Recommend Jack Stands

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340wedge

340wedge

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I plan to do some cleaning under my car and will have it up on jack stands. I have four older stands I plan to use as an extra safety measure but want to buy new ones I can trust. Any recommendations?
 
If you have older stands, I would trust them over the new ones that are typically made in China...
 
6pk2goDemon said:
If you have older stands, I would trust them over the new ones that are typically made in China...
Click to expand...

Depends on the older stands. Those old three legged, thin-wall, tubular upper stands that use a pin are just about certain death. Old doesn't always mean good.

I've got stands from my old mans restoration business that are great, but also have a couple sets of stands from harbor frieght. Their 3 ton stands are pretty small, probably not much good unless you're in your garage with nice smooth, flat concrete and just changing the oil or something. Their 6 and 12 ton stands they have are pretty nice. I like the 6 tons a lot, they have a large base and are plenty heavy duty. They're a good height to put the car up high enough to work underneath without have them extended very far. I work a lot on my shop apron (too many cars) so I like having the larger base because while it's all concrete it's not perfectly flat. The older orange powder coating wasn't awesome, it's faded on the stands I left outside for a bit. Still intact but looks a little worn. The 12 tons are monsters, they're really heavy and have a giant base. The "hammer tone" powder coat is nice too. They were really handy when I installed the US Cartool subframe connectors into my Dart, I had that thing so high up I could almost sit underneath the car. Totally solid. With both versions you do have to make sure you bend the safety tabs into them to keep from overextending them.

I looked at other stands, Craftsman stands are identical. Probably made in the same factory in China as the Harbor Freight stands, just powder coated a different color and sold for twice as much. I think you'll probably find that there's really only a couple manufacturers, just different colors and labels on a lot of the same product.
 
Depends on the older stands. Those old three legged, thin-wall, tubular upper stands that use a pin are just about certain death. Old doesn't always mean good.
That's what I have! Lol
 
I agree with the above comments. The tube 3 legged ones with the pin need to be thrown out before someone gets killed. I have a pair of 3 ton stands but I don't like to work under them. Too small at the base and they don't go up very high. I have 2 pairs of 6 ton stands that work well, very stable and sturdy.
 
I've been using the same set of harbor freight stands since like 2010. Had the car sitting on them for probably a year plus when I had it down to just the shell. They are nice for the money.
 
340wedge said:
I plan to do some cleaning under my car and will have it up on jack stands. I have four older stands I plan to use as an extra safety measure but want to buy new ones I can trust. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

Invest in some good quality strong stands, you'll use them for many years. I like the ones linked here Axle stands · ABS5 / ABS12 · AC Hydraulic A/S

I have a similar set, very happy with them and trust them 110%
 
Griots garage offers some nice one's. I've had mine for a few years and really like them. They are 4-legged with pads on the bottoms to make them more stable. They also offer cushioned pads so they don't scratch your frame.
 
I have two pr 3 ton and 2 pr 6 ton stands. Also have a pair of rigid pipe stands that go over 3 feet high with a very large base. Good for working on a shell. In pre-rotisserie stages right now.....
 
I have used 2 sets of car ramps before. I jacked the car up and placed the rears in the normal drive on direction and turned the front one around backwards. This gave me enough room to do what I needed and felt safe. If you need more height you could always place something else under the ramps? Andrew
 
Ever see those ramps collapse? Especially the bolt together ones.
I tossed mine after i saw some collapsed ones.
Play safe.
 
I like the stands Andy F made for his Duster. The man is a genius.
 
If you do get new ones, they are all made in China now, (unless you pay a mint), so make sure you get them at least rated for twice as much as you think they will ever hold.
 
I have the 4 feet, ratchet style and the 2 pin 3 feet widomakers. Id trust any of them but I like the ratchets the best. There was a scare on those as they said you could hit the release lever down with a foot or something and it would cause it to release and collapse, but it was debunked as the weight of the car would prevent the slight lift the ratchet would need to release. I usually leave the floor jack jacked under where I am anyway.
 
As mentioned,a four post hoist is the deluxe way to go. Bought my 9000 pound hoist 4 years ago,2500 has paid me back tenfold. But i use it daily. Looking for another....
 
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