Quote:
Originally Posted by Lew
I am never getting under a car on jack stands. This is nuts!
 |
Jack stands are perfectly fine when used properly.
BIRD DOG's RULES FOR JACK STAND SAFETY
--------------------------------------------------
Don't exceed the weight limit of the jack stands.
Double them up. If one fails, no problem. They're inexpensive.
Keep the car level whenever possible.
Don't put the car up in the air any higher than necessary.
Place the wheels you remove under the rocker panels so that if it does come down, it will land on those instead of crushing you.
and...
When the car is safely up in the air, place your jack (the one that got it up there) underneath as another layer of protection. You want to place it at the closest jack point you can find as close to where you will be under the car, but where it won't interfere with what you are doing. Jack it up until it just touches the car. If you use a wheeled jack, that adds an additional bit of safety because if the car moves, the jack will move with it and keep at least that spot up in the air (and off of you).
More than one jack stand would have to fail, the wheels you placed under the rocker panels would have to magically fly sideways out from under the car, and your jack would have to fail in order for that thing to crush you. It could still theoretically come down, but at least it won't crush you.
Plus, when jacking up only the front or rear, use wheel chocks on the other two wheels. They are really inexpensive (like $7 for 2 at Northern Tool).
Dying from using jack stands automatically qualifies you to be a finalist for the Darwin Awards. Be safe! Don't let it be you!
Ok, that's my 2 cents. Please be safe!