Another reminder to be careful....

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: zyxelenator
If I lift up only one front side I use jack and a stand to hold it, just in case. If 2 sides, 2 stands and a jack...


I do the same.

Raise the car, put in stand, put weight of car on stand, and just keep the jack there as a back up.

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

A neighbor of mine was working on a car held up only by a jack and with nothing blocking the wheels even though his driveway is slightly inclined. I lent him some jacks stands and gave him some pieces of wood to hold on to.

 

[whip]

I have the 12,000 Rhino ramps. I have no fear of them failing. In fact, I trust the ramps more than I'd trust a stand.

 

[glum]

You trust plastic ramps more than a pair of quality 3-ton jack stands? The ramps also rely on the tires and suspension. As unlikely as it seems for a major suspension component to break and have the vehicle plummet, it doesn't seem impossible to me.

 

[whip]

Yes. 6 ton ramps > 3 ton stands. I've seen cars get bumped into and fall off of stands. I've never seen a car fall off of ramps.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: whip
Yes. 6 ton ramps > 3 ton stands. I've seen cars get bumped into and fall off of stands. I've never seen a car fall off of ramps.


Ever see a ramp collapse? Freaky when it happens.

I use stands + wheels + jack. Can never be too safe.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: kelpie
I will put the wheel under the car if i have the car up on jack stands for extra protection. At least if it falls, it won't fall all the way down.

Me too - I learned this on a Mercedes forum I used to frequent. I have the Rhino ramps for oil changes.

 

[glum]

Originally Posted By: whip
Yes. 6 ton ramps > 3 ton stands.

6-ton ramps? The "12000 Rhino Ramps" are rated up to 3,000 lbs each. That makes them 6,000 lbs per pair, or 3-ton.

 

[The_Eric]

Use a decent pair of 6ton stands and carefully place them and be done with it... No need to worry, fret, stew and create something that "could" happen. No need to place extra stands, ramps and jacks under a car. Think with common sense and logic, not fear.

I've relied on stands for many years and NEVER had even the slightest bit of trouble. At my shop, we don't have a lift - so that means jack 'em up and stick the stands under it. Properly placed, you can do an amazing amount of work to a car and never have any issues.

Once you do it every day of your life, you tend to become more comfortable under a car.

 

[timish]

I bought a kwiklift.

Don't have to worry about anything falling or breaking on this thing.

RIP to the young man who died working on the car.

 

[Rick in PA]

Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: [email protected]
Originally Posted By: suspiciousmind

Here's a thought.....Toss them in such a way that no one can use them again if you can.


Yes! Best post in this thread, if you ask me.


I agree, best post. I just went out and grabbed them out of the dumpster and cut them in half with a cut-off saw, ain't nobody gonna use them now

Excellent precaution, for the dumpster divers amongst us!

 

[glum]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Use a decent pair of 6ton stands and carefully place them and be done with it... No need to worry, fret, stew and create something that "could" happen. No need to place extra stands, ramps and jacks under a car. Think with common sense and logic, not fear.

I'm not sure why a condescending, mocking tone is required here. In addition, 6-ton jack stands tend to have a relatively high minimum height, making them unsuitable for some vehicles and situations.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: whip
Yes. 6 ton ramps > 3 ton stands. I've seen cars get bumped into and fall off of stands. I've never seen a car fall off of ramps.


I also use Rhino ramp 12000s and I also trust my ramps more than my stands. They are by far my preferred method of doing any work (if it can be done on ramps, of course).

When I do use stands, the jack stays where I used it with a fraction of the weight still on it as a backup.

On thing my dad mentioned which I never thought of, is the concrete on the garage floor failing underneath a stand and dropping the car. In most cases it seems like the gravel that used to be under these floors when they were poured settles and you end up with voids under the slab. It *shouldn't* happen, but I guess he saw or heard of it. Ramps distribute the load of the vehicle to the floor over an even larger area than the tires but that's not my main reason for preferring them.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: glum
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Use a decent pair of 6ton stands and carefully place them and be done with it... No need to worry, fret, stew and create something that "could" happen. No need to place extra stands, ramps and jacks under a car. Think with common sense and logic, not fear.

I'm not sure why a condescending, mocking tone is required here. In addition, 6-ton jack stands tend to have a relatively high minimum height, making them unsuitable for some vehicles and situations.


Perhaps it could have been better worded, but the idea was to get people to think. To use logic, facts and common sense and not fear in their decisions. In this case, some of the pertinent facts would be the knowing the correct model specific lifting and support points and the safe working load of the jack and stands. These are designed and engineered to safely support the car/truck.

If you don't know how to safely do a job, you shouldn't do it. Sure, I too would make some extremely conservative decisions if I were say... Working the controls in a nuclear power plant. But that would be because I have no clue of what would be going on.... In other words, I have no place there. Again, I know that it could likely be better written, but that is not my gift or my style. I am typically very direct and I apologize if I struck a chord with you or anyone else.


As for the minimum height of the six ton stands is not an issue. The only issue is getting a jack under the car. If you can do that, you're home free.

 

[Mike13A]

Old thread, I know, but does anyone see any issue with using 6x6 treated lumber as a replacement for jack stands? Or in supplement of jack stands? To me they seem even more reliable and fail safe - they are dense, but not brittle (like cinder blocks would be), they can be arranged to have a large foot print, they can be placed virtually any where underneath a vehicle, and they are cheap. I see no way they can fail. Am I wrong? Any thoughts on this?

I usually use two 4 foot lengths as a base and build up off it it as needed, using 4x4s or 2x4s as spacers when necessary.

Mike

 

[The_Eric]

Depending on the kind and condition of the wood as well as how it's used, cribbing can a very safe and effective way to support a load. Without knowing any more, it'd be pretty hard to say.

FWIW- My partner and I have cribbed 30,000lb tractors before- worked fine.

 

[HangFire]

Wood can be used to support tremendous weights, as The Eric points out. Personally, I don't like to use any kind of stack that can slide apart. I do use wood as a backup, but I prefer it to be one piece that is cubicle in shape. Even if it rolls over, it's still supporting the vehicle at the same height.

 

[ffhdriver]

I had an untreated railroad crosstie cut into two ramps. Worked for over 40 years that I worked on my cars.

 

[Mike13A]

Thanks for the responses guys. Good point, HangFire on the stack slidin apart. Hasn't thought about that, so I'll be sure to remember that.