The top pic is the rear with the large jack abutment, the bottom pic is the front behind the front wheels - no lift abutment in sight for miles -

 

I'm ordering a set of round pinch weld pucks just in case that's the way, but seriously Dodge, please put a fookin floor jack point on the dang vehicle. How did they skip this?

 

The top pic is the rear with the large jack abutment, the bottom pic is the front behind the front wheels - no lift abutment in sight for miles -

I use the flat frame like parts of the unibody close to where the transmission cross member bolts on. DO NOT jack it on the L shaped bracket just in front of this area. You can see it in the picture. That is a very weak sub frame support that will bend easily and cause a terrible creeking noise in your front end. Believe me, I know from experience. There's a thread on it somewhere here.

 

The pinch weld pucks and a standard floor jack won’t clear the rocker panel flares. The pinch weld pucks are a good buy for other vehicles you may have so don’t throw them out.
For me and I have done this several times nows, I use the area in your bottom picture where the gray undercoat is showing. This is where the factory body lift is positioned while they build the vehicle and the material in this location appears to be at least two pieces of steel overlapping and welded together. Also keep in mind that when you take your vehicle to the stealer ship they will use a post hoist and they more than likely position the hoist arms in that exact spot. Use a hockey puck on your floor jack to lift the vehicle on that main chassis member, be careful to watch the floor jacks metal plate so that it doesn’t crush any of the hoses and tubes running next to the chassis member, if you use a hockey on the jack plate there is more than enough clearance and you won’t have to worry. You can then place a jack stand with a pinch weld rubber topper under the rocker panel area in the normal jacking position and lower the jack if you like.
Hope this makes some sense.

 

Thanks Tony and YouMadBro! I think I got it. Just to clarify, you're saying to lift at the spot on the unibody rail just in front of that little round hole in the bottom pic?

 

That's where I lifted my 2018 with my floor jack. I watched it carefully as I went to make sure the metal wasn't deforming.

 

this is where I place my hockey puck in your picture

 

One item of caution there, be very careful that it doesn't slip off the jack. There isn't any positive lateral or longitudinal capture in that location and if you're jacking it way up, the body will tilt and could try to slide off. Always use a jack stand.

 

Agreed as I mentioned above a jack stand with a rubber topper for pinch welds on the pinch weld rail. Also if you use a hockey puck on your floor jack the hockey puck will give a little to take up the movement of the chassis and the rubber is very "grippy" not perfect but I feel much more comfortable lifting on that spot with a hockey puck.

 

I either put the jack under the lower A-Arm or a crossmember. I don't think I have seen a car without a crossmember under the engine. The only time I need to put it somewhere else is if I am changing out the A-Arm or suspension.

 

Urbish and YouMadBro - you guys are articulate and engineering-detail minded. It's refreshing to read folks online with astute advice on physical mechanics. I totally got what I needed on this thread. Thanks! Btw, might as well ask you two since we're at it, is it me or is the driver seat-bottom kind of narrow and uncomfortable? I'm in love with everything about my 21' Tow N go, except the dang seat. I'm an average sized guy at 5'10 and 175 lbs and it ain't wide enough for me. The raised outer edges compress my thighs and I'm aware of it within 5 minutes of driving. Not a huge deal but other than that, love this truck. All my other cars have wider seat bottoms.

 

Thanks Robdokwon. I like the seat in my 2018, but it did have someone else mashing it into shape for the first 2 years of its life. Maybe yours just needs to get broken-in?

 

If you don't like these seats then you definitely wouldn't like the seats in my '06 Daytona. They are the snuggest, best bolstered seats I have ever owned, not having owning any sports cars. That car is designed for cornering and driving hard and my wife and I just love the seats. The car sticks to the road like glue and the seats really hold you in place. We even like them on long trips. We have wished we could get that exact design in every car we own, but no, we can't. Maybe you are big-boned?

 

hahaha, no not big boned. But anyway, it's not the bolstering (I know what that is - I've been tracking sport cars for years) but rather the side "lips" of the bottom part of the seat, it's too narrow where it begins on both sides. Most other seats have bolsters as well but they are positioned wider apart so one can get some comfortable degree of leg splay before it blocks you (or in this case, sort of oddly bumps up under your thighs). In fact these seat bottoms aren't really side bolstered at all (for keeping you in place) but rather just a mis-leveled "interruption" from the too-narrow expanse of the main cushion. It's a flaw. But you're right, if the focus group jury liked it then I'm clearly the outlying odd-ball. I'll own that.

 

I happen to concur with you on this, I even feel that the cushion is too hard. But as you say with 5'6 and 150lbs I too am possibly not the perfect "mean" person they design seat for

 

I never jack on the sides. I always jack front or back or both if I’m rotating tires. In the front I use the frame piece between the control arms. The one toward the front. Then put jack stands under where those black pieces bolt to the frame(where they won’t bend). In the back there’s a good spot in the middle(in front of spare tire) to get under then there’s a spot in front of the rear tires that’s good to put jack stands under.

 

bigunit54-could you post some pics of your jack and stand points that you noted in your post? That would be awesome.

 

FYI, I have come across 2 different versions of the 2021 owners manual. The jack lifting location pages are slightly different, with one giving more detail.

 

Yes, same lifting spots but the Jack Locations pdf is much more detailed.


Thank you for the documents!

 

I was also curious what size jack stands folks are using. I’m not as concerned about the weight (6 ton versus 3 ton) as both will suffice, but more about the length and if people find that the typical length of a 3 ton stand (16-17 inch max height) is enough for the durango versus the 6 ton which usually go up to about 24 inch max height.

 

I've been good with standard 3T stands. If I was doing any extensive exhaust work or something the additional height might be a good thing.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. I’m just doing brake work or tire rotations, so think the 3 ton would be fine for most folks.