The original GMC Motorhome jack and chain hook

Don Jaksa

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Mar 27, 2022
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When you found yourself on a single-lane, downslope mountain road in a blinding rainstorm with heavy, late Sunday traffic.

This what they provided for you to change a tire
DSC04385.JPG

Restored by filling with jack oil and painting with GMC decal. I only kept it as an original accessory
DSC04386.JPG
Hooked to bogie
DSC04387.JPG

Hooked to bumper
Yeah, that's wrong. Connect the hook to the cross member behind the bumper
per operators manual
DSC04388.JPG

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE BUMPER
DSC04389.JPG
Just enough to swap a tire
 
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The hook adapter is an after-market item. There are two versions. I have them both. The adapter is used with the bottle jack.
I use a floor jack to jack up the front from the center crossmember
 
Oh, you are correct Mr. Sanford!

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE BUMPER
CONNECT TO THE CROSSMEMBER BEHIND THE BUMPER

rookie mistake

Hey, where's my bumper pad?

IF YOU ARE CRAZY ENOUGH TO TRY AND USE THE JACK THEN THE INSTRUCTIONS HAD BETTER BE CORRECT.
 
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When you found yourself on a single-lane, downslope mountain road in a blinding rainstorm with heavy, late Sunday traffic.

This what they provided for you to change a tire
View attachment 12089

Restored by filling with jack oil and painting with GMC decal. I only kept it as an original accessory
View attachment 12090
Hooked to bogie
View attachment 12091

Hooked to bumper
Yeah, that's wrong. Connect the hook to the cross member behind the bumper
per operators manual
View attachment 12092

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE BUMPER
View attachment 12093
Just enough to swap a tire
Wow. My coach came with a Jack just like that blue one but red in colour. Are you saying it is original equipment?
 
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It is OEM from 1973 first production run. It came with my coach. It was blue so I re-painted it blue. The decal I got off eBay.
Did yours have the chain hook? and the 3 foot lug wrench?
 
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If you are using a bogie hook and a bottle jack, you should put a FLAT tire on the rear, and check that you can get the bottle jack under the bogie hook with the flat tire. If you can't, you will need a shorter bottle jack that is two stage or need to have a second jack that can get under the frame to lift the bogie high enough to get the jack and hook in place. Same goes for the front if you are using the same bottle jack under the main cross member. Ask me how I know this.....;-(
 
If you are using a bogie hook and a bottle jack, you should put a FLAT tire on the rear, and check that you can get the bottle jack under the bogie hook with the flat tire. If you can't, you will need a shorter bottle jack that is two stage or need to have a second jack that can get under the frame to lift the bogie high enough to get the jack and hook in place. Same goes for the front if you are using the same bottle jack under the main cross member. Ask me how I know this.....;-(
Hmm, good point. I've got a two-stage bottle jack that is short, but I haven't practiced with a FLAT tire. I ended up in that situation with a boat trailer once. I had to find a scrap of wood off the side of the freeway to drag the rim up onto.
 
Hmm, good point. I've got a two-stage bottle jack that is short, but I haven't practiced with a FLAT tire. I ended up in that situation with a boat trailer once. I had to find a scrap of wood off the side of the freeway to drag the rim up onto.
I have found that the bottle jack & jack hook combination end up at a pretty spooky angle before a middle tire will get high enough to change. Try it at home on pavement before you need it, and see if you like it. I carry the OEM setup. The jack was red as supplied by GMC.
 
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I wonder if a scissors type automotive jack would work to lift the body high enough to get a jack and hook into the bogie. They typically can go down to about 3-4 inches.
 
Larry, I have a Hazard Fright three ton floor jack that goes plenty high and if I take the cup off of the lifting pad, goes under the bogie with a flat. It does fine lifting the front under the frame crossover as well. It's not a fast lift type and it's a bit of a beast to store under the bed, but I've been happy with it since I bought it a dozen years ago. I've also had good luck lifting the reinforced part of the frame behind the bogie with the cup off. I've never used it on soft ground or gravel and I hope to never do so because I'd lose the 1.5 inches of the plank underneath it. But it's worked okay for me.
 
I
Larry, I have a Hazard Fright three ton floor jack that goes plenty high and if I take the cup off of the lifting pad, goes under the bogie with a flat. It does fine lifting the front under the frame crossover as well. It's not a fast lift type and it's a bit of a beast to store under the bed, but I've been happy with it since I bought it a dozen years ago. I've also had good luck lifting the reinforced part of the frame behind the bogie with the cup off. I've never used it on soft ground or gravel and I hope to never do so because I'd lose the 1.5 inches of the plank underneath it. But it's worked okay for me.
I am just getting too old to try and lug a 75+lb jack around.
 
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