The one about jack stands

[Perd Hapley]

Do you have a Northern Tool near you?  They seem to be a step up from Harbor.

Recently, yes.

[RevDisk]

Tractor Supply is pretty good too.

[lupinus]

Why not just wedge a couple of mortarboard hats under the car and call it good?

Better to make your own at of cardboard, masking tape, and whatever was the cheapest can of spray paint at the mayors country bumpkin store. Then use them to prop up the car.

[Perd Hapley]

Tractor Supply is pretty good too.

I didn't think there were any Tractor Supply stores around here, but there are a few. Of course, the closest one's about 16 miles out, since I've chosen to live in this suburban blight...

Avoid the tubular stands with holes and a pin.  Not sure if they are still on the market, I have one left that is reserved for light duty applications only. 

I am seeing some of the hole-and-pin (mortise & tenon?) stands out there. The 25-ton, and other high-capacity Hein jack stands on Northern Tools' website are like that.

[KD5NRH]

I am seeing some of the hole-and-pin (mortise & tenon?) stands out there. The 25-ton, and other high-capacity Hein jack stands on Northern Tools' website are like that.

Only usable after double and triple checking to make sure the pin is all the way through and solidly seated.  Of course, at that point, you might as well just weld some up...

[MechAg94]

When I was younger, my Dad had some of those 6" concrete cylinders like they use for jacking up a house foundation.  If you can find some for cheap, they might work well with some to use as a shim if the length isn't quite right.  You really need to have a good surface though.

[MechAg94]

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20160524/NEWS/160529707

Police Chief Mike Chitwood said Darnell had built a makeshift car lift and was attempting to repair an electrical issue with the car. The car lift collapsed, sending the vehicle onto Darnell's body.

Police said Darnell took off after sideswiping another vehicle on Beville Road on Saturday about 8:30 p.m.

The story seems to give the facts in reverse order, but the guy drove off after hitting another vehicle.  When he pulled over to work on his vehicle, he found out why jack stands can be a good thing.

[KD5NRH]

The story seems to give the facts in reverse order,

One would hope.  Otherwise we need to be on the lookout for zombie shade tree mechanics.

[Perd Hapley]

From this thread I have learned four things:

1. Harbor Freight makes perfectly serviceable jack stands, if you get the 6-tons, and treat them like 3-tonners.

2. If you use Harbor Freight jack stands, you will die, in agony, and everyone will laugh at you.

3. There's a Tractor Supply in my adopted hometown of Union, MO.

4. KD5 thinks Red Green had a lot of practical wisdom.


OK, we all knew the last one already. I just wanted to say it, because I just thought of it.

[41magsnub]

4. KD5 has no business giving advice to anybody on any topic.

FTFY

[Tuco]

KiloDelta5NovemberRomeoHotel has no business giving advice to anybody on any topic
FTFY

Such a shame. He's a good looking young man.

[KD5NRH]

4. KD5 thinks Red Green had a lot of practical wisdom.

Enough duct tape will hold a car up.

[wmenorr67]

Enough duct tape will hold a car up.

Don't forget the bailing wire.

[K Frame]

Right now on Slickdeals it's showing a Sears deal on 4-ton jack stands.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8768639-2-pack-craftsman-jack-stands-prof-4-ton-27-2-1-4-ton-12-free-in-store-pickup?src=featured

[Doggy Daddy]

Right now on Slickdeals it's showing a Sears deal on 4-ton jack stands.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8768639-2-pack-craftsman-jack-stands-prof-4-ton-27-2-1-4-ton-12-free-in-store-pickup?src=featured

Scored the big ones.  I don't have a pressing (semi-pun) need for them at the moment, but I know if I didn't grab something better than the little pin style ones I have now, I would just keep using the old ones out of convenience.

[BryanP]

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends of almost 25 years was killed when his pickup came down off jack stands. He was very meticulous about tools and safety. You should get good ones and be careful using them, but sometimes you can do everything right and things still go wrong.

[Balog]

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends of almost 25 years was killed when his pickup came down off jack stands. He was very meticulous about tools and safety. You should get good ones and be careful using them, but sometimes you can do everything right and things still go wrong.

  My condolences.

If I may ask, did the stands fail, or did something else happen? Not trying to be morbid, but there are always important lessons to be learned.

[BryanP]

My condolences.

If I may ask, did the stands fail, or did something else happen? Not trying to be morbid, but there are always important lessons to be learned.

Unfortunately we weren't given all the details. I just know it came down off the stands and I know his work habits. He didn't take shortcuts.

[Perd Hapley]

http://www.asedeals.com/store/hein-werner-3-ton-jack-stands-hw93503/

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICE: $117.00

I got them for less than half that, shipped.
https://www.tooldiscounter.com/default.cfm?nav=inc/specials.cfm

[Firethorn]

http://www.asedeals.com/store/hein-werner-3-ton-jack-stands-hw93503/


I got them for less than half that, shipped.
https://www.tooldiscounter.com/default.cfm?nav=inc/specials.cfm

If I was looking for stands, I'd be dropping the $45 now.

[Perd Hapley]

Walmart has a floor jack for $20.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Torin-2-Ton-Hydraulic-Trolley-Jack/33348135

But I think I need a new bottle jack to keep in my truck, so I'll probably get one of those, instead.

[roo_ster]

Walmart has a floor jack for $20.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Torin-2-Ton-Hydraulic-Trolley-Jack/33348135

But I think I need a new bottle jack to keep in my truck, so I'll probably get one of those, instead.

Bought that or something similar from wally world a few years back.  Best to think of it as a "disposable jack" as it is good for a few uses then not so much.

OTOH, the 10-ton bottle jack from Harbor Freight has given years of service.

Just bought a 3-ton low profile floor jack from harbor freight for $90.

[KD5NRH]

Bought that or something similar from wally world a few years back.  Best to think of it as a "disposable jack" as it is good for a few uses then not so much.

I've had three of them.  They last 2-3 years each.  Sometimes longer if you get lucky and cotter pins give out before the hydraulics.  At $20-25, it's not a bad deal.

[Perd Hapley]

Thanks for all the feedback, y'all. I finished buying all the junk on Thursday, and did my first driveway oil change Sat. morning. It went pretty well. It was easier than when I did oil changes on the company trucks a few years ago.

pair of jack stands, hand-welded by KD5
quartet of wheel chocks
waste oil catcher-thingy from Wal-Mart, and funnel for the new oil
$8 Harbor Freight filter pliers
4-ton bottle jack from Northern Tools (replacement part for my truck's flat tire kit, so I kinda needed that anyway)

I spent about a hundred bucks on new toys, so between two vehicles, that should pay for itself by the end of the year, or so. Well, actually not. I paid ~$23 for 5 quarts of Mobile Synthetic, and a few more coin for a filter. I was paying something like $38 for oil changes, so labor was only about $10 (from my perspective, of course).

[Boomhauer]

Thanks for all the feedback, y'all. I finished buying all the junk on Thursday, and did my first driveway oil change Sat. morning. It went pretty well. It was easier than when I did oil changes on the company trucks a few years ago.

pair of jack stands, hand-welded by KD5
quartet of wheel chocks
waste oil catcher-thingy from Wal-Mart, and funnel for the new oil
$8 Harbor Freight filter pliers
4-ton bottle jack from Northern Tools (replacement part for my truck's flat tire kit, so I kinda needed that anyway)

I spent about a hundred bucks on new toys, so between two vehicles, that should pay for itself by the end of the year, or so. Well, actually not. I paid ~$23 for 5 quarts of Mobile Synthetic, and a few more coin for a filter. I was paying something like $38 for oil changes, so labor was only about $10 (from my perspective, of course).

You don't really save money by doing your own oil changes but you do get the satisfaction of knowing they were done right (as opposed to those mother *expletive deleted*ers down at Jiffy Lube *expletive deleted*ing your vehicle up) and you get a chance to look over other stuff and catch problems in the making. You also don't have to go in and wait on an oil change and so on.