I'm not gonna go out in the dark and rain (yeah, it's raining here in SoCal
and you'd think the whole damn world's coming to end) to look at my jack,
but IIRC it's a 6-ton, about 9" tall with maybe 6" of rise and another 5"
screw adjustment. I tend to carry the aforementioned pieces of wood for
chocking the wheels and to put under (and on) the bottle jack when
necessary. They're useful in a pinch but they're not the most stable things
in the world.

They seem to come in all shapes, sizes and flavors;
This one might actually be too tall for a Vgon, tho the price seems ok (?):

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=19797&R=19797

I'm sure if you looked around you'd find one that (ideally) fit right from
the ground to near the frame before jacking adjustment. Considering the
variances between stock and modified suspensions, 2-wheel and 4-wheel, etc.,
I wouldn't hold my breath for a one-size-fits-all, but who knows? If you
find one, tell the rest of us. In the meantime, pieces of 2 x 6 are cheap
and readily available. : )

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Felder" <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: Jackin' Up The Van--what kinda bottle jack?

>>>  Under more 'normal' (mental)
>>> circumstances, I just take the bottle jack in its case. Worked for me
>>> so
>>> far...
>>>
>>> Cya,
>>> Robert
>>>
> Robert,
>
> Where do you get a bottle jack--and what kind do you get--that has
> enough travel to jack up the Vanagon?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim