X-BULL Air Jack Recovery Exhaust Jack Kits 5T Air Bag Multi Layer Truck Rescue

Soft sand and deep mud are where a conventional jack becomes useless. The foot just sinks and the vehicle stays put. An exhaust air jack spreads its load across a wide inflatable bag instead, and it runs on the one thing a stranded vehicle still has plenty of: exhaust gas from the tailpipe.

Inflates from the tailpipe in about a minute

The 6 m (20 ft) hose clamps over the exhaust and the engine does the work, with X-BULL quoting around one minute to fill the bag. That hose length is deliberate. It keeps the operator and the jack apart, and it reaches around a bogged vehicle when the tailpipe sits on the wrong side of the recovery. With no pump handle to swing and no rigid base to level, the bag can be laid on sand, mud, snow or broken rock and still find a footing where a bottle jack would tip or dig itself in.

Nylon that stands up to sharp ground

The bag is cut from 1000 denier high-tenacity nylon, the class of heavy woven fabric used on load-bearing recovery gear, chosen because off-road ground is rarely smooth. Two protective blankets come in the kit, one to go under the bag and one over it, which keeps the fabric off rock edges and reduces the chance of the jack sliding out as the vehicle rises. Two patches and a tube of glue are supplied as well, so a puncture two hundred kilometres from the nearest servo is a field repair rather than the end of the trip. Packed weight is 3.6 kg.

Key features

• Capacity per Stand: 5 tons (11000 lbs): X-BULL's wording, quoted verbatim — it is a per-jack figure, not a per-pair one.
• Tailpipe inflation: no pump, no compressor and no power source needed beyond a running engine.
• 1000D high-tenacity nylon: the supplier rates the fabric wear-resistant and scratch-resistant.
• 6 m exhaust hose: long enough to stand clear of the vehicle while it lifts.
• Field repairable: two patches and glue included for track-side fixes.
• 3.6 kg packed: light enough to live in the boot alongside the recovery tracks.

Specifications

• Material: high tenacity 1000 denier nylon
• Capacity: quoted by the supplier as "Capacity per Stand: 5 tons (11000 lbs)"
• Height: listed by the supplier as "Minimum Height: 31.5-inch (800 mm)"
• Inflation: tailpipe exhaust
• Drive: manual
• Exhaust hose length: 6 m (20 ft)
• Weight: 3.6 kg

What's in the box

• 1 x 5T exhaust air jack
• 1 x storage bag
• 1 x exhaust pipe
• 1 x inflation joint
• 1 x pair of gloves
• 1 x glue
• 2 x protective blankets
• 2 x patches

Before you go underneath

• This jack lifts only. It is not a support. Once the vehicle is up, transfer the weight onto rated axle stands or solid cribbing before any part of you goes under it.
• The capacity is X-BULL's figure of 5 tons (11000 lbs) per stand. Do not read it as a per-pair or doubled rating, and do not lift anything heavier.
• The supplier lists 800 mm under the heading "Minimum Height" while describing it as the lift the bag delivers. The label and the description do not agree, so confirm the working height before relying on it.
• Use both protective blankets, one above and one below the bag, on rock, gravel or anything with an edge.
• No compliance standard, certification or test rating is stated by the supplier for this jack.
• The source text says the jack "can be applied to most car". Check your own vehicle's mass and its rated lifting points against the 5 ton figure rather than taking that at face value.

Worth carrying on beach, mud and snow trips where a bottle jack has nothing solid to stand on. Pair it with a set of rated stands and you have a workable recovery kit.