Get a floor jack - much faster to use, much safer to use, much easier to use. You'll be having enough fun with the spring compressors. You can use your vehicle bottle jack to give you some extra working room on the front axle - put it between the axle and frame to give you a couple extra inches to work with.

 

I wouldn't even consider doing that job without a rolling floor jack...

 

Well you and my wife must think alike because she saw that 20 ton bottle jack for $40 and then she saw this monster 3 ton floor jack on sale for $70

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=34271

She said don't be stupid so I said OK and bought the floor jack. It's nice to know they care.

 

Smart move.

 

Not very often my wife tells me to get the more expensive tool. Guess she does not like the idea of me being squashed like a bug under our truck.

 

For jack stands I have 3 sets of these http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...4821_200304821
I use them all the time when I want jack stands under a chassis rail, which is often.
I also have two sets of these for putting under the axle.
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...4823_200304823

 

I bought a set of 6 ton jack stands at Harbor Freight to put under the frame when I did my suspension. My 3 ton stands weren't tall enough. I would have had to put them all the way at the top of their height adjustment and I don' like doing that. And a second set of jack stands is never a bad thing to have around/

 

Yeah my 3 ton jack stands are high stands so they max out at 2 feet which is higher than my jack goes (20"). I think with the floor jack and 2 jack stands along with the bottle jack I think I should be good doing one axle at a time. The 12 ton jack stands looked pretty serious for $80, I may pick up a set if they ever go onsale.

 

I'm always picking stuff up at Harbor Freight just because it's on sale. I swear I have some disease. I'll pick up stuff that I might need or needed in the past just because it's on sale even though in the back of my mind I know it's never going to get used.

 

I wish they had one close to me. I have to drive over an hour to get to one but they have so much stuff I'd love to have.