If one is not working under a car are jackstands needed

If you have a jack stand or whatever, throw it underneath. It can't hurt.
Perhaps consider what you would do if your son or daughter were helping.

I say this because of all the stupid, ignorant, stupid things I used to do when I was young and stupid and didn't know any better.
I have seen a trolley jack fail. You won't forget it...
 
bdcardinal said:
Do you trust the $.04 o-ring with your life?
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I’m betting not everyone here has high quality jack stands either …
They can fail lightning fast … I have only seen slow leaks in hydraulic jacks - and we use them up to 100 ton …
I still use a scissor jack or bottle jack as a backup …
(if I go under it’s on ramps)
 
safety is ALL WAYS First, no matter what.
THAT is as simply stated as possible. More...
If there's anything U do in the garage, driveway, parking lot 1st... do everything U can to assure safety. That's to self AND others (even pets who I've seen mangled).
Usually, safety as job 1, lots of other problems are avoided (current/future). Costs reduced (time AND money). Equipment saved. U should NOT B around equipment, tools, 1 ton objects (cars, saw logs, homes) w/o common sense and safety consciousness... Saving
money or desire or curiosity can cause injury unless hiring folk who regularly work w/these things. My suggestion? get boots on the ground 1st (either U go there or have them visit w/U) to become familiar if starting from -0-. Please do so as we DO need more folk to initiate. Plenty of us are willing to visit or have U in our shop (esp w/ur own vehicles). uTube is not enuff. Good Luck, ask here~
 
Tire rotations, no. But I'm not under it. If it goes wrong I'll be mad... not sad (or worse).

Oil changes, if I lift by an inch, I don't think it's going to rapidly pump down on me. Questionable. But not going lie, that's what I do.

If I'm under it? no Chinese jacks for me, I use 2x8's that I cut in pieces for wood cribbing. I can accidentally hit those all I want, they are not moving--no lever / notches that could wear out or be poorly cast.

IIRC, most of the cheap jack stands only to say on one axle? not whole car on jackstands? Not sure I have run into that need.
 
Unless I'm just rotating tires, I always support the vehicle with more than just the jack. I've mentioned on this site a couple of instances in my personal life where people had poor outcomes because of improperly supported cars.
 
Even with jackstands, don’t crawl under a car to do anything without someone who knows and can check on you frequently. Just don’t.

I wish this wasn’t a true story , but maybe it will benefit someone who thinks nothing unplanned or bad can happen to them:

My friends coworker was putting a Toploader 4 speed back into his classic Mustang, and didn’t tell anyone he’d be under the car for a while muscling it into place. For those who’ve never done that, it weighs only about 90 lbs but it unwieldy, especially when greasy which they all are to some degree. Well, my pals friend lost his grip and the transmission gashed his head pretty badly and knocked him out in the process of falling less than 18”. Before he was missed he bled out and died under that car that was held up by 4 jack stands.

Just go slow when under a car and take nothing for granted. If you can’t get a helper, at least have someone that will check on you.
 
Snagglefoot said:
On nice days some of the tire shops around here work just with jack outside, but not all. I would think it would be illegal but obviously the safety inspectors turn a blind eye to it.
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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.
 
Snagglefoot said:
Tire shops often inspect brakes while doing tire work. Watch for it. Often the mechanic has his head in the wheel well checking brake pads.
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Yeah, this is what I worry about when leaving the car on the jack only. So I put a cribbing "block" under the car.
The cheapest tire place here doesn't do anything other than tires, so they just use jacks in the parking lot, and never look at anything else!
 
I have never seen jack stands at discount tire. Personally I would rather them not put it on jackstands while they work, less room for error.
 
If I have to lift a car without jack stands I at least throw a wheel/tire underneath it. At least if it falls its not sitting on the ground and I can get a jack to lift it up.

Paco
 
if i am putting my snow tires on with an impact, i dont see the need. if i am doing a brake job, absolutely. all depend on how long vehicle will be on the jack and how much force i an applying to potentially shift the weight of the vehicle.
 
zray1 said:
Even with jackstands, don’t crawl under a car to do anything without someone who knows and can check on you frequently. Just don’t.

I wish this wasn’t a true story , but maybe it will benefit someone who thinks nothing unplanned or bad can happen to them:

My friends coworker was putting a Toploader 4 speed back into his classic Mustang, and didn’t tell anyone he’d be under the car for a while muscling it into place. For those who’ve never done that, it weighs only about 90 lbs but it unwieldy, especially when greasy which they all are to some degree. Well, my pals friend lost his grip and the transmission gashed his head pretty badly and knocked him out in the process of falling less than 18”. Before he was missed he bled out and died under that car that was held up by 4 jack stands.

Just go slow when under a car and take nothing for granted. If you can’t get a helper, at least have someone that will check on you.
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This is something I constantly worry about. I live by myself, have a detached garage and normally if I have to work on one of my vehicles its during the late evening hours because of my work schedule. I kind of keep to myself, so if something was to happen, it would be several days to a week before anyone looked for me, and even then they may not think to check the garage and just assume I wasn't home since my car is not in the driveway.
 
Endo600 said:
This is something I constantly worry about. I live by myself, have a detached garage and normally if I have to work on one of my vehicles its during the late evening hours because of my work schedule. I kind of keep to myself, so if something was to happen, it would be several days to a week before anyone looked for me, and even then they may not think to check the garage and just assume I wasn't home since my car is not in the driveway.
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Get one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" necklaces.
 
If you are not under the vehicle, you can get away with jackstands. Worst case is you'll damage the vecicle. Even if you don't damage your vehicle to badly, it will still be annoying, as you will have trouble fitting another car lift under your car if the original lift has collapsed or the car has fallen off...
The easy solution, as someone else has already mentioned, is to throw a wheel under the sills (or frame rails. if appicable) while doing tyre changes. This will allow you to get a lifting device under the car in case of a car jack failure.
 
totegoat said:
I don't need jack stands when I rotate tires.
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imho people interchange running a business with being a shade tree mechanic all the time. When I pull a tire/wheel, I inspect everything around from pads to shocks to suspension. Would a tire shop in W Phila do that if you roll in for a used tire? Of course not. Are they going to place jack stands? No, that takes time and you're only giving them $20 for a tire. They want you in and out so the 4 people behind you can get serviced and also out of there and $20 ea collected. the name of the game is churn imho.

A more important question is when using a lift or floor jack, did they place it in the right spot or use the proper adapter...my .02 ymmv
 
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