exhaust jack

couple of things:

I have the version with the extra valve and I pump it up with my compressor rather than the exhaust. One reason is that my exhaust tip is way too big for the tiny funnel which comes with it and secondly I have dual exhaust with a common front resonator so the pressure built-up is not there, and thirdly it just takes too bloody long with the exhaust.

Another pitfall is that I need timber boards to stabilise the top area otherwise it wraps around the underside of the truck and you loose height and also you need to be careful with hot exhausts.

And at last the thing is big to store. Did I use it ? yes. Would I buy it again ? probably not. When you get bogged it is an easy way to lift the truck/car but with a small car like the usual Nissan and Toyota or Landy etc for that matter a high jack does the trick too, maybe even better because it does not depend on an area under the car without hot exhaust.

When my truck is loaded it weighs 5.2t and the jack still lifts it
where it is a bit of an effort with a high jack. Matter of convenience vs storage space.

good luck with your decision
gmd

Hi Mike I have the exhaust jack and never used it and also have a set of maxtrax which have been used heaps and would say better to buy the maxtrax if you are looking for a bogged recovery unit but obviously won't jack the car/trailer up.

An exhaust jack is, like all recovery equipment, dangerous in unskilled hands. My suggestion is to do a 4WD recovery course and get an idea of the various pieces of equipment and their safe use.
A few things to understand about exhaust jacks
1. They are not to be used for wheel changes
2. They are only used to lift a vehice's wheel(s) off the ground far enough so you can pack sometihng under them to regain lost traction
3. They are unpredictable in the way they work as a result of their design
4. They are treated as an advanced recovery skill when we train

Specifically an exhaust jack rates up there as one of the most dangerous. Why? Well you need to protect the top and underside from puncture, ensure the vehicle is secure and well chocked as when the jack raised the vehicle it has every chance of pivoting on that single point of contact. If the thing does not inflate correctly then you have a chance of the vehicle toppling over. So using one takes at least two people, one to operate the throttle to inflate and at least one more to observe the inflation process and try and manage the risk above. In there somewhere is a person holding the cone over the exhaust to inflate the jack to a point where you are able to pack stuff under the wheels to regain traction.

Do we carry one? Nope. But we do train on them.

The most efficient recovery equipment is always common sense and training followed by patience and a long handled shovel in most instances

Regards

RobA

Hi Mike,
I only used mine once to date..... but when I did, I needed it. Nothing else would fit under the vehicle at the time and location. It was going to be a major drama to get anything else under the vehicle and I can't use a high lift jack on the back of my Prado unless on the tow bar. That's not always safe or practical.

They are easy to use and handy. They do take up space though. Get one that you can use a compressor on as well as the exhaust.

Next to useless in my experience.
If you're bottomed out, you can't get it under the chassis; they have a habit of moving as you inflate it - punctured mine on a body bolt when it did that; they can go up too quick, and they are unstable. Plenty of other ways of getting out of a bog.
Mine now sits in the shed and the Highlift Jack made a welcome comeback!

Hi Mick,
I have one and find it quite useful. I spend quite a deal of time beach fishing, mostly on my own so I need something that can be used by one person.

The only place I have ever used it is on sand and I inflate it using a compressor as suggested above.

The compressor gives greater control in my opinion than the exhaust pipe.

The bag very definitey needs to be protected top and bottom from cuts.

I find a couple of old pieces of carpet top and bottom suffice. Each one about a metre by a metre.

All I ever do is raise the Troopy just enough to fill in the holes with the shovel (the shovel is the most important piece of recovery equipment anyone can carry) and then let it down again.

An important note, I always inflate the bag before I use it to remove the storage kinks and twists, let it down again and then place it under the vehicle.

Geoff

I used one of the first ones with my subaru many many years ago and it was great but it was a light car with a flat floor pan.

Good for quick lifts out of bogs and sand. Great for pushing when strapped to the bull bar :-)

Downside was car bolts and deflating when you get a face full of exhaust.

I don't think I would buy another one a set of Maxtrax would probably be more use.

I have one in my GU and have used it a couple of times. They are a bit tricky to get into the right spot but works well if you take care