 inches to the saddle. It's too short and has to be blocked to have enough lift for the tires to clear.
-The 4 ton is about 3/4 extension (maybe more) and is at 17 1/2 inches to the saddle.
-The 6 ton is under 1/2 extension and is 18 inches to the saddle.

 

My 2 1/2 ton long frame floor jack does the lifting for me on the central jack points. It has a lifting range from 5 3/4 to 31 5/8 inches.

On the jack stand side, I have 3 sets in my garage and won't consider buying anything under 6 tons in the future... not for the weight, but for the working range. You need a minimum of 18" to get the wheels off the ground.

My 6 ton units work from just under 15" to 23.5 inches. When I have it lifted for tire rotations or brake jobs, I'm around the 18" mark to the j/s saddle. My lighter j/s are either at the top of the range or in the top 75% of the range, which I find a bit uncomfortable when I'm working under the truck.

The 12 ton units start at 18-ish and go to about 29 1/2 inches.

Don't go cheap here. Your life might depend on it.

I have an old 3 ton pair of j/s that I have to block up with wood to get the lift I need, even at max extension. I retired those and bought some 4 ton units from Sears. But then I found those were working in the top 25% or more of the working range so I bought the 6 ton units referenced above. I like the working range of that much better. Yes, it took me 3 pair of j/s to figure this out. I always end up spending more money when I try to go cheap. You think I'd learn.

Frankly, I don't think you're going to find a decent jack for $50. But if you can, use the central jack points and put decent j/s under the side lift points. That would be my recommendation.

My RL on the wimpy 3 ton j/s (now mostly retired):

My LF floor jack:

My j/s collection:

-The 3 ton is at max extension and is 17 3/8 inches to the saddle. It's too short and has to be blocked to have enough lift for the tires to clear.
-The 4 ton is about 3/4 extension (maybe more) and is at 17 1/2 inches to the saddle.
-The 6 ton is under 1/2 extension and is 18 inches to the saddle.

that orange jack looks like my harbor freight one. if yours is harbor freight, would you happen to know the model number? the seal blew out in mine and i'm trying to find parts.

thanks

 

Central jack point -- can you elaborate? I thought the only jacking points were near the four corners. If there's a jack point that can get two wheels off the ground at once that sure would save me a lot of time!

 

Someone will post a diagram, but just look under the front and rear. There are two steel tabs, like 1/4" thick and oriented along the center line. They are approved lift points for front/rear of the vehicle.

KeS

 

I use a basic 2 ton floor jack.

 

......crappy floor jack doesn't extend high enough to get the wheels off the ground!

That is a major piece of junk.

Honda crap! :act035:

 

I've had to use the OEM jack twice already. First time with less than 1000 miles on my RL when I ran over a beer bottle in the road and sliced my tire. Fortunately, I was able to have the tire repaired.

Also, I'd read enough at the ROC to know to put a short section of 2x6 in my trunk and had something to stabilize and elevate the OEM POS jack so I could put my compact spare on.

 

So what all do i need to put in the trunk on a trip in case i have a flat?

 

A cell phone and AAA card!

The scissor jack from Northern looks really nice and compact. That's the jack that I would get instead of the OEM. Throw in a piece of 2X12 in case you need to put the jack on it. Some gloves and yes a spare that's full of air!

 

A couple of short 2x6s to put under the crappy OEM jack. And air in the spare.

 

Ended up gettin this baby on sale at Harbor Freight for $65. You can see the "little red jack that couldn't" as well -- what a difference. For future reference, an 18" lift is plenty to get the tires off the ground.

 

Yeah - I bought one of those the first week I had my truck, *assuming* it would be sufficient. Found out the hard way that it wasn't.

I'm finally getting a full size spare next week - think I'll invest in a 18-20" capable jack at the same time...

- Chip

You can see the "little red jack that couldn't" as well

 

Here's some additional info from Honda...

 

I am shopping for a floor jack this week. I tried to rotate my tires and my two older floor jacks couldn't get the tires off the ground. Where did you guys get your jack? Speedlever, where did you get that long frame jack?

 

I bought that about 10 or 12 years ago from HF. I don't see that model any more. It's a 2 1/2 ton jack with a lift range of 5 3/4 to 31 5/8. It has more than paid for itself over the years.

Wish they still sold them. Here's what it looks like:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...arts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/273706-harbor-freight-long-frame-jack.html

 

There's a 3 ton one on sale for $89.

 

That might work. The lifting range is 5 to 18 1/4. But I'm not sure if that's tall enough, working with the central jack points. I've never bothered to check what the minimum lifting requirement it. It may be more than you think.

This one has a lifting range to 20 inches. Personally, I'd like a bit more than that. But again, I'm not sure what the minimum lift is needed to get the tires off the ground. If I remember, I'll measure it next time I lift mine (which may be later this week if my bleeder adapter comes in so I can purge my brake lines with fresh fluid).

Here's one that lifts to 23 3/4 for $130.

 

I believe from previous topics it was right around 18". I've got a 3 Ton Craftsman, good for 21". It is s-l-o-w but steady.

 

Here's what I've found. If you're going to put the RL up on 4 jackstands, you need to get the wheels more than just clearing the ground. Else you'll find that you're back on the wheels when you lift the other end to put the last two j/s in place.

And regarding jackstands, I don't care to work with them when they are at their max extension. That strikes me as pushing the limits a bit and may not be that safe. I like to see the j/s stay well within the lifting range, as my 6T units do (as depicted above). Wish I'd not spent the money on the yellow 4T units first as they don't have a comfy lifting range for me. For about the same price, I could have another set of the 6T units.

Come to think of it, I might try to sell those 4T units on Craigslist. I might be able to get another set of 6T j/s without spending much more $$.

 

Like most people here, I've got the 3-ton jack and was able to switch out my 4 winter tires yesterday in 1/2 hour, which I keep in the garage.

For on road emergency's, I threw in a 2x6 piece of lumber in the trunk to give the OEM jack a little more height, but thankfully haven't had to try it yet to confirm if it actually works!

P.S. I like the AAA idea, but I am too cheap & too stubbern to give it a try!

 

Yikes. Those front and rear center jacking brackets don't appear substantial enough to support the vehicle's weight, but I guess they are since Honda designed them for that purpose. I've been leery of "factory-recommended" jacking points since folding a jacking point on my Regal.

Fortunately, I can easily fit under the Ridgeline for oil, oil filter, and VTM-4 fluid changes without raising the truck. I don't think I've ever owned a vehicle that was as easy and convenient to change the oil and filter on. I can have the oil and filter changed before the dealer can get it up in the air using their lift - and that's no exaggeration.

 

No worries on the center jack points. I've used them numerous times on both the RL and the Pilot. They are substantial.

What I would like is to see you rotate the tires without jacking it up.

Unless you're this good:

 

Speedlever, that video was insane. I'm waiting for you to try this out on your RL.

 

several years ago, I got an Arcan professional jack at costco for $79.00, it works great although it is heavy and more than I need, a 2 ton should do the trick maybe I am wrong.

I noticed it leaked oil and sometimes it would raise when not lifting, in other words sometimes it was useless even after I checked everything and did all I could to make it work and nothing, but sometimes it works like there is nothing wrong. I am 100% it is not me or an operator error.

What could be the issue with this erratic problem? any one want to take a shot at this?


Actually that HF jack listed above is like 1/3 to 1/2 smaller than my arcan even though my arcan is also a 3 ton jack

 

Maybe low on oil? They can be topped off. 2 ton should be minimum, for reserve. But should be plenty. We are talking about 80+% of the weight of the truck, and you will probably only be lifting 1 ton when jacking an end. Certainly less for a corner.
They all leak a little over time. Should be just a little seeping. But if you are seeing drops on a regular basis I would check for anything loose, or just change it out. never repaired one...maybe someone has.

 

Thanks Rollin lately it has been working fine, it does it just when I need it the most and it kills me, no leaks lately either. Very strange.