PDA

View Full Version : Jack stands....I need higher!



DJJordache
05-21-2007, 07:47 PM
What do yall do for jack stands? I have a few of the HF 12tons ones and they are not tall enough what do you guys do to make them taller or could you recommend some taller ones?
I was thinking about getting some of the flat rectangles of concrete to stack under the jack stands to get an added boost but don't want to ghetto rig something since I will be under there too:D any better ideas?

OverkillZJ
05-21-2007, 07:50 PM
i welded two wheels together, and welded jack stands on top of them. Uber jack stands for cheap. I had the wheels / old stands, so only cost me welding materials / electric.

spykosshow
05-21-2007, 08:35 PM
Harbor Freight has 20 ton stands that are gigantic. My buddy has 4 and can put them under the bumpers of his TJ that's lifted about 6 inches and still get the 35's off.

Jim311
05-21-2007, 09:01 PM
I have the 6 ton HF ones. Works pretty well for my rig... the price was right too :D

nate
05-21-2007, 09:49 PM
Don't use concrete patio blocks, or blocks. They aren't made for that kind of weight and could break.

Make yourself a square out of 2x4s. Put 2 pieces like I I

and then two pieces _

_

on top. Keep going till you have whatever height.


They worked fine to hold the front end on my Cummins truck, so they will be find for a ZJ for sure!

DJJordache
05-21-2007, 09:52 PM
that sounds like a good idea to over lap them "Jenga style" and I could nail them together to make it easy to move around

sms757
05-21-2007, 09:58 PM
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91315


i love my shop lift!

unforgiven
05-21-2007, 11:00 PM
yeah the idea is to nail it all together. had some old 2x4 ones years ago, been thinkin lately of buildin some 2x6 ones and go higher .

gunthagunth
05-22-2007, 02:18 AM
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91315


i love my shop lift!
I just cant say that I would feel safe sitting under a astro van held up by a harbor freight lift.

spykosshow
05-22-2007, 08:24 AM
I just cant say that I would feel safe sitting under a astro van held up by a harbor freight lift.

I was thinking the same thing when I was browsing their website.

CurtP
05-22-2007, 09:46 AM
I've never seen 20 ton jackstands at HF - the biggest I've ever seen are the 12 ton. The 12 ton stands go up to 30"; how much higher do you need?

How about pipe jack stands? http://www.realcheaptools.builderspot.com/page/page/788487.htm
http://fullertonindustrial.com/pisust.html

I personally think that if you need to go over 30", you should be looking at a lift instead. I don't care for scissor lifts - can't work on anything under the vehicle. A two post seems to be the most useful IMO.

DJJordache
05-22-2007, 11:00 AM
yeah I couldn't find any 20 ton HF ones.... anyways I wanted a little taller so that they would reach the "frame" and still allow the axles to droop to make it a little easier to work on thats all. The HF 12's I have work great for under the axle but need a little boost for the "frame".....and I'm only at 3.5" now and will be at 5.5" by the end of this long weekend....hopefully! I'm about half done with installing Claytons:D

Cue-Ball
05-22-2007, 11:37 AM
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91315


i love my shop lift!

Yea those scissor lifts don't give me a warm feeling. I sure as hell would not crawl under a vehicle supported by one!!!

PassRunnerZJ
05-22-2007, 11:18 PM
Only as safe as you make it but without welding up some 12" cubes reinforced inside with safety edges out of some .25" plate, maybe some cut railroad ties or do they make 12"x12" lumber?

HuskerZJ
05-29-2007, 12:54 AM
Yea those scissor lifts don't give me a warm feeling. I sure as hell would not crawl under a vehicle supported by one!!!
x4 That just looks scary

SteveO
05-29-2007, 01:04 AM
lol. you guys. i have used a hydraulic jack and 6x6 oak blocks to jack up and block up the ass end of a loader the size of a house. just go down and invest in some 4 foot long, 6x6 beams from the local saw mill.

CurtP
06-07-2007, 09:48 AM
Found some jack stands that go up to 30":
http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=31009

And some that go up to 47":
http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=30891

Not cheap, but I don't believe in being cheap when it comes to tools - especially when you rely on them to keep you safe when working in/on/under something.

concreteSwell
06-07-2007, 10:30 AM
Some good ideas in this thread. I'll have to try the "jenga" technique.

TrojanMan
06-07-2007, 11:57 AM
i'd feel a hell of a lot better with 4x4 instead of 2x4.. 2x4 laid flat only has 1-1/2" vertically when laid flat while 4x4 has 3-1/2". I trust 3-1/2" to distribute the load a lot better.

CurtP
06-07-2007, 12:05 PM
I personally don't feel comfortable with something supported on wood. I had a piece of wood split on me and it almost caused my car to come down on top of me. Never again.

nate
06-07-2007, 05:09 PM
Don't buy cheap ass lumber and you'll be fine. The ones I made held my truck up just fine. Truck weighs over 7000lbs.

spykosshow
06-08-2007, 01:20 AM
Yeah, I was wrong. His stands are the 12 tons, not 20 tons.

unforgiven
06-08-2007, 05:08 PM
I personally don't feel comfortable with something supported on wood. I had a piece of wood split on me and it almost caused my car to come down on top of me. Never again.


dumb question, but was it a stacked and attached block like we're talking about? cause i've never seen one of those come apart, even with heavy loads, and movement of workin on the vehicle.
or as nate mentioned, better quality lumber. but even with crap lumber i have yet to see one fail.

CurtP
06-08-2007, 08:42 PM
They were similar to these (only much shorter): http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/News/mwramps/index.htm

I had the jack stands on top of them (wheels were off the car). The wood gave way under one side of one of the jack stands which shifted the weight of the car. It toppled over after I got out from under it. I didn't build the wooden ramps and the jack stands weren't mine either - I was working on my car at the Hobby Shop at NAS Cecil Field and was using their shit.

This was back in '89 - '91. I have never used wood to support the weight of a vehicle since then. I don't care for ramps either.

unforgiven
06-08-2007, 08:53 PM
ok, therein lies the problem.
those........are ramps. they would work just fine as ramps. but putting jackstands on top of ANYTHING that is near or barely over the same width is a huge mistake. as soon as you start wrenching, you will sway the vehicle. it may not be noticable on the ground or even on jackstands, although i see it clearly, but it is enough to move the stand some.

thats like the guy had his stands on cinder blocks. ever use a block as a stand? don't. i watched my idiot brother crush numerous blocks tryin ta get his wheels up.

it's the same as using a screwdriver as a chisel, or a crescent wrench as a hammer. (albeit them fancy metric ones here in canada aint good fer much else lmao)

p.s. if the wood gave way, it was likely caused by the stands cutting it up.

death-mobile
09-08-2007, 08:38 AM
I personally don't feel comfortable with something supported on wood. I had a piece of wood split on me and it almost caused my car to come down on top of me. Never again.

Dude, if wood can hold up a D9 bulldozer, it can hold up your car. Just don't use the rotted stuff.

whiskey_pickle
09-30-2007, 02:29 PM
Yeah, I second the 6x6's...Just go to a local sawmill and ask for the "center-cuts" of white oak...this is what is used in mines to support , somewhere in the range of a mile or two of earth on top of ones head. Just make sure you lay them 'jenga' style and you will not have any problems...many, many , many uses....