[MARTINSR]

Guys, this is a very serious subject, I personally have had two guys I knew personally die under a car because of stupid mistakes. What ever you use, be sure it's properly done and if you have the wheels off the car, slide them under it. It's the best no brainer safety measure ever. You need a place to store them anyway right? Slide them under the car and that gives you a foot or so to save your butt if something fails.

Brian

[sedanbob]

Brian, Excellent suggestion. I always use jack stands, no matter how quick I think the job will be. It only takes a second to fall. I usually leave the jack under whatever I jacked the car up by (rear housing, crossmember), but let the weight onto the jack stands.

[timothale]

Sometimes I used to drop a 13 in rim with no tire Into a wheel like Brian said to have a little more height.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by timothale

Sometimes I used to drop a 13 in rim with no tire Into a wheel like Brian said to have a little more height.

Hold on here, I didn't say to put a jack stand on top of a wheel, is that what you are saying because that is a HUGE no-no!

What I described was simply sliding the wheel and tire under the car AFTER it's on the stands as a back up in case the car falls it falls on the wheel that is laying under the car hopefully saving you from a broken leg or arm.

In no way would I ever suggest putting a wheel down and then putting a jackstand into the wheel or something like that. That would be EXTREMELY dangerous.

Brian

[bentwings]

We have some dedicated heavy duty (6 ton I think) jack stands that we added 1/4" wall tubing instead of the adjustable part. This is welded permanently to the base. They are about 40" tall and have a piece of channel to bracket the frames.

These are used for building our trailer frames and not for supporting cars or trucks.

We also use the double support method when using jack stands. Some of the trailers we get in for repair are barely able to support them selves. Some are wired together, some are just falling apart, some are already worse. needless to say not a real joy to work on. I like to say we charge once for the repair and once for endangering everyone on the road.

I always put something else besides a jack stand under vehicles too. I had a 4 ton stand shatter the top end as I lowered the jack on the front of my one ton dually. Scared the living death out of me. Luckily the jack caught the truck and I was not under it although I had already put an extra wood block a ways back on the frame. It only dropped a couple inches before it hit the jack and there was only another inch before it would have hit the support but it still made me stop and re-think the jack stand situation.

I don't trust them, especially since the great majority are made out country.

You simple can't be too safe when crawling under vehicles or anything heavier than you are.

[MARTINSR]

This is what I am talking about, just slide the wheel underneath it.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Like I said, I have been to a funeral of a friend who had a car fall on him and a co-worker of mine left and went to another shop dying just a month or so later under a car there. I know a guy who was there and tried to revive him but his head had been crushed like a watermelon. This is SERIOUS stuff here. All it takes is some common sense and MORE safety than you think, that is now how you look at it, when you think it's safe enough, take another step.

Brian

[sedanbob]

A few days ago I saw a picture of a friend of mine working under a car raised only on a jack - I gave him some flak about it, and mentioned it to his father-in-law whose shop he works in, so he can 'remind' him to always use jack stands. He doesn't know it, but I am having a set of 6-ton stands sent to him. It won't make him always use them, but hopefully it will make him think about it. He is a young man with a wife and four lovely daughters.

[MARTINSR]

Right on Bob. I walked into the shop today to see one of my co-workers welding up an inner quarter on a Subaru. He had no fan on, no respirator, and he was inside the car that was full of smoke, this is ZINC on a late model car, weld thru primer is ZINC, all panels on a late model car are galvanized, and here he was breathing a LOT of ZINC fumes. Fumes= "A dispersion of solid particles in a gas. Fumes are often produced from high heat, such as during welding."
He was BREATHING ZINC! Zinc particles filling his lungs.

I had to go get a fan and he still didn't want it thinking it would suck away the shielding gas!

Damn this life is so wonderful, I am going to do anything I can to lengthen it, not shorten it. Taking a chance for an experience like sky diving, that's one thing, but breathing Zinc when you don't have to, come on now.

Brian

[sedanbob]

Keep after him Brian. There are plenty of ways to hurt yourself in an auto shop, you don't have to make more of them!

[evolvo]

Here's how I acquired my tall jack stands, I made em'. I used 3/16" angle and 1/4" spreader bars. The feet are some 1/8" tabs I had around.

[Larry123]

Originally Posted by evolvo

Here's how I acquired my tall jack stands, I made em'. I used 3/16" angle and 1/4" spreader bars. The feet are some 1/8" tabs I had around.

I like them, great job.

[S10xGN]

Originally Posted by evolvo

Here's how I acquired my tall jack stands, I made em'. I used 3/16" angle and 1/4" spreader bars. The feet are some 1/8" tabs I had around.

Very nice! Here's how mine came out. I was thinking I'd have to jack the car a bit to relieve the weight, but the jack screws can be adjusted with the weight still on them. With the small bases, I'd not want to do any "work" without the rotisserie still in place but I may remove one of the spreader bars for creeper access. Thanks to all for your input!

Russ

[sedanbob]

S10xGN, I can see where you would need something really tall to assist getting a body up on your rotisserie. No criticism intended, I don't have a lot of experience working with a rotisserie, but why would you need to use a creeper under it? Why not just rotate it? I have only put one body on a rotisserie, but we used a pair of engine hoists.

[sedanbob]

Originally Posted by evolvo

Here's how I acquired my tall jack stands, I made em'. I used 3/16" angle and 1/4" spreader bars. The feet are some 1/8" tabs I had around.

Those look good - extra wide and stable. How tall are they?