Jacking & Blocking - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

red devils dude · 02-17-2006, 00:20

USE jack stands OR BIG A$$ wood blocks when you work onder the deuce with the wheels off
I've seen guys crushed under tractor's after makeing this mistake.

DaveP · 02-17-2006, 00:29

i use 4+4 hardwood blocks 2 foot long in crib formation. i have not found stands that i trust. might have to fab some.

cbvet · 02-17-2006, 08:12

You guys reminded me of another one, from many years ago. Obviously, what I did was STUPID!
I had to work on something under a 1959 Chevy, don't remember what. Had a bumper jack & some old house bricks.
Raised one side, put bricks in place to hold it up.
Raised other side with jack.
Crawled underneath.
Dad came home a couple of hours later & found me pinned under the car. I guess I had passed out for a while, due to lack of oxygen.
He and our neighbor got me out with only some cracked ribs & minor scrapes. Could have been a LOT worse.
We figure some of the old bricks crumbled, throwing all the weight onto the bumper jack. The car shifted & the jack popped out.
It's not likely anyone would be using a bumper jack on a MV, but remember to use good strong blocks!
Eric

ida34 · 02-17-2006, 12:26

Don't use concrete blocks either. I use the but I always put a 2x12 over the top to spread the weight out. They will only hold weight if put down with the holes facing up and down with something to spread the weight out over the whole block. I have seen some people put them on end as if to use the half hole on the end as a nice thing to hold the axle of a car in place. These were not designed to hold weight in that way. They will crumble. That being said, I got the heavy jackstands from Harbor Freight and use them to hold everything. I also only trust them to half the rated capacity.

wallew · 02-17-2006, 13:17

Ida34,
I concur. I purchased a set of six ton jack stands from Harbor Freight also. I figured that they SHOULD hold at least three tons each. And I hope the weight of the truck and whatever axle I have in the air while changing tires is less than that.

Having said that, I also put them on a 2x12 that's about three feet long. I figure it spreads the weight evenly AND I use it mainly so the jack stand doesn't sink into soft soil.

Learning, learning, learning.

Dieselsmoke · 02-17-2006, 20:35

Yep, I've seen firsthand what happens when a WORTHLESS IDIOT tries to use the leveling jacks on a motorhome and crawls under it with the wheels off. He had been warned by six others to put jack stands under it, but did not do it. One of the employees had grabbed him by the legs to pull him out until he got jack stands when the leveling jacks failed. It's sad that it cost my buddies business over $200,000 because that worthless tird would not listen.

red devils dude · 02-19-2006, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by ida34

Don't use concrete blocks either. I use the but I always put a 2x12 over the top to spread the weight out. They will only hold weight if put down with the holes facing up and down with something to spread the weight out over the whole block. I have seen some people put them on end as if to use the half hole on the end as a nice thing to hold the axle of a car in place. These were not designed to hold weight in that way.They will crumble

my uncle's leg was crushed this way!!!