If you are going to do only tire changes on the road (you said roadside) then a harbor freight bottle jack would work but, used alone, it would be less safe than the scissor jack. (You only have a 1-1/2" circular plate with a couple of bumps on it to keep it from kicking out.) You could just buy a couple of Safe Jack components to allow for safer jacking. For instance you could buy just the U-shaped 'Universal Lift Pad' and the required screw collar for whatever size jack you decided on as a least cost option.

I bought the 12 ton kit without the jack to match my 12 ton HF bottle jack that I already had. After the 1st time I used it I thought that I should have bought less, much less. However, I've used all of it on the trail multiple times, stacking the extensions for height, even using the flat plate that I thought I'd never use, so it's all good for me. Expensive but very good.

 

I've been considering picking up one of the HF bottle jacks for this same reason....changing a flat tire if needed. My scissor jack isn't even easily accessible at the moment because I have a dual 12in sub speaker box sitting on top of the back cargo lid. The thing is I don't want to get one that is overkill and takes up too much space. Something that will go under the rear seat would be nice. I have 3inches of lift with 315/70/R17s tires. Which HF bottle jack would you suggest based on your experience?

I've been considering going with this 8ton since it has a max lift height of 15 5/8in.
https://www.harborfreight.com/8-ton-hydraulic-bottle-jack-96648.html

or this 12ton which has a max lift height of 12 3/4in.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-to...t.com/12-ton-heavy-duty-low-profile-industrial-hydraulic-bottle-jack-66569.html

I'm just unsure if 12 3/4" max height is high enough to change a tire with the 12ton, or if the higher lifting 8ton is safe/big enough.

 

I bought this one its a bottle jack and jack stand in one works with 3.5 inch lift and 37's https://m.pepboys.com/product/details/633527/00840?quantity=1

 

Ordered this one. And it's on sale, thanks!

 

I keep a 20 ton HF jack in the back, I've had it ~3 years, it gets used maybe once a month, but it hasn't given me any trouble.

 

I’ll second the HF plus safejack pan. Almost sure I went with the 8 ton but definitely check, I bought one that didn't fit and had to get a different one to match the safejack dimensions, wish I could recall which it was for you.

 

Can someone point me to the safejack pan? I kind of figured I would need some type of larger base to put under the bottle jack for any surface that's not concrete. Is that what the safejack pan is?

 

Can someone point me to the safejack pan? I kind of figured I would need some type of larger base to put under the jack, especially for any surface that's not concrete. Is that what the safejack pan is?

I'm assuming they're talking about these accessories?
https://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories/products/3-piece-starter-kit

But there is this...
https://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories/products/universal-bottle-jack-base

 

I dunno, after looking through the safe jack stuff, they seem to have some nice and convenient accessories for jacks but when I add up the prices, it just seems stupid expensive for what it does.

This is a really nice kit. $270+ nice? Not for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Jack-..._5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519395781&sr=8-5&keywords=bottle+jack+extension#customerReviews


I was interested in this bottle jack base setup.

That will run you over $200. Is it nice? Yes. Is it convenient? Yes. However, a 2x6 piece of hardwood plank would serve the same purpose. If I wanted to get even fancier than a wood plank, I'm thinking of just going to HF and picking up their universal winch plate and it would do the same job as that $200 base setup with some minor modifications and likely be stronger.

$40 with their 20%off coupon and looks very similar to the safe jack setup out of the box.

 

Yeah, if I was going to purchase from Safe Jack, it would probably just be this kit for $179, and a piece of plywood.
https://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories/products/basic-bottle-jack-kit

Or this kit (with bag added) for $111, plus the HB 8 ton jack for $25
https://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories/products/3-piece-starter-kit

But then I'm only saving like $43 and have to figure out compatibility.

Or for around $50 there is that PowerBuilt jack in post #3.
Might just be a larger storage footprint.

 

If you are looking for a base, take a look at the the Hi-Lift plastic base. Not a cheap as a 2x6 but nowhere near the cost of a Safe Jack base.

Also, if you have a Tractor Supply near you, they sell a 6 ton jack that may work. (I'd still measure the jack before I'd buy the Safe Jack 6 ton accessories for it.) Tractor Supply also sells a jack like the Pepboys one and their 6 ton jack stands go on sale for $20.

 

I use my 6 ton with a 4x6" block of wood as the base, and that has always worked fine.
Just make sure that you test it out before you throw it in the back of the Jeep. I gave one to my son as a Christmas present (ordered online and delivered directly to him). He removed his stock scissors jack in favor of the bottle jack, went out onto the desert, got a flat, only to discover that the jack didn't work. He spent the night in the cold until help arrived. Hard way to learn a lesson...