Jacking under diff question.

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Pinger

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Is it safe (for the integrity of the diff casing) to jack my C2500 Suburban (14 bolt casing) with a bottle jack under the periphery of where the cover attaches with the cover removed?
 

AuroraGirl

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Guess I'm the only one that uses a floor jack on the diff. Bottle jacks make me nervous, especially in a driveway, the footprint on both ends is tiny and with no wheels, any movement results in a tipover.
ive used my floor jack on diff numerous times. if it means anything to anyone, 14 bolt full float(X2), dana 44, Dana 60(rear, dont ask), and ford 8.8 as well as 9
I would not use a bottle jack on a shaved 14 bolt for obvious reasons without like a board lol

Dont jack on the pan/cover, jack on the differential housing which is very very stout in most situations you should be able to run into.
A more modern diff with fancy TTB or wacky things going on? maybe exercise more caution on those
 

Ruff Idol

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Is it safe (for the integrity of the diff casing) to jack my C2500 Suburban (14 bolt casing) with a bottle jack under the periphery of where the cover attaches with the cover removed?
Bottle jack, schmottle jack, what's the diff?

I would throw a 2x4 on top of the jack as a shim & to spread out the force. Center the jack as much as possible on the differential housing as others stated, not quite directly on the cover area. Never had an issue jacking my C1500 or my old car for that matter from the diff. Just be quick and careful to get it on the stands.
 

stutaeng

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Floor jack here. My Dad had a bottle jack in his station wagon growing up, but was more for like flat tire repair.

I've never owned one, but have thought about getting one for other uses around the garage. They are inexpensive (compared to floor jack), compact and have a high capacity. The guys doing foundation repairs jacking houses and stuff up use them a lot around here.

Agree on jackstands...never work under a vehicle supported only on a jack.
 
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