glmoore0001

Got my Porken Lift Bars in the mail. To celebrate I went to Harbor Freight and Bought new 6 ton jackstands.

When I got the car up in the air, it was a good 17" off the ground and it could not have felt more solid.

There are tabs that are supposed to be bent in on the stands (to keep the notched bar from coming out), but comparing where the car would be with the stands on the first notch, I let it be and let the stand rest in the full bottom position. At the first position, the top of the stand was nearly even with the top of the sills.

If I use them on the SUV, it will have to enable the tab, but not till then.

GT6ixer

Same set up I have. I really like it. I'm using jacks from US Jack and also have them bottomed out, but plenty of room

Fogey1

I have fantasized about welding a set of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-s...nds-61197.html
6 ton Steel Jack Stands

To a set of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece...ies-67338.html
1500 lb. Capacity Vehicle Dollies

But I have too many years' imagination to do it.
Oh, to be 20 again!

Imo000

Not a good idea to weld jack stands to a dolly.

Captain_Slow

I also have liftbars, 6 ton HF stands, and the HF low profile 2-ton jack. Works great.

Whitesands

I have the 6 ton stands, i set them at 5 clicks which makes the stands 20" high, the car is very solid at this height.

Kiwi'79

Ok I am starting to get nervous about the 3 ton stands I have just brought, not heavy enough?

ammonman

The issue with the 3 Ton stands isn't the capacity, it's the stability of the small base dimension when they are extended up to gain working clearance. The 6 ton stands generally have a much larger base dimension and are therefore more stable when the stands are extended.

Mike

Kiwi'79

Ah!!! excellent thanks, when I am under the car I intend leaving wheels on as well as having a "wood" platform under them should something go wrong, this is the first car I have ever had on jacks to work on, thinking now I should sell my as yet unused 3 ton stands and buy 6 tonners, I tend to err on the side of caution.
Apologies if I have hijacked this thread somewhat.

FredR

Kiwi,

The only thing you should potentially feel nervous about is the structural integrity of the stands you purchased, especially if the were made in China given their potential for lack of quality control. The Chinese make plenty of good things these days but there are way too many products that are decidly dodgy- their jacks for starters.

If your stands are up to it, one stand will support two 928's based on load rating alone and there will be a considerable safety factor on top of that. Whether the material used is up to it or the fabrication is another matter altogether.

For sure a 6 tonne stand is a stronger proposition and very nice to have - no engineering knowledge needed on that one but the difference between engineers and technocrats is that a real engineer knows what is needed in absolute terms. Anyone can tell you if you put twice as much concrete in your house foundations they will support twice the load but what the non engineer types cannot tell you is just how much concrete you really need.

I use my own version of the liftbar principle [they are a great idea]. I use a 2 inch square section galvanised steel beam. If one of the jackstands were to fail the load would immediately transfer to the opposite diagonal and whereas it might "rock" a bit in this condition the load will not collapse- I tested such to prove the point. To mitigate against such possibility if I am working under the car, I place additional jacks next to the axle stand at the end of the car I am working on for extra insurance.

The most important part of the piece is to ensure you are on solid even gound.

Rgds

Fred

Kiwi'79

Thanks Fred,

Yes made in China but sold through a very reputable company here who won't sell cheap rubbish.
Nice flat concrete floor, I will also adopt the lift bar principle, an engineer friend will fashion something up for me (freight would be to expensive from the states for such heavy items).

Your reply is appreciated thanks again.

Schocki

I'm using this setup since 2005 Liftbars, 3.5 ton Sears hydraulic floor jack and 6 ton HF jack stands. No issues. If I go all the way up, it is even possible to remove the rear axle and to take the automatic out. Great bang for the buck!

FredR

The only problem I experience with 3 tonne stands is that I find the fully raised height a bit limiting. This can easily be rectified by the use of appropriately sized hardwood blocks under the stands appropriately keyed but I prefer to work utilising the stands as intended.

Rgds

Fred

Kiwi'79

Fred
I have made my mind up based on this thread that I am going to purchase 6T stands, and use the 3T as "back ups" at least until I become comfortable with being under the car, I agree that they should be used as intended.
Best
Steve

leiplouis79

I use the same config - HF 6 ton and the Porken bars(they are sweet). I have (2) -2 ton low profile HF trolley jacks and they can lift close to 28" up --add the porken bars( + 3") and you get decent height. If wheels are on --I place ramps under them for extra insurance should the world go wrong. Still envy the guys with a lift