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i have seen boards used on jacks more than once too get a little extra length in this case the person lifting the vehicle is probably doing this too provide another lift point, i am just hoping his fuel lines and brake lines are not at that location… do i think its smart? no not really, its best too lift the vehicle at specified points, pinch welds, K frame, and too me there is no reason too use wooden boards if you are lifting or supporting the vehicle at the right points.
The jack with the 2×4 is ok for extra lift. I would like to see
you remove the wood on the jack stands and raise the jack stand
to support the car. If wood needs to be added to the jack to fit the
jack stand then so be it. 😉It looks as though the jack stands haven’t been extended which would eliminate the need for the blocking on them and allow the saddle on the stand to engage the frame and help eliminate unsteadiness or wobble if the car gets shaken at all.
As to the jack, if you don’t have a larger timber to set the jack itself on, I’d use a shorter block and as the others have suggested, find a real solid point on the frame to apply the jack to. The problem with blocking a jack or stand is the potential for teetering and/or falling over if the saddle on them isn’t properly engaged (supporting) whatever you’re lifting.
I’d rather use a bigger (taller) jack or get a couple of good size chunks of framing timbers like 6×6 or 10″x10″ about 2 feet long. Make sure you’re on a solid flat surface. Lay them side-by-side to rest crosswise under the jack. Rest the jack on top of those. Don’t rest the wheels on the timbers but remember the wood supports are crosswise elevated the jack by its frame and not the wheels. THEN position the jack on its wooden supports to put the saddle directly under the car frame or the points mentioned earlier. The elevated jack resting on timbers also prevents the jack elevated wheels from sinking into asphalt on a hot day because the weight is evenly distributed on a flat surface not on metal wheels.
BTW, always make sure your jack is rated for the approx weight you’re going to raise or stay out from under whatever you’re lifting.
SparksHere is a scenario. It’s a hot day and you are on a driveway that is asphalt. You have no other place to jack up the vehicle. How would you do it if possible ?
I like the idea of the 2×4 because it spreads weight over a large surface area as opposed to focusing all the weight on a single point.
[quote=”drthrift035″ post=62413]Here is a scenario. It’s a hot day and you are on a driveway that is asphalt. You have no other place to jack up the vehicle. How would you do it if possible ?[/quote]
Been in this situation before. I have several squares of 3/4 ” thick plywood ( aprox six inches wider than base of the stands ) I place these under the jack stands and this spreads the load out so the stand dosent sink into the asphalt. been using them without incedent for years. for extra heigth I use a block on my floor jack ( for raising only ) then taller jack stands for support. my 6 ton stands go up to 24″.
I hate seeing cars with mangled pinch welds from people using those tiny bottle jacks.
There is nothing wrong with using wood to spread out load. Try not to use 2×4’s though. Wood has a grain and it can split under a pinch weld. Use plywood instead.
As long as the 2X4’s are correctly distributing the weight evenly. I see more issues with using them on the jack stands personally. Physics is a fact and if either of those are not supporting their portion of the weight properly, that could be an issue.
Just me personally I would never use the boards with jack stands, or I should say I would not be comfortable working under it.
I’m inclined to agree with FourRings although I get nervous when I see people using bottle jacks to support a car while someone is crawling around underneath. I’ve seen an improperly placed bottle jack piston punch a hole through a chassis. And as Rhino says, I think placing a 2×4 on top or even underneath a bottle jack makes for a very unsteady and unsafe situation unless in a crunch you’re using it to change a tire.
In fact, I don’t feel bottle jacks are really safe for supporting cars unless they have some kind of saddle to grip a support and even then, before I’d climb underneath, I’d make sure it passes the severe shake/wobble and roll test, especially in California !!!
Sparks[quote=”619DioFan” post=62428][quote=”drthrift035″ post=62413]Here is a scenario. It’s a hot day and you are on a driveway that is asphalt. You have no other place to jack up the vehicle. How would you do it if possible ?[/quote]
Been in this situation before. I have several squares of 3/4 ” thick plywood ( aprox six inches wider than base of the stands ) I place these under the jack stands and this spreads the load out so the stand dosent sink into the asphalt. been using them without incedent for years. for extra heigth I use a block on my floor jack ( for raising only ) then taller jack stands for support. my 6 ton stands go up to 24″.[/quote]
Great suggestion. Thanks for the advice !!!
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