What Have You Done To Your Van Today?

[Badjamin]

I have a couple of trolley jacks for routine maintenance but these are the bottle jacks I carry in the van. The small 2 ton I already had but got the 5 ton specifically for the van. 5 ton is more capacity than I need but it is the lifting range that matters and this jack will get a wheel clear of the ground and it is still quite compact. As above the small jack is just to raise the body a bit if the tyre is flat. Agree that a plank, rock etc would do but I just know that when I get a flat I will be halfway down Glen Torridon sideways rain blowing a hoolie in the dark and I will just want to get the job done. ( and probably my ocd as well).
Realised the problem with the vw original jack on a snowy winter’s day when went to assist another motorist stranded in a lay-by with a flat. When the car was lifted as soon as the wheel started to clear the ground the car slide sideways off the jack. Eventually got the driver to manoeuvre his car so the wheels opposite the flat were tight up against the verge which got the job done. Still felt quite sketchy though so not quite an F1 pit stop but not far off it.View attachment 277796

The sideways slip had me the other day, i was jacking the van up and it just kept creeping towards me regardless of orientation. I chocked the front wheels to stop it but totally lost confidence to go underneath it with my 1.5te axle stands

 

[Vanderlust]

Thinking about it , because only one side of the van is being lifted by the jack the jacking point is moving horizontally as well as vertically. With a trolley jack the jack wheels move enough to keep the lifting base directly under the jacking point but other jacks can’t do that leaving a side force which could destabilise the system if things are not ideal.

 

[Bav]

Appreciate that the VW-supplied scissor jack is pants and not fit-for-purpose, but when comparing a high-quality scissor jack and a high-quality bottle jack, which design is inherently stronger/more stable?

 

[Vanderlust]

Appreciate that the VW-supplied scissor jack is pants and not fit-for-purpose, but when comparing a high-quality scissor jack and a high-quality bottle jack, which design is inherently stronger/more stable?

I’m no expert obvs but for me the vw jack is not great quality but also has only 1 pivot point/ lifting arm which means it just goes with any side force rather than resisting it. I have used other scissor jacks with 2 pivot’s/ lifting arms with no issues. These jack’s also had a pivot at the top where they engaged the jacking point which took up some of the sideways movement. Ideally I prefer the scissors jack with a mechanical movement which may be less likely to fail in use. A hydraulic jack could suffer leak or a faulty valve and collapse but for something to lug about in the van for hopefully very occasional use the bottle jack wins for being more compact . I feel that buying a decent bit of kit, looking after it, and using as per the manufacturer instructions the bottle jack is fine. Jacking problems often caused by other factors uneven ground operator error etc . But just my thoughts.

 

[Steve Davies]

The V5 shows my van's "mass in service" as 2213 kg, but I'm not quite sure how that relates to "unladen weight".

Is mass in service = unladen weight + 75kg (for the driver), plus the weight of the fuel when tank @ 90% full?

If so, then my van's unladen weight = 2213 - (75 + 60) = 2078kg - i.e. doesn't qualify as dual purpose.

Should I ever get a NIP for speeding in my van I've pre-prepared my defence documents based on the definition of a ‘car-derived van’ or ‘dual-purpose vehicle’ in ‘The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986’. For my van, a T6 Highline Kombi LWB T32 150ps 6-speed manual, my unladen weight is 2,004Kg, if using the brochure figures as shown on the attached diagram. If I use the mass in service on my V5, of 2,156Kg less driver and fuel, I get an unladen weight of 2,016Kg. Either way I'm under the 2,040Kg specified in the regulations. Note the regulations also have definitions for window sizes and the ration of the distance from the bottom of the steering wheel to the back of the seats and to the back of the van, etc. I believe all Transporter Kombis apart from DSGs and 4-Motions are below the 2,040Kg unladen weight.

 

[cgtmiles]

Does that give you required clearance to change a wheel?

Is it compact enough for storage?

I notice a 10tonne version hahahha

Im sure there’s a mother-in-law joke in here somewhere

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

Like the look of this but as it's only rated for 2000kg is it not rated strong enough to lift a Transporter? Or am I being thick because essentially you're only lifting one corner of the van to change a tyre so the weight to lift is actually less than 2000kg?

Actually the OEM style jack sold by Heyner specifically for the T6 is rated at 1376kg (surprisingly) so it seems reasonable that the 2000kg scissor jack will be fine.
I am seriously considering one having had a very bad experience when the van fell off the OEM jack on Barra!!

Replaced the Left Rear Wheel Bearing on my 4Motion LWB today after due consideration of the trolley jack and axle stand location debate.
In the end went for trolley jack under the trailing arm and axle stand on the jacking point. Having the jack under the trailing arm gave some solidity to the effort I had to put into the bearing tool.

 

[Drive Wayne]

Didn't need a jack or axle stands to fit the new THQ rear lights.
Safely and quickly done while my better half slept after a night shitf.
10 minute very easy mod, very pleased.
Will she notice?!!

 

[ginkster]

Annual service including brake fluid change. Looks like I’m going to need new pads and discs all round in the not too distant. Was going to get the coilovers lifted a bit but the garage didn’t have time today so will put that on hold for a while.

Edit: oh, and a wash. It was minging.

 

[Chris1983]

Question for quick response if poss, had a thread last week re: tyres.

Ordered

215/65 R16 102V XL

Now ATS have rang and said these aren’t van tyres. I’ve explained that I believed load rating was correct etc for t28.

Can anyone reassure me? Sorry for disturbing Saturday mornings

 

[Chris1983]

I’ve asked him to fit and I trust the logic and experience of this forum, but I am twitched. He has said he is happy to fit but has to ‘have conversation with me’

 

[TeeCeeJay]

Question for quick response if poss, had a thread last week re: tyres.

Ordered

215/65 R16 102V XL

Now ATS have rang and said these aren’t van tyres. I’ve explained that I believed load rating was correct etc for t28.

Can anyone reassure me? Sorry for disturbing Saturday mornings

Absolutely fine load rating for a T28

Post in thread 'General Information - Wheels & Tyres' General Information - Wheels & Tyres

 

[Bav]

Question for quick response if poss, had a thread last week re: tyres.

Ordered

215/65 R16 102V XL

Now ATS have rang and said these aren’t van tyres. I’ve explained that I believed load rating was correct etc for t28.

Can anyone reassure me? Sorry for disturbing Saturday mornings

Yep - minimum load rating for a T28 is 100

 

[TeeCeeJay]

I’ve asked him to fit and I trust the logic and experience of this forum, but I am twitched. He has said he is happy to fit but has to ‘have conversation with me’

They might be worried because the tyres don't have C rating. But that just means commercial and good for Amazon delivery driver to smash up and down kerbs without worrying. Not going to invalidate your insurance without the C

 

[Chris1983]

Yep - minimum load rating for a T28 is 100

Cheers guys, strange that ATS would let me input all van details when buying and then get to fit and raise issue?

I feel reassured, what would a ‘van’ tyre be they are referring to then?

 

[Bav]

Cheers guys, strange that ATS would let me input all van details when buying and then get to fit and raise issue?

I feel reassured, what would a ‘van’ tyre be they are referring to then?

As @TeeCeeJay says, they'll be referring to a 'C' (commercial) rated tyre.

 

[Sasquatch]

Appreciate that the VW-supplied scissor jack is pants and not fit-for-purpose, but when comparing a high-quality scissor jack and a high-quality bottle jack, which design is inherently stronger/more stable?

I've never known a bottle jack to catastrophically fail, but have encountered several scissor Jack's over the years that have.

I'd place my faith in hydraulics over mechanical leverage every time.

 

[ginkster]

Freed up a seized and creaking passenger door hinge roller. Popped the cap off and let some oil soak in before easing the roller away from the cam and getting it moving with a pair of pliers. Now moving freely and silently. Will get some grease in there when the oil has had a chance to soak for a few days.

 

[TeeCeeJay]

Freed up a seized and creaking passenger door hinge roller. Popped the cap off and let some oil soak in before easing the roller away from the cam and getting it moving with a pair of pliers. Now moving freely and silently. Will get some grease in there when the oil has had a chance to soak for a few days.

View attachment 277924

Ah! There's a cap!? Been wondering how to get lubricant in to stop mine from creaking. Many thanks for the steer.

 

[ginkster]

Ah! There's a cap!? Been wondering how to get lubricant in to stop mine from creaking. Many thanks for the steer.

Yeah, the top bit is a plastic cap. Easily levered off with a screwdriver.