macnewma

SH, what welded steel $60 jack stands do you suggest and where do you find them? I have thought about AC stands, but they are very expensive.

Max

Scootin159

hmm....I've been using those 'cheep' walmart jack stands for a while. Maybe I should get some nicer ones then. I have no problems not cutting corners with safety, but just to eliminate chasing unfounded fears, has anyone ever even HEARD of these failing? I'd have to imagine if even 1 in 1000 ever failed, the lawsuits would remove them from the market.

Also, my standard practice has been placing a block of wood (12" piece of 2x4) between the top of the jack stand & the car (to protect the car). Is this a 'safe' practice, or should I just use the jack stands as is? My biggest problem with using them 'as is', is that the tops of almost every jack stand I can find has a U shape to it, which places almost all the load on the two small ends of the U (you should see the dimples it leaves in the 2x4).

Scootin159

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...27&R=200305227

These look exactly like the ones I got at walmart....how can I tell if they're welded or cast?

dme

I always use a piece of wood at the top myself to act as a pad between the jack and the car.

michaelathome

I picked up a set of Craftsman 3.5ton stands and a jack regularrly $149 for $99 at sears, was there yesterday and they were still on sale, I think that the stands alone were in the $50+/- range, I thought it was a good deal for their reputation and quality, I have been happy so far but they only have about an 20in reach, boy the car looks wierd up that high (@ 15in).

D%$M, they have lowered the price on the stands!

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...Lift+Equipment - Stands

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...Lift+Equipment - Set


Michael

schumi

I have cheapo jack stands and I always keep the jack (a large frame one) under the car as a back up in case the stands fail. I will make it a point to see if they are welded. Eventually I plan to get the ones from Griot's Garage, they look pretty well made. Lincoln makes good ones as well I think (I think they have those at Sam's sometimes).

iloveporsches

Why is cast (one continuos piece of metal) worse than welded (two pieces joined together)?

Epic2112

Hehe sorry, I should have been clearer. I know all about this, I was being sarcastic- suggesting that they have no principles .

father2nate

A welded joint is stronger than a cast joint.

Fishey

After the descussions on hear of failing jackstands. I think I will go with the 25 Ton!!!!! Jackstands that weight only 80lbs (OMG THEY ARE HUGE)..

BTW I am only jokeing

Granite 944

The jackstands that I personally suggest not using are the 3 legged, thin, tubular steel ones that use a pin for height ajustment, and generally a flat top. This really applies to the cheap, and generally the 1 1/2 to 2 ton types. Most all of the jackstands you buy nowadays are the ratchet style, U-saddle, four legged, formed steel, welded joint stands. I personally don’t feel these are a real concern especially if using the 3 ton or more rated ones. The higher the capacity rating, the better I feel about these things.
Have I personally seen or know of jackstand failures? I've only heard of maybe 1 or 2, and saw the damaged jackstand of another. IIRC, all cases were the misuse of, and overloading of the capacity of those stands. One was a ratchet style where a tooth broke off of the ratchet, allowing load to drop to the next cog ( well overloaded by slamming the load on top of the saddle, and was of the older chinese cast steel upper section). Chinese used to have really poor, inferrior steel and castings. I don’t believe that’s as much an issue anymore.
Most, if not all jackstand failures I believe are due to the misuse of them, mainly in the placement of these stands, allowing the car to shift on them, or the jackstand(s) to kick out from underneath the car. In my opinion, if you raise and jackstand only the front of these cars on the frame rail, the higher you go, the more the lateral load exerted on them, and the more likely they can and might kick out. A car with jackstands at four corners and the car level as it sets on them is much less likely to kick out the stands, and will be more stable. I always take and shake the car around after its up on stands or blocks to make darn sure its stable enough for me to want to get under it and start torquing things around. If its going to come down or shift, this is when I want it to happen. Not when I’m under it.
Jackstand rated capacities are for a straight downward load into them, not taking any lateral loads into consideration. The higher the car is placed on these stands, the more give there is a lateral direction. That’s one of the reasons I prefer or suggest 3 ton or more. Their bigger with a wider footprint. The 12 ton I suggested earlier, was only due to the height it can go, with a good wide footprint on the ground, and when used at the lowest height, your not depending on the upper saddle rod ratchet cog to hold much if any weight. I didn’t origninally post this to scare anyone or to suggest that I might be an “expert” of any kind. Everyone has there own “level of risk” and experience level here. If you desire to place your car at the heights it takes to drop an engine out the bottom of it, I thought these 12 ton jack stands might be of interest to some. And there is no doubt in my mind that these would be very safe to use for that purpose, and I know that jacks of this height capacity can be very expensive to buy.

P.S. I just noticed this morning, that JC Witney has some 12 ton jackstands for $30.00, but they are just a little shorter at 23.5”. Sorry about being so long winded.

Fishey.......your killing me.