Would these stand welds make you uncomfortable?

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rationull

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I got some new jack stands a while back because the post top profile is the best I've found for the pinch welds on one of my vehicles. I haven't used them yet and I'm debating whether I should exchange them due to what I naively perceive as iffy looking weld quality (I didn't buy them in the store so I didn't get to inspect them before buying them). Now, I know next to nothing about welding and I'm guessing this is no more than a little cosmetic ugliness. But if there is a potential problem I want to err on the side of caution and get them replaced.

Here is one example:



This looks OK, especially toward the far right with the weld being generally smooth and raised a bit from the surrounding area. This is what I'm used to seeing from the other stands I have.

This one shows what I'm concerned about:



Toward the right side on this one there is some indentation where I'm assuming the surrounding metal was melted away during welding. Rather than the weld joint looking like it was "painted over" the mating area between the two pieces, it looks more like a layer in between. Hopefully that makes sense given the pictures.


Could this indicate a weaker weld or is this kind of thing just cosmetic? I wouldn't be concerned except none of the other 6 stands I have look like this, and none of them are anything special or really nice/expensive...
 
The guy was running real hot and moving real fast on that MIG weld.

In some places I'd say the weld doesn't have enough filler material.

The guy needs to back off the heat and slow down just a little bit.
 
I'd ask two question
1) who makes this?
2) what is rated capacity in relation to your car's weight?

1) unless its craftsmen ( quality been going down anyways i know ) or another reputable brand I might take risk.

2) if these things are rated for twice as much as your car's weight , you should be ok.

either way, if you have harbor freight nearby, return or throw em out and use their 20% super coupon to buy new ones.

If your in exchange period, I'd try to that. Jackstands need to be well made, and they ussualy are but I wouldnt trust no engineer, testing machine, or worst a person when it comes to my safety.

Prob fine for quick oil changes, if you actually going to do any break/suspension work forget about it.

if your too cheap you can always use your car's jack in conjuction to feel extra safe, I do it all the time and I have 4 ton stands and my are weights 3 tons total.
 
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I take it these welds are on the top end/neck area of the stands? If so, then the loads into the stand where these welds are is basically pure compression. The weld doesn't look like it would be supporting much side load at all. I take it those welds go all the way around the neck of the stand?

The welds do look to have good penetration and melt, which is important for a strong welding of two pieces together.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
I take it these welds are on the top end/neck area of the stands? If so, then the loads into the stand where these welds are is basically pure compression. The weld doesn't look like it would be supporting much side load at all. I take it those welds go all the way around the neck of the stand?

The welds do look to have good penetration and melt, which is important for a strong welding of two pieces together.

Exactly, no shear load to speak of, all compression. Those welds are fine IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
I take it these welds are on the top end/neck area of the stands? If so, then the loads into the stand where these welds are is basically pure compression. The weld doesn't look like it would be supporting much side load at all. I take it those welds go all the way around the neck of the stand?

The welds do look to have good penetration and melt, which is important for a strong welding of two pieces together.

Exactly, no shear load to speak of, all compression. Those welds are fine IMO.


+2
 
The welds are poor by any welders standard. Notice the undercut at the edge of the bead. This reduces the thickness of the base material by the amount of the undercut. Exchange them if you can.
 
I'm certainly not going to challenge a guy whose name is tig1
grin.gif
.

There are a few threads at Garagejournal showing some bad U.S. made jack stands that got past quality control regarding weld seams. Some think that it is more cosmetic than structural. Many were simply upset over the principle of paying a lot more for U.S. made quality.

I don't intend to be a fear monger regarding these. I feel that it is more cosmetic and the principle of the matter is what bothers me. I would not accept the red US Jack ones below.

US Jack
jackstands009_zps197c8aaa.jpg

jackstands010_zpsa6891bbf.jpg


Hein Werner, when they USED to be US made: (not sure if the links work)
attachment.php

attachment.php
 
They are Harbor Freight stands. I'm not a tremendous fan of HF in general and I actually didn't get them because they were cheap, I got them because of the unique profile of the contact surface. I only didn't mention it initially because I didn't want the low-end cost to be a factor in opinions
smile.gif


They are rated for 3 tons and the vehicle I'd be using them on is 1.5 tons. So plenty of capacity.

The welds do go all the way around.

I'm leaning toward exchanging them. HF is a little ways away from me which is why I didn't go to the store the buy them the first time, but I'm guessing I can get them to exchange them given the concern. Assuming others in the store look any better -- but if they don't I guess it means I don't need to exchange them anyway.
 
While I'm also not going to challenge any welding experts here, I've put down quite a few miles of weld in my life also.
Even though the welds shown look pretty poor, IMO they will do fine if the capacity of the stands are not exceeded.
If you don't feel comfortable underneath a car while using these stands, move up to jack stands that are rated for a higher capacity. (In reality, is is somewhat scary trusting your life to somebody in China making $.29 a week)
 
Originally Posted By: Kruse

If you don't feel comfortable underneath a car while using these stands, move up to jack stands that are rated for a higher capacity. (In reality, is is somewhat scary trusting your life to somebody in China making $.29 a week)


I agree. I have a set of 4 ton stands that I've been using for a while which I trust, but like I said the HF ones have a better profile to avoid damage on a particular vehicle I have and I haven't seen any other stands that look like they'd work as well. Not generally a bargain basement shopper for safety equipment.
 
The weld shown in the first post is far better than the worst welds I've ever seen on a jack stand. I have ones with similar welds that are around 15 years old, including 5 years use in a professional environment.

I would not be concerned with those welds. Likely exchanging them will get you welds of similar or worse quality. Spending more money on more expensive stands won't guarantee better welds.

The threads complaining about welds are always purely cosmetic complaints. I've never seen any actual evidence posted about them being unable to hold the rated amount.
 
Originally Posted By: morris
a bad weld is one thing . but a weld in the wrong place NO WAY.


I agree.
I would have no problem using the welded stands in the first pics, within there rated capacity.

The weld IS in compression.
 
The first welds looked really too hot and fast. The second set on the red stands looks too cold with poor penetration. I am no expert. Its one thing if you weld something yourself thats not perfect and its not a safety issue. Its another to pay for bad welds.
 
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The only time I've seen ratchet style jack stands fail was when subjected to an impact. Like if you were to quickly drop a vehicle chassis onto the saddle.

I dropped a paver onto some stands once and one sustained damage to the ratchet mechanism and swelled the square tube surrounding the ratchet lever. The welds on the frame held.

Both stands were tossed into the trash pile.
 
Originally Posted By: Kruse
While I'm also not going to challenge any welding experts here, I've put down quite a few miles of weld in my life also.
Even though the welds shown look pretty poor, IMO they will do fine if the capacity of the stands are not exceeded.
If you don't feel comfortable underneath a car while using these stands, move up to jack stands that are rated for a higher capacity. (In reality, is is somewhat scary trusting your life to somebody in China making $.29 a week)



$.29 a week snap everyone makes more then me......
 
Well, I'm sure the welds were probably fine but I went by the closest Harbor Freight today to exchange the stands because I knew it'd continue to bug me. To their credit, they did the exchange even though the stands were about a month over the standard 90 day return policy (they'd been purchased out of town as a gift a while back). It was obvious they thought I was being ridiculous and were basically rolling their eyes and laughing about it when they thought I was out of earshot, which I find a little annoying, but given the kind of store it is I'll deal with it.

The new stands are item number 38846. The welds look much better IMO. I can post photos if anyone's interested but they're more boring (normal) than the originals. The casting on the top of the posts is much better too where the old ones had some defects. The finish is also slightly different. Guessing maybe different lines or different factories for the different item numbers.
 
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