Stupid newbie questions

[91Bear]

Not having spent much time under an automobile, I tend to get a little freaked (claustrophobic) underneath my Ford PU. I have a hydraulic jack and jackstands, but being new to this, I worry that I have not placed the jackstands correctly and the whole shebang will collapse upon me.

I have 3-ton jackstands (Sears) and a 3.5 ton jack. I always use the jackstands when I am under the thing. I know not to use a jack alone.

I would appreciate any safety tips anyone can provide. Please share your school-of-hard-knocks education with me!

[FORDification]

...and after you lower the truck onto the jackstands, don't be afraid to try rocking the heck out of the truck to check for stability. If it's gonna fall, NOW'S the time you'd want it to happen, rather than waiting until you're under it. It should be super-solid. If it moves at all, then re-situate the jackstands.

[dcbullet]

Funny I just asked a similar question in the garage forum...

[flyboy2610]

One other thing I would add is NEVER use concrete blocks instead of jackstands! They may look solid but are very brittle. One good blow and you're Permanently.

[dcbullet]

One other thing I would add is NEVER use concrete blocks instead of jackstands! They may look solid but are very brittle. One good blow and you're Permanently.

Well I've seen people chop them in half with their bare hands so I'd say they are brittle!

[greenbank]

What Keith said. A friend's father used to wrench race cars for a living (howdy, Mr. K, if you're out there)...first thing he showed me was to put the car up on stands, make sure all of the stands feet were on the floor, make sure you chose a solid part of the car to put the stands under, and most especially to give the car a good solid push and pull before you get under it to make sure it's stable.

When you're wrenching you're going to be putting a lot more leverage on the vehicle than you can just pushing and pulling it. 4000 lbs sitting on level jackstands shouldn't move at all if you push it.

I have an idiot friend who used to work under his car with only a hydraulic jack supporting it...a LEAKY hydraulic jack. He had to get out every few minutes to give it another pump. Jeebus.

[Drednme]

. . . or get a highboy and do away with the jack all together.

[dcbullet]

. . . or get a highboy and do away with the jack all together.

After having a 240Z the size of these trucks is one of the best parts of working on them. Even the 2WD are high enough that I can get under with a creeper no problem.

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

Keep people away from the jack handle. My neighbor once tried to be helpful while I was under my 67 F100. I was installing shocks w/overload coil springs. Those shocks were so stiff, I needed to compress them to get the bolt through. Well, he sees the jack handle and wants to use it as a prybar deal. I saw his hands reach for it. So I laid flat knowing that the truck was on its way down. I also knew that I had plenty of clearance because the tires were still on the truck. Man, he freaked big time!