Floor Jack/Axle Stands - Recommendations Needed

[half k cruiser]

For extra safety I usually leave the jack under the vehicle along with the stands. Just a small amount of of upward pressure to keep it in position but most all of the weight on the stands. A buddy of mine had his jack stands fail and just happened to have the jack a few inches under his lift point. His Jeep came down hard enough to blow the wheels off of the jack but was caught. It saved his life and that wheeless jack is still sitting in his shop.

 

[autobon7]

This thread ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/338374-12-ton-jack-stands-arrived.html) has pretty good discussion about the stand.

As for the jack, I love the Arcan 3.5 ton jack. You can get it from Costco. You can also keep an eye on local garage sale. I picked up this vintage Blackhawk S4 a while ago. Next to it, the Arcan likes a baby...

That Blackhawk is an awsome jack.....I look at my local CL at least 5 times a week for various things and have yet to see one listed in 3 years. GREAT find. Does the headlight work? Another poster said he picked up a couple Walkers.... fine jacks as well.

 

[rustybucket]

Jack safety is important. One rolled/collapsed on me once

I have been using jacks professionally for a long time. Todays jacks are not even close in streagth or duration as those made 20-40 years ago.

I was working on a chevy pickup and had the truck lifted up off the ground by the back differential. My lowly jack at the time, could not lift it high enough from the side but the customer had his own jack he used all the time. I had it on plywood to protect the pavement from wheel indentation "something not discussed here"

The jackstands held up the truck as well as the jack stands during the duration of the brake job. I went to lift the truck up looking at the jack on the plywood. One of the wheels was about 1/2 away from the edge. It was not moving. I pulled one of the jack stands, then started to pull the other one, and noticed the underside of the truck was moving sideways. I quickly grabbed the jack stand and the truck came crashing down onto its tires. The entire jack had twisted sideways. I thought WOW, I could have been crushed if the tires were not on. BTW, I should have looked at the jack rating. It was rated for 2.25 tons. It was obviously underrated for a full sized Chevy truck. I have a pic of it as a attachment.

I took pictures of the jack and had it and submitted it to iatn.net. The mechanics and show owners were not surprised by the integrity of the jacks design.

 

[wxm]

That Blackhawk is an awsome jack.....I look at my local CL at least 5 times a week for various things and have yet to see one listed in 3 years. GREAT find. Does the headlight work? Another poster said he picked up a couple Walkers.... fine jacks as well.

No the light is not working - missing a button on the switch and the wire was cut. It is on my todo list to restore it...

 

[gtfour43]

This is just the type of info I was looking for - thanks everyone! When it comes to keeping 3+ tons off my cranium, I'll default to:

- New, US built, and rebuildable (Weaver, US Jack, etc)
- Sounds like 3 - 6 ton rating is sufficient?
- And the ratings for Jack Stands are similar? 2 tons per Jack stand is enough?

This is good info, and enthusiastic noobs gotta build the right foundation before crawling around down there...

Negative! Do not use 2 ton jacks for a cruiser. Amazon sells reasonable 12 ton stands.

 

[80Greg100]

Negative! Do not use 2 ton jacks for a cruiser. Amazon sells reasonable 12 ton stands.

Got it - figured that out after I posted, and thanks for the advice. Found some interesting super heavy duty units on the interwebs, but storage is an issue right now. Am looking at a house later today where the detached 2 bay garage/workshop is almost the size of the house. kind of my wet dream come true....thanks!

 

[80Greg100]

Holy crap! Glad you're ok..

 

[VidereStudios]

The best axle / jack stands used to be AC Hydraulic out of Denmark...they are rumored to have gone to China now:

http://www.ac-hydraulic.dk/en/products/axle-stands/

ESCO makes a copy of the old AC 3000N and 5000N jack stands, but these are definitely made in China.

http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/part.php?cPath=255&products_id=2420

There are some German made ones that are really nice. Spendy though...I had my dad try to bring some back when he went over there a few years ago...decided not to go that route due to expense. I ended up having my own jack stands made by an experienced welder here in town. Made them a little bit bigger than the AC 5000N's and with a bit higher extension. Finally something I can trust when I am under my 7000 lb. LC.

I decided to get a good bottle jack rather than a floor jack because then I can keep it in the LC and use in when I am in the backcountry. I like Power Team's telescoping bottle jacks...pretty nice with great extension:

http://www.jackxchange.com/products/9006X.cfm

 

[rokdaddy]

I'm a little late to the discussion but these are the best that I've found so far, I put a "wimpy" 6 ton stand next to them for comparison:

They are rated for 10 tons EACH (most stands are rated as pairs). They weigh about 40 lbs. each and are well made. They're not cheap but I expect to get years of dependable service out of mine. I bought mine here:

http://www.mile-x.com/norco-81209i-jack-stands.aspx

 

[scrapdaddy]

I'm in the, old is better camp, also. Here's my Weaver, it has three different ways, to jack it up. The handle, by foot pump and by hand laying on the floor.

Jack stands were built for holding my FJ55 body, off the frame. Made four of them. If you can't find the quality you want, build them yourself, more fun.

 

[debushau]

The only jack I've ever had problems with was an American Foundry & Forge aluminum "race jack" model. It wasn't cheap so I had it repaired by the local hydraulics place. They were a dealer for AFF jacks and couldn't get parts for it and had to take parts from a floor model. Still doesn't work properly.

Aside from that, Craftsman, Torin, Arcan, have all been just fine. I'm sure the same factory in China makes them.

 

[haryv]

What does a weaver weigh at? Yes, it true, almost all jacks do not go above 20 inches.

Also, recommend a Pittsburgh aluminum jack. Seen one in a shop very nice.

Scan your local craigslist. I like the Weaver brand. My 2 ton Weaver is as stout as you will find. It may be old but they really don't make em like this anymore. There are some great new jacks built but are BIG $s. Weavers appear on CL for $150 and under, are totally rebuildable, easy to disassemble, parts readily avail, AND lifts to 25"......almost all you see lifts to 19-20".

Look at www.garagejournal.com and search for Weaver. Great website and lots of great info from alot of tool nuts over there. Poster that goes by Hyball is the resident jack guru and can help you with all your parts needs.

Also.....US Jack frequently has their 6 ton stands on sale for under $90/pair. Some folks freak out at that price but IMHO you can't put a price on safety. Plus they are super nice. Puts my old 5 ton Hein Werners to shame.

Whatever you do ALWAYS lift with the jack and support with stands. A local got killed this summer as he was lifting and supporting with a jack only. It failed and crushed him. Terrible to even think about. We have all been there at one time or another....I will only be a minute, don't want to drag out the stands, etc. I feel bad for his family but we can all learn from this.