Working UNDER your car. (aka, do you really trust your jack stands?)

[FuzzyDunlop]

Is that the gas tank hes welding on?

 

[Rifter]

Is that the gas tank hes welding on?

Yes it looks like it is, and it's a 4x4 so there is no reason he couldn't have climbed up on something like the concrete divider I mentioned above and been 100% safe(other than the whole welding gas tank thing)

 

[Colt45]

Sometimes I lay under the car, look at the cheap chinese jackstands and wonder..

I think maybe I'll cut up a rail tie and start throwing a few cubes of that under there for extra safety.

 

[SkullWalker]

If you are repairing something that doesn't need the wheels to be taken off (like the exhaust) then you can use some sort of ramps, drive on them and securely brake the car. Then the car will be lifted but there will be no chance of your caring falling and crushing you.

 

[disappoint]

I just use old Jenga game blocks. Every now and then I pull one piece out while Charles Bronson and Chuck Norris duke it out on the front seat.

 

[TheHashmaster]

Jack & jack stands usually do the trick. might throw the wheels under there to feel safe, or just throw the car up on ramps.

 

[hanoverphist]

I don't particularly enjoy it. If I need to I will also use the jack itself as a back up. Jacks are not supposed to hold the weight of the car, but of course they do and mine does for long periods of time, so I have it there in case something happens to the jack stands. There's still nothing at all fun about it, knowing that if the car crashes down you ARE fvcked and instantly as well.

an old friend of mine is ase certified and all that, he was working on his own car in thhe driveway with jack stands. apparently one of them failed, the other lost grip and popped out and the whole car landed on his chest. he was pinned for a while since no one was around, but he lived. if it hadnt been for the tires sitting under the frame right behind the wheel wells he would likely be dead. ive always put the tires there, as well as leave the jack under the bumper. if i am stuck on the side of the road ive done some dangerous lift and fixes, but the necessity was there.

 

[exar333]

I have my wife and kid do all the work under the car. That way if anything happens I'll be safe.

Best comment in the thread, hands down.

 

[Lexusls]

I got these for my LS and sports car. 12"x16" base and the way they're made the car can't come off without lifting it up.

www.jackpointjackstands.com

They weren't cheep, but not nearly as expensive as the damage done to a prior car I had when it was jacked in the wrong place and got "jacked up" in the bad way. With these everything locks together. It feels like you've just placed the chassis right on the concrete. The bonus is you use the same location to jack up the car and support the car with this jack stand. Simple - elegant - and U.S. made.

 

[jlee]

I got these for my LS and sports car. 12"x16" base and the way they're made the car can't come off without lifting it up.

www.jackpointjackstands.com

They weren't cheep, but not nearly as expensive as the damage done to a prior car I had when it was jacked in the wrong place and got "jacked up" in the bad way. With these everything locks together. It feels like you've just placed the chassis right on the concrete. The bonus is you use the same location to jack up the car and support the car with this jack stand. Simple - elegant - and U.S. made.

ohai spam!

---

Technically, we would classify Lexusls' post as spam, but, as vshah noted, they do look interesting, and they also directly apply to the subject of this thread.

I phoned this gentleman to inform him about our policy against noobs registering only to promote their own busniness interests and asked if he would like to continue participating on the forums. He said that he would, and he apologized for the appearance of spamming.

AFIC, he's welcome to continue as a member ... as long as he remains within our guidelines. I trust that our members will let our mods know if that doesn't happen.

Harvey
Senior AT Mod/Admin

 

[vshah]

ohai spam!

they do look quite interesting though....

 

[Fenixgoon]

can't say i've ever had any reservations. as long as i know my stands aren't going anywhere, the car isn't going anywhere.

i've gotten in and out of my car with all 4 corners on jacks and no issues with movement of the car.

 

[jlee]

they do look quite interesting though....

lol yes they do...surprised no one has come up with those before (or if they did, that I hadn't seen them).

 

[herm0016]

neat design. useful for cars with hard to reach, or minimal jacking points. Spammers actually have an interesting product? What is the world coming to?!

 

[phucheneh]

The 'jack point' thing isn't especially novel. By 'jack point,' they appear to just mean 'pinch weld.'

But the ability to put their pad on your jack, lift, then slide the stand around the jack and engage the pad is unique.

 

[HeXen]

I use wheel ramps and my man card.

 

[Lexusls]

Apologies for the spamish post. Really just wanted to provide some info. responsive to the posted problem.

Unrelated to that particular product, but relevant to this thread - folks should know that "industry standard" (merely standards set by manufacturers of jack stands and other lifting devices) for jack stands of all types is that they are rated in pairs not single stands. That said, if you find jack stands rated to meet "ANSI standards" - a single stand should hold 1.5 times the rated load for the pair. Note also that jacks only need to hold rated load for a short period of time as they are consider lifting devices - not support devices. Also keep in mind that ANSI is not like UL or other certification entities. ANSI is a standard, but compliance and testing is not supervised. Thus a company can claim a jack stand is "ANSI rated" just by putting it on the label.

The vast majority of "jack stand failures" prove to be placement issues with the vehicle slipping off the jack stand and the stand getting damaged by the vehicle as it falls. The industry standard calls for use of jack stands in pair with 2 tires on the ground - though many people use 4 at a time. The standard also suggest you never go under a car supported on jack stands. I own a lift and owned one before I invented these jack stands.

Finally - notwithstanding an "industry standard" there is no guarantee that manufacturers don't deviate from the standard frequently. Keep that in mind when you're shopping jack stands. It's one of the reasons why you can buy conventional jack stands rated at 4000 lbs for $20/pair up to $100's/pair.

Be safe.

PS Harvey - thanks for the call and interesting conversation. Best Regards - John

 

[tweakmonkey]

Now that I've got access to shop 4-point hydraulic lift and can stand under a car, raise its height and lower it I'm too snobby/spoiled to mess with jack stands except at the track or in an emergency. If I ever quit this job ill put a lift in my house garage. Best tool there is

 

[nerp]

Park on grass, dig hole under car.

 

[skyking]

The crossways wheel/tire and some blocks on that for a safety. Easy to do, not going to fail you if the others do.

 

[phucheneh]

Park on grass, dig hole under car.

If I had a backyard I could park on, I would totally dig a pit. Even if it was just low enough to where I could sit and do stuff under the car. Drainage may be an issue...

 

[Baked]

You know that thing that comes with your car along with spare tire? Yeah, I use that too jack up a side of the car, and I go to work.

 

[phucheneh]

You know that thing that comes with your car along with spare tire? Yeah, I use that too jack up a side of the car, and I go to work.

'Changing spare' and 'being underneath' are not quit the same. And even when changing the spare, i'd not applying any force on anything while the car's in the air, and generally being considerate of the fact that I don't want any part of my body any place where the car falling would hurt it.

 

[mizzou]

I slide the wheels/tires underneath to where even if the jackstands failed the car would land on the wheels instead of crushing me.

this ... lol

2x jackstands, + random shit

 

[postmortemIA]

looking at google news, few of "man crushed by car he was working on" happen each week