superhawk996 Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Secondary warning, my videos tend to be longer and ramblier than they should be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwYagPbieA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Had me warned at "Harbor Freight." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 13, 2019 Author Share Posted December 13, 2019 I get that, but I've had their earlier aluminum racing jack for many years of abuse and it's been great. Being aluminum/chinesium I was a bit apprehensive, but after stress testing a few times I came to fully trust it. This one is also touted as aluminum, but it's actually mostly steel. I've had it about 2 years and have maxed it out a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 My generic orange HF jack is going on about 20 years, maybe more, doing fine. The video definitely needs a TL;DR. Do I need to worry about dying if I use that aluminum one once every three years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 What, it’s a jack, right? Aren’t you supposed to jack shit up, place stands underneath and lowering the vehicle onto the stands? I have one like that and I appreciate how light it is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 14, 2019 Author Share Posted December 14, 2019 I've used this one for about 2 years, I would roughly guesstimate it's been used 100 times, some of those were seriously heavy and most likely exceeding the rating, and a few that were ridiculous and it just wouldn't lift. Most hobbyists won't use it as much or as hard, but what if I happened to get an extra good one and hobby guy got an extra shitty one? If you have this one just check the clips regularly. Actually, if I had one that was still in good shape and didn't have a welder I'd probably rotate the clip openings towards the rear where they won't get pushed on and safety wire or JB-weld those fuckers so they can't open. Yes, jack stands should always be used. I have become complacent after thousands of jackings and nothing ever going wrong. Now that I've seen how easy it is for a little thing to suddenly drop a car I'll probably be more careful. Even if you're not under the car and this thing fails with the car lifted a lot of bad things can happen, but serious injury/death is fairly unlikely. I've always figured that the only failure that could happen would be a hydraulic one and in that case the jack would likely drop somewhat slowly. If this thing had failed it woulda been an instadrop. The older all aluminum jack is constructed totally differently. That one has been worked harder than a lone slave on a 20 acre farm. I think I've had it about 10 years. And when you use it to lift trucks/trailers on dirt or rocks and gets bent to shit it snaps right back to straight every time! not that I'd ever do that. I took it out of mobile service and replaced it with this new one because it developed a problem lifting with short handle strokes, like when it's deep under a car and you can only lift the handle a small amount. But it's still my go-to at home when the stroke won't be restricted. It is really light which is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 1 hour ago, RXX said: What, it’s a jack, right? Aren’t you supposed to jack shit up, place stands underneath and lowering the vehicle onto the stands? I have one like that and I appreciate how light it is. That’s what I do. Prius has a jack point at both ends. Jack up and place stands as backup. I usually just release enough so the jack stands hold the weight and not the jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 Jack stands are for pussies. Rear tire is off so if it had fallen it woulda landed with nothing but the thickness of the jack keeping it from completely touching down. No fucks given, I'm a real man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) As silly as it is, this mini floor jack actually comes in handy when working on some stuff. It happens to be about the right scale for this monster RC buggy. I've used it a few other times to lift/move various things. Edited December 16, 2019 by superhawk996 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Bottle jacks can also be useful for more than jacking things up like getting things apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 And for getting things together, I've done both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXitanium Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 I have a 2-1/2 ton HF low profile. Next time I venture out into the freezer, er - garage, I'l see if it shares the snap ring design. Thanks for the heads up. ...also agree with RXX, use stands after it gets elevated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 6 hours ago, XXitanium said: I have a 2-1/2 ton HF low profile. Next time I venture out into the freezer, er - garage, I'l see if it shares the snap ring design. Thanks for the heads up. ...also agree with RXX, use stands after it gets elevated. Well, using jack stands, like leathers or gloves, is relative of course. Use a jack alone on anything you are willing to crawl under and have fall on you. Pretty simple. Never go faster on your bike than you are willing to slide. Never parasail higher than you are willing to fall. Stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 hour ago, RXX said: Well, using jack stands, like leathers or gloves, is relative of course. Use a jack alone on anything you are willing to crawl under and have fall on you. Pretty simple. Never go faster on your bike than you are willing to slide. Never parasail higher than you are willing to fall. Stuff like that. Never date a girl that you don't want to marry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 2 hours ago, blackhawkxx said: Never go faster on your bike than you are willing to slide. I don't even want to fall down at walking speed, but I'll ride a bike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 So Saturday morning I used the HF blue jack to help remove a blown tire from a 535i. No other jack would fit. This one wouldn't either until I grabbed a fender and lifted. No way was a jackstand going under there, but there was also no way the car could fall farther than normal height either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 The poor man's jackstand is to throw the tire/wheel under the car until you are done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 23 minutes ago, blackhawkxx said: The poor man's jackstand is to throw the tire/wheel under the car until you are done. I can't picture a vehicle I've owned that this would work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 minute ago, SwampNut said: I can't picture a vehicle I've owned that this would work on. Say you want to work on the front brakes on the women's BMW, jack up under control arm, remove wheel and put under frame near the driver's foot area. If the jack fail or slides at least it you have the height of the wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John01XX Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 hour ago, blackhawkxx said: Say you want to work on the front brakes on the women's BMW, jack up under control arm, remove wheel and put under frame near the driver's foot area. If the jack fail or slides at least it you have the height of the wheel. Or when wording on rear brakes/wheel put it under the diff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 19 hours ago, blackhawkxx said: Say you want to work on the front brakes on the women's BMW, jack up under control arm, remove wheel and put under frame near the driver's foot area. If the jack fail or slides at least it you have the height of the wheel. So you're saying I should jack the car up until I can fit that huge wheel and tire under the car? I don't think you're grasping the situation. The car is already lower than a CLOSED jack, I had to pull up on the fender so someone could put the jack under the car. The tire is over 10" wide. If the jack fails, it will fall 2" to its closed position, and no farther. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 1 hour ago, SwampNut said: So you're saying I should jack the car up until I can fit that huge wheel and tire under the car? I don't think you're grasping the situation. The car is already lower than a CLOSED jack, I had to pull up on the fender so someone could put the jack under the car. The tire is over 10" wide. If the jack fails, it will fall 2" to its closed position, and no farther. If not crawling under the car, it would be pointless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 3 hours ago, SwampNut said: If the jack fails, it will fall 2" to its closed position, and no farther. And most likely the only damage might be to the rotor, and probably no damage, vs. possibly damaging the wheel and body of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 On 12/16/2019 at 6:43 PM, John01XX said: Or when wording on rear brakes/wheel put it under the diff. Did that with the pickup. Add a block of wood to protect against metal to metal wear. I’m so glad the Prius has floor jack points at the front and rear. Makes maintenance way easier. I suppose all new cars are doing this now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 I believe that the wheel suggestion was an improvisational thing for those without jack stands or just not wanting to go get them, you take the removed wheel and put it under the car as a safety back-up, not to actually rest the car on. Employing a wheel & wood block for regular use seems quite odd, now I know where you got it. I don't recall ever meeting a car that didn't have front & rear jack points. Maybe not officially specified as floor jacking points, but they all have something that works. Some cars, like my 928, are particularly tough. There's 4 corner points designated as the only permissible lift/support points making it impossible to do traditional jack/jackstand work without breaking Porsche's rules. Luckily, like most cars, there are several well tested alternatives on the interwebs. If it were anyone else I'd be shocked that you have had trouble finding suitable lift points for anything you've owned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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