jeromio Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Working on gauge wiring. Gotta get to the VSS. Need to jack up the car. Slide jack under, jack it up, look for creepie-crawlie - oh yeah, right, be an adult, not a dumb-ass and grab a jackstand and stick it under there first. Go to grab the jackstand and KERPOW!! So, I guess it's time to go buy a new floor jack..... (Boy am I glad to not be dead) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Yeah, I know at least one person who religiously lubes the jack each and every use, dont know if that really helps the seals or not though. Some of the "nicer" Sears jacks have been failing badly like that, catastrophic, within 1-3 years of ownership, my jack cost over $300 so it better last! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tt350 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Im glad your all right man. Hows the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRJoe Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Great reminder, Safety first !!!!. Glad you're safe, hope the cars OK. You probably saved someones butt with this post, maybe mine - Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Yeah I know a guy who didnt use jack stands once(I dont think he ever did). He was doing something under his Dodge Diplomat(HUGE CAR) and sure enough his jack let go. All that happened to him though was he kinda got a little pinched under the car and couldnt move but his son found him like 2 hours later and got the car off of him. Lucky for him though that he only got a really really bad bruised shoulder! He couldnt do much for about a month with that side of his body! To say the least, he uses jack stands now! I always do. I dont trust hydraulics with my life thats for sure! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Yep, hydraulics fail, my dad knew a guy that lost both his legs due to a hydraulic failure on some industrial equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Good reminder - Zs don't give nearly the "crush space" that a larger/higher vehicle does. You would be not too tall but real long with a Z on you. I knew someone who was killed in a "no jackstand" incident and it was an ugly death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I know at least one person who religiously lubes the jack each and every use Man, could read a lot into that statement. I have often wondered if it was safe to crawl under a car with just a floor jack. Now I can quit wondering. BTW, using jack stands under all 4 corners of a car is not safe either. I did so once, and as I tried to raise one corner another inch or so, the car began to teeter on the jack in one corner and the single stand in the opposite diagonal corner. I got the hell out of the way and the car rotated around and pushed a jack stand through the gas tank just as neat as you please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I'm really wanting to sort out the wiring on my lift so I don't have to use floor jacks anymore... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromio Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 The hydraulics are actually fine. The jacking mechanics inside the arm - the parts that link the ram to the lifting bit (thick, 3/8" metal) actually bent and allowed the cross piece that holds almost all the weight to slip out. Not pretty. It may have been ready to fail for a long time. I've had this floorjac, that I bought for $35 dollars from Autozone, for about 12 years now. I started looking at new jacks about 6 months ago. Really want a fancy one like this: Long, with a very low profile for sneaking under my lowered car. But damn, them sucker is pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Thats what I have Jacks are made in Holland or Sweden, I forget. 3 1/8" and about 38" long reach, 99 pounds. I have thier 2nd biggest, the next one up cost another $80 or so for I think only 4" more lift, and I already dont lift all that much (stresses the crossmember in funny ways too), I primarily needed something to get under the long nose of the fargin Camaro. I like everything about the jack but the weight (keeps me from using it sometimes) and that black plastic handle is a crock, I dont even use it. I dont put jackstands at 4 corners either, someday a lift or pit would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 No!! Theres another picture of the fancy floorjacks. Dont look at it Jason...DONT DO IT! Your ugly, greasy, yellow Kragen jack works fine and you DONT need the new fancy one. Willpower man, will power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 The NAPA auuto parts store near my house recently had a sale on a combo: A 3.5 ton floor jack that was under 5" lowered and had a 28" reach. 4 7-ton jackstands that extend to 30". All for $160.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfly Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 When I was a teenager I learned my lesson about not using jack stands, I was working under my 71' charger when my 4 year old nephew decided to help, he helped by pulling the release lever on the jack. I was very fortunate that he was not able to pull it hard enough to release the jack instantly or I would not be here. I always use jack stands now. I also use a jack stand under all 4 corners, here is my procedure for that: I jack up the front of the car place my jack stands lower the car onto them, check the fitment (adjust as needed) lower jack to about 1 inch below crossmember then forcably shove car from all four sides, remove jack and do the same procedure from the back. In doing this I know that the car is not going to slip on the jack stands no matter how much I try to torque something from under the car. Dragonfly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Well, i had a Toyota fall on me once, Oh What a Feeling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 A 3.5 ton floor jack that was under 5" lowered and had a 28" reach. 4 7-ton jackstands that extend to 30". For a deal like that, I probably would have tried to live with the compromise. Even my uber-jack doesn't have enough reach comfortably to get under the Camaro, and its 3 1/8" profile is not low enough to get under the crossmember without me rolling up on some wood! So I could have saved some dough anyway, oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I routinely put cars and trucks on four jackstands. I have to second the statement to try and push the car from all four corners. If it moves at all, check and adjust the placement of your stands. I stopped by a friends house the other day while I was on my way home from the farm. His 16 yr old son had a car jacked up on gravel with one of cheapest looking floor jacks I`ve ever seen, and was about to crawl under the car when i pulled up. I asked him what he thought he was doing, and told him the story that was posted here awhile back about the young kid crushed under his truck. I happened to have a good floor jack and a pair of 6 ton stands in the truck that I told him he could use IF he put the car in the garage on cement. Being in a hurry is nothing to die for. ALWAYS USE JACK STANDS(on cement, NOT gravel) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinked_Chrome Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I understand the fact to use jack stands (always have), but don't understand why I shouldn't use them at all four corners. I had my z on all fours for about a year, had I realized this was a safety hazard I would not have done that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 It`s only a problem if you are useing cheap stands, stands that are too small, or do not have the stands properly positioned. You should also be sure that the weight of the car will not shift if you are pulling the engine and/or transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I remember a post on CamaroZ28 a year or so back about an 18 year old working at a shop, that was crushed under a jeep that was on a lift that failed. "Being in a hurry is nothing to die for." - Thats one to remember, like eh, dont crawl into a giant shredder to pry stuff free and then lose your arms after you slip, stooooopid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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