Originally Posted By: eljefino
I take a chunk of 3/4 plywood to put between my jack and the dirt. I use old rims laying sideways for jackstands, but generally don't go under a car. (They sit in muck and rot underneath.) Did grab a saturn transmission from a car up on two full size wheels and one donut, per side. Held the engine from falling in with a 2x4 across the fenders and a cargo net I liberated from a station wagon.
With cheap chinese parts available my self-serve 'yarding is generally limited to good used tires, already off the car, and tiny sensors that retail for $89 but go for $5 used.
I get stuff off car-part.com but that's pulled for me.
Most vehicles at the place I visit are already "lifted" on stands made from steel wheels welded together. But the last time I was "in the yard," I saw a Ford Explorer someone had jacked up and stacked brake drums underneath to keep it off the ground. It was about three feet in the air and very unsteady. Looks like they pulled the tranny. No way would I have climbed under that thing.
The place I frequent even has engine pullers you can "borrow" if you're pulling the engine from a car. They're great big things about ten feet tall that roll around on old automobile tires with a chain hoist welded to the top - pretty cool. The idea is you pull the engine and then roll it to the gate.
Here, you take the tires and wheels off yourself and buy tire and wheel together for 20 bucks. I think that's still a pretty good deal as tires are already mounted and balanced, all you have to do is bolt them to your car.