I have a 3 ton floor Jack and was wondering what the best places are for lifting the truck front and rear to change over tires etc. I have read some other posts but am still unsure. Are you guys using the rear diff? Thanks

 

Better off jacking close to the side of the axle you want to lift. Jacking under the pumpkin is a good way to bend the tubes on an axle. The jack points are in the manual and I think on the card with the factory jack.

Jack points are in your owners manual on pages 429 and 430

 

I have never seen axle tube's bend from jacking a vehicle by the rear diff but.... I lift mine there to change around tires. As for the front I see you have a 4x4 as well I use the lower a-arms then use jack stands to support the front end. If you are smart and do it safe you wont have any problems.

 

When I had my after market wheels put on at a shop they did them in the lot and used the pumpkin to lift the back and for the front they used a cross section of the frame to lift the whole front at once. I just bought a 3 ton floor Jack so I would be able to change the wheels over myself.

 

The manual says lift near the shocks. It also says never to lift a loader truck by the pumpkin.

Yes many shops lift by the pumpkin but it isn't the right way. Will the shop pay for the repair if they bend something? The damage probably won't happen soon enough to prove a clear cause and effect.

 

I dont get what the difference is if you lift from the pumpkin when you set it on its wheels isnt the pressure the opposite way on the pumpkin, These trucks are hundreds of pound lighter too and the rear ends are probably 30 years old by design. I don't know maybe I am not thinking right. I am going to buy this spreader for your jack it allows you to spread out the lifting, probably as wide as the frame. When I find it again I will post the link

 

My guess is that the design looks 30 years old but that they have been shaving off weight over the years to meet the "CAFE" ratings.

if you look at the ratio of the distance of the lift points, shock and pumpkin, to the spring attachment the distance from the pumpkin to the spring attachment is longer than the other one thus making the loads in the tube higher.

 

I've seen several diffs get bent by lifting at the pumpkin, which is why you will never see a recommendation to lift that way.

The fun part is that if it a minor bend you will never see it unless you put an alignment bar and pucks into the housing. What can happen is premature bearing failure and axle breakage from the wobble that the axle shaft will have to travel in.

 

Part of the same problem is that if you tell the tire shop boys they don't want to hear it and go ahead anyway. Just another customer who thinks he knows better.

 

That pisses me off that kind of stuff, a lot of us truck owners worked in the factories that built or build other vehicles and we are familiar with how to take parts off properly using a proper tool like that little nylon tool that is mentioned in every instruction manual to pull plastic interior parts off yet you see them with screwdrivers and other thick metal tools. Also the look they give you when you know the part number you need and want but no they want you vin etc. and they tell you no you need this part, but I have modified something and now I need this part...but the book says this. I don't get why the frikken care just sell me the part. I suppose they are worried I will try to return it if it doesn't fit but I don't care tell me no then and we can argue not when I wanna buy something man that makes no sense to me.