Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I don't want this to be a bashing post. I'm posting this because, I care. I had a friend of mine got killed tonight. He was not using jackstands, and his truck fell on him. He was not a drag racer, just someone who had clean rides, and like to have fun with his trucks. Just wanted to put this on here.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.We sometimes lose sight of common sense and pay dearly for it.Again sorry for the loss of your friend.
I lost a friend about 15 years ago.Same situation but it was an NYPD Emerency Service
truck he was working on.He had jack stands supporting the truck but something went wrong.His nickname was "Roadside Larry".The emergency cops held him in high regard for the work he did for them.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

Many of you know I was a paramedic for many years. One call that sticks out in my mind was to a junk yard where a guy was removing a starter from an old Thunderbird, he had it suspended from the front bumper by a chain. The chain broke and I can only hope he never knew what hit him. When we lifted the car the guy was broken in half. No jack stands were used, but should have been. I will never forget it! Jim

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I'm sure we're all guilty of using just a hydraulic jack for a "quick" under car procedure. It takes an unfortunate reminder of what can happen to realign priorities and take the extra 15 seconds to stay safe. And cinder/concrete blocks AREN'T safe jackstands!! They can (and do) fail suddenly and unexpectedly.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

Sorry to hear that Cody. Will keep you and your friend in our prayers.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

That is a bad deal. Sorry about your friend CP. Jackstands have a very real need. Cinder blocks, and logs have no place under any car. I saw logs under a truck in New Orleans a couple yrs ago. Guy asked me why I took his picture, working on his truck. I said so some one can identify you later...

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

Hate to hear about your friend. I have seen people go to crawl under car with no stands,ask what about stands,they reply just gonna take a second to do whatever they are doing,I say that is longer than it takes for car to fall,usaully will get stands then
Mike Taylor 3601

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

Very sorry to hear about ur friend. I watched a lot at E-Town Nats that did not use stands on the race cars.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I get worried about jackstands if they are extended too far; a side load or one failing (who knows how strong that cast Y shaped top to the stalk is?) can topple the rest of them. I also use 15" or 16" wheels welded edge to edge to get 12" to 16" height and put them under the frame with wood to get the right height and more friction against the frame sliding if something goes wrong. It is a balance of the opposing factors "there is no end to concern" and "you can't be too safe."

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I've got some 16"x12" treated timbers in 24" lengths that work great stacked on top of each other. No possibility of failure

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As a 16 year old kid I had a bumper jack fall over on a Lincoln when I was changing a starter. I was trapped and could barely breath. Fortunately a lady came along and I was able to tell her how to jack it up enough to get out. Lesson learned big time, I was extremly lucky to be able to get enough air until someone came along. If I weighed what I do now Id be dead !

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I lost a friend of mine in 1986 who thought that concrete blocks were good enough. He was working alone and wasn't found until the next day.
It is a shame this has to happen over and over.

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Anything can fail! Concrete, wood, logs, anything. How many times have you seen cars braced up off the ground by old wheels and tires set on top of each other? I have seen cars fall off of jack stands due to improper usage, but never seen one break or mechanically fail. Just like anything else, you must know how to properly use a tool! The jack must be on sturdy ground and have a good purchase point with equal weight distribution. Jim

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This happened here just yesterday. It's always a good idea to have help when doing heavy lifting.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...123336218.html

Charleswood man dies after backyard mishap

By: Staff Writer
Posted: 06/7/2011 7:50 AM

WINNIPEG - A 57-year-old Charleswood man has died from injuries he sustained after a rock slab fell on him Monday evening.
The man was performing yard work around 7 p.m. Monday and appears to have been moving a heavy object, possibly a piece of concrete, when he fell and became pinned underwater in a pond in his backyard, police said.
Family discovered the man later. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, but died Tuesday.
The man's name has not been released. Foul play is not suspected.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

Very good safety message! I would only add, support the vehicle good enough to do the job....then double that and your ready to go to work. I use the jack stands with the floor jack in place. Place the jack stands, then lower the car till the stands make contact and are loaded and leave the floor jack in place. Also, do perodic assessment of the jack position and loading. You can use more than four stands, no rule aginst that. Sorry to here about everyones misfortune. One other side note: when you work alone, keep a cell or portable phone in your pocket....that's what I do...and like the jack stands, hope you never need it! My 35 years of race car fabrication as well as 25 years as a professional firefighter working on heavy rescue squads and ladder truck companies. I have learned from my mistakes as well as others.

Wade Mahaffey

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

An other helpful hint. Quite often (Always) our pit area is in grass. Take the time to weld a disk, or square on the bottom of your jack stands so they can't sink into the dirt. This works very well and can save you a bunch of grief. JB

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My uncle and I were working on his '32 just a couple of weekends ago. We were doing some adjustment of the brake pedal pushrod which is under the car. After about 5 adjustments and then test drives, we were getting pretty sick of jacking the car up and putting the stands in place- then taking it down. You know the routine. On the sixth try, while jacking the car from the side it just slipped off the jack. Bang!! Just like that. We just looked at each other. Luckily no damage to either of us or the car, but it happens. Gravity wins.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

I can't believe the number of people I've seen in the last 2 trips to the track either working under cars on a jack or warming them up in gear on just a hydraulic jack. Scares me and I'm reasonably fearless.

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

B.S.!!! These pictures show very well that jackstands are just an annoyance and take too much time and effort to perform simple maintenance procedures. Bunch of pu$$ies.

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Wo.../ProppedUp.htm

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

See a lot of that , people just get lazy.:confused:

Re: Jackstands, Please Use Them
 

And be sure to use GOOD jackstands.. I recieved some cheapies for christmas and later on that next spring I was in the shop I rented with some other guys by myself.. Had my car jacked up tires off and was using those new jackstands.. I got from under the car to go get a wrench I forgot and about 3 seconds after I got clear the car fell all the way to the ground, one of the welds on the jackstands failed and it just rolled over to the side.. The garage floor was perfectly flat concrete with no imperfections.. I would have died for sure because I was by myself and no one knew I was there... from that day on I use oversized jackstands and I am still "leary" of getting under a car sometimes....