i was working on the trans linkage last week. i'm small, so i didn't really need the car raised- but a little extra room is nice. so, i was using a gm goodwinch jack from wally world $16.88. under the car, and snap- the car landed on the jackstand. i don't think the hydraulics failed, i think the 2 metal bars that raise it bent and broke loose. the jack was rated for 4000 lbs and i only had it raising 1/4 of car. my head would have been crushed like a melon if i hadn't had the jackstand. this is one time i'm glad i listened to my dad, he was the one that taught me to use a jackstand even with the jack. i was a little un-nerved but ok. and yes, i know that is a small cheap jack, but don't need a jack very often.
never use a jack without jackstands!!!
- Thread starter 413turbo
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BlackMetal
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2005
Yup, $20 at Sears and the 30 seconds it takes to set them up is well worth it.
yeah, me too
i was thinking about it in the shower last night, would i be a vegtable, killed instantly, etc...
i'm using ramps today, and jack shopping.
Project TNX
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2006
Yep, I never play around, I do love these new ramps I bought though, makes oil changes a lot easier.
Yup, ya get what you pay for. We've had this Weaver for almost 40 years. Probably got a few decades of life left in her. Made in the good ole USA.
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turbowannabe
Member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2001
My grandmas brother died because he was underneath a car when the jack failed. Also, there was a guy around here who had a car up on cinderblocks when the blocks broke and the car fell on him and killed him. I look back at some of the stupid things I've done without jackstands and am thankful that I'm still alive.
RobsIron
Silent but Violent
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2003
In 1985 I backed my '69 SS Chevelle up on ramps. Left it in reverse with the engine running so the rear end would 'torque' up enough for me to slide a bolt in place for my ladder bars.
:redface: Hopped in it to pull off the ramps and left in reverse and shot off the ramps backwards.
My brother came running out all freaked cuz he had just seen me under it a few seconds earlier.
Young and Dumb.
Yup, ya get what you pay for. We've had this Weaver for almost 40 years. Probably got a few decades of life left in her. Made in the good ole USA.
No that my friends is a Jack. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I've heard so many stories of people losing their lives this way.
A jack is only to lift a car, jackstands support it. Even after I put the car on jackstands I try and rock it to be sure its not going to fall off on me.
A member of this forum was killed when his truck fell on him ( Myclone ) I don't know the details but it definitely serves as a reminder that our toys can kill us if we aren't carefull even while wrenching on them.
A jack is only to lift a car, jackstands support it. Even after I put the car on jackstands I try and rock it to be sure its not going to fall off on me.
A member of this forum was killed when his truck fell on him ( Myclone ) I don't know the details but it definitely serves as a reminder that our toys can kill us if we aren't carefull even while wrenching on them.
sears is made in china now too
turbofish38
Le Pétomane
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2002
I have a few jack and jackstand stories too. IMO it's all about quality and using them properly. I was working on my CosworthVega. The motor and tranny were out of it and I had it up on all four wheels with a stand on all four corners. Now this was all on dirt and I had four pads made out of HD 1' plywood under the stands. I was underneath when one of the stands bent in two. Yeah they were cheap stands made out of welded tubing. Anyway when the right front corner collapsed it caused the car to lean which kicked the other three stands out. It probably didn't help that I had the stands extended all the way to their last position either. I was lucky. I was under the tranny tunnel and all I got was a quick press when the floorpan smashed against my body. My thigh got poked with the adjusting rod of the hand brake and that hurt more than 2,000 pounds of steel tapping against my torso. It was a good thing all four wheels were on. I needed the extra ground clearance.
When my older brother was 16 his best friend was killed when his head got crushed under the rear end of his 2nd gen Camaro. Most of our buddies were or either had fathers on the VFD. Some of the horror stories I heard. I guess he didn't die instantly and bleed to death. Just those thoughts today make me pay special attention when I have to crawl under the car. Now if I could get the wife to check on me every 30 minutes or so I'd have a nice safety plan.
When my older brother was 16 his best friend was killed when his head got crushed under the rear end of his 2nd gen Camaro. Most of our buddies were or either had fathers on the VFD. Some of the horror stories I heard. I guess he didn't die instantly and bleed to death. Just those thoughts today make me pay special attention when I have to crawl under the car. Now if I could get the wife to check on me every 30 minutes or so I'd have a nice safety plan.
turbowannabe
Member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2001
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.
