Air Jacks, anybody ever used them?

qadhafi

In my recent Land Rover Studies I've been introduced to the concept of Air Jacks. I was just wondering if anyone has ever used one. They are supposed to be pretty rare in the US, but are very popular in the UK and Africa.

This is basically a very sturdy rubberised 'bag' which is attached to the exhaust tailpipe. The exhaust gas is then used to inflate the bag, lifting the vehicle in the process. The airjack can be used practically anywhere underneath the vehicle, lifting the front, the rear or the side. When placing the airjack under the vehicle, care must be taken to ensure that the bag doesn't come into contact with the hot exhaust system or any sharp protrustions under the vehicle however, otherwise punctures will be caused.
The use of carpet or matting both above and below the jack is a good idea; the carpet underneath will help to stop it sliding on the mud, and the carpet above will help to stop it getting punctured.
Also, always make sure the diff-lock is engaged and the vehicle has appropriate chocks both behind and in front of the relevant wheels if using the air jack to lift the vehicle on solid ground.

With practice, the airjack can be used in a similar way to a Hi-Lift jack. It can be used to lift the vehicle up out of ruts so they can be back-filled to regain traction, or used to cast the vehicle sideways, or even to change a wheel.
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Back from the Dead??

Billy's89XJ · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 8:14 pm Post subject:

I have, sort of. They use that tech. here, a lot of Fire Departments/rescue squads use them for turned over vehicles when people are trapped. I've seen them used to help turned over rigs to help left them and than a wrecker to winch them back on thier wheels. Pretty cool, them seem to be "POP" resistant, I wonder if they could be patched?? I know the FD I was on had them and never heard a "POP". Mr. Green