stupid question: changing tire with lifted truck and IFS?

defrag4

Road Warrior
Alrighty so my truck now has the OME 2.5" lift, I have a bottlejack that can lift 16".

I can lift the rear tire easy enough by just jacking up the axle, however on the front end I am not sure where to jack?

If I try to jack up by the frame the suspension just takes over and the tires never leave the ground. On a 4Runner with IFS what is the best front jack point?

Sorry for the dumb question, Im sure this is plain as day. Do I simply need a bigger jack? I plan to get a hilift but have read that they are not the safest for simple tire changes, and I dont want to lug around my floorjack in the truck
 

defrag4

Road Warrior
Center of front diff has a nice little flat spot at the bottom, safe to jack from there? A-Arms dont really have a flat spot, neither does the axle housing
 

Louisd75

Adventurer
I've used the bottle jack on a stable stack of wood made of 2*8's. Not sure where you're supposed to lift from on the 4-runner, but my Tacoma manual says under the front suspension cross member with a drawing of the cross member that passes underneath the transfer case.

I've also used the hi-lift on my sliders with a tubing adapter and a friend to hold it in place while I quickly slid a jack stand underneath one of the legs of the sliders. I think that the safety issues with the hi-lift have a lot to do with how it's used and maintained, but that's a whole 'nuther topic.

Be sure to block your wheels on both sides of the wheel so that the rig can't move either direction.
 

defrag4

Road Warrior
Hmm maybe I should take a look at my stock jack again, the one I am using it too tall to fit in the only decent spot I can see on the A-Arm
 

Ruined Adventures

Brenton Cooper
i always jack under the A-arm too...even with my tiny tires and no lift the stock botte jack fits under there with at least 3" of clearance. Is the angle too steep now with the lift?

by the way, if you pass thru town on your way to FL I have a 48" Hi-Lift you're welcome to. It just needs a handle which you could steal off your floor jack. They CAN be pretty dangerous but I could show you how to not kill yourself with it.
 

cruiseroutfit

Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Do not jack on the front diff of a Tacoma/4runner, its not a suitable spot and should be covered by a skid plate. Jack from the a-arm (if you can suitably position Jack) or get a taller Jack and use the cross member directly behind the front diff which can be used with or without the skid installed. I generally use my exhaust Jack right under the skid, lift the entire front end if needed.
 

Tim A

Adventurer
...I've also used the hi-lift on my sliders with a tubing adapter and a friend to hold it in place while I quickly slid a jack stand underneath one of the legs of the sliders. I think that the safety issues with the hi-lift have a lot to do with how it's used and maintained, but that's a whole 'nuther topic....

Be sure to block your wheels on both sides of the wheel so that the rig can't move either direction.

x2 hi lift and jack stand. If you don't have sliders, you can use the lift mate attachment to lift from the wheel
 

Gerdo

Observer
My 4runner has little nipples on the A arms that recess into the top of the stock bottle jack.
 

defrag4

Road Warrior
i always jack under the A-arm too...even with my tiny tires and no lift the stock botte jack fits under there with at least 3" of clearance. Is the angle too steep now with the lift?

by the way, if you pass thru town on your way to FL I have a 48" Hi-Lift you're welcome to. It just needs a handle which you could steal off your floor jack. They CAN be pretty dangerous but I could show you how to not kill yourself with it.

sweet thanks man, I might take you up on that

Trying to cram our lives in the truck right now :Wow1:
 

austintaco

Explorer
by the way, if you pass thru town on your way to FL I have a 48" Hi-Lift you're welcome to. It just needs a handle which you could steal off your floor jack. They CAN be pretty dangerous but I could show you how to not kill yourself with it.

If your near Austin, and run into difficulties, contact me. Shoot me a PM and I will give you my contact info, just in case.
 

NothingClever

Explorer
Do not jack on the front diff of a Tacoma/4runner, its not a suitable spot and should be covered by a skid plate. Jack from the a-arm (if you can suitably position Jack) or get a taller Jack and use the cross member directly behind the front diff which can be used with or without the skid installed.

+1
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
So, I sorta have the same problem. I have the factory bottle jack and it only works for me now with a couple of 2x6's underneath. That's fine for the driveway, but I need something better for roadtrips/side of the road/offroad. Are there good quality taller bottle jacks or other style jacks folks would recommend?
 

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