Need to lift my tractor

[Doc G]

I've lifted and jacked my tractor's rear a couple of times, no problem. Almost any decent hydraulic jack will work (I have one from HF). For me the jack requires some blocking underneath because it isn't tall enough. The head of the jack goes right up to a flat spot under the rear axle near each wheel.

For blocking, I'd have agree with the general sentiment here: don't trust jack stands with your life. Take the time to obtain and cut to size enough solid wood blocks to hold each side of the axle up when you remove the jack. I also block the front wheels so they can't roll (cuz remember there's no brake up there usually) and keep it in 4wd in gear while parked.

 

[Industrial Toys]

For what it's worth. Buy double the rated capacity of any junky Chinese hydraulic jack. The ratings are meant as a JOKE only in my own experience.

 

[draku007]

Thank you all for the input. I got 4 ton floor jack from Tractor Supply yesterday and I plan on using 6x6 wood blocks for support.

 

[CobyRupert]

Not sure what you mean by support. As filler or as safety? Bottom line: Don’t trust a floor jack. Support the tractor on the 6”x 6” blocks after you jack it up.

 

[ning]

Not sure what you mean by support. As filler or as safety? Bottom line: Don’t trust a floor jack. Support the tractor on the 6”x 6” blocks after you jack it up.

What this means is - jack it up, put the wood blocks into place, and then take the weight off of the jack so that the tractor is sitting on the blocks - lower the tractor so it's resting on the wood.

Optionally, remove the jack, but regardless, collapse of the jack can't cause any weight shift while you're in a vulnerable spot. You may need to initially jack the tractor up a bit higher in order to get the blocks positioned well.

6x6 vs 4x4 - better stability; wider is always better so it doesn't fall over sideways. Don't put the weight on the end grain either as the wood most 6x is cut from will easily fracture in that direction.

 

[draku007]

That's the plan and I also plan to work on one axle at a time (left rear, right rear, etc.) so I won't be lifting the whole tractor or the entire rear either.