Hi atty_guy

I have to ask what situation are you in, in respect to your vehicle? Are urban or rural?

When I was equipping my truck for the Paris-Dakar there's loads of stuff that you need to take with you. My truck included an hydraulic 17T winch at the front and an 13T electric at the rear, plus a ton of jacks, sand mats, spare tyres it was equipped for a particular event with "known" terrain.

My town car lacks the same level of preparedness, yet I'm confident that should something go wrong during my 35km commute to work then I've got most things I need to get me going again. I regularly service my vehicle plus my father is from the old school, and never lets his fuel tank go below half full and the idea has stuck with me too. That way you know there's fuel in when you need it.

I should be so wise. Thanks for reminding me that I also should be this way (since I usually wait until I'm on the very last drop of fuel before filling back up). These little reminders are one of the great things about being active on this board. Sometimes the simplest things are the most important... and the easiest to forget. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Gas prices have been fluctuating so much lately that I've been trying to buy low. Usually it follows a weekly wave- up on thursday sometime, down on monday. But this week it popped up on monday, not sure why. It also seems to have something to do with how many Arabs we've killed recently.

Stokie:

Sorry, I've been away from the site for awhile. I'm in an urban area, Washington, DC. There is the possibility, in a BOB situation, to go rural and off-road. Nothing as intense as you described, but it's possible. Vehicle is an F-150 4x4. The obvious things come to mind: fluids, oil, replacement belts, shovel, water, food, fak, etc. Not sure I'm satisfied with the OEM tire jack.

atty_guy

I've been meaning to ask you about Doug's vehicle list, I've not been able to find reference to it on the site. Can you provide me with the link.

The Ford 150 4X4 was at one time on my wish list, I liked the double cab and double axle arrangement. My old trucker mates in the UK define a double axle as when you have two tyres face to face (four tyres) on one axle.

I know what you mean about OEM standard jacks they never seem "beefy" enough for the job. I still get from time to time LRO or Land Rover Owner international, you can find more jacks, lifts and tackle in there than you can shake a stick at. I'm sure there are 4X4 magazines which can give you good reviews on jacks and lifts. A good hi-lift jack can come in useful even in a urban situation.

Here is Doug's vehicle kit. I think that is what you are looking for. I agree with you about the OEM jacks. I used my Honda Civic's jack on a friend's car once. The handle on that jack is pure crap. I decided to get a hydraulic bottle jack, but because my car rides so close to the ground I can't get the bottle jack under my car. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> Oh well.


Robert

Rbruce:

I have a compact jack which looks and works like a mechanics floor jack which I bought when I once owned a low slung Honda Civic. If you can't get this thing under your car, you had better check to see if your wheels are missing. It has a good lift height and is easier to pump than OEM jacks.

They sell them at a lot of auto parts stores and they even have some with a carrying handle for easy carrying.

Just be sure to have a piece of 3/4" plywood in the trunk for those times that you may have to lift on soft surfaces.

Bountyhunter

I'll second the Hi-Lift jack nomination - we have one for every major vehicle and they have been extremely useful in all sorts of situations. My wife even used the one in her full size van to neatly extricate herself from an entangled accident - she jacked the van up high and pushed it sideways off the jack, neatly clearing the accident by 3 feet. There are lots of useful accessories for Hi-Lift Jacks as well. If you carry the jack externally, learn how to operate the pawl pins manually - rusty, cruddy, dry pins won't walk out automatically. (My jacks are approaching 30 years old - I keep them clean and stored out of the crud nowadays, but there were times...)

Much more expensive but: A winch. I have an ancient Warn 8,000 lbs winch - still the fastest electric winch on the market after over 50 years (heavier than later models, but still the speed champ). Dual batteries and a battery isolator are a must, of course. I use a marine/RV battery that can both deep cycle AND deliver the "starting" amps that the winch draws under load. If I was WORKING with a winch, I would go with a PTO or hydraulic winch, but for purely extraction work and occasional work around the property, an electric is the way to go. If you can't justify the winch, get 2-4 come-alongs, two stout chains with grab hooks, and some cable (for more reach). Slower, but they work well also, IME.

A set of tire chains - good ones - give you a heck of a lot more mobility in difficult situations. Put them on the front tires if you have a 4x4. Stay off the pavement and they DO tear up the ground.

Endless lists... these are just a few tried-and-proven items I've carried/continue to carry.

For the lower-to-the-ground vehicles: Relatively robust scissors jacks are available at automobile junkyards for near scrap-metal prices. They can get you high enough to slip a bottle jack underneath. But carry some PS fluid with you - bottle jacks have a nasty habit of leaking some fluid out if they have been stored in their side for years in a trunk... it's too late to top-off when you need the jack if you don't have some PS fluid with you...

HTH,

Tom

I probably carry too much but I think Murphy's law applies something like "you will need the one thing you didn't bring, so the more you bring the less your chance of needing something" I have all this:
1. Better jack.
2. A matching spare tire as a lot of vehicles come with compact ones and even when they don't people only buy 4 new tires when it comes time.
3. Better lug wrench. I have a piece of pipe that will slide over the stock one and a 1/2" breaker bar and socket that fit as well.
4. Spare belt. Some engines you can swap with your hands, others need a ratchet or breaker bar or wrench to pull the tensioner pulley.
5. Spare bulbs and fuses and any tools needed to change them. "No need for a ticker officer, I'll fix that right now"
6. When you change your spark plugs and wires, radiator cap, thermostat and radiator hoses as preventative maintenance the old ones still can be used as spares, they can be stuffed in corners under the hood and held in place with plastic tie wraps.
7. Plastic tie wraps, bungie cords, rope, etc. Never know when you might need to strap the bumper on <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> a roll of wire if useful to hold hot exhaust parts on that you drug off when you took that wrong turn down an old road.
8. Small Air compressor and tire patch kit.
9. Flashlights and batteries
10. Change of clothes, boots, jacket/coat and gloves for when you have to change a tire in a rainstorm
11. tow chain and tire chains
12. tarp
13. small blanket
14. tool kit. I found what is called a "wrench roll" a piece of heavy fabric with a bunch of long thin pockets you slide wrenches in and roll it up into small package, roller it up and tucked it under a seat.
15. first aid kit.
16. call phone charger and clips to connect it direct to the car battery. Only non American car I ever owned burned every fuse the week after I bought it and I had an old car phone which didn't have its own battery so I couldn't even call for a tow.
17. jumper cables
18. secondary battery and isolator to keep it charged. Nice for long trips to plug in a small 12v cooler and have it keep running without worrying about running the battery dead. Can jump start myself if I ever need to also.
I have all this tucked away in various spaces of a small truck (s10) and I only have used a small corner of the bed where I have a milk crate sized box for some of the bigger stuff, everything else fits under the hood or seats without taking away from my normal space. Everything is organized and inventoried. I also have a couple extra gauges (voltage for the second battery and trans temp sensor) for better monitoring, a couple extra 12v plugs in the doors so I can plug in things like the compressor easier, a locking rear end for more traction and an cap on the back to keep my cargo dry. Sounds like a lot of $ also but I've bought a little at a time over several years and over half has transferred from an old truck to my new one and them I've added more to it so I haven't had to spend a lot at a time.

Hey Bounty,

I found two jacks that might be what you're talking about. First this one from Harbor Freight. However the minimum lift height is 5", that doesn't seem lower than most other floor jacks. I also found this one at Jeg's, which has a minimum height of 3-1/2", but it is expensive. Are either of these what you are talking about or is there something smaller, and cheaper?