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Interesting "jack stands" but are they safe?

6K views 28 replies 20 participants last post by  1971BB427 
#1 ·
#3 ·
I agree, needs gussets.
you could still remove the wheel. just need a block or make an adapter for the floor jack. I made a set of platforms for a Midwest mod that would hold the weight scales. then when done just roll the car back onto the work platform.


DDF693
 
#4 ·
The funny part is, I'm not a structural engineer, not by a long shot and I thought the same thing with them giving me serious heebee-geebees!


Brian
 
#5 ·
I'm not a structural engineer either, but I don't see the problem with diagonal bracing. The force is distributed straight down over four individual posts. Kinda like a jackstand x 4 for each corner, and the base is actually larger in area. Gotta be a whole lot less wobbly than a single post jackstand...

Russ
 
#7 ·
I'm not a structural engineer either, but I don't see the problem with diagonal bracing. The force is distributed straight down over four individual posts.
Yeah, and so long as the car never gets bumped sideways, you're fine.... Any load that isn't directly downward and you need gussets of some sort.

As for the utility of this design, if you have to use an adapter of something to bypass the stand to take the tire off, why not just use THAT from the beginning? That's my point - using this system is just more work instead of just using a regular jack and stand. I don't see any benefit. I guess the only possible benefit is that if you had a jack that didn't go very high, this is an alternative to wood blocks between the jack and the frame. Lifting the car from one tire, while the suspension bounces on every pulse of the jack handle, doesn't strike me as the best way to do this, however.

Again, seems like the answer to the question nobody asked. Different isn't necessarily better.
 
#6 ·
I was at tractor Supply the other day and they have a jack stand with a jack built into it. I thought it was an interesting concept. The combined a bottle jack and jack stand in one package. I think the name was PowerBuilt
 
#9 ·
Think they be great for a body that is low to the ground and gonna be up in the air for a while.


MATERIAL:

  • 12ga. steel
  • locking pins are spring loaded, and made with .375 inch stainless steel.
FINISH:

  • black durable powder coat finish.
MAX LOAD:

  • a maximum load rating of 2000 lbs… four stands will support an 8,000 lbs. vehicle.
  • The stand has been load tested by an independent, private lab to determine peak compression strength via static compression testing.
DIMENSIONS:

  • 12″ wide x 18″ long x 8″ high.
  • extended height is 14 inches.
  • inside section of the top tire pan, where the tire sits, is 11″ x 11″ x 1.5″ deep (will fit tires widths up to 275mm / 11 inches)
WEIGHT:

  • One stand weighs 35 lbs.
WARRANTY:

  • 1 year on product to be free from physical defects in material and workmanship.
DDF693
 
#12 ·
. You have 8 tubes welded all the way around under each tire... they're not going sidewise...


. They say they don't get in the way, but they do if you want to take the wheels off...


. Looks like something for fluid changes and exhaust work and that's about it...
 
#13 ·
Lateral support is very poor without a gusset or cross brace like support. That tube welded does very very little for lateral support. Of course this could be made up with thicker metal. A 1/2" base with 1/4" wall tube welded properly is going to make up for a heck of a lot of braces, but I don't see that here. Here's a site called "Pre-engineering" LOL that lays it all out. http://www.pre-engineering.com/resources/lateral.htm

We may be over thinking the lack of lateral support, would the load be sideways to need it? I don't know, I am sure the guys aren't dummies who made them, it just gives me the willies.

Brian
 
#16 ·
MY Buddy ! ! !

I was living in California about 20 miles from the Big Crack during the 89 earthquake. We had 2 cars up , each one with all 4 wheels on the drive on ramps. they were parked 90 * to each other one came down. the other one was ok. I now am quite far from a fault line but They say all of yellowstone could blow . I have a tree stump with a smilley face sprayed on it. He goes with me when I go under a car.
 
#17 ·
The big earthquake in the SF bay area in 1979 I was under a '34 Ford Phaeton up on a "bay lift" like this one.


Nothing fell but I rolled out from that mutha and ran out of that building! We had fenders, mostly early Ford fenders hanging from the pipes throughout the building. They were banging together like giant wind chime. :D

Brian
 
#19 ·
Would I work under my 2500 pound '31 using those stands? Yes. Would I work on my 8360 pound pick up? NOT A CHANCE !!!!!!!!! But I will also say that there is always a backup/fail safe alongside of whatever jackstands I use, including my 6 ton versions. I usually use the spare wheel and tire or crib up some 4x4x18 (or 6x6, whatever I have) treated wood.
 
#21 ·
good thing i'm not a structural engineer either otherwise i guess i could never do the motor swaps,brake jobs, tranny replacements, rear end replacements, rear axle seals, air ride suspension on my 4 post lift. funny thing is as a hobbyist 99% OF THE TIME MY LIFT IS USED FOR STORAGE SO IT IS MUCH EASIER AND SAFER THEN MY 2 post was ( sorry for the caps hit it by accident). yes my 2 post was easier to do a brake job on but don't sell the 4 post short
 
#22 ·
My best friend was killed by his own car falling. He has skipped school to work on hotrod. His brother found him when he got home from school that day. Because of improper safety of his own accord. I don't take any chances and those don't really bother me...but as a mechanical engineer, adding diagonal support braces would add integrity with little to no penalty in weight or cost.
 
#24 ·
What holds that Big Block engine on your engine stand? One heavy tube welded to the mounting plate of the engine stand at a right angle to the load.

If those things weigh 35 lbs apiece they must be made out of pretty heavy material. I personally believe 16 tubes under my car would be safe.

John
 
#27 ·
Ramps would be quicker. I don't own a set of ramps though...they scare me.
Jackstands have always been for me.
If you are going to jack up a car and throw a lump of Iron under it, use a pair of wheels, like the junkyards do. Save the money for parts,not fancy pants horse manure like those stands. JMO
 
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#29 ·
Although I haven't used those stands in particular. We have used home built wooden box stands for decades. Made from 2"x14" planks, and having a 2" lip on the top to keep the tires from rolling forward or back. They work great, and even without setting the parking brake, or having the car in gear, there was never any car that tried to roll off them.
 
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