Please critique my jackstand process

[JHZR2]

Ive never jacked a car up to put it on jackstands. Ive sometimes jacked a car up with a hydraulic jack, but that is it. Everything else has gone by ramp or dealer/indy shop.

I need to get my 82 MB up high, but not on ramps, as I want to service it in my garage, out of the elements, to do an oil cooler hose.

This car is high enough off the ground that I do not even put it up on ramps to do an oil change, FWIW.

Anyway, jacked it by a crossmember just behind the engine (after taking the pb off and the AT into N position, wheels chocked), which is where it is recommended to do. I then used OTC US-made jack stands, on their lowest setting (high enough for me) in the boxed section of the unibody, offset by some wood.

I recognize the wood is not optimal, Ill need to use a 2x6 or whatever fits in the saddle best. I want wood to protect the body from metal on metal.

I then used two smaller jackstands, not to support, but as extra protection, under the crossmember that I jacked the car up on.

Thoughts/suggestions????

Thanks!

 

[Jimmy9190]

Well I am no expert mechanic but it seems it would be better if you have to raise the car higher than the jack stands will go it would be better to put something more solid under the jack stand between it and the ground. Something like a cinder block or maybe a block of hardened treated 2x8 wood. I would not trust a pice of wood between the jack stand saddle and the car frame.

I am no expert but I am extremely cautious about crawling under a car that is not properly supported. There was a guy in my high school auto shop class that died because the car he was working underneath fell off the jack stands and it crushed his skull, killing him instantly. That was 28 years ago and ever since then to this very day I check any car I have to work under a bunch of times before I get under it. I shake it, move it, make sure it's level and really safely supported. That goes for oil changes, flat tires, anything.

If you need to protect the car from metal to metal contact with the jack stands, Harbor Freight sells rubber boots that fit over the jack stand saddles. Never used them so I don't know how well they work.

 

[JakeR22]

I'd get the wood out of there.

Metal to metal won't hurt anything.

 

[JHZR2]

Ok. Haven't gone under yet. In fact this task just needs height in front, no need to actually go under at all. Figured it was good practice though.

Still uneasy about metal to metal busting the undercoating from the factory and letting rust in...

 

[eljefino]

Nix on the cinder blocks, they crumble out of the blue. The wood you have (surplus oak flooring??

) is great and a good idea for spreading the load and protecting the undercarriage.

Your policy is great. As I'm sure you know the outer jack-holes on the rockers on that style benz rot out; I'm glad you chose the inner "frame rail". Grab the bumper and give it a serious shake to see if it'll fall off when you're wrenching on it.

Another thing you can do is put some 2x8 wood under the tires so if it does drop the car is held naturally higher. In fact this job seems like one that could be done on ramps, but to each his own.

 

[crw]

Dumb question, but why not ramps, even in the garage? I do it all the time. I always feel safest with good ramps.

This is a little off-topic, but if I ever build my auxiliary garage, I'm going to build in a "sunken bay", so that I can just drive the car over the excavated bay and service it in complete safety and lots of room to work with.

 

[Gary Allan]

Spend some dusty bucks ..raise the roof ..jackhammer out a pit ..buy an electric two pole lift. Have it all, baby!

You're someone who can make it pay.

 

[demarpaint]

Cinder blocks are asking for trouble, in a word NO! Did I say NO? No cinder blocks! Get the wood out of there if you are worried get some old carpet and make a padded liner for the Y portion of the stand, just be 100% certain the frame of the car is in that Y. Chock the rear tires, and get 2X8 for under the tires in case the car comes down.

In all honesty, Rhino ramps work well in the garage and are much safer for any work that tires don't have to come off.

 

[tomcat27]

I really like your OTC (USA) jackstands

 

[levi]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Cinder blocks are asking for trouble, in a word NO! Did I say NO? No cinder blocks! Get the wood out of there if you are worried get some old carpet and make a padded liner for the Y portion of the stand, just be 100% certain the frame of the car is in that Y. Chock the rear tires, and get 2X8 for under the tires in case the car comes down.

In all honesty, Rhino ramps work well in the garage and are much safer for any work that tires don't have to come off.



Agreed, absolutely avoid cinder or concrete blocks of any kind.

I've used pieces of flat wood between frame and jackstand for years. But I don't have any gaps between the bottom of the wood and the support surface of the jackstand.

You've got 4 heavy duty jackstands under that vehicle. It ain't gonna fall on you.

And again, as above, ramps are still better when used properly.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Forgive me for suggesting cinder blocks to the OP....I have never used them either. My typing was faster than my brain when I thought about the OP's question. And you only get so long to edit a post...

I 100% agree ramps would be best if the OP does not need to remove his wheels and the ramps will get the car far enough off the ground.

A thousand pardons for suggesting cinder blocks. Don't know what I was thinking. I personally own 3 pair of jack stands--2 pair if 3 ton and a pair of 2 ton from when I had my old Jeep Comanche. I also follow the OP and others' procedure of placing extra jack stands to really safely support the vehicle.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I can't imagine having all those jackstands under a car while I'm working on it. Trying to maneuver around that mess of stands and wood wouldn't be any fun.

The very best money I ever spent was on my Kwiklift. In 3 or 4 minutes I have the entire car 3 feet off the ground, all 4 tires on the lift and I can do anything I want under it without the slightest fear. I don't have to worry if I have the jackstands in the right place or if I'll damage the undercoating. Yes, it comes with a method to raise a wheel up to do brake/suspension work.

When I'm not actively using it the lift stays flat and I park one of my tractors on it.

The one I have is identical to the one in the picture below. Hightly recommended for anyone that does their own automotive work.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: crw
Dumb question, but why not ramps, even in the garage? I do it all the time. I always feel safest with good ramps.


Me too... but Im doing a job replacing oil cooler hoses. This will take (for me, nothing ever goes right and I take at least twice as long as everyone else) likely months to get the job done. It includes carefully removing steel to aluminum hose connections without harming a $500 oil cooler, removing an engine mount and engine shocks, routing hard hoses under the car, etc. Given how long Ill be working on it doing an hour at a time, I want to be able to keep the car out of the elements. The best way to do that is to get the car up safely, and without needing runout to get up on ramps. My garage is really only long enough for a car, so I can't really get it on the ramps. Lifting via a jack to get wheels on a ramp would take it too high for my liking...

 

[cjcride]

How much?

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
it would be better to put something more solid under the jack stand between it and the ground. Something like a cinder block


NEVER never never never never NEVER NEVER!!!!!!! use cinder blocks, bricks, or any other masonry product to support a vehicle. They are extremely brittle and any sharp edge putting a lot of pressure on a cinder block can make it shatter instantly and without warning.

Wood isn't bad when used simply to prevent metal to metal contact- the problem I have with the way the wood is used in those pictures is that its too thick and raises the frame rails up out of the "jaws" of the jackstands so that the vehicle could possibly slide sideways (not likely, but we're talking about protecting a life here). I use a disk of plywood (cut with a hole saw) in the pocket of my floor jack to protect the underside of my cars, and as a bonus the frames "bite" into the wood and are held very securely because the wood is captured in the cup of the floor jack. But for jackstands, I always allow metal-on-metal contact, and I leave a little bit of weight on the floor jack when possible.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: crw
Dumb question, but why not ramps, even in the garage?


Can't do that when you need to unload the suspension (bushing changes, ball-joints, springs, shocks, etc.)

Ramps are good, but frankly I feel best when the vehicle is held up by a few really good jackstands.

 

[willix]

4 stands is overkill on one end of the car. 2 of them will just be in the way. The 2 under the engine cradle can go. You can get a hyd jack for $15. That type of stand needs to be loaded or its too easy for them to scoot & tip if if you get movement. It would be far safer to put the spare tires under the side frame rails and use the wood blocks to shim the gap.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Cinder blocks are asking for trouble, in a word NO! Did I say NO? No cinder blocks! Get the wood out of there if you are worried get some old carpet and make a padded liner for the Y portion of the stand, just be 100% certain the frame of the car is in that Y. Chock the rear tires, and get 2X8 for under the tires in case the car comes down.

In all honesty, Rhino ramps work well in the garage and are much safer for any work that tires don't have to come off.

 

[sunfire]

I fold an old sock over so its double the thickness. And put it on the floor jack and between the car and stands. What do people think? While I'm letting up on the floor jack the car slides just a bit getting on the stands. I'm not too thrilled about metal sliding on metal. The contact points usually leave holes in the sock. I was using tape on the jack stands but it would just get torn up every time.

I don't know if wood is a good idea because the car could slide off.

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: willix
4 stands is overkill on one end of the car. 2 of them will just be in the way. The 2 under the engine cradle can go. You can get a hyd jack for $15. That type of stand needs to be loaded or its too easy for them to scoot & tip if if you get movement. It would be far safer to put the spare tires under the side frame rails and use the wood blocks to shim the gap.


I don't think 4 is over kill just extra insurance. I have a pair of 2 tons and 3 tons. I try to get them all under the Corolla if I can. I will not go under unless the 3 tons are used though. Getting crushed isn't worth the money I save by doing things myself. Yes I am a bit of a coward.