Very nubie question, but was curious to see what people have been using in the way of jack stands along with lift bars. Was told 6 ton would be better to use, but some 6 ton reviews caution against auto use becuase of their height.

Whats your choice?

Thanks
Dave

 

No problem with HF 6-ton stands. They'll let you get the underside of the car to 20" or so off the floor, enough to completely remove the TT, transaxle, and suspension.

 

6 ton, all the way up.

 

I like the 6 ton Torin from Northern which have the little lock bar insert and chain.

Cars are rock solid on 6 ton stands.

 

I use 3 ton with no problems whatsoever. I always use RR tie pieces under the car as well (once it's lifted), just in case.

 

Some of the 3 ton stands scare me. I'v read that it takes less than 100 pounds of side pressure on a car up on those to tip it over. That's one guy leaning against the car.

I quit using the 3 tons after I read that. I used them for years with no problems but that low side loading tolerance scares me.

 

I did a thumbnail calc and the overturning force is about 175# lateral with the HF 3T stands at full extension. Upgrade to the 6T at the same height and that goes up by more than 50%. I use the 6T for any job that includes me being under the car. The 3T stands are fine for holding the car up for wheelwell work and the like, but never at full extension height.

FWIW, the 175# number is not a 175# guy leaning on a fender. Reality is that there are few if any jobs under the car where you will ever get close to that kind of force. Think about a bench press of 175#, but sideways laying under the car. You'd have to be braced on something other than the car for that number to be meaningful. It's unlikely that you'd ever do it. But in my experience there are "Always" and "Never" as you define possible conditions. If it isn't truly "Never", you have to design for "Always". When I'm under the car, the Importance factor goes way up too. A full set of 6T stands is less than one paramedic call around here.

 

Maybe the reason you seldom hear about jackstands falling over is because the guy who was under the car.......is not talking anymore.....

 

Amen

 

I did my motor mounts with the HF 3 ton stands. The extra height of the 6 tons would have been nice.

Personally, I don't think they are likely to tip, or are unsafe, but you do have to be careful when raising the car...

 

If you really want to fly, get 12 ton stands. But you need at least one pair of 6 ton for the first lift (and a jack with an adjustable bucket).



Don is exhibiting the Darwinian method of jacking at a non-perpendicular angle.

 

Good illsutration about how it all plays together, and adds credence to the idea that there may be some 'preload' on a stand or two even when they looks like they are all well-supported.

First lift for me is at a rear jack point, with the jack facing perpendicular to the centerline of the car. First stand goes under the front corner on the side I'm lifting. Second lift is from the opposite rear corner, and this time the jack is aimed at the stand that's already under the front on the first-lift side. This lift is higher than the first in front, to where a 6T stand will go in easily and up a few clicks. Back to the first side rear again, and raise until a 6T stand will go in at the same height as the second one, and again with the jack pointing at the opposite-side front stand. By now, the rear apron is pretty low so now it's time to get the jack under the rear crossmember from the rear straight in. Pick that up, and place two 6T stands under the rear jack points at the appropriate height.

Doing it with the liftbars means I have 2-3 lifts instead of 3-4 to get the car on 4 stands. I also gain a few inches of height that the liftbars add between the jack and the car. The jack goes straight in on both sides, and so long as the rollers on the jack and your smooth garage floor allow the jack to move smoothly as you pump it up, there won't be any appreciable lateral preload on the stands under the car. All good things.

 

Part of the problem was that I was using my small HF aluminum "racing jack" which has to roll more than larger jacks as it lifts. Switching to my larger floor jack fixed the issue. The lift bars were borrowed, so it was my first time to use them. See what happens without government-mandated warning labels?

Wondering about the calculated side force to tip one of these jacks.... did the calculation take into account that there is more than one jack, and at least one other would have to tip also?

 

The shorter jack arm means it rolls less I think. ASSuming it lifts to the same angle on the arm, of course, the longer arm on a larger jack would yield more displacement of the base at the same degree of movement.

 

Look at the angle of your floor jack. Suposted to be perpendicular to the long axes of the car, otherwise it will pull the car in the wrong direction during lifting (just like in your pic).

As a safety measure, I always try to rock the car after lifitng. It must be solid as a rock, with no lateral movement. If it's moving, you need to re position the stands.