If one is not working under a car are jackstands needed

Should NASCAR pit crews be required to use jack stands also?

Serious question here... Are average jack stands really safer than an average hydraulic floor jack? To me, it seems like most jack stands are kind of wobbly and not as stable as a floor jack, and the V-shaped thing that contacts the car isn't as good as the big round pad that's on a floor jack (unless the jack stands are used under a solid axle, but not many vehicles even have those anymore). Also, the ratcheting pawl/gear mechanism of a jack stand seems like it could be prone to failure, maybe just as much as a hydraulic floor jack might be.

I understand what I'm saying is probably a moot point because you should be using them together so the jack becomes back-up to the stands, and all working together is certainly the safest way to go. With that being said though, lets say you had 4 hydraulic floor jacks vs. 4 jack stands. Would the jack stands really be safer?

Personally, I might tend to trust the hydraulic jacks more. Am I wrong?
 
captainbeandip said:
Should NASCAR pit crews be required to use jack stands also?

Serious question here... Are average jack stands really safer than an average hydraulic floor jack? To me, it seems like most jack stands are kind of wobbly and not as stable as a floor jack, and the V-shaped thing that contacts the car isn't as good as the big round pad that's on a floor jack (unless the jack stands are used under a solid axle, but not many vehicles even have those anymore). Also, the ratcheting pawl/gear mechanism of a jack stand seems like it could be prone to failure, maybe just as much as a hydraulic floor jack might be.

I understand what I'm saying is probably a moot point because you should be using them together so the jack becomes back-up to the stands, and all working together is certainly the safest way to go. With that being said though, lets say you had 4 hydraulic floor jacks vs. 4 jack stands. Would the jack stands really be safer?

Personally, I might tend to trust the hydraulic jacks more. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...
Ever seen a trolley jack fail? It ain't pretty.
 
If I'm going through the trouble to jack it up even for brakes I'm going to put jack stands under it. I also put the jack up just to the point where there is a tiny bit of pressure so if the jack stands fail the jack will keep the truck up. It's just not that time consuming or much trouble.
 
blupupher said:
Why would it be illegal?

I don't get the issue, jack stands under a vehicle are a personal safety issue, not a vehicle issue.
There is no chance of personal injury if the jack fails and you are not under the vehicle.
You actually put yourself at more risk putting a jack stand under the vehicle (because you have to put part of you body under the vehicle to place most jack stands) vs just the jack when changing/rotating tires.

Places like Discount change hundreds of tires a day. The more tires the change, the more they make.
It adds time to use jack stands.
You have to place the jack, jack it up, get the jack stand, place the jack stand, adjust the jack stand, lower the jack, change the tire, jack it back up, remove jack stand, place jack stand back out of the way, lower jack.
Or place jack, jack it up, change tire, lower jack.
Click to expand...
If it fails while you're muscling the wheel back on, you might get an arm crushed. Think about it... It drops down and your arm is on top of the tire and it gets wedged between the fender. Ouchie.
 
I never use jackstands to rotate tires.

It would be more likely to fall on my arms while reaching under to place the stands, than it is to hurt me if not using them.
 
i lift a car with a jack or ramp occasionally, im putting a jackstand or a tire or something underneath. Pros different story, they work on a ton of cars, so they feel more comfortable.

Different strokes for different folks
 
Chances are good a set of ramps will do the job safely.
Chances improve with a jack stand underneath the frame just in case.

Safety first.
 
"If one is not working under a car are jackstands needed...."

If I'm not working under the car, I wouldn't need to jack the car up. If I'm just removing a wheel, not putting it a stand is at my own risk.

I won't leave a vehicle lifted on a jack for an extended length of time. If it's going to be in the air for a while, I'll put it on a stand.
 
There's a thread around here showing that the collapse of Rhino Ramps has happened. I think someone stated that company was sued out of business due to the ramps collapsing. I have an older set without all of the large gaps and they work fine. I did put a 2x4 in the front of each one vertically with screws so it would be pretty hard for them to collapse. One picture I saw it looked like the vehicle drove onto the front lips of the ramps which made them collapse. Also some ramps aren't designed to be stored outside. The sun can kill the structural integrity of some plastics.
 
Yes! You could still get hurt if you don't. Safety is the 1st and most important thing! Listen to me please!
 
If I’m working on a lifted vehicle it is getting both a jack and stands supporting it. I used to keep stands in all my vehicles in case of a roadside flat. Nowadays I’m probably just calling roadside assistance unless it is a dire emergency. With how distracted people are driving, I more worried about being hit than the vehicle falling on me.
 
I never use them removing/swapping/rotating wheels with a jack.

Ramps/blocks is my go-to for under car work.

I place one beside the jack along the pinch weld as my redundant safety if I need to be in the wheel well.
 
warnerwh said:
There's a thread around here showing that the collapse of Rhino Ramps has happened.... One picture I saw it looked like the vehicle drove onto the front lips of the ramps which made them collapse.
Click to expand...
This, maybe? I'm assuming I hit the front lip too hard which rotated the ramps forward and down. I should have taken a picture of the car sitting on the broken halves of the ramp (it made a hell of a jolt!). But as steep as the ramps are, there's a fine line between too much gas, and not enough.

9pfvcg.jpg
 
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