Made a jack adapter modeled after the oem scissor jack

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by tk1971, Apr 30, 2013.

  1. tk1971

    tk1971 Active Member

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    The C is still under Toyota's free maintenance, but my CT needed a tire rotation and I used up my last free service (only got 2).

    I've been using a piece of 2x4 with a channel cut through the length of it for a while on all my cars. After several years of use, the wood started to crack, which isn't bad considering it's wood.

    I know there are more appropriate jacking points under the car, but with the low profile of the CT, it's a hassle to get a jack any further in there. I always go back to the OEM scissor jack and the jacking point, which is readily accessible. With the big hydraulic jack, I can jack up the entire side of the car for tire rotation.

    I made this jack adapter this weekend using a 2" hitch shank I had laying around. I cut a piece off, cut a channel in it and put a bolt on the bottom to fit the jack (with plate removed). It's modeled after the stock scissor jack.

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    I tried googling the adapter because I didn't want to bother with making one, but I couldn't find anything.

    I figure I'm not the only one who needs one of these. Stay safe and use jack stands.
     
    #1 tk1971, Apr 30, 2013
    Matthew813, Stevie, MK500 and 1 other person like this.
  2. MotorcycleGoat

    MotorcycleGoat Junior Member

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    I like. Great idea. I think I will make me one too!
     
    #2 MotorcycleGoat, Apr 30, 2013
  3. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    #3 B2FiNiTY, Apr 30, 2013
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I tried out our scissor jack, and that cradle was the one positive thing about it. It would be nice to have similar adapters for safety stands.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Apr 30, 2013
  5. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    #5 B2FiNiTY, Apr 30, 2013
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ The above link supposedly shows two models, but the pictures look pixel-by-pixel identical. Makes you wonder. I like the material though.
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Apr 30, 2013
  7. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    Good work.. nice and simple!

    Does the head from spare tire jack work well? As in not crush anything? Was thinking salvaging jack from junk yard for this purpose.

    Also, how are the lift points in the middle of the car in terms of sturdiness? They sure look flimsy. I used the rear once and worked fine.

    Using your basic design, one can also Unistrut Channel as well. Those are readily available and low cost.
     
    #7 Sfcyclist, Apr 30, 2013
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  8. tk1971

    tk1971 Active Member

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    I like your unistrut suggestion. If I ever need to make another, I'll have to find a scrap piece somewhere.

    The OEM scissor jack in the trunk works well on the stock jacking points with no crushing, but I would not use it to jack up the middle of the car. So, if you can get a hold some from salvage, you can make a cordless drill adapter for the scissor jacks and kill two birds with one stone (replacing the jack and the jack stand). With 4, you can jack lift up the entire car using a cordless DeWalt drill.
     
    #8 tk1971, Apr 30, 2013
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  9. tk1971

    tk1971 Active Member

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    The Eastwood ones look good, although there is one bad review from a VW owner stating that the adapter is too shallow, potentially damaging the car's unibody weld.

    The plastic ones look good and the nylon/delrin type material guarantees no marring. The problem I see is the large disc surface area of contact. I think it would make contact with something unintentional on my CT. I stuck with the exact dimensions of the head on my spare tire jack.
     
    #9 tk1971, Apr 30, 2013
  10. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    you should make some more, i would buy one.
     
    #10 B2FiNiTY, Apr 30, 2013
  11. tk1971

    tk1971 Active Member

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    #11 tk1971, Apr 30, 2013
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