Me too. I won't go under a vehicle under any circumstance. All three I maintain I can reach all the plugs. When I've been to a shop that wanted to show me something wrong on the underside, I just tell them I'm taking their word for it.
UNREASONABLE: I fear getting under a car on a lift, or even on jack stands.
- Thread starter lizpat
- Start date
The fear is not irrational because there is always a chance -- however small -- that something will happen. (This fear has little to do with the lifted vehicle itself, it's a psychological thing and you will experience this fear in other circumstances.) With the right procedures, tools and precautions, that chance can be reduced to near nil. Accidents of this type happen so seldom that they are immediately put into the news. I use heavy duty jack stands that far exceed the actual weight of my vehicle(s), place them in the correct frame-support locations, and give the vehicle several strong hip bumps at each corner before crawling underneath. I've spent hours working underneath and never gave a thought to being under the vehicle, other than how inconvenient it is to keep crawling down, up, down, up, over and over... now I try to look at it as a form of exercise, with all the pushups and leg squat type maneuvers haha 
That’s the thing—fear isn’t always rational.
But sometimes perception is reality, so...
Sometimes one has to work through their fears, other times it’s not worth the effort.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Same. I'm not afraid of heights or being on a roof, but I'm not a fan of ladders. They're too shaky and wobbly. But I'll still use one if I have to.
I like the idea of vastly over-rating my lifting and supporting equipment...but(there's always a but)...
Most of my tinkering, especially under a car, is on a little British sports car that barely tips the scale at a ton(it's something like 2200lbs).
One issue you run into sometimes is that heavier duty lifts and supports can be too big to be practically used if they will even fit at all. A 6 ton stand that works great for a 1/2 ton pickup may not even physically fit the car unless you lift it to nutty heights, and that can cause its own problems.
I have a hard time using any bigger than a 3 ton or so floor jack because something bigger just won't fit under it. I can and do use 3 ton stands, but even a 3 ton stand can have a big enough footprint that it limits your access to the car from the side.
Consequently, I use 2 ton stands on it most of the time, and unfortunately a lot of the 2 ton stands out there are the budget ones that don't inspire a ton of confidence.
Right now, I'm slowly going through a bunch of stuff on the rear of the car, and I actually have 4 of the 2 ton stands in place. There's a stand on the frame rails(or really unibody rails if we want to be picky) to hold the body in place. Since I've been doing rear suspension work and currently don't have any suspension at all on one side of the car(the other side is put together, but one of my goals in all of this was to swap unevenly "set" leaf springs side-to-side and also replace the bushings) so the rear axle is resting on stands separately from the rest of the car.
I feel decently safe with it now considering that the entire car is barely half the rating of the stand. The front to rear weight balance is close to 50-50, so subtracting out 200lbs(give or take) for rear axle and suspension means each 2 ton stand is holding something like 500lbs.
I bought a set of the plastic Rhino ramps. They are available in two different weight capability ratings. The cheaper ones with the lower weight capacity ratings were rated for more weight than I ever plan to put on them, but I bought the more expensive ones that are a little more inconvenient to move around because they weight more. And I am sure the lighter rated ones were successfully tested to safely handle the rated weight multiplied by some safety factor such as 1.5 to maybe even 2.5. But I feel the heavier rated ones are safer. Safety is worth spending money on.
Low T can cause me to be more concerned about things I would otherwise have confidence in. I know for a fact that the wing spar in my plane is intact. But if my T levels get low, I start to think there could be a problem.
Confidence is one of those things that requires one to be informed, capable and willing.
when i fixed trucks i had zero concern for safety
one of my buddies legs got ran over by a rolling truck and he was back to work in 2 weeks
i could’ve died when an uncaged tire exploded on me, luckily in the other direction
one of my buddies legs got ran over by a rolling truck and he was back to work in 2 weeks
i could’ve died when an uncaged tire exploded on me, luckily in the other direction
With any reputable company, you can have almost 100% certainty that devices are designed to handle a minimum of 1.5x what their published rating says. They have to do this for their own liability. I think the weight capacity on elevators, for example, are 1/2 what they can safely accommodate. Or typical 3-ton jack standards (in a pair) could certainly hold up 4-tons but that doesn't mean cheap out and buy something with the intention of using it on a daily basis. In a pinch, you'd be fine though.
I have Rhino's 12k ramps and our 3 bigger cars are a G35, Accord, and Fusion. None of those weigh more than 4000 lbs so I hope mine are fine for my usage.
Good thread, healthy comments. I learned a thing here on bitog which has been a big favorite - homemade ramps using solid 2x6 or 2x8 lumber. Due to user error (unstable surface) I was under a vehicle when a ramp folded up. Fortunately I wasn’t totally under and could roll my shoulder out as it came down, and with the wheels on it didn’t come down far. Ive never trusted ramps since then. But I don’t care for jack stands either, and if a wheel comes off, it goes down there with me. The solid ramps have been a game changer however. i right-sized them for my use, only 3 planks tall, so they aren’t too cumbersome, but just right for getting the oil out of the sedans still here. Thank you bitog for a great idea.
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Well, I think there is a reason why you’d be afraid to go under a car...it’s because something could happen. It really could. I feel terrible when I hear about that person in their driveway that didn’t use the Jack right, or didn’t use safety stands, and dies. It happens every summer. And I try to remember that when I start to get lazy/careless when working on a car...that anything could happen and you have to everything to prevent it.
i use jack stands and then slide an old tire and wheel or two under the frame for added safety. if the car somehow slips off the jack stand, it will only fall a few inches before the tire catches it. might break my arm but it won’t crush my chest.
Whatever you do don’t get on you tube and search vehicle lift failures. I’m sure this won’t help your fears.
Nick1994.... Werner ladders are very well made and very stable. I have one for my place changing light bulbs and it's fantastic. I have been up a Werner ladder about 8 plus feet off the floor and I felt just fine. Those ladders make me feel far more comfortable because of their stability.
My wife will not walk under a car on a lift under any circumstances, Certified Lift failures are almost non-existent given they're anchored properly.
A good friend of mine is a construction superintendent....He showed me a video of a painter shifting a 60' ladder over about 10'. I wouldn't climb up a 60' ladder much less push myself off the wall & shift the ladder.
A good friend of mine is a construction superintendent....He showed me a video of a painter shifting a 60' ladder over about 10'. I wouldn't climb up a 60' ladder much less push myself off the wall & shift the ladder.
I have a cousin who came home to find her husband dead underneath a Chevy half ton with the oil pan crushing his chest. Out on the farm, they didn't have a pad to use with jack stands, so I imagine he just had it up on a jack or some wood blocks. It pays to be extra careful and respect all that weight.
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no you didn't
