For decades, the timeless "farm jack" has been the standard for off-road use. We have used floor jacks with big tires, bottle jacks, scissor jacks, and other options over the years, but none of them could match the versatility and range of a farm jack. That said, there are some compromises with farm jacks. They are heavy, can be difficult (or even dangerous) when used improperly, and take up a lot of room in your vehicle. The Tauler Jack from Brennan's Garage looks to address those issues. Brennan Metcalf is an engineer and avid off-roader who is always looking to build a better mousetrap. We think he has done so with the Tauler Jack, which is economical, has a huge range of motion, and is more compact, safer, and easier to use than a traditional farm jack.  

Related: Ever Heard of V-Drive for 4x4 Vans?

The Tauler Jack comes as a kit with CNC laser-cut components that you weld onto a trailer jack that you source. Once built, this jack has a 15-inch stroke from a minimum of height just under six inches to just over 50 inches using the easy-to-adjust foot and base. The Tauler Jack can be run all the way up without risking it getting stuck between clicks and it's fine-adjustable anywhere along its travel. The greaseable screw jack mechanism is inherently safe and will not bypass pressure or fail to engage a pin all the way like some other jacks. The fabricated steel foot is designed to provide a wide, stable platform with aggressive teeth to prevent slipping in adverse conditions. The 3/4-inch steel rod in the tip allows for a safe, smooth connection to soft rigging equipment or a 5/8-inch hard shackle if the need arises. The foot is long enough to grab the lip of a beadlock rim if you need to get something under the tire like a traction mat, rocks, sticks, or snow.

The Tauler Jack kit from Brennan's Garage comes with all the CNC laser-cut 1/4-inch steel parts needed to turn a normal trailer jack into an off-road Tauler Jack. The company even includes part numbers from McMaster-Carr for items that may become worn or damaged over time.

The first step is to remove the paint from the jack body to allow for welding. We sourced a Reese Pro Series trailer jack (PN 1400850383, around $100 at time of print) rated at 8,000 pounds. It is rather slow, and we asked Metcalf if a lower capacity jack would be faster due to the gearing, but he said that has not been his experience.

The tab and slot system will align everything for the foot when clamped to a flat surface. Plug-weld all four tab and slot locations. Fully weld the entire circumference of the pin weld washer to the pin mount using the socket head bolt for centering. This is what keys into the jack, so precision is important here.

Build the nose first to allow test-fitting in all positions prior to welding the pin plate to the body of the jack. The first time we built a Tauler Jack we mounted the pin plate too high and could not use the top hole without hitting the head of the jack.

Sand every weld location on the laser cut parts to clean the metal. Weld every

flat location on the pin plate to the jack body, allowing extra time for cooling, and move around from location to location as you weld to prevent warping of the jack body.

You can see here how the socket head cap screw keys into the pin plate to allow you to mount the foot in different locations depending on how high you need to lift and what surface you are starting from. We generally use our Tauler Jack on bumpers and rocksliders, but you can lift from inside a beadlock wheel as well.

Building the jack at home makes it less expensive to purchase and easier for Brennan's Garage to ship. We used our Millermatic 220V MIG welder to burn the parts together. The entire process took under an hour, including time we paused to take photos.

Once the welding is complete you can paint the components to keep them from rusting. Then all that is left to do is mount the jack in your vehicle. It is less bulky than a farm jack but bigger than a bottle jack or scissor jack, so some thought is necessary to safely mount the Tauler Jack.

The Tauler Jack is comparable in cost to a farm jack and is easier and safer to use. It is also more compact, but it is not capable of clamping or being used as a winch. Perhaps the biggest advantage to a farm jack is that there is an abundance of mounting options on the market that do not yet exist for the Tauler Jack.

When this Cherokee broke a leaf spring center pin on the Rubicon it was only a minor inconvenience thanks to the Tauler Jack. One person started lifting the vehicle while the other retrieved a new centering pin and tools to swap out the broken component quickly and get back on the trail.

In episode 1 of the new video series 4x4 Garage, host Christian Hazel tears down the suspension of a 1988 Ford Bronco for a 6-inch Superlift system and dives into the axles to prep them for new 4.88 gears and Eaton TrueTrac differentials to support the 37x12.50R17 Falken A/T3W all-terrain tires for awesome performance. Want to see more? Subscribe to the MotorTrend YouTube channel today!