never use a jack without jackstands!!!

[chopped39]

Speaking of car lifts. ALWAYS lower the lifts down to the locked position. Just the same as a jack, the hydraulics are not made to support weight for an extended period of time.

You are not kiddding there. I have seen a couple of cars fall and there is no time to run. I also read someone is using ramps.If they are not a solid design toss them. A good friend of mine lost his little brother to a ramp that collapsed. Alway use jack stands .I have seen lots of people at the track making quick repairs using a cheap autozone jack with no stands Dont take your life in china's hands. be careful

 

[jhanson1750]

My wife is a RN at a nursing home and they have a 26year old male there that had a truck fall on him.
I will never forget when I was 16 I had just gotten my license and my uncle David let me have his 80' Trans Am FREE!! I just had to fix the tranny pan leak (needed a new gasket). Well I drove it up on his ramps (these things were OLD) and went to jump under the car and get to work. My Uncle was sitting outside smoking his pipe and he stopped me. Walked over to the car and leaned against the driver fender. The ramps folded flat and the oil pan actually hit the ground from the drop!! I have always checked my cars by rocking, pushing, and bouncing ever since. BIG THANKS! to my Uncle Jon David Hanson my namesake. Jon Hanson

 

[XLR8]

A friend once told me to be careful under a car because gravity is always on.

 

[Ringo]

I'm glad I read this, I have been under cars on many occasions without stands. Never again!!! I still can't go under a car that is on a lift though.

 

[jcawley3]

I'm glad I read this, I have been under cars on many occasions without stands. Never again!!! I still can't go under a car that is on a lift though.

+1...... I have a hard time working under a lift too....

 

[psycho6cyl]

My brother and I were stripping a 66 Caprice. He was jacking it up on the frame and was telling me no matter how safe u think that jack is always put stands underneath it. As he was saying this the jack went through the frame. It must have been rusty. And he said which brings me to my next point your are almost never quick enough to get out from under. The car falls instantaneously.. From hen on I always used a gd jack w quality stands.

 

[cool 84]

I was thinking about this and realized if you don't get hit in the head, you're going to suffocate. I don't know which way is worse.

I had a car fall on me with just a jack. It was a little foreign car with no motor or trans. Something just didn't feel right so I grabbed the front sway bar. The jack had started bleeding down. No time to get out from under. I started yelling and had my arms locked out in the bench press position. I've done powerlifting for years but this was one of the most painful things I had ever done. I held the car until my friend came out to jack it back up. My palms and triceps were bruised. My chest felt like it was going to rip apart. I had a strong feeling that if my arms came unlocked it was coming straight down on me. Everything turned out ok except for being sore for 3 weeks but after that I've always used stands or blocks of wood. The thought of a car weighing 1,000lbs more coming crashing down is scary.

 

[John Larkin]

Tell me about it.

 

[sasmith350]

it doesn't matter who made the jack/what brand it is....always use jackstands to support the vehicle...do you want to trust your life/health to a 30 cent O-ring.....price a seal kit for your jacks, they are that cheap(just the one o-ring, not the complete kit), i had one collapse on me while i was checking for exhaust leaks....had to hold the exhaust off my chest till the neighbor got home around an hour later(car finally stalled due to overheating)

 

[stack1]

Tell me about it.

That was good, thanks for the laugh!!!

I've always been paranoid about a car falling on me. I use 3 jack stands and the jack, then push on the car a little to make sure everything is secure. It takes a little longer, but I figure it's worth it.

 

[hrhoward]

Don't skimp on jacks, stands or tools. First to will keep you alive. Tools will keep you from getting really aggravated. I never buy either from China. I recently had to borrow some larger sockets and broke the ratchet on the 3rd bolt. This was only the second time the set had been used. Yippie!!!

 

[fitz3820]

I agree with all above: ramps are usually really cheap. Cinder/cement blocks are for walls, not for supporting cars.

I usually give the car good push to make sure it is secure on good jackstands.

Usually slide the wheels underneath as well - just in case. I don't want to be smushed

 

[dsa87gn]

I had a very close call back in the early 80's when i was replacing a control arm on my first car (77 Maverick). I had bent it up after showing off and slamming into a curb. I had it jacked up in the driveway and was trying to break loose a bolt for quite a while. It was mid summer and very hot so I took a break and walked into the house for drink of water. As i was filling up my water glass no more than a minute later i hear boom/crunch. The jacks hydraulics failed.

When my dad got home from work I told him about it. He called his friend who had recently borrowed the jack and he mentioned he way using it to jack up his hunting trailer to level it off.

always use ramps and or jackstands now as i figure I already got my lucky break

 

[need boost]

Good reminder for us all. I am sure we have all done it at one time in our life, I know I have. 20-30 seconds to set up stands and live or 0.5 seconds to die. Think about it guys!!!!!!! and stay safe. I have had one fall before on me as well, thank God I just had one tire up doing brakes and was not under it, jack twisted over and down it came in a split second ! Rear drum hit the ground right between my feet, I have used stands ever since AND kept the jack under it as well. Daniel Ray