Homemade jack stands. Sketch or good to go?

I keep trying to win still no luck

Never seem to ever win.

 

they appear to be strong enough to support this troll thread A++ would recommend

 

Don’t you have to die to be even considered?

 

No and no. Get some 6 ton jack stands with locking pins, chock the wheels and keep the floor jack in place. You only get one life. Don't cheap out on it.

 

Agreed.

 

Indeed no luck yet!

You know in all honesty I will take OP`s Wooden Blocks over Cinder Blocks Which I see far more often.

Sure Jack stands could be better in most cases.

 

Watched my neighbor lower his Monte Carlo on cinderblocks a few years ago. Fantastic fail! If it wasn't for the spare under the frame it would have been real bad.
One crumbled and the whole car kinda slid and toppled the others. Jack was still in m under the front bumper and ripped the entire driver side free.

Had to cost 10x more in repairs and down time than using the right tools.


Just buy some jackstands!

 

I’d be shooting for an Honorable Mention if you want to keep on playing

 

I raise no more than one axle or one side front to rear at a time with my 3-ton floor jack. I place a square piece 5/8's plywood under each 3-ton rated jack-stand and adjust them accordingly, lower the vehicle onto the stands then adjust the floor jack as a backup to take some (but not much) of the load.

I have had a car supported by just a jack stand roll-forward on me and drop while I was removing a stubborn nut to remove the rotor to work on the brakes. The rotor just missed taking half of my foot off when it dropped to the driveway. I moved back just in time. Never again. Pay attention to the floor jack too: They get old just like everything (and everybody) else and can bleed off pressure as it's sitting there while you work. Make a mental note of the adjustment you made to take a little of the load off the jack stands. If it's now letting the stands take all of the weight when you're done: it's losing pressure: Turn the handle to lower and let the stand(s) take all of the pressure/weight first: If nothing happens you'll know it's losing pressure.

 

^^^^^^ This ^^^^^ Same here. Many of these responses just seem to be folks relating their personal stories/horror stories/near-disaster stories that left a strong impression on them: Strong enough to pass it along in the hopes of preventing someone from making the same mistake they did. (Like me) Stay safe!

 

Side question: Does anyone use, or have used drive on ramps? My Dad gave me a pair of them years ago, and they look sturdy enough and well-built. They're not the stamped steel ones I have seen which look suspicious. They have some welded bracing, and are made up from about 5 different pieces. I used them a few times to change the oil, but they always made me nervous of: 1. lining them up straight, and 2: screwing up/zoning and not stopping in time and driving right off the end of them. They don't have much of a tire-stop on the end. Put them back in the box a few decades ago and there they still sit three garages later.

 

Solid but sketchy AF, no lateral load stability.

 

I have a pair of those foam race ramps. It says 1500 lbs on the side. They're good but not great. I smashed the heck out of them with a 15k lb truck. They still work but got a smashed in tire tread mark. They're good for low vehicles, roll up onto them, then you can get the jack under it.

I also have a pair of metal ramps in the garage collecting dust, haven't touched them in years. Last time came very close to rolling off the backside.

I too had some jack stands sorta teeter but not tip over. Jacked the rear, put in the stands. Jacked the front, put in the stands, looked back and the rear stands were leaning over.

 

.. version 2

 

If you don't need to remove the tires these DIY wood ramps work quiet well...

 

FFS!

Yep, getting closer to a Friday thread.


Op, get real jack stands.

 

I ran into this dude a couple months back. I was going tell him how incredibly dangerous and stupid that is, but what help am I if I don’t have a solution to his problem. He’d probably call me an asshole and to stop lecturing him.

 

I would purchase some proper jack stands. This isn't worth the risk to save a few bucks.

 

I use these Rhino poly drive up ramps rated at 16k lbs capacity for when working on my Camaro . I use my floor jack to lift the Camaro off the ground and place them underneath ea front tire

If I want both front and rear wheels off the ground I use my 6 ton rated stands under the rear axle . I also use either my 4 ton floor jack or my 1.5 quick jack

These ramps and jack stands are strong enough to make me feel safe enough to pull my transmission or converter out for a refresh without worrying about the car falling on me


Rhino 16k lbs poly ramps and wheel chock ....

 

But why? Is your time worth nothing?? Still not as strong as a proper jack stand and no adjustments. And bulky to store. And if you die under that truck you still won’t get a Darwin Award because there’s people taking selfie’s and falling off cliffs every day