How To Safely Jack Up a Truck

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Learning to properly jack up and support your truck is vital to your safety, whether you’re doing your own oil changes, making repairs or changing a flat.

“People often jack up trucks wrong,” says Chris “Moose” Pyle, an automotive expert with JustAnswer. “If you are towing or hauling, this makes it much more dangerous because there is so much weight on the rear axle.”

But even if you’re doing it in the comfort of your own garage, changing a truck tire is more challenging than a car tire since truck lug-nuts have higher torque, which makes them more difficult to remove. Plus they can weigh 60 to 100 pounds.

To get started, check the owner’s manual to find out where the recommended jack support points are located. Then, follow these steps to safely jack up your truck.

Basic Car Jack Safety

You can save quite a few bucks by knowing how to jack up your truck and doing your own repairs and maintenance. But if you want to live long enough to spend all the money you save, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to study up on jack safety.

Find a Flat Surface

• Start by parking your truck on a flat concrete surface.
  • Pro Tip: Place jack stands on plywood support plates when you’re working on an asphalt surface.
• Trucks and most SUVs have steel frames that support the entire vehicle. Nearly all cars, on the other hand, are of “unibody” construction, meaning they don’t have a frame. So each type of vehicle requires different points of support for jack and jack stand placement.

Consult a Manual First

To learn how to jack up your truck properly, consult a repair manual to locate the recommended lift points and support locations for your specific vehicle. Repair manuals are usually available at auto parts stores or online.

• Before you begin the jacking process, engage the parking brake and chock the rear wheels to prevent unwanted movement.
• You’ll want to start jacking from the front of the vehicle. The front end of four-wheel-drive trucks can be raised by placing the jack under the differential.
  • Pro tip: For two-wheel-drive trucks, place the jack beneath the jacking pad under the engine.

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Pumping Up the Jack

• Place the jack so the cross member or differential lines up with the recessed area of the jack saddle.
• Slowly pump the jack handle until the front wheels leave the ground, then stop jacking and double-check the jack placement.
• Look at the front of the vehicle to make sure it’s not leaning to one side. If it is, lower and recenter the jack. Otherwise, continue pumping until the vehicle reaches the desired height.

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Place the Jack Stands

• Support the front of a truck by placing the jack stands directly under the frame. Support the rear of the truck with a jack stand under each axle.
• Turn the handle very slowly until the vehicle starts easing down. A quick-release will result in a sudden catastrophic drop.
• Lower the truck until it almost touches the saddle of the jack stand. Then make final alignment adjustments before lowering the full weight onto the stand.
• Remove the floor jack and bring it to the rear of the vehicle.
• Locate the recommended rear lift point and repeat the jacking procedure at the rear of the vehicle. Place the two rear jack stands in proper support locations and lower the rear onto those stands.

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Test the Support Points

• With the vehicle up on all four jack stands, gently shake the vehicle side to side and up and down. This ensures that the vehicle is sitting squarely on the jack stands and that the jack stand saddles have full contact with the support points.
• If the vehicle wobbles, stop immediately and reposition the problem jack stand before crawling under the vehicle.
  • Pro Tip: If you plan to remove your tires, loosen the lug nuts slightly while the truck is still on the ground. That’ll keep the wheels from spinning while you turn the lug wrench once the truck is raised.

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FAQ

What safety precautions should I take before jacking up a truck?

• Ensure the vehicle is on firm, level ground.
• Put it in park, with the parking brake set, and in 4WD if applicable.
• Use a high-quality jack rated for your truck’s weight. Consider buying one that is sturdier than the one that came with your vehicle. “Trucks often have a bottle jack with a small base which makes it easy to sink or fall off the jack,” says Pyle.
• Place jack stands under the truck once it’s lifted. When one rear wheel is lifted, the other sometimes lifts too, causing the vehicle to roll.
• Block the wheels to prevent the truck from rolling.

Can I jack up a truck on soft ground?

It’s dangerous to jack up a truck on soft ground, as the jack can sink or tip over. But in case you are in a situation where you have no other option, carry a piece of wood with you, which can be used as a larger, firmer base, says Pyle.

About the Expert

• Chris “Moose” Pyle is a master-certified technician with 20-plus years of automotive experience. He has also worked as an expert for JustAnswer, the expert on-demand platform, since 2006.