I gotta jack up my ram 1500 4x4 so all 4 wheels are off the ground

Is it ok to place a jack under the rear diff to jack both rear tires off the ground.

Also for jacking the front of the truck whats the best locations for jack placement and jackstand placements.

Sorry for the noob ques, but this is my first 4x4 truck is quite a bit different then my cars that im used to working on.

 

Get 4 HD jack stands

 

I would not put a floor jack or stand under the diff. I've always had SFA, so others will have to help with the front, but jack one side/corner up at a time to put a stand under the axle. I have to use 4 X 4's and bottle jacks because of the lift, but you should be able to use a floor jack to get stands under it.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to jack up the rear end from the diff. I think that may cause the housing and the axle tubes to bend slightly (this was brought up recently in another thread). When I jack the rear end up, I do one side at a time, I place the jack under the axle tube about 6 inches from the wheel assy - dry fit a jack stand under the axle tube as well, between the wheel and the jack. Once it is jacked up high enough, setup the jack stand under the axle tube close to the wheel. Repeat for the other side.
Now the front is a different story, I use two different methods. If you are just going to have one side jacked up for a few minutes only and have good faith in your jack, you can place the jack under the control arm as close to the tire without actually contacting it. *warning* if you do it that way be careful and make sure that the head of the jack is securely fitted on the control arm, since that's sitting at an angle you need to make sure the jack wont slide right out from underneath the truck.
I had to trash my old floor jack because I bent the **** out of it due to me being lazy and setting it up improperly (I'm lucky the truck didn't completely fall off it)
Anyway, my preferred method is to jack from the center of the front frame rail, once the front wheels get off the ground, set the jackstands on either side of the jack on the frame rail. Now because those jackstands are closer together and possible less stable, if I'm doing work underneath the truck, I'll throw another set of jackstands under the frame rails on either side kind of below the front door locations.

 

Just be sure you are on a FLAT surface. I lifted my trucks rear axle completely and the truck started rolling since the emergency brake is in the rear axle there was nothing to stop it from going backwards, scared the hell out of me since I was under it.

 

You could put the truck in 4WD first too.

 

As long as there isn't much weight in the bed, lifting by the pumpkin is fine. Put the jack stands under the springs or the shock mounts. Front jack stands under the lower control arms.

 

cool thanks for the tips guys. Looks like I need a jack with a taller lift range, that or some 2x4s. That frame rail in the front sits pretty high off the ground.

 

I put my jack on two 2x4s to keep it from denting my driveway. I use a small 4x4 between the jack and the truck. 4 HD jack stands AND the jack (used up front where the weight is) is how I've lifted the truck off the ground.

 

Nonsense. I've always jacked up cars and fullsize trucks up by the pumpkin. never had an issue. The same amount of force that you inert on the pumpkin to jack the car up, is the same amount of force that is inerted when the car is on the ground all by itself! Instead of the pressure going up, it's constantly downward. It's hard to grasp, but it's true.

Jack the center of the diff up and place a jackstand on each side just before the tire. I like the tube to rest in the jack center this way it cannot slide off.

As for the front, I jack up directly under the lower control arm. This gives you low grabbing ability without the need to keep jacking and jacking while the suspension is stretching. I place the jack stands about even with the firewall on the frame. If your jackstands aren't all enough, you prob have enough room to jack up by the front control arm and place a jack stand there as well. No different than the truck on the ground with presure as when you have your jackstand under there. I've done both ways.

You don't want to use basic jack stands that advance auto carries as those are relatively light duty and the further you open them up, the weaker they get. I bought a pair of jackstands at Walmart for $30. They were 3klb capacity and are defanitely beefier than the basic one's.

If you ever usure about your jack placement, grab ahold of a fender and wiggle your truck a little to make sure its firmly planted. If it falls off while you wiggle it, better now than when your underneath it. Ohh, one more thing. I ALWAYS get the rear up first and drop it down last!!!