Using Jackstands Combined with Rhino Ramps?

I have a 2WD SR5 Tacoma and I want to do a transmission drain and fill. I need the truck level in order to this, but lifted off the ground. I'm working with very limited space, so my thought was to use my existing Rhino ramps to raise up the front of the truck and two of these jack stands that have bottle jacks in them to raise up the back. Will this work?

Jack Stand/Jacks:

$89 Powerbuilt 3 Ton, Bottle Jack and Jack Stands in One, 6000 Pound All-in-One Car Lift, Heavy Duty Vehicle Unijack, 640912

https://www.amazon.com/Alltrade-640...mzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

Rhino Ramps I have:

$75 RhinoGear 11912ABMI RhinoRamps MAX Vehicle Ramp - Pair (16000lb. GVW Capacity)

https://www.amazon.com/RhinoGear-11...fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1

 

Ramps up front and bottle jack / jack stands on the rear axle. Use a level to confirm you are level/even.

 

I did rhino ramps under all four tires and supplemented with a couple of floor jacks for extra safety/leveling. Whatever works, just be sure you're safe and the truck is level.

 

I live dangerously. No jacking up at all and slight incline driveway.

 

I did something similar last fall and almost killed myself so I would advise against it. I had the front on ramps and was jacking the rear with a floor jack when the truck rolled back off of the ramps and pinned me shoulder to shoulder between the rear bumper and the garage door. I had to twist myself 90 degrees to get out. The jack handle tried to go through the garage door but didn't and that's probably what saved me. I had no major injuries but took months to recover.

You really want to block the front wheels before you jack the back which you can't really do with them on the ramps. You can put the front on ramps and then jack the front enough to put jack stands under the front and then jack the back (this is the way I would normally do it - I don't know why I decided to do it differently).

If you do decide to do it, I would recommend figuring out some way to apply the brakes while you are jacking so the front wheels can't move.

 

Make 4 ramps, like these 2 in front at 4 inch lift. You can make them with "drop in" middle sections that resist rolling. You cam make them taller if you need more than 4 in (in my case 2 layers of flat 2x4s and 1/2 in plywood) of extra clearance. Regardless ... solid wood under the tires and drop-in middle sections to prevent rolling.

 

Those combo jacks look good as some people think bottle jacks are good enough and don’t realize that they are not Jack stands, they are only for lifting. I would also put your spare underneath the crossmember for extra safety in case the stand locks fail. Do those have a locking key? Harbor Freight had to do a recall on similar Jack stands because they’d fall just by accidentally hitting the release lever. So now they have a locking key you can’t pull out when they have any weight on the stand - much safer!

 

If you do not have the right equipment to lift your vehicle, get the dealer or someone with a lift to service your truck. Your life is worth more than a $200 trans service fee.

Your health ins copay will probably be more than the $200 trans service fee if you injure yourself.

 

Had a similar experience but was fortunate to escape uninjured.

 

The wood pads were used to install skid plates with rear tires on the ground chocked and e-brake set. But I also knew that I wanted more room to work and could crawl back out if the truck was at normal clearance and I had to get out.

But only because of all that I was safe-enough.

 

This is the OSHA version of Where's Waldo?

 

Just put back in the amount that ya drained out. Buy a cheap gallon pitcher and mark the spot.

 

Seems legit.

The locking feature on those combo bottle/jacks is a nice touch. I’m with ya on the locking pin though, fool proof and won’t pop out under load.

 

How do you like this jack stand?

 

This solution seems a tab-bit permanent ...

 

I know the OP has a 2WD, and so using the ramps in the front are a bad idea. But if you have 4WD, then the ramps would work if you place the truck in 4WD first and leave it in park before jacking up the rear.

I suppose the OP could use the ramps in the rear and jack up the front.

 

This is my setup when I need a lot of wiggle room, no issues.

 

I just picked up a pair of 6 ton jack stands for like $60. 2 sets and an HF bottle jack will set you back about as much as two of those integrated jacks and be considerably safer

 

Just sayin', but I have done almost all of my maint with the wheels on the ground, including pulling the trans for a throw out bearing swap.