Replacing a factory jack with Harbor Freight Badland 1.5 ton off-road jack

[Dirt]

Great idea. When I tore the sidewall of the OEM tire on some rocks I couldn't get the OEM jack under the axle because of the ruts I was in. To run it up between the ruts put the pickup on too much of a slant to safely do the work. Thanks for posting.

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[Yotota]

Have you tested the 1.5ton to lift the entire front end of the truck? Or even under the frame near the front body mount? I don't think a 1.5ton jack will be enough.

These Tacos are right around 3000lb on the front axle (and more if you have any aftermarket stuff added). If you try to lift the front from the skid plate center jack point you might max out the jack and the relief valve will bypass. I imagine the front frame lift point will be close to the same since it's lifting the side of the truck, but more of the front.

The OEM Toyota mechanical bottle jack is honestly one of the best jacks ever made. It's technically an enclosed multi stage screw jack. I carry a Hi-Lift base plate for mine, with a steel adapter plate that can bolt onto the Toyota jack for a snug fit in the base plate. Add a saddle adapter and some rubber pucks and it's even better.

I still have two Hi-Lift jacks, that I don't even use for truck stuff any longer. They're useless on my new Tacoma. I also kinda hate them (but I'll always keep them as a necessary evil for farm/property work). LOL

 

[Pappy]

These Tacos are right around 3000lb on the front axle (and more if you have any aftermarket stuff added).

My truck with 285/70 load range C tires, C4 winch bumper and Warn M9 winch tips the scales at 3100# at the front axle.

I had to change a tire in the weeds right after I bought the truck. Thankfully my spare was on the rear bumper, and not under the bed. It was a royal PITA to get the jack under the rear axle. I'm looking at this 1.5ton, but will look at the 3ton when I get to HF to see how much bigger it is.

 

[lauren01]

https://amzn.to/49cLzlV

I also got the bottle jack adapter and a ARB jack base for stability in sand/uneven surfaces

Well done!

 

[Taco Ji]

Correct me if I’m wrong here.

1.5 tons is 1500 kg which converts to 3,307 lbs.
My 2025 trd off-road hybrid is about 5,000 lbs.
the only thing that is considered heavy in my truck that isn’t stock would be my bed cover which is about 50 lbs. my wheels are lighter than stock and tires are probably heavier than stock but that would even out due to my light weight wheels.

If I need to jack up the front or rear, I’m only lifting half of 5,000 lbs which is 2,500 lbs… if I’m lifting a corner of the 4 wheels/tires then that’s just a quarter of the total truck weight?
I’m not trying to lift the whole 5,000 lbs truck with this jack… it is being used to replace the inconveniences of the factory
Bottle Jack with a portable (40ish lbs ) floor jack.

also there are tons of video proof on YouTube of this 1.5 ton jack lifting full sized trucks let alone Tacomas.

 

[lauren01]

Correct me if I’m wrong here.

1.5 tons is 1500 kg which converts to 3,307 lbs.
My 2025 trd off-road hybrid is about 5,000 lbs.
the only thing that is considered heavy in my truck that isn’t stock would be my bed cover which is about 50 lbs. my wheels are lighter than stock and tires are probably heavier than stock but that would even out due to my light weight wheels.

If I need to jack up the front or rear, I’m only lifting half of 5,000 lbs which is 2,500 lbs… if I’m lifting a corner of the 4 wheels/tires then that’s just a quarter of the total truck weight?
I’m not trying to lift the whole 5,000 lbs truck with this jack… it is being used to replace the inconveniences of the factory
Bottle Jack with a portable (40ish lbs ) floor jack.

also there are tons of video proof on YouTube of this 1.5 ton jack lifting full sized trucks let alone Tacomas.

Toyota specified a stronger jack than that for the same purpose. So it would scare the bejesus out of me to use something spec’ed for not as much.

 

[Yotota]

Correct me if I’m wrong here.

1.5 tons is 1500 kg which converts to 3,307 lbs.
My 2025 trd off-road hybrid is about 5,000 lbs.
the only thing that is considered heavy in my truck that isn’t stock would be my bed cover which is about 50 lbs. my wheels are lighter than stock and tires are probably heavier than stock but that would even out due to my light weight wheels.

If I need to jack up the front or rear, I’m only lifting half of 5,000 lbs which is 2,500 lbs… if I’m lifting a corner of the 4 wheels/tires then that’s just a quarter of the total truck weight?
I’m not trying to lift the whole 5,000 lbs truck with this jack… it is being used to replace the inconveniences of the factory
Bottle Jack with a portable (40ish lbs ) floor jack.

also there are tons of video proof on YouTube of this 1.5 ton jack lifting full sized trucks let alone Tacomas.

1.5 tons (Standard tons AKA short tons AKA American tons, not metric tons) is 3000lb. Nothing in America uses metric tons as a measurement.

The truck isn't 50/50 such distribution - the front axle has been scaled by a few people to weigh close to 3000lb, or over that weight with some aftermarket stuff added.

I personally wouldn't trust a 3000lb rated jack to lift ~3000lb. I always add a factor of safety with jacks because I've had some sketchy floor jack experiences in the past.

It would be fine to lift one corner at a time to change a tire, but on an IFS truck you can't just lift a front corner unless you can get the jack directly under the lower control arm. Which isn't possible with a flat front tire.

 

[Taco Ji]

1.5 tons (Standard tons AKA short tons AKA American tons, not metric tons) is 3000lb. Nothing in America uses metric tons as a measurement.

The truck isn't 50/50 such distribution - the front axle has been scaled by a few people to weigh close to 3000lb, or over that weight with some aftermarket stuff added.

I personally wouldn't trust a 3000lb rated jack to lift ~3000lb. I always add a factor of safety with jacks because I've had some sketchy floor jack experiences in the past.

It would be fine to lift one corner at a time to change a tire, but on an IFS truck you can't just lift a front corner unless you can get the jack directly under the lower control arm. Which isn't possible with a flat front tire.

You have to also consider when companies manufacture anything there are tolerances built into them. I’m certain it can hold beyond 3,000 lbs. I’m not trying to lift this truck as a whole. Only the tire corner I’m trying to repair or replace.

 

[Yotota]

You have to also consider when companies manufacture anything there are tolerances built into them. I’m certain it can hold beyond 3,000 lbs. I’m not trying to lift this truck as a whole. Only the tire corner I’m trying to repair or replace.

They can support more than the Working Load Limit before failure, but I've never encountered a jack that can lift more than the rated value before becoming unusable or bypassing the relief valve. Most harbor freight jacks bypass well below their advertised capacity.

The 1.5 ton will probably be fine for individual tire changing. I wouldn't trust it to lift half of a 5000lb truck. That's me.

 

[Taco Ji]

Well yes that is what the whole purpose of replacing the factory jack was for. I have a proper 3 ton jack at home for any other applications and if needed I’ll just go to the shop for anything beyond that.

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