I have to be honest - jack stands scare the crap out of me. I have read too many horror stories to ever trust a car supported by them. I know that some RL members have posted photos where they use wood blocks and / or wheels under the car (in addition to stands) to act as a backup if the car slips on the stands or for some reason they fail. While I know this is better then not having anything, my worry is a car that slips laterally (left or right as opposed to forward / backward) might miss one set of backup supports on the way down, possibly leaving just a single set of backup props to support the car. Without wheels on the car, the clearance on the non supported side could be minimal...or even zero.

So far the work I have done has mostly involved leaving the wheels on, and I lifted (front wheels only) with quality 2x12 lumber cut to 16" lengths set squarely under the wheels - I have no idea if this is acceptable / correct to do.

Over the coming weekend I am going to tackle several service items where the wheels must come off so my usual lifting method won't work. Instead of jack stands, I was contemplating using my lift bars along with a stack of glued / screwed 2x12 cut to 16" or 20" lengths - basically i am thinking to make a sold 12"x12" by 16" (or 20"). I am planning to place the stack perpendicular to the car / lift bar length so there is 8" to 10" of support on either side of the lift bar and approximately 6" in front and behind of the lift point. To provide somewhere for the lift bars to sit, I was planning to make a groove in the top board of the stack - possibly a V cut using a circular saw or a table saw set to a low setting. Another idea is to add two partial boards to the top board that are spaced the width of the lift bar, allowing the lift bar to be "cradled" for approximately 12 linear inches by the front lift point and equal at the back.

I was thinking that if the car slips, it has a pretty good chance of being supported by the solid block of wood. In addition this set up gives my stand a foot print of approximately 12" by 16" (or 20" if I have the boards cut longer). For reference the Toriin double locking 12 ton jack stands from North Tools have a stated foot print of 10.25" x 12" (6 ton stands offer a foot print of 9.25"x10.25").

I should also add that my planned major projects include: motor mounts, oil pan gasket, torque tube, clutch, and intake refresh - not all at once :-)

Has anyone tried / seen such a setup, or have any opinions FOR or AGAINST it?

Thanks,
Dave

P.S. I know these are will be heavy / cumbersome, but safety and stability are my primary goals.

P.P.S I have nothing against lift bars...I just would like to explore other options to support them.

 

FWIW, I've never heard of a car coming off jacks laterally - always forward or backward. If you are on 4 jack stands, you should be very safe. I've only had a car come off the stands when one corner was still on a scissor jack

Good luck Dave!

 

If you're really worried, a mid-rise scissor jack might be your best bet. Sure it costs a few bucks, but this is your life and sanity we're talking about.

Something like this...



But at the prices fro these things, you could really go for a full 4-post lift.

 

Andrew, what is the price of that thing?

 

Here is a related thread on that same topic :

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...rise-lift.html

Just trying to save some time..

 

Anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. But the more I think about it, I like it. My biggest problem is that I think I'd trip over it all the time.

You might also think about Max Jax. Google it.

 

I don't know, I think I would feel safer with a good set of 4 6+ton Jack Stands over the wood scaffolding. Wheels can roll and rock just a bit (fore and aft). It is the momentum of movement that would cause instability I would think.

My car on 4 solid jack stands has always been very stable. Even when seriously torqueing on a stuck bolt. But, for safety, I always stack the wheels under the car at the corners.

 

I think this set-up may make it dificult to remove the torque tube. it also seems to consume a lot of room under the car where you may want access to stuff. would be great for wheel well work and probably OK for MM/OP work. doesn't look like it will extent out to the jack points though so not sure what part of the car will be supporting the weight. one nice thing though is that with close to 50/50 weight bias it should be plenty stable.

 

I wouldn't feel safe under a scissor jack lift like the one shown in Andrew's picture. I've heard horror stories about them.
My liftbars, with jack stands and wood blocks for extra safety work well for my piece of mind. Of course, YMMV.

 

The stands will be as safe or safer than a stack of wood blocks unless you are diligent about screwing the whole thing together so it does not slide or roll. I'd go with large-footprint stands (6T is fine) and just put them at minimum extension. The force needed to roll them over is more than you can exert by yourself. If it makes you more comfortable, go ahead and crib the crossmembers with wood, in addition to the metal jackstands. You can slide your ramps under the crossmember front or rear for the same comfort.

 

ok, once again... safe jackstand placement is indicated by the arrow on the left

 

I bought a mid rise (54" I think) for all told about $1k. Mine has 4 adjustable arms, and a riser pad on the end of the arm, so there is some amount of clearance even on the middle of the car directly over the mechanism. I wouldn't drive over it with the arms on, but off its no issue, and they come off pretty easy.

Midrise is really great for work on doors and interior floor and seat stuff. Small footprint, fits under car completely, so no room to the sides is lost. Very simple and reliable mechanism with no chains or pulleys.

Conventional lift goes higher, more access to the middle of the car, but main benefit is that you can stack two cars in the same space if you have the vertical room.

 

 

For the garage with a LOW ceiling.

Kwik Lift ---

www.kwiklift.com

 

I already did Andrew - it's the leading contender for me at this point.