Please, please be careful !!

This was just posted on another forum, and I thought it might be worth posting here. It might save someone else's life:

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I was putting Ebrake cables in the Rambler today when both jackstands and the bumper jack ( stands were supporting most of the weight ) kicked out with me underneath it. lucilly the side I was on had the tire on it and I wasn't badly injured because it did not really fall far ( 5-6" considering suspension travel ).. but I did just come back from the hospital, I have only bruises for injuries.... Now, I know having the bumper jack have any preassure on it and being under the vehicle is a nono... now I know first hand that care and saftey should be taken into consideration when crawling under a vehicle... You can learn from your mistakes but... you can also die from your mistakes... if the tire haddn't been on the car, I would at the very least be paralyzed... both the car and me are fine.. my dad jacked it back up and I quickley crawled out.
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I have had cars fall unexpectedly while jacked up, luckily I wasn't under them. Please be careful and use the proper jackstands on a firm surface (not dirt or gravel) Every year people are crushed under a car while working on it. Don't be one of those statistics.


Don

And no concrete blocks! ever, Tracy

Amen, I've seen them crumble!!

Don

Don't get me going on the cheap jacks and jack stands out there............$29.99 for a jack and stands?? I think my life is worth a little more than that....Buy safe!

Always buy too big, the little ones aren't stable. And NEVER use them on dirt!...grouchy

Great advice!!!

I let the car down on the jack stands with the jack still barely touching and hit the bases with a big hammer to make sure they are centered on the floor.



Richard.

I do the same thing, leave the floor jack just touching as some added insurance.

One time my Son Don and I were changing the oil in my Wifes car and we lived on a slight incline. All we had under it was a floorjack, and all of a sudden it started to roll backwards down the driveway toward my neighbors house. We started running after it and my shoes came off so I started to slow down, and I heard my Kid yelling "Don't stop, keep running!!!!!!!!!"

We grabbed it and got it stopped in the middle of the street luckily. We both said the same thing. " DON'T TELL MOM ABOUT THIS!!!" I don't think she knows about it to this day. My neighbors never knew what to expect from "those crazy people next door."

Don

near death experience

You be careful Don or we will have to start RatRod Funerals- your car was lowered and so were you - into the ground.

I weld the jack stobs on the cars (nascar) we build and talk about stress, some of those guys will jump under a car quick and not think twice about it and their life hangs on YOUR weld. I'm not going to jinx myself, but I have been fortunate so far especially when they wreck or hit the wall (which seems to be alot, LOL) and the jackstobs take a beating.

I once had a car fall off a jack because of the using a 4x4 piece of wood to get some extra height (I know, what an idiot) Well, lesson well learned. See ya guys, Scott

I almost daily have to jack up forklifts and crawl under them. Bet your ass I have the best jack stands you can buy and also go redundant with oak blocks. I wont stick my head under there without triple checking. 12-15000 lb with 4" ground clearance would harm even my hard head. I also do the hammer thing with a big deadblow to make sure the stands are level and secure.

Just the other day Dan and I were using a floor jack to move my '39 Dodge sideways a few feet. I was in the middle of the front axle, leaning over, pushing the car while he pulled the floor jack. All of a sudden that round plate that goes on the end of the jack where you lift the car flipped up into the air, right past my head. Evidently, when we were pulling the jack the front axle was only partially on that plate, the it caused it to flip off.

A couple more inches and it would have hit me square in the noggin....I felt the wind as it went by my head. That is what we get for having cheap Harbor Freight floor jacks.

Don

got my set from HF.. set the truck up to change a u joint, and during dinner a guy that i had previously met stumbled onto my porch and told me he was going to leave a few sets on the driveway! gotta love luck that falls into your lap... as long as its not your car.