Safe use of jacks

[danik007]

I do miss the old w124 jack system where it had a whole in the sideskirts and the jack had a strut to insert there

 

[Sexyhaggis]

I always use Jack stands or even when just doing brakes so not under the car I’ll Chuck the tyre under the sill just so atleast I know if it fell for whatever reason the disc won’t take my knee off or something.

 

[morrisman]

ramps axel stands for me

 

[Pappa583]

Agree this should be highlighted, equipment fails everyday, and we are pretty easily damaged when a tonne or more falls on us. I always slide some big lumps of railway sleeper under mine whenever I'm messing about and good point made by another member..... always keep the hands out of potential trapping places, between the tyre and the arch if the jack slips would crush your hand. How these catalytic convertor theives havent been squashed yet is beyond me..... thats about the only thing that will stop them as the police prob wouldn't be able to do much even if they were caught?

 

[Jonesy161]

Kia have solved all our “safe use of jacks” issues, the new e Nero should not be lifted by jack, it should only be raised by all four lift points at the same time.
Someone save me from this madness.

 

[rich1981]

Kia have solved all our “safe use of jacks” issues, the new e Nero should not be lifted by jack, it should only be raised by all four lift points at the same time.
Someone save me from this madness.

Bonkers

 

[MartinSurreyUK]

Bonkers

I remember when the Austin Allegro came out they advised against opening door when jacked up as body could twist !

 

[ambjoinery]

A very important post which should be auto-bumped regularly by the forum system.





People who join this super forum (I am definitely one of them) are encouraged (if not directly, but by having gained the know-how) to have a go at repairing their own vehicles.



I have gained a lot of knowledge and consequently, the satisfaction of carrying out repairs to my vehicles. This has been enjoyable and has saved me a lot of money. This thread will save someone's life.





Complacancy is a major hazard.



TGood life saving advice hanks for posting.

 

[BTB 500]

Coincidentally I bought some 2.5 tonne ramps this week.

 

[m80]

Coincidentally I bought some 2.5 tonne ramps this week.

For the Vito?

 

[BTB 500]

For the Vito?

Mainly for my ride-on mower and tractor The 2.5 tonne ones are wider and a little taller and only cost a tenner more, so made sense IMHO in case I do need them for the other vehicles (e.g. the SL with 10" wide rims at the back). I also got a pair of ramp extensions with them to reduce the approach angle if necessary.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Coincidentally I bought some 2.5 tonne ramps this week.

Bloody hell , how did you manage to carry them home !?

 

[BTB 500]

I work out

 

[markjay]

Sad news:

Man, 41, dies while working on car in driveway

Police said the vehicle moved as he was working on it, leaving him with serious injuries that proved fatal

www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk

 

[BTB 500]

Sad news:

Man, 41, dies while working on car in driveway

Police said the vehicle moved as he was working on it, leaving him with serious injuries that proved fatal

www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk

Not many details, but a lot of drives slope and forgetting to chock the wheels can be pretty serious.

Some years back on the train to work I heard to a guy telling his friend about being run over by his Renault (Scenic?). It was on his sloping drive and he was behind it doing something in the boot (trying to release an under-slung spare IIRC). Anyway he pressed a button in there that turned out to be an emergency override for the electric parking brake. Car rolled back, he was dragged underneath it out into the road until it hit the kerb on the other side. Superficial injuries only - very lucky.

 

[Decimus]

One of the things that I always do when changing a wheel or have a wheel off, without an axle stand, is put the spare under the sill.

I'm not sure whether it would keep the hub high enough to prevent damage, but it always seems like an obvious thing to do in any case.

A friend of my fathers was changing the wheel of a Panda and saw the jack slipping. He tried to hold the car up by the sill, thinking it would be light. Nearly lost his hand. He was lucky that a passing jogger heard his scream as he was firmly pinned.

A chap I follow on YouTube never goes under a car without a floor jack next to him!

 

[rich1068]

I've got some good quality plastic ramps and heavy duty stands for when the front of a car is too low or I need the wheels free. Still hate going under the car though even after all these years. Just last weekend I was doing the oil and filter and I still stretch for stuff. It's like some primitive part of my brain refuses to let me get fully under in the interests of self preservation.

 

[Pontoneer]

I've got some good quality plastic ramps and heavy duty stands for when the front of a car is too low or I need the wheels free. Still hate going under the car though even after all these years. Just last weekend I was doing the oil and filter and I still stretch for stuff. It's like some primitive part of my brain refuses to let me get fully under in the interests of self preservation.

Sounds like you need a Pela oil extractor ( Machine mart sell them ) and never go under a car again for that particular task .

 

[Shadgrind]

I have just bought an air jack after trying various trolley jacks and bottle jacks, I have a tarmac area that is very Beaten up and try as I might. I cannot get a trolley jack to move safely under the car, in fact, I have just had to buy a new to me side skirt (actually a pair), as when I put the rubber adapter on top of my trolley jack, it slipped out and damaged the sides skirt, £95 A pair but colour matches,

 

[Fhil]

Following on from a thread on another forum where a member was asking about servicing an old trolley jack , I thought it would be worth copying the following over here for the benefit of newer members who perhaps have less experience of working on cars and have not heard some of the safety rules which may be obvious to others . My contribution to the thread was the following :

"For safety , NEVER get under a car supported only by a jack .

Use the jack ONLY to raise the car ; ALWAYS support the car with something else - like axle stands or ramps placed in such a way that there is no possibility of the car falling . By all means use the jack as a back-up support but never as the sole or primary means of support if you or anyone else is going to be underneath .

People are killed every year due to not following this rule ; I lost one of my best mates ( who ought to have known better ) when a Ford Anglia he was working on fell on him - so I make no apology for going on about this .

The jack that comes with your car is for changing wheels at the roadside only and is not meant to support the car for more than a few minutes . While a proper trolley jack is safer , I would still never get under a car supported only by one of these either - the very most I might do with only a trolley jack , apart from changing wheels , might be changing brake pads - but only if there is no risk of the car coming down on my hands and trapping them - otherwise I will ALWAYS put in at least one axle stand ."

Not long after I posted that , another member came along with the following :

" +1

I have lost 3 friends to date and one is severely disabled due to jacks failing, im only 25 so its obviously
still a poorly communicated message. I'd never be entirely happy with a rebuilt jack. "

Hi, I've had a lot of experience in car maintenance, I'm 70 next month. I would not even trust an hydrolic jack to change a wheel. I would always put some sort of axel stand, or similar, to catch the car. I have never heard of anyone getting hurt personally.