"Ignoramus23641" wrote in message
...
On 2011-07-14, Ed Huntress wrote:

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/13/2011 2:11 PM, Ed Huntress wrote:

If you're going to work under cars and trucks, you really want some
broad-base, really solid standing jacks. They're a lifetime investment.
Mine
are 45 years old.

Some 25 years ago, I was out riding my motorcycle, and decided to stop
by
a friend's house that I was passing by. He was sitting on the ground
next
to his car, which had the right front wheel off, and the body just
behind
the wheel well was resting directly on the wheel.
My first impression was that he was using that as a stand. Heh, nice and
stable!
But then I saw the look in his eyes and noticed some minor cuts and
scratches on his face. He'd been under the car while it was supported
solely by a jack. What type I don't recall. Anyway, wrenching a bolt
loose, the jack shifted and the car fell on him. The only reason I came
by
to hear the tale, and not find him dead under his car, was the tire, and
he freely admitted it just happened to get shoved under the body, that
wasn't a safety backup.

I'm always very very cautious about working under any vehicle that's on
supports/stands. I've got a pair my grandfather made in the 40's, 12"
square base, they'd hold the front end of anything I'd ever own with no
worries. But few modern stands have a wide base for me.

Iggy's jack, I wouldn't trust even with my ex under the car...


Jon

Yes, the base on most consumer-grade jacks is not up to the job. It gives
me
the creeps just to look at them and imagine someone coming up and leaning
on
a fender while I'm underneath...


I think that I got it. Thanks guys.

i

Note Winston's suggestion about ramps. They're good. I use ramps for
changing oil, etc. But they get in the way when you're working out on the
corners, and you can't use them for jobs that require the suspension to be
unloaded, like changing struts or replacing half-axles.

Be careful not to drive over the end of a ramp, or you're in deep doo-doo.
In about 48 years of using them, I have not yet driven over the end of one.
But I expect to every time I do it.

--
Ed Huntress