Best friend passed away doing a brake job..

[The motor guy]

I don't know all the details yet. I posted this on another forum I belong too also. Sounds like the vehicle fell on him in some way and nobody knew about it. Not sure how you even get under a vehicle doing brakes. I can maybe see getting a leg caught or something like that. Im sure I'll find out exactly what happened during the funeral. He's not the type to not have a jack stand under it. We were childhood best friends for probably 25 years. You can never be too safe working around vehicles. Figured id post this as a reminder.

 

[rijndael]

Not sure how you even get under a vehicle doing brakes.

Torquing caliper mount bolts generally puts me in/under the wheel wheel in some way.

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[The motor guy]

Last year I spent $400 on two new high quality floor jacks like what they use at discount tire to replace my old craftsman that always bled down no matter what. I can keep a vehicle supported for two weeks and not see it drop even an eighth of an inch..

 

[slo town]

Horrible. I used to lay on my back under cars without any concern whatsoever. But now at age 72, being under a car creeps me out even if it's double or triple supported.

Scott

 

[Kira]

Condolences extended.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I'm so sorry... As @slo town posted, the stuff I used to do back in the day terrifies me today.
Today I shove a stand or 2 under the frame and I am still scared.

Stay safe!

 

[The motor guy]

Horrible. I used to lay on my back under cars without any concern whatsoever. But now at age 72, being under a car creeps me out even if it's double or triple supported.

Scott

Im guessing that's what he was doing. He likes to do that when working on stuff if I recall correctly. Doesn't sound like any 911 call was made by him.

 

[The motor guy]

I'm so sorry... As @slo town posted, the stuff I used to do back in the day terrifies me today.
Today I shove a stand or 2 under the frame and I am still scared.

Stay safe!

My cummins will flex the frame 2" if you place it in the dedicated jack points. Better off placing it right up front where the radiator is and more under the engine

 

[spasm3]

So sorry this happened.

Jack stand always, and usually tire/wheel under the frame/unibody rail.

 

[KGMtech]

Sorry for this loss, but thanks for the reminder that we all cannot ignore safety even if it adds 3 minutes to the task.

 

[VolkswagenFox21]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I try to remind myself of the dangers of working on jacked up cars, because it's easy to get too comfortable when you work on cars a lot. Two years ago I was jacking the Tucson up from the rear subframe to do the brakes and the car fell off the jack. Just before it did, I had an intrusive thought of taking a quick peek to make sure the jack is positioned correctly while the car was in the air. Good thing I stopped myself. I figured that was a a stupid idea. Better lower it down, reposition just in case, and then go again.

Seeing the car slip of the jack actually really shook me up. Be careful everyone. It never hurts to take the time and be careful, or add an extra tire, jack, jackstand etc. for extra support. It's also good to just avoid putting any part of you under the car.

 

[jkasch]

Prayers for you and his family.

 

[The motor guy]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I try to remind myself of the dangers of working on jacked up cars, because it's easy to get too comfortable when you work on cars a lot. Two years ago I was jacking the Tucson up from the rear subframe to do the brakes and the car fell off the jack. Just before it did, I had an intrusive thought of taking a quick peek to make sure the jack is positioned correctly while the car was in the air. Good thing I stopped myself. I figured that was a a stupid idea. Better lower it down, reposition just in case, and then go again.

Seeing the car slip of the jack actually really shook me up. Be careful everyone. It never hurts to take the time and be careful, or add an extra tire, jack, jackstand etc. for extra support. It's also good to just avoid putting any part of you under the car.

I dont think throwing a tire under is going to do much on bigger vehicles

 

[Hirev]

Sorry for your loss. RIP to your friend.

Years ago when working on a fwd car on a slight sloped driveway jacked up the front end thinking park brake was good enough. It was not. Now days I think wheel chocks are very important step when working on vehicles.

 

[dubber09]

Very sorry to hear that about your friend.
Please, think of your safety first at every turn, not only life/death safety but also injury safety. An injury to eyes, hands, legs, abdomen area and lungs can be life changing.

 

[mrsilv04]

Last year I spent $400 on two new high quality floor jacks like what they use at discount tire to replace my old craftsman that always bled down no matter what. I can keep a vehicle supported for two weeks and not see it drop even an eighth of an inch..

I'm shopping for a new 3 ton low profile right now. I've not fully trusted my 25 year old floor jack for a few years now. This is my wake up call.

 

[fdcg27]

Very sad.
This sort of thing happens more often than we'd like to think.
A cautionary tale to be heeded by all of us.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Torquing caliper mount bolts generally puts me in/under the wheel wheel in some way.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, torquing caliper bolts and bracket bolts. One car I worked on required 122 ft lbs for the bracket bolt. Very high torque and not much room to maneuver the torque wrench. Even with jacks stands I have felt uncomfortable with that difficult task. Even with a Impact wrench you have to lean inside the wheel well because the impact wrench is opposite to your body position.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

sorry for your loss

 

[Drifter]

Sorry to hear that. Reminds me that I need to replace my composite ramps. Be careful everyone