X-BULL Exhaust Jack Air Bag Jack With 2PCS Recovery Tracks Boards 4WD 4X4 Gen2.0

Sand swallows a bottle jack. On soft ground the base sinks before the vehicle even shifts, and that is the whole argument for an exhaust-inflated air bag: it spreads its load across a broad footprint and lifts on a cushion of gas rather than on a narrow steel ram. It runs off your own tailpipe.

Lift where a rigid jack has nothing to stand on

The bag fills from the exhaust in around a minute, which means the only power source you need is an engine already running. X-BULL quotes a capacity of 5 tons (11,000 lb), described in its specification list as a per-stand figure. The 6 m (20 ft) hose reaches the tailpipe on a dual-cab with the bag sitting under the opposite corner, which is where shorter kits fall down. Two protective blankets go in with it, laid between the bag and the ground or the bag and the chassis so it cannot slide off a rail as it rises.

1000 denier nylon against rock and stubble

The bag is cut from 1000 denier nylon. Denier is simply a measure of how heavy the yarn is, so a higher number means more material standing between the air inside and the sharp thing outside — and the ground under a bogged vehicle is rarely clean. Sticks, shell grit and broken rock are what finish off air jacks. At 3.6 kg the whole assembly rolls into its own storage bag, and two repair patches with glue are supplied so a puncture in the scrub does not end the weekend.

Recovery boards in the same kit

Two Gen 2.0 recovery tracks are packed with the jack, and they cover the other half of the problem. Once a wheel is off the ground, something has to go underneath it. Lay the boards, lower the vehicle onto them and drive out rather than dropping straight back into the same hole. X-BULL publishes no dimensions, weight or load rating for the boards in this listing, so treat them as an included extra rather than a specified component with a known limit.

Key features

• Inflates from the exhaust: no compressor, no pump, no battery — just a running engine.
• Capacity: X-BULL states 5 tons (11,000 lb), listed as a per-stand figure.
• Works on ground that defeats a jack base: sand, mud and snow, where the load has to be spread rather than concentrated.
• 6 m exhaust hose: long enough to run from the tailpipe to the opposite corner of a dual-cab.
• Two protective blankets: laid above and below the bag to stop it slipping as it inflates.
• Field repairable: two patches and glue come in the kit.
• Two colours: black or olive, chosen at checkout.

Specifications

• Material: high tenacity 1000 denier nylon
• Capacity: 5 tons (11,000 lb), quoted by X-BULL as capacity per stand
• Height: 800 mm (31.5 in) — the supplier's list labels this figure "minimum height"
• Inflation: tailpipe exhaust
• Exhaust hose length: 6 m (20 ft)
• Drive: manual
• Weight: 3.6 kg
• Included recovery tracks: 2 x Gen 2.0 (no rating or dimensions published)
• Colours: black, olive

What's in the box

• 1 x 5 t exhaust air jack
• 1 x storage bag
• 1 x exhaust hose
• 1 x inflation joint
• 1 x pair of gloves
• Glue and 2 patches
• 2 x protective blankets
• 2 x Gen 2.0 recovery tracks

Before you put it under a vehicle

• An air jack lifts. It does not support. Chock the wheels, raise the vehicle, then place rated axle stands under the chassis and lower it onto them before any part of you goes underneath.
• Clear sticks, sharp rock and shell grit from the ground first, and use the supplied blankets above and below the bag.
• Lift against a solid chassis rail or axle, never against sheet metal, plastic body panels or a bumper.
• Keep the bag away from the exhaust outlet itself and from hot driveline components — it is inflating on gas straight out of the tailpipe.
• The capacity is quoted "per stand" without further explanation. Confirm the basis with the manufacturer before working anywhere near the limit.
• No test standard or certification is quoted for this jack.

Black and olive are the same price, so pick whichever you will find faster in a dusty boot. If your recoveries happen on beach sand or black soil, this does the job a trolley jack simply cannot.