Safest way to jack

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Righty

Righty

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Hi, first up dumb new guy questions, but I'd rather be laughed at than damage stuff. So I'm going to start doing some basic work on my 69 Barracuda, Wheels, brakes, swapping studs etc. I'm wanting to look at best practice for jacking and support.

1. Back end: Long reach trolley jack with a block of wood or rubber pad under the diff housing and then jack stands supporting the axle tubes just in from the springs? Or trolley jack to the spring pad and then jack stand first one side then the other.
2. Front end: Trolley jack under the K member with a jacking beam to spread the load and then Jack stands under either end of the K member?
3. Anyone had any experience with the air bag style trolley jacks?

Thanks.
 
Back end......I've always used the spring pad under the leaf, or the rear frame at the front leaf hanger. Stands under the axle tubes or frame rails. I don't use the diff center as a jacking point

Front end......Jack under the k-frame far enough back so the car doesn't slip off the jack (front of K slopes upward). I use the frame rail as safety stand point. I have also placed a safety stand under the K mounting bolt for a quick and dirty support for some thing extremely minor since there is not much of a purchase point under that bolt for the full stand to fit.

In front or rear situations, make sure that you chock the wheels.

Be Safe!
 
I jack the rear end by the housing and no wood block. (No teeter-totter action) Put stands under the axle tubes or the front spring hanger areas depending on whether the axle needs to hang down or not. You can jack one side at a time if needed as well. Front spring hanger area but that's usually where you want your jack stands to go. Jack the front end on the center of the K member. Center and carefully jack, if the car falls off the jack pad it can cause some damage. Put stands under the K member or lower control arms depending on whether the suspension needs to hang. BLOCK THE WHEELS as needed so the car doesn't roll. Also, solid surface only. Concrete is recommended. No dirt or graveled surfaces.
 
I like @toolmanmike use the diff housing, I prefer to jack the car up square front to back. When going at it from the side, it is adding more twisting force to the body, say if your jacking up the front passenger side. Not saying it can’t be done, but my car getting enough twisting force from the motor. Most of the time I don’t put Jack stands under the housing at the spring pads and let the rear suspension dangle. Jack stands on the 4 body/frame pads.
 
At the rear i like to use the gas tank and then the front the sump........ ps actually seen a guy on another forum post help jacked car up now oil everywhere lol
 
Thanks all, so that all makes sense, if I need the suspension to hang I put the jack stands under the K member and under the pads in front of the spring hangers? And for wheel changes etc jack stands under the lower control arms and under the axle tubes or spring pads. I was wondering wether to buy a jacking beam to put on the trolley jack so as to lift via the axle tubes not the diff?
 
However you jack and support your car, use some common sense and do it right. I have always recommended buying a larger jack stand than what you think you need. 3 ton stands may hold the weight but the base is way too small to be stable. 6 ton stands are usually good, have enough strength to be safe and a wide enough base to be stable. 10 or 12 ton stands are very large, stable and strong. They may be overkill but what's wrong with that? Also remember, you will be wrenching, prying and pulling under there so quality stands used correctly may save your life.
 
Brad, a friend of mine didn't use stands. Don't be like Brad. (He's damn lucky to be alive)

Brad.jpg
 
toolmanmike said:
3 ton stands may hold the weight but the base is way too small to be stable. 6 ton stands are usually good, have enough strength to be safe and a wide enough base to be stable. 10 or 12 ton stands are very large, stable and strong.
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I will just add that you can't really have too many or too large jackstands, and that yard sales and flea markets are a great place to get them, even very large ones.
Jacks, too. So what if they leak a few drops – they're easy to fill.

Just keep your eyes open, I've gotten plenty of stands for $5 or $10 over the years, so that now I never have to look for one (of course, they do present a tripping hazard... :rolleyes:).

– Eric
 
toolmanmike said:
Brad, a friend of mine didn't use stands. Don't be like Brad. (He's damn lucky to be alive)
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Worked with a guy when I was a kid. He wasn't a particularly bright bulb.

One day he came in to work and his eyes had no white – just bright red.

"What the hell happened to you?!?"

Seems he was working on his car without stands, the jack collapsed, and he dropped it on his chest.
Said if his buddy hadn't been right there, he'd have been dead.

Be careful out there!

– Eric
 
And be careful of jack stands. Some of them are junk, poor quality, poor design, and then there is always the issue of not enough square inches of solid ground for support. lumber under them for more platform, etc. I am / was lucky. Have an outdoor 2 post, but seals got damaged with the Cummins conversion, and now it leaks.

I see no reason NOT to jack under the rear axle center, except such as Spicer which you can damage the edge/ seal of the rear cover if not careful
 
67Dart273 said:
And be careful of jack stands. Some of them are junk, poor quality, poor design, and then there is always the issue of not enough square inches of solid ground for support, lumber under them for more platform, etc.
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Yes, if they have the little "ratcheting" dog, make sure it's seated in the notch every time.

And give the car a good push once you're "done" setting it up.
Better to have the car fall off an unsteady stand while you're standing next to it than while you're under it.
Afraid to give it a good push? Get down there and re-set your stands.

And, yes, I'm lucky, too. Got a Mohawk System-1 a few years ago from a shop going out of business. I can put a 10,000 pound truck up there, and it feels solid.

– Eric
 
Wow! That is one lucky man to still be able to talk after an injury like that let alone get back to work.
Finding decent jack stands is a challenge, there is so much cheap rubbish out there and rated for ridiculously high loads, that they clearly won’t take. If I can’t find old 2nd hand quality, then I’m going to go for solid flanged new ones, yep they are designed for much higher loads but buy well buy once. The floor in my garage is reinforced concrete, but the bigger safety challenge is lack of space.
I’ve had too many accidents of my own making by tripping over stuff, kicking things out the way, or being too impatient too drop a car turn and turn it around to get to it better. So until I can get use of a bigger garage I’m going to keep it simple. And no way I’m going under anything just relying on jack stands, I’ll be laying some sections of bolted together sleepers as a fall back.
Thanks everyone.
 
I’ll say it again again. Crib Block. It’s hard to crush a solid piece of cherry, oak, or hickory.
 
Any more, I just pull on the garage between the posts, kick the 4 arms under (yeah I do check them before the next step) then push the button and watch whole car rise over my head... Or stop halfway if I'm pulling the wheels...I did the ramps ant/or floor jack and stands long enough.
 
When I worked in the dealership, we had a guy killed by having a cube van roll of the front of a drive on alignment rack. it pinned his head between the transmission crossmember and the forward rolling jack and cracked the back of his skull open.
 
Righty said:
Hi, first up dumb new guy questions, but I'd rather be laughed at than damage stuff. So I'm going to start doing some basic work on my 69 Barracuda, Wheels, brakes, swapping studs etc. I'm wanting to look at best practice for jacking and support.

1. Back end: Long reach trolley jack with a block of wood or rubber pad under the diff housing and then jack stands supporting the axle tubes just in from the springs? Or trolley jack to the spring pad and then jack stand first one side then the other.
2. Front end: Trolley jack under the K member with a jacking beam to spread the load and then Jack stands under either end of the K member?
3. Anyone had any experience with the air bag style trolley jacks?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Lots of good advice, and I'll add my 2 cents. You're obviously smart, otherwise you wouldn't be asking these questions.

Take your time and GO SLOW. If something doesn't seem right, start over. NEVER use concrete blocks as cribbing. Concrete fails and when it does, it fails catastrophically by exploding. Use hardwood that's not cracked or rotting.

And, always work on a level surface. Just last week, the guys at work ran a call on a guy who jacked a big rig up on an incline and guess what? The jack slipped, due to the load not being level. He was underneath, and his head became flat like a pancake. He wasn't as lucky as toolmanmike's friend.
 
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