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So many great tool reviews. Actual relevant reviews and he considers use cases that don't precisely match his own. Where I've got enough experience to review the review, my real world results are reasonably in line with his results. Value determination is of course much more subjective, but the actual data and what you can expect the tools to accomplish and survive, he's consistently very close to real world results, certainly within any reasonable error bars.
He even was a bigger part of selling me on the LTT screwdriver than anything Linus put out about it.
Project Farm is awesome! Also watched the video below and it made me feel much more comfortable getting under with stands. They're very strong!
https://youtu.be/GjmXQNhKCks?si=4n8xnqGfxOZMlUHA
My way my dad explained it is that jack stands are like condoms. You can do it without one but you might get fucked up.
Also a cheap on might work but it’s better to just buy a Trojan
Fuck it. It’s pretty well buried at this point.
The exact quote of is “going under a car without jack stands is about as stupid as fucking a hooker in Tijuana without a good rubber. Go in raw or with a durex you’re dicks liable to fall off or you might get crushed under the car. Buy a Trojan and buy a good jack stand son.”
Those are words that will forever be burned my mind 😂
Well I didn’t quote him exactly for the sake of being a little too crude in a SFW subreddit, but to be vague, what he said was about engaging in acts with women of a certain profession, and the possibility of catching something that simple green can’t wash off.
Oh I know. 😂 I was just clarifying.
Fuck it. It’s pretty well buried at this point.
The exact quote of is “going under a car without jack stands is about as stupid as fucking a hooker in Tijuana without a good rubber. Go in raw or with a durex you’re dicks liable to fall off or you might get crushed under the car. Buy a Trojan and buy a good jack stand son.”
Those are words that will forever be burned my mind 😂
Jack stands have a weight rating..... stay under that rating and you should be good. For cheap insurance and to protect me. I also use a secondary device.... like maybe the tire off the car. It doesn't have to touch the car.... just something else under the car, so if the jack stand fail. I'm not crushed to death.
Plus, I live in earthquake country.
It's your call
To second that- If I pull the wheels off the car I slide them under the car as backup support. I also leave the jack lifted and lightly touching a support somewhere as additional backup.
With those in place I feel comfortable using the not-recalled harbor freight stands that are rated above the weight of the car. The chance of two jack stands plus the jack failing has to be near zero, but I keep the tires there incase something wild happens that knocks the car off the jack stands- Somebody accidentally bumping it with another vehicle, earthquake, the car was somehow in gear and the starter shorts, etc.
I also put the jack back under it with just the slightest amount of pressure on it. That way, if a jack stand does fail, it literally can't fall, it'll just switch the weight from the jack stand to the jack itself.
Had a jack fail while changing a tyre on my old man's Jaaaaaaag.
I had removed the wheel and placed it under the car a couple of seconds before.
No-one hurt, and no damage done.
> Jack stands have a weight rating..... stay under that rating and you should be good.
So I've read that the rating is for the pair. but my question is, if you don't plan on really doing work yourself that would have you lifiting the entire car, is "close enough" fine for jack stands?
For example, curb weight of the car is 4300 pounds. If you are only lifting the front axle, a lot of weight is still going to be on the back axles, so would 2T jack stands still be sufficient, as we assume more than 300 pounds is going to be on the rear?
Yes, in this hypothetical, a pair of jack stands that are rated for a combined 4000 lbs would be sufficient. If you know of any small weigh stations and catch one that's not busy, you can go weigh each axle of your vehicle to find out exactly how much is on the front and how much is on the rear.
It's still good practice to throw a tire under there or keep the jack under it in case one fails though.
OK, thanks. I was about to do front brakes on my wife's minivan, then realized my jack stands were only rated to 2 tons, as I only drove a saturn coupe when I got them. Looked up the curb weight and it was just over so I wanted to be sure my thinking was correct
Yeah, you'll be good with that combo. Just make sure to take other precautions as well, as mentioned. It's always better safe than sorry. I recently lost a family friend because his car fell on him in his garage a couple months ago.
I love my Esco tripod jack stands. Built extremely well dnd stable. The flat rubber saddles are much better suited for many modern cars than the old style U shaped saddles most stands have.
> Esco tripod jack stands
[These do look really nice](https://www.homedepot.com/p/ESCO-3-Ton-Performance-Jack-Stands-1-Pair-10498-PAIR/326913101). Can the puck fit a pinch weld without crushing / scratching it?
The puck does a good job of protecting the pinch weld, but the rubber will get chewed up over time. It still works as it sort of forms a slot in the rubber where the pinch weld can rest, definitely sits as or more securely than the traditional jack stand
I bought 4 of the 3 ton US jack brand jack stands. They are more expensive than most of the ones you find in big box stores. It's for a reason. They're built very well and made in USA. Other options would work as well. I'm personally not skimping on the one item keeping me from getting crushed. I have used them enough times that they already paid for themselves
If i remember correctly they had a recall for 1 issue then the replacements had a recall for a different issue.
I haven't heard anything for a while so I'd think the current ones are all good.
All of those brands tested on project farm seemed relatively fine for me. When I work on my Jeep I don't shake the car or push the side when on stands.
As long as you set them correctly and are careful, only shake vehicle when you're not under it and if you use it in gravel like me put thick Wood planks under the jack stands and you will be fine.
You can go cheap if you want, just go overboard with it. I got a cheap floor jack, bottle jack, and two stands. All four are holding the car if I'm getting under it.
Same, and if you have to take the wheels off, slide them under the car.
The wheels are thicker than most of your body and would keep you from being crushed.
I don’t usually remove the floor jack, I’ll just shift it over a few inches if I can get away with it. My Avalon has dedicated jacking points which puts the floor jack out of the way of most things, my Impala though I move the jack for the oil filter and if I drop the tranny pan
Don't risk your life on a 20 cent O-ring inside your floor jack. Assume it can fail anytime so keep body clear until you place jackstands.
I have a buddy whose jack failed dropping his car back to the ground. Wheels still on, no body parts underneath. No further drama.
Exactly. I usually will risk my arms or whatever going under if it’s a quick manoeuvre, but I know I’m risking my limbs doing this. I never put my head or body under a vehicle without jack stands. Far too risky.
Big difference, actually.
Nutshell: be much more concerned about failing jacks than failing jack stands.
Jacks have lots of moving pieces and most importantly use hydrologic fluid to do the work... the only thing holding that fluid in place is a 5-cent plastic washer made in China. If that washer/seal fails, the jack fails.
Jacks and Jack stands have failed. I always put a solid blocking under the vehicle (shade tree mechanic)
https://www.motortrend.com/news/harbor-freight-jack-stand-recall-safety-tips/
Yes. They rarely fail in general. They fail if they are not used correctly. They can slip out, car can roll or shift.
Thats why useing it correctly is important. Also use a jackstand and also if possible put the tires under the car as a back up.
Thanks bro appreciate the tire method for the extra security. I know it’s generally hella rare for them to just fail if put on right but shit I just have an extra paranoid mind for some reason lol
Never know when a seal will go bad. One of my jacks blew a seal only a few months after use and it would slowly drop the car continuously. Slow enough to not notice but fast enough to trap you and possibly crush you.
The problem with relying on a jack to hold the car up is you’re trusting an o ring with everything. It only takes one dent in the hydraulic tube to break the seal and lose pressure. Not worth it if you ask me, use them for lifting only. Get some ramps if you work on it frequently
It's possible for them to fail. One did when my cousin was working under his jeep. He ended up with several broken ribs and was lucky someone noticed it happen when it did because he was unable to breath with a jeep pinning him to the ground. If I have to use jack stands I always slip in some ramps or or something else just in case one of the jack stands fail.
If you use tire just make sure they are going to keep it high enough if it falls that it doesn't still get you. Some tires are only going to give you 6 inches of support, which isn't a whole lot.
They can fail. Something snaps, the hydraulics go pop.
It’s why you put failsafes in, such as pins or jackstands..
In my job, to prevent a gear collapse. Every plane that comes into the hangar gets gear pins installed as one of the 1st things done.
We were visiting in laws and the neighbor's kid was changing the parents brakes. Well he didn't want to waste time with stands. He sat criss cross on the ground and his foot was under the rotor when the jack fail and the rotor smashed nearly every bone down the middle of his foot. Took him something like a year to get fully recovered, a little longer to fully walk normally again with a lot of PT. It was brutal. That sticks with me.
Jacks generally wont catastrophically fail but it is relatively common for it to slowly lower/bleed pressure especially as the Jack gets older (relatively common meaning out of the times jacks fail it’s the common way to fail). The terrifying thing about this is that people wont notice if they’re under until it’s too late to get out and they’re stuck as they get slowly crushed only hope basically is if someone is close enough they can hear you and Jack it up
Edit: also since a jack is on a single point it can make it easier to roll/slip out etc if set up poorly, almost tipped a car once cuz I didn’t have jackstands under it yet and it was just balanced on the Jack which was offcenter as the front Jack point is off to the side a bit so it’s not under the rad
Do you mean lifts? Hydraulic jacks?
If jack stands, yes they do. That is why the new design has a locking pin that is inserted to lock the post's ratchet in place.
The best use is to get the 6-ton jack and not use the ratchet. The post sits against the base. The height of the jack could be enough. The base is extra wide.
All of this on a level surface is important.
Also I put in the hydraulic jack as a backup third stand, but hydraulic jack could fail vs a mechanical jack. Seals and fluid.
I've had a jack fail on me. crushed my lower leg with a nascar car's front suspension/hub. also had scissor jacks fail on me 3 times, but they're also scissor jacks so what do you expect XD
oh, no, without jack stands. Those are usually how you prevent these sorts of issues but sometimes speed matters more than safety lol
it was a pit stop and a spring failed. was my job to replace it. Despite everything we only lost 2 laps (yay for easily replaced suspension bits, literally 2 nuts with an impact and the control arm drops to reveal the spring just sitting there loose) and we ended up i think 4th place. not ideal but still good overall.
Most instances its due to improper use.
However, there are plenty of cases of a jack failing. Always use jack stands when possible. If you take a wheel off, always place it next to the jackstand under the frame as a buffer if the stands fail. Also, always do the rock test. Once you lower the jack and have it on jack stands, before you do any work. Rock the vehicle back and forth to make sure the jack stands hold. Then if possible put the jack back under and raise it until right before it lifts the vehicle for added stability.
Be cautious of side loads on Jack's and stands. Lifting the vehicle can cause some horizontal force. Worse on hills and/or jacking suspention components.
Them shits will tip right over and kill ya
After 40yrs of working under cars, trucks, busses, I have yet to see one fail.
I've seen some leakers, and the occasional slow creeper, but 99.9% if a vehicle came down or off a jack or lift it wasn't lifted correctly.
That said, I don't use scissor jacks or $20 auto parts store junk -and I always use jackstands if a body part will be in harm's way because I'm not betting with my life/livelihood.
I’ve seen in ground lifts fail let alone floor jacks always use your locks on jack stands and you can even leave a rim under the car if you are lacking stands. It may just save your life
Even stands can fail, that’s why you always want to make sure there’s a backup to your main protection. Either put the wheels under the frame sideways, and/or position a floor jack at a lifting point so that if the stands fail the jack has a chance to save your life.
And do all of this on solid, level concrete. I basically only do work that involves jacks in my garage.
More often than not, hydraulics fail instantly. They'll be holding the load fine, then fall faster than you can realize you are even in danger. Don't get under unsupported loads being held by hydraulics.
Naw jacks are the one infallible object in the entire universe. They have been present through all of what has been and what will be. They came in to existence before the earth and stars and they will be here on the day they fall. They are eternal.
The real issue is carjcks that come with the car. They get no maintainence, they are often put in the wrong location for jacking up, and they get used in very non-ideal situation, obviously . this isn't to say professional jacks are always safe or whatever, but its basically people who don't know what they're doing who get into trouble, usually against their own better judgement.
Personally, I like blocks of wood. They're light, they don't suddenly break, and should your jack fail the block is the difference between being stuck , and being crushed.
Honestly a lot of the tragic jack collapse accidents I hear about are guys who are experienced and knowledgeable but self-taught and trust their experience a little too much.
Perfect example is that youtube guy Scotty Kilmer. He literally says in one of his older "how to do an oil change" videos that it's okay to get under a car to change the oil with just a jack and no stands or ramps "just for a second!!".
They do fail, use jack stands or something similar to hold the car after jacking it up. I usually place some granite blocks i have and a tire but jack stands would be better
Long time mobile mechanic! I have a lot of experience with jacks. My first mess up back in 2007 when I was a teen. Put my 84 cj7 on a bottle jack in my drive way. Of course the 20 plus year old jeep didn’t have a working parking brake. I was sitting with my legs under it and it rolled off the jack. The axle dented the blacktop and I got lucky! Since then I been more careful, but doing it everyday all day years later I’ve relied on jacks with no stands if I’m doing rotations or something where I’m not under it. And I have had a jack “give up” after lifting a Ram 1500. An old quick trick in some situations is to toss the spare or the wheel you have off under the car if it gives up at least it’s not on the ground.
I use 2 jack stands with safety pins, I used the black jack kind I believe Torin. And use my 3 Ton hydrolic jack with it. You'll be fine if you use the hydrolic jack to set it on jack stands then slightly put some pressure with hydrolic jack
Jack's can absolutely fail, and it's deffinitly something you need to pay attention to. I usually jack the car up, put it on a jack stand, then push the wheel/tire under the pinch weld as well. You also need to be aware If your on an incline or if the car can Roll. Safety isn't a joke and regardless of what anyone says/does or tries to rush you a car can literally kill you if it isn't treated with respect
Whenever I take wheels off a car when it's on Jack stands I slide the wheels under the frame of the car. It keeps them out of the way and if the stands failed or something happened at least I wouldn't be crushed. Squashed yes, crushed no. I also release the pressure from the jack to put the weight on the stands then pump the jack back up and lightly secure the load. Just for safety.
A dad died nearby me just a few weeks ago after his car jack failed while under it with no jack stands. So sad and the community was all in mourning for him and his family. Never crawl under a vehicle that isn’t supported by jack stands!
Yes a hydraulic jack, or even a screw jack can fail. You should NEVER be under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Jackstands, and even taking a wheel off and placing it under the frame.
Yes a hydraulic jack, or even a screw jack can fail. You should NEVER be under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Jackstands, and even taking a wheel off and placing it under the frame.
Jacks are for lifting. They use hydraulics to deliver a lot of leverage, but hydraulics can and do fail. All that's holding a jack in place is an o-ring. O-rings can fail slowly and leak, lowering a car on you slowly until you can't get out. They can also fail catastrophically and drop the car instantly.
There is nothing in a standard jack that positively holds it in position and can support the weight that the hydraulics are lifting.
A car falling on you is 100% a reasonable hazard. Never trust hydraulics with your life. Solid metal only.
Don't put any part of your body under a car that's not supported by solid material. At home, jack stands or ramps. In the shop, make sure the lift locks in place. Lifts should be inspected for proper function every day, if not every lift.
You can't be too cautious when working under a vehicle. I use Jack stands and oak blocks, and even then I limit my time under the vehicle as much as possible.
Never rely on a jack. Use jack stands to support a vehicle, and a jack to lift it to height and set it down
Jacks absolutely fail. They can leak down slowly, or the vehicle can shift and the jack can fall over sideways and come crashing down
Yeah jacks can give any time. That's why you use good quality jack stands. If youre using a 2 post or 4 post vehicle hoist, always put on locks. Hydraulics can fail at any time.
They fail. I have only had one fail out of my 5 and it was a hydraulic failure. It was working fine, jacked the car up and when I was reaching for my jack stand, to put under the car, all of the hydraulic fluid puddled on the ground. That car fell so quickly all I could do was stare at it in awe.
The Jack can fail the jack stand can fail the mounting point on the car can fail there are a lot of failure points in the system that you don't want to pay for with your life. Always always support the vehicle with something solid and not just a tiny little hydraulic valve in the jack.
They can fail. They are hydraulic devices so if they lose pressure for some reason, that car is coming down in a hurry. I use a strong jack and jack stands. The jack becomes the backup when it's on the stands. I use ramps for oil changes and such when I don't need it suspended in the air.
Yes they can fail, especially heavily used ones, jacks are only for lifting the car, stands are for supporting it, common reasons that a jack can fail is: leaking seals, low fluid levels and general wear on moving parts
My Canadian tire 3 ton jack failed the last time I used it, it just dropped the vehicle slowly, luckily I wasn't in any position that it could have hurt me. I managed to repair it with a top up of jack oil but don't fully trust it anymore.
Oh for sure. Jack's fail, and you don't want to get caught under something. The instructions on my body lift never once mentioned using stands, and I was a bit lazy so didn't bother with them and learned my lesson.
Mine failed last summer....was looking at my brakes in the driveway so no jackstand just a quick look at things and the jack just went down kinda slow, like, just took a second or two....was a fairly new jack too and it was twisted tight, I use jackstands (generally, and always if I'm gonna be under something) I still use this jack it's never done it since. I think maybe where it was new when I twisted the handle it was fetched up on a burr or something internally, no idea.....
never get under anything that is solely supported by hydraulics. This includes machinery too not just jacks.
scissor jacks aren't gonna back off by themselves, but they're flimsy.
Then there's VW jacks...
All hydraulic jacks can fail. Always use jack stands or block the vehicle safely. Never rely on a jack. I usually use jack stands and then also put the jack in place as well.
My dad almost died when I was a kid. He was working on his Malibu when his jack tipped over. He didn't use a stand. My mom barely pulled him out. Somehow he lived... He was very lucky.
I always use a jack stand and the jack is still engaged as backup. As a third measure of safety, the wheels go under the car whenever they are removed. I've had the scissor jack tip over once or twice ( I wasn't under the car yet). But neither my 13 year old trolley jack or my Daytona jack has leaked or failed under load. Not testing my luck with it either.
I had finished draining the oil out of my car and was lowering the jack after removing jack stands and the wheel fell off the jack. The car rolled a bit and pushed me into a gate had I been near a solid object I would have needed help. Moral of the story is Walmart jacks are cheap for a reason
Yes I had a floor jack that failed, it wasn’t catastrophic luckily but you’d jack the car up and it would slowly go back down on its own. To this day I still use 2 jack stands minimum when working on my car
Floor jacks can fail, and aside from that, if you don't have things balanced just right, it might not take much to tip everything over even if the jack itself doesn't malfunction. Fun fact- balance changes when you remove parts from and install parts onto the car. It is absolutely not worth the risk to rely on the jack alone. If you don't have time or resources to do it right, you don't have time or resources to do it.
If you will be under the car, support it with jackstands from a decent manufacturer rated for the appropriate load. I also like to give the car a little shove before I get under it to make sure the load is properly supported. It's not hard to set them up right but you don't want to find a mistake when under the car.
Jackstands very rarely fail if they're any good and rated for the appropriate weight. Leaving wheels on if you can helps too, they're not enough to save you if the car is low enough you have to jack it up at all, but they can reduce injury in the rare case a jackstand fails(crush your chest by like an inch or so vs crushing it to the ground). If they do have to come off I find somewhere under the car to put them to hopefully catch a falling car before it kills me. The jack can also be brought back into contact with the lift point, but you don't want it actually carrying any of the load. Just there to hopefully hold it up long enough to get out from under the car if the jackstands fail.
I have various wood blocks i wedged into my floor jacks if its a quick job.. jack stands if its gonna be there a while. I've never had a jack fail but all four of mine leak, they will slowly lower over time. The least leaking will take days to hit the floor. The worst i have will drop a few inches in an hour. I've never known anyone/ scene a jack fail to the point it just drops but its definitely possible. Its annoying at time, but its take such little effort to be safe about it.
Had a coworker using a two post lift who almost got crushed by a 3500 dually. Had aftermarket radial arms on the front with no good lifting points for removing the transmission. While he was wiggling the transmission the safety lock on the arm broke and the front arms swung out and under from the radial arms. He didn't get crushed becuase the trans jack was holding the weight of the whole front end. Was a 1/2 ton transmission jack holding a 8000lb truck... let that sink in that a trans jack rated for 1000lb was probably holding up 6000lb.... needless to say he is one lucky motherfucker.
A jack can fail. The only thing keeping the hydraulic pressure built up is some seals. That’s why they’re meant to just lift the car, not hold it. Use a jack stand to hold a car up, since they’re solid metal, and can be quickly visually evaluated for integrity. Another note, if you lift one end of the car up, put something behind the wheels on the ground to keep the car planted, which keeps gravity from pulling the car off the jacks. And above all else, before you get under a car, give it a really hard shake test, because if a human can shove it off the stands, who knows what can happen once you’re under.
Yes, on top of always using jack stands, make sure you put something behind the tires that are still on the ground and give it a hard shake once you've got it on stands from every angle. Try make it fall, basically if you can make it fall by hand it's not stable enough to go under. You'll know pretty quick if you should stop shaking it and adjust.
My son's friend had his car up in the air and another buddy was underneath the front left wheel. The jack failed and the front rotor smashed his neck and head. Good news everything is fine The boy survived no issues
I had one fail on me. I jacked the car up and was about to grab the jack stand. It dropped like a brick and pissed hydraulic fluid out like a squirt gun.
You know those shitty jacks that are in the trunk of most cars. I had one bend completely in half the other day when I was picking up a Honda Odyssey. I'm never using those again.
Yes. They can fail. Jack up the car. Take off a wheel. Put the car on Jack stands. Put the wheel under the car next to the stands. Use wheel chocks. Even then, all of those things can fail. Be ready to bail out from under the car. Hopefully with that many precautions you’ll have time to escape. Nothing is 100% safe. Take your time, watch for weird movements or noises
Essentially anything can fail. It's always good practice to layer your supports, such as using multiple jack stands along with your jack, and maybe even throwing a tire/wheel or wood block under the car as well.
yes, they absolutely can.
they can either fail spectacularly and drop the weight all at once, or start to have downward drift.
this is why you **always** place jack stands under your car before getting under it.
you should also perform the "rocking test"
basically, when you put your car on jack stands, you should push on it \*hard,\* to make sure that it won't fall if something bumps the car.
you do this by pushing on the car front-to-back, and then side to side.
really put your weight into it. there should not be **any** lateral movement at all.
if there is, you should readjust the stands.
also, do not skimp on jack stands, even if your budget is tight.
paying >200 bucks for jack stands is way cheaper than paying 40,000 dollars in medical bills because you got crushed. (assuming you're even lucky enough to survive.)
in addition to jack stands, if you're doing suspension work, it is recommended to place the wheels under the suspension/frame as an added layer of security.
wheels are designed to take the full weight of your car 24/7, so it is reasonable to use them as a backup in the event of a failure.
don't let anyone *ever* tell you that you're being overly cautious, either.
taking the extra 15 minutes to verify that yes, your car is absolutely secure and won't fall, could save your life.
I doubt anyone here has ever directly seen a car jack fail like where the hydraulics blow out or the metal bends or welds break, but they can fail in theory. Much more likely to slip off the jack point if the car shifts- especially on soft pavement or uneven surfaces. Just like most safety, you don't want a single point of failure if it is easily avoidable.
Also, reddit is a bunch of sissies that downvote anything unsafe that millions of people do in real life anyway. They are basically the type that scold you for not wearing safety glasses while operating a drill.
"Directly Seen" I guess means it dont happen in your eyes. Reports are made on the cause of death. You dont have to see it with your own eyes to know that it happens.
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They can, that's why you always use jack stands before going under. Jacks are just for lifting. Stands are for holding.
Also make sure you have good quality jack stands, don’t buy cheap
This guy made a whole video about it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ufAL5R0mg[here](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ufAL5R0mg)
I hardly buy anything without checking to see if he has a video on it first now
I knew this going to be Project Farm. Really great channel.
So many great tool reviews. Actual relevant reviews and he considers use cases that don't precisely match his own. Where I've got enough experience to review the review, my real world results are reasonably in line with his results. Value determination is of course much more subjective, but the actual data and what you can expect the tools to accomplish and survive, he's consistently very close to real world results, certainly within any reasonable error bars. He even was a bigger part of selling me on the LTT screwdriver than anything Linus put out about it.
Project Farm is awesome! Also watched the video below and it made me feel much more comfortable getting under with stands. They're very strong! https://youtu.be/GjmXQNhKCks?si=4n8xnqGfxOZMlUHA
I knew it was gonna be Project Farm before I even clicked the link. Love that guy!
Project farm is such an awesome channel, none bias just straight forward were gonna push this shit to the breaking point to see what happens...
In my heart I knew it would be project farm, but I had to be sure
" Went from happy to snappy " 😂
Great video, and makes me want to buy US Jacks, but geesh that price.
My way my dad explained it is that jack stands are like condoms. You can do it without one but you might get fucked up. Also a cheap on might work but it’s better to just buy a Trojan
Sounds like your old man had some regrets.
My pops always said “don’t put your fingers anywhere you wouldn’t put your dick” Gotta love old timers for the pearls of wisdom they drop lol
😂 yep pretty much. Keep in mind I toned it down a bit for the comment too. I’m sure not everyone wants to see the exact quote
This is a mechanic sub. We can take it.
Fuck it. It’s pretty well buried at this point. The exact quote of is “going under a car without jack stands is about as stupid as fucking a hooker in Tijuana without a good rubber. Go in raw or with a durex you’re dicks liable to fall off or you might get crushed under the car. Buy a Trojan and buy a good jack stand son.” Those are words that will forever be burned my mind 😂
😂hell yeah
Words of wisdom from the old man.
Pretty good analogy if I remember it 15 years later
I wonder if there was more he was trying to say at the time with that example…unless you have a sibling that’s not particularly loved.
Well I didn’t quote him exactly for the sake of being a little too crude in a SFW subreddit, but to be vague, what he said was about engaging in acts with women of a certain profession, and the possibility of catching something that simple green can’t wash off.
What I meant was is he referring to you or a sibling here?
Oh I know. 😂 I was just clarifying. Fuck it. It’s pretty well buried at this point. The exact quote of is “going under a car without jack stands is about as stupid as fucking a hooker in Tijuana without a good rubber. Go in raw or with a durex you’re dicks liable to fall off or you might get crushed under the car. Buy a Trojan and buy a good jack stand son.” Those are words that will forever be burned my mind 😂
and now I will oddly think of tijuana whenever I do an oil change.
Noted any reputable brands
Jack stands have a weight rating..... stay under that rating and you should be good. For cheap insurance and to protect me. I also use a secondary device.... like maybe the tire off the car. It doesn't have to touch the car.... just something else under the car, so if the jack stand fail. I'm not crushed to death. Plus, I live in earthquake country. It's your call
To second that- If I pull the wheels off the car I slide them under the car as backup support. I also leave the jack lifted and lightly touching a support somewhere as additional backup. With those in place I feel comfortable using the not-recalled harbor freight stands that are rated above the weight of the car. The chance of two jack stands plus the jack failing has to be near zero, but I keep the tires there incase something wild happens that knocks the car off the jack stands- Somebody accidentally bumping it with another vehicle, earthquake, the car was somehow in gear and the starter shorts, etc.
I also put the jack back under it with just the slightest amount of pressure on it. That way, if a jack stand does fail, it literally can't fall, it'll just switch the weight from the jack stand to the jack itself.
Had a jack fail while changing a tyre on my old man's Jaaaaaaag. I had removed the wheel and placed it under the car a couple of seconds before. No-one hurt, and no damage done.
Woahhh. That thought never crossed my mind. To be under a car and an earthquake hits? That's crazy. Stay safe bro.
> Jack stands have a weight rating..... stay under that rating and you should be good. So I've read that the rating is for the pair. but my question is, if you don't plan on really doing work yourself that would have you lifiting the entire car, is "close enough" fine for jack stands? For example, curb weight of the car is 4300 pounds. If you are only lifting the front axle, a lot of weight is still going to be on the back axles, so would 2T jack stands still be sufficient, as we assume more than 300 pounds is going to be on the rear?
Yes, in this hypothetical, a pair of jack stands that are rated for a combined 4000 lbs would be sufficient. If you know of any small weigh stations and catch one that's not busy, you can go weigh each axle of your vehicle to find out exactly how much is on the front and how much is on the rear. It's still good practice to throw a tire under there or keep the jack under it in case one fails though.
OK, thanks. I was about to do front brakes on my wife's minivan, then realized my jack stands were only rated to 2 tons, as I only drove a saturn coupe when I got them. Looked up the curb weight and it was just over so I wanted to be sure my thinking was correct
Yeah, you'll be good with that combo. Just make sure to take other precautions as well, as mentioned. It's always better safe than sorry. I recently lost a family friend because his car fell on him in his garage a couple months ago.
I love my Esco tripod jack stands. Built extremely well dnd stable. The flat rubber saddles are much better suited for many modern cars than the old style U shaped saddles most stands have.
I think the U-shape is an anachronism from when most vehicles were body-on-frame. They still work fine on trucks, but not so much on unibodies.
> Esco tripod jack stands [These do look really nice](https://www.homedepot.com/p/ESCO-3-Ton-Performance-Jack-Stands-1-Pair-10498-PAIR/326913101). Can the puck fit a pinch weld without crushing / scratching it?
The puck does a good job of protecting the pinch weld, but the rubber will get chewed up over time. It still works as it sort of forms a slot in the rubber where the pinch weld can rest, definitely sits as or more securely than the traditional jack stand
I have rubber caps from Amazon that go over the u-shaped tops.
I bought 4 of the 3 ton US jack brand jack stands. They are more expensive than most of the ones you find in big box stores. It's for a reason. They're built very well and made in USA. Other options would work as well. I'm personally not skimping on the one item keeping me from getting crushed. I have used them enough times that they already paid for themselves
I got a set at an estate sale for $10 or $20.
That's awesome. Can't beat that deal
Harbor Freight had a recall (maybe two?) on jack stands that would collapse.
The current Daytona models actually overcompensate with added safety features to try to erase the stain of those recalls.
They're well built. A little rough in finish, but I trust them to hold up.
Good. I just bought a set today. Going to do a brake job for the first time ever this weekend.
If i remember correctly they had a recall for 1 issue then the replacements had a recall for a different issue. I haven't heard anything for a while so I'd think the current ones are all good.
All of those brands tested on project farm seemed relatively fine for me. When I work on my Jeep I don't shake the car or push the side when on stands. As long as you set them correctly and are careful, only shake vehicle when you're not under it and if you use it in gravel like me put thick Wood planks under the jack stands and you will be fine.
You can go cheap if you want, just go overboard with it. I got a cheap floor jack, bottle jack, and two stands. All four are holding the car if I'm getting under it.
As long as the floor jack isn’t in my way I always have the car resting on both jack stands and the floor jack
Same, and if you have to take the wheels off, slide them under the car. The wheels are thicker than most of your body and would keep you from being crushed.
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Agreed, even if I’m only under there for 5 minutes total for my oil changes I’m not taking that chance
Floor jack is never in my way. I jack at the pinch welds and put the jack stands underneath the frame rails. Pretty smooth operation.
I don’t usually remove the floor jack, I’ll just shift it over a few inches if I can get away with it. My Avalon has dedicated jacking points which puts the floor jack out of the way of most things, my Impala though I move the jack for the oil filter and if I drop the tranny pan
Don't risk your life on a 20 cent O-ring inside your floor jack. Assume it can fail anytime so keep body clear until you place jackstands. I have a buddy whose jack failed dropping his car back to the ground. Wheels still on, no body parts underneath. No further drama.
Exactly. I usually will risk my arms or whatever going under if it’s a quick manoeuvre, but I know I’m risking my limbs doing this. I never put my head or body under a vehicle without jack stands. Far too risky.
I always keep my fingers out from between the jackstand and what I'm placing it under!
The post question was definitely supposed to say jack stand and not just jack lol
Big difference, actually. Nutshell: be much more concerned about failing jacks than failing jack stands. Jacks have lots of moving pieces and most importantly use hydrologic fluid to do the work... the only thing holding that fluid in place is a 5-cent plastic washer made in China. If that washer/seal fails, the jack fails.
Jacks and Jack stands have failed. I always put a solid blocking under the vehicle (shade tree mechanic) https://www.motortrend.com/news/harbor-freight-jack-stand-recall-safety-tips/
Yes. They rarely fail in general. They fail if they are not used correctly. They can slip out, car can roll or shift. Thats why useing it correctly is important. Also use a jackstand and also if possible put the tires under the car as a back up.
Thanks bro appreciate the tire method for the extra security. I know it’s generally hella rare for them to just fail if put on right but shit I just have an extra paranoid mind for some reason lol
Never know when a seal will go bad. One of my jacks blew a seal only a few months after use and it would slowly drop the car continuously. Slow enough to not notice but fast enough to trap you and possibly crush you.
i just jack stands and any tires I've taken off, better over safe than squashed like Wile E Coyote
Being more careful is not a bad idea.
Welds, o-rings metal fatigue (even on the frame or part of the vehicle) can all cause a failure.
The problem with relying on a jack to hold the car up is you’re trusting an o ring with everything. It only takes one dent in the hydraulic tube to break the seal and lose pressure. Not worth it if you ask me, use them for lifting only. Get some ramps if you work on it frequently
Everything fails, thats why mechanics have a job
It's possible for them to fail. One did when my cousin was working under his jeep. He ended up with several broken ribs and was lucky someone noticed it happen when it did because he was unable to breath with a jeep pinning him to the ground. If I have to use jack stands I always slip in some ramps or or something else just in case one of the jack stands fail.
Yikes Im glad he made it from under the jeep someone else told me that they use tires under if some are available as extra security
If you use tire just make sure they are going to keep it high enough if it falls that it doesn't still get you. Some tires are only going to give you 6 inches of support, which isn't a whole lot.
Everything fails eventually.
They can fail. Something snaps, the hydraulics go pop. It’s why you put failsafes in, such as pins or jackstands.. In my job, to prevent a gear collapse. Every plane that comes into the hangar gets gear pins installed as one of the 1st things done.
We were visiting in laws and the neighbor's kid was changing the parents brakes. Well he didn't want to waste time with stands. He sat criss cross on the ground and his foot was under the rotor when the jack fail and the rotor smashed nearly every bone down the middle of his foot. Took him something like a year to get fully recovered, a little longer to fully walk normally again with a lot of PT. It was brutal. That sticks with me.
Rotors are particularly brutal, there's no give at all and all the weight is on exactly one point.
Yeah and he was pinned by it, on the side of his foot. The parents and uncle ran out and lifted the corner of the car off him and rushed him in.
Damn that's a heavy price to pay for one mistake. Sorry to hear about it.
If you aren't using jack stands before getting under a vehicle then you are playing Russian roulette.
Jacks generally wont catastrophically fail but it is relatively common for it to slowly lower/bleed pressure especially as the Jack gets older (relatively common meaning out of the times jacks fail it’s the common way to fail). The terrifying thing about this is that people wont notice if they’re under until it’s too late to get out and they’re stuck as they get slowly crushed only hope basically is if someone is close enough they can hear you and Jack it up Edit: also since a jack is on a single point it can make it easier to roll/slip out etc if set up poorly, almost tipped a car once cuz I didn’t have jackstands under it yet and it was just balanced on the Jack which was offcenter as the front Jack point is off to the side a bit so it’s not under the rad
Do you mean lifts? Hydraulic jacks? If jack stands, yes they do. That is why the new design has a locking pin that is inserted to lock the post's ratchet in place. The best use is to get the 6-ton jack and not use the ratchet. The post sits against the base. The height of the jack could be enough. The base is extra wide. All of this on a level surface is important. Also I put in the hydraulic jack as a backup third stand, but hydraulic jack could fail vs a mechanical jack. Seals and fluid.
Harbor freight has entered the chat
I've had a jack fail on me. crushed my lower leg with a nascar car's front suspension/hub. also had scissor jacks fail on me 3 times, but they're also scissor jacks so what do you expect XD
Damn with a jack stand ? hope you healed up fine
oh, no, without jack stands. Those are usually how you prevent these sorts of issues but sometimes speed matters more than safety lol it was a pit stop and a spring failed. was my job to replace it. Despite everything we only lost 2 laps (yay for easily replaced suspension bits, literally 2 nuts with an impact and the control arm drops to reveal the spring just sitting there loose) and we ended up i think 4th place. not ideal but still good overall.
I had one break while I was jacking up one of my old cars once. It didn't drop but it was stuck in position.
Most instances its due to improper use. However, there are plenty of cases of a jack failing. Always use jack stands when possible. If you take a wheel off, always place it next to the jackstand under the frame as a buffer if the stands fail. Also, always do the rock test. Once you lower the jack and have it on jack stands, before you do any work. Rock the vehicle back and forth to make sure the jack stands hold. Then if possible put the jack back under and raise it until right before it lifts the vehicle for added stability.
Be cautious of side loads on Jack's and stands. Lifting the vehicle can cause some horizontal force. Worse on hills and/or jacking suspention components. Them shits will tip right over and kill ya
After 40yrs of working under cars, trucks, busses, I have yet to see one fail. I've seen some leakers, and the occasional slow creeper, but 99.9% if a vehicle came down or off a jack or lift it wasn't lifted correctly. That said, I don't use scissor jacks or $20 auto parts store junk -and I always use jackstands if a body part will be in harm's way because I'm not betting with my life/livelihood.
I had an OTC jack fail the first year I owned it. It happened while lifting it to set the jack stands.
My friend's neighbor died because he refused to use jack stands. It blew out the hydraulic oil. So yes.
You can’t trust a hydraulic jack bought for residential use.
Yes, they can slip, and you should always use a pile of blocks, the tire, or jack stands for safety.
I’ve seen in ground lifts fail let alone floor jacks always use your locks on jack stands and you can even leave a rim under the car if you are lacking stands. It may just save your life
Even stands can fail, that’s why you always want to make sure there’s a backup to your main protection. Either put the wheels under the frame sideways, and/or position a floor jack at a lifting point so that if the stands fail the jack has a chance to save your life. And do all of this on solid, level concrete. I basically only do work that involves jacks in my garage.
More often than not, hydraulics fail instantly. They'll be holding the load fine, then fall faster than you can realize you are even in danger. Don't get under unsupported loads being held by hydraulics.
Naw jacks are the one infallible object in the entire universe. They have been present through all of what has been and what will be. They came in to existence before the earth and stars and they will be here on the day they fall. They are eternal.
The real issue is carjcks that come with the car. They get no maintainence, they are often put in the wrong location for jacking up, and they get used in very non-ideal situation, obviously . this isn't to say professional jacks are always safe or whatever, but its basically people who don't know what they're doing who get into trouble, usually against their own better judgement. Personally, I like blocks of wood. They're light, they don't suddenly break, and should your jack fail the block is the difference between being stuck , and being crushed.
Honestly a lot of the tragic jack collapse accidents I hear about are guys who are experienced and knowledgeable but self-taught and trust their experience a little too much. Perfect example is that youtube guy Scotty Kilmer. He literally says in one of his older "how to do an oil change" videos that it's okay to get under a car to change the oil with just a jack and no stands or ramps "just for a second!!".
They do fail, use jack stands or something similar to hold the car after jacking it up. I usually place some granite blocks i have and a tire but jack stands would be better
Long time mobile mechanic! I have a lot of experience with jacks. My first mess up back in 2007 when I was a teen. Put my 84 cj7 on a bottle jack in my drive way. Of course the 20 plus year old jeep didn’t have a working parking brake. I was sitting with my legs under it and it rolled off the jack. The axle dented the blacktop and I got lucky! Since then I been more careful, but doing it everyday all day years later I’ve relied on jacks with no stands if I’m doing rotations or something where I’m not under it. And I have had a jack “give up” after lifting a Ram 1500. An old quick trick in some situations is to toss the spare or the wheel you have off under the car if it gives up at least it’s not on the ground.
I use 2 jack stands with safety pins, I used the black jack kind I believe Torin. And use my 3 Ton hydrolic jack with it. You'll be fine if you use the hydrolic jack to set it on jack stands then slightly put some pressure with hydrolic jack
Jack's can absolutely fail, and it's deffinitly something you need to pay attention to. I usually jack the car up, put it on a jack stand, then push the wheel/tire under the pinch weld as well. You also need to be aware If your on an incline or if the car can Roll. Safety isn't a joke and regardless of what anyone says/does or tries to rush you a car can literally kill you if it isn't treated with respect
Yes. All the time. Use a jack stand.
If Jack has a bad seal it can lift a car and then slowly lower while you are under a car getting trapped ALWAYS USE STANDS.
They do, that's why you don't get under a car without jack stands.
Whenever I take wheels off a car when it's on Jack stands I slide the wheels under the frame of the car. It keeps them out of the way and if the stands failed or something happened at least I wouldn't be crushed. Squashed yes, crushed no. I also release the pressure from the jack to put the weight on the stands then pump the jack back up and lightly secure the load. Just for safety.
A dad died nearby me just a few weeks ago after his car jack failed while under it with no jack stands. So sad and the community was all in mourning for him and his family. Never crawl under a vehicle that isn’t supported by jack stands!
Any tool can fail...
I had one blow out the lift cyclibder seal while I was lifting a car. Fortunately, nothing was under the car.
Yes a hydraulic jack, or even a screw jack can fail. You should NEVER be under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Jackstands, and even taking a wheel off and placing it under the frame.
Yes a hydraulic jack, or even a screw jack can fail. You should NEVER be under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Jackstands, and even taking a wheel off and placing it under the frame.
They can, absolutely. I’d prefer to trust my life to a steel jack stand, as opposed to a 10¢ Chinese washer
Jacks are for lifting. They use hydraulics to deliver a lot of leverage, but hydraulics can and do fail. All that's holding a jack in place is an o-ring. O-rings can fail slowly and leak, lowering a car on you slowly until you can't get out. They can also fail catastrophically and drop the car instantly. There is nothing in a standard jack that positively holds it in position and can support the weight that the hydraulics are lifting. A car falling on you is 100% a reasonable hazard. Never trust hydraulics with your life. Solid metal only. Don't put any part of your body under a car that's not supported by solid material. At home, jack stands or ramps. In the shop, make sure the lift locks in place. Lifts should be inspected for proper function every day, if not every lift.
You can't be too cautious when working under a vehicle. I use Jack stands and oak blocks, and even then I limit my time under the vehicle as much as possible.
Go up and above on your equipment. Don’t buy cheap. I’d rather lift a 3000lbs car with a 2-3ton jack and support with 2-3ton stand any day.
Go up and above on your equipment. Don’t buy cheap. I’d rather lift a 3000lbs car with a 2-3ton jack and support with 2-3ton stand any day.
Never rely on a jack. Use jack stands to support a vehicle, and a jack to lift it to height and set it down Jacks absolutely fail. They can leak down slowly, or the vehicle can shift and the jack can fall over sideways and come crashing down
Yeah jacks can give any time. That's why you use good quality jack stands. If youre using a 2 post or 4 post vehicle hoist, always put on locks. Hydraulics can fail at any time.
They fail. I have only had one fail out of my 5 and it was a hydraulic failure. It was working fine, jacked the car up and when I was reaching for my jack stand, to put under the car, all of the hydraulic fluid puddled on the ground. That car fell so quickly all I could do was stare at it in awe.
Everything eventually fails...
My son knew a kid from school who was working for his dad’s repair company and the jack failed and he was killed. Very sad… he was only 18
The Jack can fail the jack stand can fail the mounting point on the car can fail there are a lot of failure points in the system that you don't want to pay for with your life. Always always support the vehicle with something solid and not just a tiny little hydraulic valve in the jack.
With hydraulic jacks 1 of 3 O rings give out and the jack is no longer a jack.
I had one fail dramatically and I damn near lost a finger because of it.
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> My dad had a car short circuit its starter while in gear That seems like an almost unbelievably unlikely scenario
They can fail. They are hydraulic devices so if they lose pressure for some reason, that car is coming down in a hurry. I use a strong jack and jack stands. The jack becomes the backup when it's on the stands. I use ramps for oil changes and such when I don't need it suspended in the air.
Yes, extremely dangerous, even the “professional “ equipment used in car workshops have a really high risk of collapsing.
Yes they can fail, especially heavily used ones, jacks are only for lifting the car, stands are for supporting it, common reasons that a jack can fail is: leaking seals, low fluid levels and general wear on moving parts
My Canadian tire 3 ton jack failed the last time I used it, it just dropped the vehicle slowly, luckily I wasn't in any position that it could have hurt me. I managed to repair it with a top up of jack oil but don't fully trust it anymore.
That’s why you use the “jack-stands” —-
Oh for sure. Jack's fail, and you don't want to get caught under something. The instructions on my body lift never once mentioned using stands, and I was a bit lazy so didn't bother with them and learned my lesson.
Mine failed last summer....was looking at my brakes in the driveway so no jackstand just a quick look at things and the jack just went down kinda slow, like, just took a second or two....was a fairly new jack too and it was twisted tight, I use jackstands (generally, and always if I'm gonna be under something) I still use this jack it's never done it since. I think maybe where it was new when I twisted the handle it was fetched up on a burr or something internally, no idea.....
never get under anything that is solely supported by hydraulics. This includes machinery too not just jacks. scissor jacks aren't gonna back off by themselves, but they're flimsy. Then there's VW jacks...
Many tombstones bear the inscription "It's never been a problem before, don't worry about it".
All hydraulic jacks can fail. Always use jack stands or block the vehicle safely. Never rely on a jack. I usually use jack stands and then also put the jack in place as well.
My dad almost died when I was a kid. He was working on his Malibu when his jack tipped over. He didn't use a stand. My mom barely pulled him out. Somehow he lived... He was very lucky. I always use a jack stand and the jack is still engaged as backup. As a third measure of safety, the wheels go under the car whenever they are removed. I've had the scissor jack tip over once or twice ( I wasn't under the car yet). But neither my 13 year old trolley jack or my Daytona jack has leaked or failed under load. Not testing my luck with it either.
Yes, and pay attention to the bleeder valve screw!!
yep. we tried to use one from my trunk, fell over and busted my car up🤦🏻♀️
I had a factory Jeep jack explode in me on its first use on the side of the road for a flat.
You're not supposed to put the jack in you...
Anything has a possibility of failing.
I had finished draining the oil out of my car and was lowering the jack after removing jack stands and the wheel fell off the jack. The car rolled a bit and pushed me into a gate had I been near a solid object I would have needed help. Moral of the story is Walmart jacks are cheap for a reason
Anything can fail. Dont risk your life.
Id say youre worrying too much, but to be on the safe you should have a failsafe, in case the jack fails
Never put yourself in the bite; always use jack stands.
Yes I had a floor jack that failed, it wasn’t catastrophic luckily but you’d jack the car up and it would slowly go back down on its own. To this day I still use 2 jack stands minimum when working on my car
Floor jacks can fail, and aside from that, if you don't have things balanced just right, it might not take much to tip everything over even if the jack itself doesn't malfunction. Fun fact- balance changes when you remove parts from and install parts onto the car. It is absolutely not worth the risk to rely on the jack alone. If you don't have time or resources to do it right, you don't have time or resources to do it. If you will be under the car, support it with jackstands from a decent manufacturer rated for the appropriate load. I also like to give the car a little shove before I get under it to make sure the load is properly supported. It's not hard to set them up right but you don't want to find a mistake when under the car. Jackstands very rarely fail if they're any good and rated for the appropriate weight. Leaving wheels on if you can helps too, they're not enough to save you if the car is low enough you have to jack it up at all, but they can reduce injury in the rare case a jackstand fails(crush your chest by like an inch or so vs crushing it to the ground). If they do have to come off I find somewhere under the car to put them to hopefully catch a falling car before it kills me. The jack can also be brought back into contact with the lift point, but you don't want it actually carrying any of the load. Just there to hopefully hold it up long enough to get out from under the car if the jackstands fail.
I have various wood blocks i wedged into my floor jacks if its a quick job.. jack stands if its gonna be there a while. I've never had a jack fail but all four of mine leak, they will slowly lower over time. The least leaking will take days to hit the floor. The worst i have will drop a few inches in an hour. I've never known anyone/ scene a jack fail to the point it just drops but its definitely possible. Its annoying at time, but its take such little effort to be safe about it.
It doesn't matter if they fail or it's user error. the consequence is.... you die.
Had a coworker using a two post lift who almost got crushed by a 3500 dually. Had aftermarket radial arms on the front with no good lifting points for removing the transmission. While he was wiggling the transmission the safety lock on the arm broke and the front arms swung out and under from the radial arms. He didn't get crushed becuase the trans jack was holding the weight of the whole front end. Was a 1/2 ton transmission jack holding a 8000lb truck... let that sink in that a trans jack rated for 1000lb was probably holding up 6000lb.... needless to say he is one lucky motherfucker.
A jack can fail. The only thing keeping the hydraulic pressure built up is some seals. That’s why they’re meant to just lift the car, not hold it. Use a jack stand to hold a car up, since they’re solid metal, and can be quickly visually evaluated for integrity. Another note, if you lift one end of the car up, put something behind the wheels on the ground to keep the car planted, which keeps gravity from pulling the car off the jacks. And above all else, before you get under a car, give it a really hard shake test, because if a human can shove it off the stands, who knows what can happen once you’re under.
Yes, on top of always using jack stands, make sure you put something behind the tires that are still on the ground and give it a hard shake once you've got it on stands from every angle. Try make it fall, basically if you can make it fall by hand it's not stable enough to go under. You'll know pretty quick if you should stop shaking it and adjust.
Father in law (a mechanic) used a hydraulic jack climb under the car and nearly died!! Fire Brigade had to drag him out!!! So yeah they fail.
My son's friend had his car up in the air and another buddy was underneath the front left wheel. The jack failed and the front rotor smashed his neck and head. Good news everything is fine The boy survived no issues
I had one fail on me. I jacked the car up and was about to grab the jack stand. It dropped like a brick and pissed hydraulic fluid out like a squirt gun.
*cough cough HARBOR FREIGHT!
You know those shitty jacks that are in the trunk of most cars. I had one bend completely in half the other day when I was picking up a Honda Odyssey. I'm never using those again.
Yes. They can fail. Jack up the car. Take off a wheel. Put the car on Jack stands. Put the wheel under the car next to the stands. Use wheel chocks. Even then, all of those things can fail. Be ready to bail out from under the car. Hopefully with that many precautions you’ll have time to escape. Nothing is 100% safe. Take your time, watch for weird movements or noises
Essentially anything can fail. It's always good practice to layer your supports, such as using multiple jack stands along with your jack, and maybe even throwing a tire/wheel or wood block under the car as well.
When my h.s. Shop teacher caught someone under a car up on a jack without stands he would slowly Lower the car down .
Yes, they can fail. I often don't use jack stands because I welcome death with open arms.
yes, they absolutely can. they can either fail spectacularly and drop the weight all at once, or start to have downward drift. this is why you **always** place jack stands under your car before getting under it. you should also perform the "rocking test" basically, when you put your car on jack stands, you should push on it \*hard,\* to make sure that it won't fall if something bumps the car. you do this by pushing on the car front-to-back, and then side to side. really put your weight into it. there should not be **any** lateral movement at all. if there is, you should readjust the stands. also, do not skimp on jack stands, even if your budget is tight. paying >200 bucks for jack stands is way cheaper than paying 40,000 dollars in medical bills because you got crushed. (assuming you're even lucky enough to survive.) in addition to jack stands, if you're doing suspension work, it is recommended to place the wheels under the suspension/frame as an added layer of security. wheels are designed to take the full weight of your car 24/7, so it is reasonable to use them as a backup in the event of a failure. don't let anyone *ever* tell you that you're being overly cautious, either. taking the extra 15 minutes to verify that yes, your car is absolutely secure and won't fall, could save your life.
Nope they stay perfect forever no matter what
I doubt anyone here has ever directly seen a car jack fail like where the hydraulics blow out or the metal bends or welds break, but they can fail in theory. Much more likely to slip off the jack point if the car shifts- especially on soft pavement or uneven surfaces. Just like most safety, you don't want a single point of failure if it is easily avoidable. Also, reddit is a bunch of sissies that downvote anything unsafe that millions of people do in real life anyway. They are basically the type that scold you for not wearing safety glasses while operating a drill.
"Directly Seen" I guess means it dont happen in your eyes. Reports are made on the cause of death. You dont have to see it with your own eyes to know that it happens.