Have you bought a jack for taveling?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tek_Freek
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 36
  • Views Views 4K
I travel all the time with most of that list (generally no extra coolant, battery booster -but I do carry cheap jumper cables, TruFuel, or stocked cooler). I had never heard of TruFuel. Interesting product, not a bad idea to throw a couple in the trunk if there is room. I especially like the idea of a cooler with some relaxing beverages, would make changing a tire a little more pleasant, especially in the heat.
 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TruFuel...le-Ethanol-Free-Fuel-4-Pack-6527206/205915694

It is nuts expensive. One option to accomplish the same thing is if you can find non-ethanol fuel, you can put it in an empty similar gallon metal can that is able to seal (vapor locked) like MEK or acetone. Mix it with a little of your favorite fuel stabilizer and fill it all the way to the top leaving no room for air. Don't let it get to hot as you don't have a lot of room for expansion (if you slightly squeeze the sides of the can that helps while filling) but if should not release fumes in your trunk which of course is dangerous-deadly. All trufuel is just "real" gas that is hard to find (no alcohol) and a little tried and true stabil. Two gallons of gas will get the Clarity a long way if you drive efficiently. Trufuel has an advertised shelf life unopened of 5 years, and 2 years after opening.

Really overkill, but again this was road trip stuff.

Cash
 
Only $24 a gallon! lol. On the plus side they are small and easy to store with a five year shelf life. A couple of those should get you 20 miles or so.

I'm never planning on running out of gas so those are probably overkill for me. I'm originally from the Midwest so I keep my tank over 1/2 full at all times. Even here in Las Vegas. On road trips I would never, ever let it lower than that. That holds true for any vehicle I drive.
 
Today, I finally got around to changing out the snow tires. My cheapo electric jack that was great for my 1,850-lb Insight always seemed challenged by the 2-ton Clarity in past years. Today it gave out when the steel frame bent. Fortunately, I had the summer wheel mounted before it happened. The jack from our 2010 Honda Insight didn't look robust enough to instill confidence, so the Clarity will stay in the garage wearing 3 snow tires while I wait for Amazon to deliver a 3-ton jack.

Those warnings about using jack-stands for safety make a lot of sense. However, I don't know where I could locate them that wouldn't damage the underbody when my jack failed. For all I know, they might poke right through the floor.
 
I keep it simple but not at the expense of being prepared.
But at my age and stage, I am not getting down and jacking up a car and wrestling with tires, especially in the cold, rain, or mud with cars wizzing by at 80 Mph.
So I have 8 years of Honda Roadside Assiatance (and yes I know its contracted out and I may have to wait).
But that only changes tires, it doesn’t repair them. Thus, any time I go out of county, I throw in the spare tire and jack kit. This way I can DIY (if I absolutely have to) or accept physical help from a Good Samaritan or wait for roadside assistance. The Honda jack kit I bought from the same guy that sold me the spare tire has a nice padded roll that has lug wrench, 2 wheel chocks, and the jack handle. All I added is an 18” 2x6 for it to rest on in case of mud or weak soil. I also carry a small LED flasher in case of total electrical failure. I even put some padding on the jack to protect the paint. Not for looks but to kept paint intact and prevent rust. Neil Young said it best, “Rust never sleeps”.

I also carry a Li-ion jump starter powerful enough to start even a diesel. This covers me for a dead battery and allows me to easily jump start others. The beauty of this is that it has a flashlight and will charge my phone for weeks. I have a small first aide kit the dealer threw in and it all fits in the trunk cubby. And in winter I pack a blanket and some food in case I’m stuck behind a wreck or weather closure on the Interstate.

Note that the jump starter is a Gooloo brand (funny name and from China, but has great reviews and so far is holding a charge long term). I just check it every few months as it reports its SOC (OK, OK, truthfully, once a year). Comes with all the cables in a nice hard shell zippered case.

Bought the spare on eBay along with the jack kit and the smartest thing I did was to order a zippered cover for the spare tire. Not so much to protect it but to cover the flat tire so it doesn’t get dirt and mud in the trunk in case @Cash Traylor loans me his personal Murphy and I get the flat in a rain storm. Plus, tires are pretty dirty anyway to put on my nice clean trunk carpet. The cover was cheap insurance to protect the trunk. It was less than $9 and comes in various sizes. And since my spare is the same circumference as the OEM wheels, the cover fits the removed tire fine.

Bottom line: I believe in being prepared to self rescue, but normally will save my back and wait for roadside assistance. Oh, my other mandatory safety equipment comes under the purview of the 2nd Amendment. And like with all my safety equipment, I maintain it and practice with it regularly.
Molon Labe (Spartan King Leonidas to the Persian Xerxes, circa 480 BC), and
Simper Peratus (US Coastguard motto)
Words to live by.
5C3049E2-D51B-4C6F-AFBE-483B1A190D7E.webp
0C073012-A012-411E-A4F9-5A1374A4DC06.webp
FA414D6B-37AE-4677-B486-B0586A3EAFBD.webp
75B9D409-E95A-427F-80A4-DAE494F4FA8E.webp
535C5FA7-5C4B-4F61-80E0-DE82066C0ADC.webp
95D1322B-AFE1-46C6-A624-649078A57F06.webp
 
insightman said:
Today, I finally got around to changing out the snow tires. My cheapo electric jack that was great for my 1,850-lb Insight always seemed challenged by the 2-ton Clarity in past years. Today it gave out when the steel frame bent. Fortunately, I had the summer wheel mounted before it happened. The jack from our 2010 Honda Insight didn't look robust enough to instill confidence, so the Clarity will stay in the garage wearing 3 snow tires while I wait for Amazon to deliver a 3-ton jack.

Those warnings about using jack-stands for safety make a lot of sense. However, I don't know where I could locate them that wouldn't damage the underbody when my jack failed. For all I know, they might poke right through the floor.
Click to expand...

Isn't there a center point under the front and read that is (supposedly) balanced?
 
I didn't think of those locations, even though @KentuckyKen has pointed them out before. I guess the plan would be to jack up the car in the center and put jack-stands under the side jacking locations. However, it looks like it would be tough to accurately locate the jack under the rear center jacking point. Thanks @Tek_Freek and @KentuckyKen!
 
insightman said:
I didn't think of those locations, even though @KentuckyKen has pointed them out before. I guess the plan would be to jack up the car in the center and put jack-stands under the side jacking locations. However, it looks like it would be tough to accurately locate the jack under the rear center jacking point. Thanks @Tek_Freek and @KentuckyKen!
Click to expand...
The rear jacking point is the tie down loop and is easy to visualize and not so far in. It’s the front one that is so far back that I have the most trouble getting the jack placed on. It’s so far back that I have to make a couple of trips down on the floor to make sure I’m on it. And its so far back that I have to short stroke my hydraulic jack to not hit the front bumper. Each year my garage floor gets lower and my mechanic’s $20 labor fee to change my oil looks better and better. I hate getting old, but it does beat the alternative.
When I win the $100,000,000 lottery, I’ll have a grease pit and lift put in my garage so I can save $10 a year changing my own oil. LOL
 
Oh yeah, it's the front center jacking point that's the distant one. Maybe I can mount a mirror on my new jack or get one of those Honda e video side "mirrors" from Japan.
 
KentuckyKen said:
The rear jacking point is the tie down loop and is easy to visualize and not so far in. It’s the front one that is so far back that I have the most trouble getting the jack placed on. It’s so far back that I have to make a couple of trips down on the floor to make sure I’m on it. And its so far back that I have to short stroke my hydraulic jack to not hit the front bumper. Each year my garage floor gets lower and my mechanic’s $20 labor fee to change my oil looks better and better. I hate getting old, but it does beat the alternative.
When I win the $100,000,000 lottery, I’ll have a grease pit and lift put in my garage so I can save $10 a year changing my own oil. LOL
Click to expand...

Or do what my father did when he had to replace a transmission: Dig a big trench in the back yard (10 acres - plenty of room) place the car over it, walk down into the trench and do the work. Refilling the trench was much more fun than digging it.
 
Tek_Freek said:
So much good advice here!!
Click to expand...
I think the better advice is to join AAA (or whatever) and wait for a pro when on the road. I have done all my own snow tire changes at home on a nice garage floor, but on the road you are often on an uneven surface, the Clarity is quite heavy, and I bet there's a lot of potential damage if it did fall off. And I'm not going to jinx myself by saying how long its been since I last had a flat.
 
David Towle said:
I think the better advice is to join AAA (or whatever) and wait for a pro when on the road. I have done all my own snow tire changes at home on a nice garage floor, but on the road you are often on an uneven surface, the Clarity is quite heavy, and I bet there's a lot of potential damage if it did fall off. And I'm not going to jinx myself by saying how long its been since I last had a flat.
Click to expand...

I agree that you have to be careful changing a tire, really need a surface with no grade if possible, especially side to side (chocks can help with front to back). But I really posted to say that I have both, AAA and a spare. If you call AAA for a flat and don't have a spare, they will likely tow the car. If you have the spare, they will change it for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top