linderpat

Interesting thing just happened over on the Mustang Forum. The site admin, a heavy poster and presumably someone who appears to know what he's talking about, just said he'd never support the entire weight of a car on jack stands. The thead dealt with lifting and supporting a mustang. I advocated at least 3 ton jack stands, at all 4 jack points. The admin jumped in with his remarkable advice. I've never heard such a claim before. Anyone else hold this view? If so, please explain (of course Porken's liftbars and other lift devices are great, but the question revolves around jackstands only)

RKD in OKC

Sounds like an excuse to justify a lift.

blown 87

I would venture that a large majority of 928 are made to run again on jackstands.

As long as you use the right tools for the job, no reason to fear jackstands.

Once you start using a lift it is very hard to go back though.

AO

Had a 928 on stands yesterday and today, under it, beside it, pulling on it, pushing on it, felt safe the entire time. But man I want a lift. Next house... that's what I keep telling myself.

Lizard928

There is a reason behind his logic.

The reason is that a car with 2 wheels on the ground with wheel chocks cannot be levered off the stands. A car on 4 Jack stands could possibly be rocked off the stands with the right application of leverage. Same with a 2 post hoist.

mickster

Interesting since nearly every professional race car at Lime Rock I saw was on 2 or 4 jack stands at any given time before or after the race...

Landseer

Am only worried when I have the 3/4 K 'burb on 4 jackstands.

GlenL

Get good jackstands and put them on good cement.

dr bob

The heavier vehicle, at the same height on the same footprint, has a larger rollover force required to get it over ceb=nter and off the stands. Excepting outright failure of the stands, which is quite rare, you are probablysafer under the big 'burb'.

Landseer

You should be on TV. Mythbusters.

WallyP

"Am only worried when I have the 3/4 K 'burb on 4 jackstands. "

I couldn't reach most of what I need to work on if I had my wife's four-wheel-drive Suburban up on stands. Only time that I need to jack it is when I need the wheels off...

I will say that I really like having something under the car to catch it before I go "crunch" when I have it up on stands.

blown 87

With the right lever you can flip a car on all four wheels, but your statement make it sound like a 2 post lift is unsafe.

both of mine are very stable, even with a large four door dually diesel pick up truck on it.

Erik N

Hey Landseer- We both have early OB's and a 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburbanators! Are we cool or what?
No one else need reply...

EDIT: I see WallyP has one, too. So that's 3 of us now!

thal

the only things to fear with jackstands are poor quality metallurgy and forging (hopefully no one uses cast stands), aka cheapo jackstands. i will not put my life in the hands of folks who make cheap ****. i'm sure no one else would if they stop to think about it. it also never hurts to look at the cogs every now and again for evidence of corrosion, pits, or God-forbid hairline cracks.

when i did my engine and clutch work i lifted the car with a jack, temporarily kept up with jackstands, and subsquently put two sets of 6"x6" timbers under the wheels. it takes a little longer to bring the car back down, but i felt awfully safe while laying under it for too many hours.

NoVector

I'm with Wally, I always leave the jack under a lift point somewhere under the car in addition to the stands. Even if it doesn't save me, the first responders will know where to lift the car off my corpse and not screw up the car.