CX-5 Jack points, Pinchweld Heights, Bottlejacks and Pucks

[Jack Rabbit]

My last few SUV vehicles/trucks had many places to jack and support. Front crossmember, pumpkin, flat spots on frame and even the control arms.

The Mazda CX-5 is not very great for jacking.

Floor jack(with puck) under the
1.) front crossmember or
2.) pumpkin in the garage...

but emergency use or when you feel like fiddling around in the yard means your stuck with the stupid pinch-welds.

Planning to get a small 4 ton bottle jack for emergency use instead of the scissor jack.

Below is what I've found if anyone can confirm:
1.) Front pinch-weld height : 9.75 to 10 inch
2.) Rear pinch-weld height: 10.25 inch
3.) Wheel off the ground by 3/4 inch so 14.25 inch jack height needed for flat to spare switch.
4.) Flat tire(zero pressure) - 5.75 inches off ground start point.

So a 4 ton bottle jack that has min height 7.25 to max 14 inches would work for non-flat maintenance scenarios with the bottle jack on a OSB base with possibly a hockey puck.

However you need a fast portable air compressor to pump up the flat tire while fit bottle jack under vehicle pinch welds. Bottle jack under the pumpkin is a no go...due to the small contact area.

Back to the pinch welds...
The scissor jack only contacts and supports the inner weld/frame and does not touch the outer weld/frame nor the pinch weld itself.

While I trust my puck on my floor jack under the pumpkin, a hockey puck on a bottle jack does not seem safe. To jack at the pinch-weld, the puck would need slit almost 3/4 inches to make contact with the inner weld, leaving only 1/4 inch of solid puck.

Trying not to bend or damage the pinch welds to prevent them rusting away.

Any comments or suggestions?

EDIT: Posted in wrong forum, would you please move to CX-5 forum? Thank you.

 

[RL911]

I use this with a floor jack on the pinch welds. Seems to work fine, but I think maybe the metal pinch weld blocks would be better. I also place a jack stand under the cross member for added safety.

FIVE BANANAS Jack Rubber Pad, Car Black Anti-Slip Rail Pinch Weld Adapter Support Block Heavy Duty for Car Lift (4 Pack, 5#) https://a.co/d/3jqPLnK

 

[Jack Rabbit]

I use this with a floor jack on the pinch welds. Seems to work fine, but I think maybe the metal pinch weld blocks would be better. I also place a jack stand under the cross member for added safety.

FIVE BANANAS Jack Rubber Pad, Car Black Anti-Slip Rail Pinch Weld Adapter Support Block Heavy Duty for Car Lift (4 Pack, 5#) https://a.co/d/3jqPLnK

Nice. What kind of square bottle jack is that ?

 

[RL911]

it doesn’t come with the jack, just the pads.

 

[Jmaz]

For jacking up the front. With my floor jack I put the saddle under the big bolt that goes through the casting on the rear of the lower control arm (the casting contains the big rubber bushing) and place a jack stand under the designated spot (cutout) on the pinch seam.
For the rear I place the jack saddle under lower control arm at the round section below the spring. To protect the pinch seam I have protective covers (purchased at Harbor Freight) on my jackstands. A thick towel or appropriate piece of rubber should work also.

Skip the hydraulic bottle jack and try a Toyota mechanical screw jack that goes way high. Many on ebay at various prices. Easily handle CX-5 weight. I'm considering one. Can run it up with ratchet or impact wrench.

 

[Jmaz]

EDIT: Posted in wrong forum, would you please move to CX-5 forum? Thank you.

My last few SUV vehicles/trucks had many places to jack and support. Front crossmember, pumpkin, flat spots on frame and even the control arms.

The Mazda CX-5 is not very great for jacking.

Floor jack(with puck) under the
1.) front crossmember or
2.) pumpkin in the garage...

but emergency use or when you feel like fiddling around in the yard means your stuck with the stupid pinch-welds.

Planning to get a small 4 ton bottle jack for emergency use instead of the scissor jack.

Below is what I've found if anyone can confirm:
1.) Front pinch-weld height : 9.75 to 10 inch
2.) Rear pinch-weld height: 10.25 inch
3.) Wheel off the ground by 3/4 inch so 14.25 inch jack height needed for flat to spare switch.
4.) Flat tire(zero pressure) - 5.75 inches off ground start point.

So a 4 ton bottle jack that has min height 7.25 to max 14 inches would work for non-flat maintenance scenarios with the bottle jack on a OSB base with possibly a hockey puck.

However you need a fast portable air compressor to pump up the flat tire while fit bottle jack under vehicle pinch welds. Bottle jack under the pumpkin is a no go...due to the small contact area.

Back to the pinch welds...
The scissor jack only contacts and supports the inner weld/frame and does not touch the outer weld/frame nor the pinch weld itself.

While I trust my puck on my floor jack under the pumpkin, a hockey puck on a bottle jack does not seem safe. To jack at the pinch-weld, the puck would need slit almost 3/4 inches to make contact with the inner weld, leaving only 1/4 inch of solid puck.

Trying not to bend or damage the pinch welds to prevent them rusting away.

Any comments or suggestions?

May consider skipping the hydraulic bottle jack and get a Toyota bottle jack (mechanical screw type- is not hydraulic) that are for sale on ebay at various prices (OK to ridiculous). They're for Toyota SUV's and trucks so easily handle CX-5 weight. I'm considering one. Run it up with a ratchet or impact wrench/similar. They go way high for our use considering the ground clearance of the vehicles they are supplied with.

 

[Jmaz]

EDIT: Posted in wrong forum, would you please move to CX-5 forum? Thank you.

My last few SUV vehicles/trucks had many places to jack and support. Front crossmember, pumpkin, flat spots on frame and even the control arms.

The Mazda CX-5 is not very great for jacking.

Floor jack(with puck) under the
1.) front crossmember or
2.) pumpkin in the garage...

but emergency use or when you feel like fiddling around in the yard means your stuck with the stupid pinch-welds.

Planning to get a small 4 ton bottle jack for emergency use instead of the scissor jack.

Below is what I've found if anyone can confirm:
1.) Front pinch-weld height : 9.75 to 10 inch
2.) Rear pinch-weld height: 10.25 inch
3.) Wheel off the ground by 3/4 inch so 14.25 inch jack height needed for flat to spare switch.
4.) Flat tire(zero pressure) - 5.75 inches off ground start point.

So a 4 ton bottle jack that has min height 7.25 to max 14 inches would work for non-flat maintenance scenarios with the bottle jack on a OSB base with possibly a hockey puck.

However you need a fast portable air compressor to pump up the flat tire while fit bottle jack under vehicle pinch welds. Bottle jack under the pumpkin is a no go...due to the small contact area.

Back to the pinch welds...
The scissor jack only contacts and supports the inner weld/frame and does not touch the outer weld/frame nor the pinch weld itself.

While I trust my puck on my floor jack under the pumpkin, a hockey puck on a bottle jack does not seem safe. To jack at the pinch-weld, the puck would need slit almost 3/4 inches to make contact with the inner weld, leaving only 1/4 inch of solid puck.

Trying not to bend or damage the pinch welds to prevent them rusting away.

Any comments or suggestions?

Regarding portable air compressor. Last week I bought a Husky 12v inflator for 29.99 at Home Depot. They carry others at various prices and capabilities. So does Harbor freight. Anyway, I tried it out and it inflated my tire (225/65/17) from 38 to 55 PSI in about 5 minutes or less. I wanted to see if the compressor would even start with being 'deadheaded' against 38 PSI. Some cheap one's will not start against much pressure. Be kind of a drag if the tire is low at 25 psi and the thing doesn't even have enough power to even start inflating. The cord is about 10 ft long but not long enough for the hose to reach the rear tires when plugged in the console outlet. Had to use the outlet just inside the rear hatch for rear tires. So a long enough cord is (obviously) important to check before purchase. Another feature it has is a SCREW-ON hose for the valve stem instead of the clip on style so it's less likely to pop off the valve stem. It's not too noisy either.
Search around a bit if this is something you're considering. There's more powerful inflators available. I think the HF 39.99 model has a video posted by a customer.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

May consider skipping the hydraulic bottle jack and get a Toyota bottle jack (mechanical screw type- is not hydraulic) that are for sale on ebay at various prices (OK to ridiculous). They're for Toyota SUV's and trucks so easily handle CX-5 weight. I'm considering one. Run it up with a ratchet or impact wrench/similar. They go way high for our use considering the ground clearance of the vehicles they are supplied with.
View attachment 315252

Thanks. Yeah they do have nice big saddle heads... which is what I'm looking for. Why don't they make all bottles like this... Way expensive though.

 

[HyFlyer]

... Be kind of a drag if the tire is low at 25 psi and the thing doesn't even have enough power to even start inflating...

Couldn't you start it going first, then attach it to the tire?

 

[Jmaz]

Couldn't you start it going first, then attach it to the tire?

On a previous inflator, I had to do exactly that with the little noisy POS. One reason I gave it away to some kid. This one had no trouble starting against 38 PSI load. That's why I mentioned it. Oh, and this new one cost a whole $8 more and actually has an accurate gauge and a light. Little cooling fan built in too. Works for me.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Ok. Been almost 25 years since had a vehicle that used stupid pinch-welds jackpoints.

Didn't think about it when purchased CX-5 vehicle.

Anyways, usually try to lift with floor jack by crossmembers or pumpkin but that's not always possible.

Learned more about pinch-welds.
Appears they are spot-weld at factory then an adhesive is melted along the welds to fill in any gaps.

No wonder these areas rust out so easily. Just one more reason to use Fluid film on the vehicle and coat the rockers and pinch-welds liberally. Might have to go out and fluid film them again today. Careful jacking of the welds is also best to avoid any damage or bending which would allow water intrusion

I need to use the pinch-welds for jackstands placement, emergency jacking or when my garage is full(which it is full until spring, thus not able to use my floorjack). Therefore am looking at everything as far as pinchweld points.

The Mazda supplied scissor jack does not touch or lift the pinch-weld itself but the wide area of the jack contacts and lifts the car by the inner flat portion of the weld while every single jack pad sold is meant to lift by pushing on the vertical pinch-weld as the slits are only 0.5 inches deep.

My hockey pucks are too thin so a store-bought jack pad of 1.3 inches thick is needed. By using a saw to deepen the slits to 0.65 to 0.75 inches should allow the pad to contact the cx-5 flat inner area for proper support. The jack pads are more expensive than hockey pucks but imo, the extra thickness is needed.

Pucks still used for pumpkin and crossmember lifts but think the thicker jack pads are needed for the pinch-welds and should work great once modified with deeper slits to possibly place on bottlejack.

Has no one run into this issue yet with the pinch-welds? Are you all modifying your pucks?

Also have to wonder if Mazda designed the scissor jack to lift by the inner flat area but
then the garages use 2-post lifts to lift vehicle by directly under the vertical pinchwelds, is it damaging the welds ???
Maybe it's opening up the gaps in the welds ever so slightly ? thus all the more reason to fluid film the welds thoroughly.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I use these with my jack stands. They fit and work perfectly. A little pricy maybe but worth it IMO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

 

[Jmaz]

I use these with my jack stands. They fit and work perfectly. A little pricy maybe but worth it IMO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

These are better than the HF one's I have which only support on the edge of the pinch seam and have deep cuts as a result. I wasn't aware of these and will have to get a set. At $12.99 I don't find them too pricey. Thanks for posting them.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

These are better than the HF one's I have which only support on the edge of the pinch seam and have deep cuts as a result. I wasn't aware of these and will have to get a set. At $12.99 I don't find them too pricey. Thanks for posting them.

Especially since the HF ones are $8.99 now

 

[ruthrj]

I use these with my jack stands. They fit and work perfectly. A little pricy maybe but worth it IMO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

+1 for me as well. I have the same ones and they work great.

 

[Digbicks1234]

+1 for me as well. I have the same ones and they work great.

+1 for me also. I purchased the 2 year warranty for the jack pads and had to use it a few times to get some replacement pads for a peace of mind for an extra $4-7. I would recommend the warranty if you guys are buying the HF jack pads as it's worth it if they're damaged for whatever reason.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

+1 for me also. I purchased the 2 year warranty for the jack pads and had to use it a few times to get some replacement pads for a peace of mind for an extra $4-7. I would recommend the warranty if you guys are buying the HF jack pads as it's worth it if they're damaged for whatever reason.

A warranty on the jack pads? At a cost of $4 to $7 for a piece of rubber that costs $7 each?

What went wrong with the pad that prompted warranty replacement?

 

[Digbicks1234]

A warranty on the jack pads? At a cost of $4 to $7 for a piece of rubber that costs $7 each?

What went wrong with the pad that prompted warranty replacement?

From owning at least 4 sets of these pads, I've noticed that the quality of the material isn't all that great. I think it's some type of PVC that stretches and not actual rubber as it's not indicated on the product description but I could be wrong. They do get the job done but whenever the pinch welds came into contact with the pads, it created a lot of wear and tear on the center portion of the jack pad since it's applying a lot of pressure on one small surface area.

I used to jack up my car a lot to perform service work but I guess if the same set of pads are not being constantly used, then there's really no point of getting the warranty. It's a few dollars for pads with no questions asked. I don't recall the exact price anymore but it wasn't that expensive compared to buying new sets of pads each time the current set wore down. Don't quote me on the $4-7, I think it was actually less. The price right now for a set of pads appear to be $9.

During the covid lockdowns, I had a lot more time to spend on working on my car and my dad's car also. It was better to buy the warranty from HF than to let's say purchase a new set of rubber pads on Amazon and wait 2-5 days for a set to arrive at double the price if the pads somehow get damaged.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I've not had any issues with the jack pads that I purchased at Amazon, not yet at least.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

So I researched hydraulic bottle jacks versus scissor jacks versus the Toyota mechanical jack and decide on the Toyota jack that @Jmaz recommended.

Now converting it for the pinch welds in the Mazda. Cut a 3/4 inch slit in regular hockey puck so the flat portion will catch the frame but barely any puck left.

May have to buy the mass produced jack pads which are 1.3 inches thick and deepen the slot from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch.