TheOneDoubleN Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This seems a bit extreme. If you use a decent "ratcheting" stand with a safety pin you are absolutely fine. I follow this up with not pulling out the floor jack. Right, and mine a) Have no safety pin b) Are the cheapest ones I could find So that's why they're going in the garbage, because the pair cost me about $10-20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Bottom line is go slowly, be on flat solid ground, pay attention, double/triple check everything, and know your tools. Heck a cordless drill is dangerous in the wrong hands. There is no substitute for common sense. It sounds like Christian did all of this, and yet it still happened...did you read everything his dad wrote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew888 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 ^^^Crap, I didn't want to, you're gonna make me do it aren't ya. Ok read it and everything I said stands. His stands didn't have pins and he didn't leave the floor jack under the car as a secondary safety measure. Something like this can happen to an experienced mechanic, that for one day, isn't paying attention. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1586"VbGallery/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred_Buchi Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Right, and mine a) Have no safety pin b) Are the cheapest ones I could find So that's why they're going in the garbage, because the pair cost me about $10-20. Same story here. My jackstands are absolute trash and I feel a little dumb for pretending they are good enough for all this time. This story left me numb. I feel so bad for the family (especially the father) and for Christian who lost his life over such a quick and careless mistake. This deserves to be spread through every automotive community out there. It's sad that something like this has to happen for people to open their eyes. Myself included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 This deserves to be spread through every automotive community out there. It's sad that something like this has to happen for people to open their eyes. Myself included. This is the best thing we, as a community can do. Let's make sure he didn't die for nothing by making sure as many people know about this as possible. I'm a bit suprised that there are no class action lawsuits against companies that make these junk jackstands that take such little force to make a car come crashing down on you (the same one's I've been using for years). These things need to be illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Can we sticky this thread somewhere, perhaps in the maintenance forums? This seems deserving... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew888 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It's not a bad idea to have a couple spare jack stands and to place them near your work area. Not as your main ones and not necessarily up against the chassis. Only raised to help in that "just in case" moment. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1586"VbGallery/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidWombat Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 This seems a bit extreme. If you use a decent "ratcheting" stand with a safety pin you are absolutely fine. I follow this up with not pulling out the floor jack. Actually, there was an interesting safety point about human factors. With a ratcheting jackstand, its possible to forget to put a safety pin in. One of the most common causes of serious accidents is someone defeating a safety feature. With a non-racheting jack stand its impossible to forget the safety pin. Removing the floor jack is probably a good idea. If you're going to leave the floor jack, make sure that it is lowered enough that you can clearly see that the car is not resting on it. A car partially resting on a floor jack and partially on jack stands is a recipe for disaster. At the end of the day, its important to remember that lifting heavy objects is VERY dangerous. This includes doing things like pulling engines. We've all seen video of cars falling off lifts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWSPECB Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I usually will lower the car onto the stands and if I am happy with where they are sitting at that point will lower the floor jack another 1/4 inch or so and then jack it back till it is just about touching or just touching the jack point on the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew888 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Actually, there was an interesting safety point about human factors. With a ratcheting jackstand, its possible to forget to put a safety pin in. One of the most common causes of serious accidents is someone defeating a safety feature. With a non-racheting jack stand its impossible to forget the safety pin. There are some that do need a non-ratching stand. I don't... Removing the floor jack is probably a good idea. If you're going to leave the floor jack, make sure that it is lowered enough that you can clearly see that the car is not resting on it. A car partially resting on a floor jack and partially on jack stands is a recipe for disaster. Uh, no its not, well again... maybe to those seriously lacking in common sense. What I do is rest my car on the jack stands, lower the floor jack just a little, then raise it up again to barely touch the chassis. The problem people may encounter is that a floorjack constantly under pressure for a while may bleed off some pressure or even fail if it's a cheap/old one. If you do as I do then the floor jack isn't under pressure while its under the car so if something happens it won't fail. Again, it's a common sense thing and just an extra precaution that I take. At the end of the day, its important to remember that lifting heavy objects is VERY dangerous. This includes doing things like pulling engines. We've all seen video of cars falling off lifts too. No doubt... [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=1586"VbGallery/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHM1AN Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 It's not a bad idea to have a couple spare jack stands and to place them near your work area. Not as your main ones and not necessarily up against the chassis. Only raised to help in that "just in case" moment. This seems like the most fool-proof way of doing it. Put an extra set of jacks under your car. Maybe raise the front and back, and put something underneath each wheel in addition. Either way, use common sense and please be careful! FWIW, last night I broke out my ratcheting jacks and tried putting pressure on the top and tried to pull up on the lever... The jack wouldn't fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucas569 Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 ive never fully trusted jack stands, or jacks for that matter! had one fail on me when i was a wee lad. my recipe for peace of mind/backup is jack stands, hydraulic jack at other point and 2 scissor jacks. after my scare ive been paranoid when working under the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowsports Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 ive never fully trusted jack stands, or jacks for that matter! had one fail on me when i was a wee lad. my recipe for peace of mind/backup is jack stands, hydraulic jack at other point and 2 scissor jacks. after my scare ive been paranoid when working under the car. 100% agree. I've never had a jack fail, but I know they can/do. I am also of the redundancy train of thought. I use ramps alot. When I do use stands, I've got a jack, tire or something else under the corner I am working on. Still get the creeps sometimes when you have an arm or a shoulder under a potential point of failure. My stands are old school. Height adjustable with pins. I have never owned the lever type stands. I read all the post and links. This was a real tragedy and such a sad story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbodog Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 I actually had to use my lever-style jack stands on a non-auto project the other day, I used zip ties to help hold the levers down. A set of large hose clamps would be pretty effective to hold the levers in place, etc. At your own risk..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemani Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I've had my car fell off the jackstand when I was doing brake work, so luckily nothing was underneath the car except the pan with brake fluid. So now I have wheels under my car when I absolutely have to take off the wheels, plus the jack, and jack stands, and when I have to be under the car, I don't even raise my arms above my body unless it is absolutely necessary. For oil change on the LGT I just squeeze under the car, no jacks ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred_Buchi Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 For oil change on the LGT I just squeeze under the car, no jacks ... I'm impressed. Are you super skinny? With a super slim oil catch pan/jug? No way I can get under the lgt without ramps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted May 30, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 30, 2012 The last time I changed my oil, I didn't lift my car up at all. But I didn't have my undertray on, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I like the idea of putting the tire under the car too. I put the floor jack under a load point in addition to my stands, but I'm going to start using the wheel too. Def get the creeps sometimes under my car, but I take extra precautionary steps and double check everything, every time. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHM1AN Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I like the idea of putting the tire under the car too. I put the floor jack under a load point in addition to my stands, but I'm going to start using the wheel too. Def get the creeps sometimes under my car, but I take extra precautionary steps and double check everything, every time. Did my brakes this weekend and put my tires underneath my car. It definitely gives me some extra faith that my legs won't get crushed in the event of catastrophic failure by one of the jack stands. And it helps keep your work space clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 MODS, Still would really like to see this stickied please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted July 12, 2012 I Donated Share Posted July 12, 2012 Turbodog's only worthwhile thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I was thinking the same thing when I was re-reading it, I was shocked to see his name at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mill Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Instead of you all just throwing your stands out, why not just drill a hole in them and stick a pin in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneDoubleN Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Right I want to drill a hole through the safety equipment thats holding my 2 ton car up over my head . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHM1AN Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Im going to interject and say that's something turbodog would suggest. You want to drill through a cast piece, which holds your life in its hands? By drilling through you're introducing a myriad of fractures around the hole, which, when stress is applied, will grow over time and may fail. Look up why Porsche casts their drilled rotors-- the same reasoning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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