Safety Precautions using Jacks
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 50
From: Prosper TX
Safety Precautions using Jacks
We know we talk about it all the time...about how to jack up the car properly and safely. I had the car up on all four jack stands today working on the car and I swear it freaks me out every time I do it.
Aside from a lift (I'll save that for next house) what else do you do to provide that little extra bit of precaution when you have her on stands?
A million things go through my mind...what if one of the jack fails and then that puts more stress on the other jacks and they all fail, or don't pull/tug too hard as you don't want to shake the car, etc.....
Aside from a lift (I'll save that for next house) what else do you do to provide that little extra bit of precaution when you have her on stands?
A million things go through my mind...what if one of the jack fails and then that puts more stress on the other jacks and they all fail, or don't pull/tug too hard as you don't want to shake the car, etc.....
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,197
Likes: 4,287
From: Westminster Maryland
Hi FS,
I've always been concerned about a j-stand failing or knocking the car off the j-stands somehow.
Since I'm almost always in the garage by myself I always take the time to take the wheels off and push them under the corners of the car.
I figure that gives me about 10" of crawl space under the car if I need it.
Just today I had just one jack stand under the car and one wheel under it too.
My wife says she's glad I take the time to do it since she's the one who'd need to clean up the mess.
Regards,
Alan
I've always been concerned about a j-stand failing or knocking the car off the j-stands somehow.
Since I'm almost always in the garage by myself I always take the time to take the wheels off and push them under the corners of the car.
I figure that gives me about 10" of crawl space under the car if I need it.
Just today I had just one jack stand under the car and one wheel under it too.
My wife says she's glad I take the time to do it since she's the one who'd need to clean up the mess.
Regards,
Alan
Last edited by Alan 71; Aug 28, 2011 at 06:29 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
Ramps!
Steve,
Like you, I was worried about jack stands (I hope you meant jack stands and not jacks!!!!) so I built some ramps and hard stands. I used 1" square thick walled steel tubing and angle iron at the bottom. The tops of the stands measure 12 x 24" and the bases 18 x 36"and they stand about 18" high. They are joined by "connectors" that I made from 1" square steel and marine ply and I have three stands and two connectors on each side of the car.
Once the car's wheels are on the front and read stands, I can remove the connectors and the middle stands so that each wheel is supported by one stand as described above. Then I can safely work under the car without any fear of it rocking or falling.
Because of the flared build of the stands, they stack into each other and don't take up much room when not in use. I've got to post photos to show their construction.
Hope this helps.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Like you, I was worried about jack stands (I hope you meant jack stands and not jacks!!!!) so I built some ramps and hard stands. I used 1" square thick walled steel tubing and angle iron at the bottom. The tops of the stands measure 12 x 24" and the bases 18 x 36"and they stand about 18" high. They are joined by "connectors" that I made from 1" square steel and marine ply and I have three stands and two connectors on each side of the car.
Once the car's wheels are on the front and read stands, I can remove the connectors and the middle stands so that each wheel is supported by one stand as described above. Then I can safely work under the car without any fear of it rocking or falling.
Because of the flared build of the stands, they stack into each other and don't take up much room when not in use. I've got to post photos to show their construction.
Hope this helps.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
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Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 32,976
Likes: 6,497
From: Rochester NY
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '26
Several years ago a friend gave me a couple boxes of 4x4 wood, cut one foot long. I put 3 of them side by side, then 3 more on top of those going the opposite way (90 degrees) and so on as needed. I then slide 1x4 or 2x4 in to fill out, so the wood "pillar" is under some solid part of the frame near where I'm working. If something should give, the car will only be able to drop less than an inch before encountering that. This is in addition to actually supporting the car on jack stands.
It's well worth the extra few minutes it takes, for my peace of mind. I have heard of hydraulic jacks blowing a seal and dropping suddenly, and would never trust one of those if I was going to be under. Cars can and do shift sometimes as we work on them, so anything you can do to protect yourself is wise. In most cases, you won't get a second chance.
In this matter, being paranoid is a good thing!
It's well worth the extra few minutes it takes, for my peace of mind. I have heard of hydraulic jacks blowing a seal and dropping suddenly, and would never trust one of those if I was going to be under. Cars can and do shift sometimes as we work on them, so anything you can do to protect yourself is wise. In most cases, you won't get a second chance.
In this matter, being paranoid is a good thing!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 4
From: Regina Saskatchewan
2nd cousin is a mechanic by trade who also works after hours in his garage. He was in a hurry , hydraulic jack tipped and pinned him under a car. Damn near died. He was able to use his cell phone to phone his wife who came and got him out and took him to hospital. He ALWAYS uses jack stands now - even when in a hurry or for a quick job.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,220
Likes: 6
From: www.Z16.org North/West Pennsylvania
Hi FS,
I've always been concerned about a j-stand failing or knocking the car off the j-stands somehow.
Since I'm almost always in the garage by myself I always take the time to take the wheels off and push them under the corners of the car.
I figure that gives me about 10" of crawl space under the car if I need it.
Just today I had just one jack stand under the car and one wheel under it too.
My wife says she's glad I take the time to do it since she's the one who'd need to clean up the mess.
Regards,
Alan
I've always been concerned about a j-stand failing or knocking the car off the j-stands somehow.
Since I'm almost always in the garage by myself I always take the time to take the wheels off and push them under the corners of the car.
I figure that gives me about 10" of crawl space under the car if I need it.
Just today I had just one jack stand under the car and one wheel under it too.
My wife says she's glad I take the time to do it since she's the one who'd need to clean up the mess.
Regards,
Alan
That's exactly what I do.