Let's talk jack stands

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

A scissor jack aka 'widowmaker'? Be careful... put the wheel or something under the frame on that corner in case the jack lets go. Don't want to lose an arm or a foot over the cost of a jack stand or a wheel.

I will never trust a scissor jack! A standard floor jack.

[gjm120]

If I recall correctly, to do a coolant flush you've got to get under the car to remove the shielding and the radiator drain plug. Don't be a malaka and trust any jack for that. Get some ramps.

[blue135]

Also love my Quick Jack. Makes it so much easier to get things up in the air. And locks nice and solid once the air is out of the hydraulics. Not cheap though.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by gjm120

If I recall correctly, to do a coolant flush you've got to get under the car to remove the shielding and the radiator drain plug. Don't be a malaka and trust any jack for that. Get some ramps.

Never underestimate how much of a malaka a greek can be!

Besides, aren't ramps dangerous?

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Never underestimate how much of a malaka a greek can be!

Besides, aren't ramps dangerous?

I though a malaka meant "good guy"

Really good ramps e.g Race Ramps are very safe, but, cost as much as Esco stands. People use lesser priced ones like Rhino Ramps all the time without incident. When I did a coolant flush I was still trying to decide what jackstands to get and wasn't too keen on the Rhino Ramps so I made 2 cradles from 2x4's. With good chocks on the rear wheels I feel very safe with them. Cheap but takes a little bit of time and effort to make.

[mr.fabulous]

Originally Posted by mackeroni

I had an OEM Mazda scissor jack let go on me once. Luckily, I was not under the car... only rotating my tires. The threaded socket that the screw moved through to 'scissor' the car up and down stripped completely out with no warning after only about 10 up-down cycles. My 1980 RX-7 simply came straight down. I took the jack to the dealer and swapped it for a new one. The parts guy had never seen it happen before.

I had an old 3ton hydraulic jack slowly fail on me with the car up in the air a few years ago. Had I been under the car, I would have been killed. NEVER GET UNDER A CAR SUPPORTED ONLY BY A JACK.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

I had an old 3ton hydraulic jack slowly fail on me with the car up in the air a few years ago. Had I been under the car, I would have been killed. NEVER GET UNDER A CAR SUPPORTED ONLY BY A JACK.

Same here. When I first started wrenching (just tire rotations and brakes basically), I used the scissor jack that came with my GTI until one day the car fell off the jack. Luckily I had all the wheels on and wasn't under the car. I went out and got a Craftsman 3-ton jack and some jack stands, and one day I realized that the jack would leak, so as I was pumping the car up, it was slowly settling back down. What a piece of shit that Craftsman was! Chucked it right in the dumpster.

I'm pretty happy with my current setup. I have the Harbor Freight low-profile "racing" jack and the Harbor Freight jack stands that I cut to fit the jacking points on the BMW (see pic above). I also had to make some ramps to get the car off the ground so that the jack would reach the center jack pad in the front (stock Sport suspension, not lowered).


The ramps cost $10 and take 10 minutes to put together. Go to Home Depot and get an 8' 2x10 and ask them to cut 2 of each of the following lengths:

27"
15"
6"

You want a 9" step on each level with about a 3" overhang at the far end for stability. It is more important for the front side lengths to match, the overhang is less important. You don't drive onto the 3rd level, that is only there to stop the car from rolling off the end of the 2nd level. A roll of contact paper stapled to the bottom will keep the ramps from moving on the garage floor. Make sure you wrap the contact paper up the edges of the 1st board otherwise it will peel off on the edges.

The ramps are high enough to squeeze under for an oil change, but mostly I use them to get the jack under, and use my jack stands.

[Happy Jose]

Go to this site:

https://www.reverselogic.us/index.html

Click on Jack Stands.

I had a set of Big Red Torin T43004s, so I bought the Jack Stand Blocks for the Torins. To use them, you'll have to drill holes in the saddles. Make sure to use a center punch to insure they are centered.

I also bought the ESCO 10498 without the center posts. I got the Pivot-Top Posts with blocks to fit the ESCOs.

BTW, Fred is a stand up guy you can depend on for advice and good service.

[Tinsta]

Another vote for a quickjack.

[Converted1]

Hey thanks for the link. Do you think the 10498 or 99 Model is better. I notice when I jack up my car from the front Center lift spot, I can barely get it to 13” from the side jack points to the ground. I know the specs say the 98 minimum height is 13 while the 99 is 11. Do you have any experience with this?

Originally Posted by Happy Jose

Go to this site:

https://www.reverselogic.us/index.html

Click on Jack Stands.

I had a set of Big Red Torin T43004s, so I bought the Jack Stand Blocks for the Torins. To use them, you'll have to drill holes in the saddles. Make sure to use a center punch to insure they are centered.

I also bought the ESCO 10498 without the center posts. I got the Pivot-Top Posts with blocks to fit the ESCOs.

BTW, Fred is a stand up guy you can depend on for advice and good service.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

So these won't directly fit into the jacking points? What kind of adapter is needed?
I also looked at esco, but they are twice as much so I am hesitant to immediately purschase them.

They're worth the price for sure. I got the short version of the Escos. I regret wasting my time with cheaper, less optimal jack stands. Get them now. You'll have them for life.

Originally Posted by Converted1

Hey thanks for the link. Do you think the 10498 or 99 Model is better. I notice when I jack up my car from the front Center lift spot, I can barely get it to 13” from the side jack points to the ground. I know the specs say the 98 minimum height is 13 while the 99 is 11. Do you have any experience with this?

Yes definitely get the short ones. I use them on almost the lowest hole. They have plenty of extra height if needed.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by WDE82

They're worth the price for sure. I got the short version of the Escos. I regret wasting my time with cheaper, less optimal jack stands. Get them now. You'll have them for life.

Yes definitely get the short ones. I use them on almost the lowest hole. They have plenty of extra height if needed.

After some talking back and forth with my fiance. I will be springing for the escos in september after our wedding when we receive gift money. We just signed to build a house, so finances are very tight right now.

[Happy Jose]

Originally Posted by Converted1

Hey thanks for the link. Do you think the 10498 or 99 Model is better. I notice when I jack up my car from the front Center lift spot, I can barely get it to 13” from the side jack points to the ground. I know the specs say the 98 minimum height is 13 while the 99 is 11. Do you have any experience with this?

Get the ones that'll give you the most height. The Esco stands are the best you can get. Don't get cheap, it's small money with your head under the car.

BTW, I have a low profile jack, the Arcan XL2T which I bought from Northern Tool. Pay the initiation fee to get the lowest prices, well worth it!

[Converted1]

Thank you!

Originally Posted by WDE82

They're worth the price for sure. I got the short version of the Escos. I regret wasting my time with cheaper, less optimal jack stands. Get them now. You'll have them for life.



Yes definitely get the short ones. I use them on almost the lowest hole. They have plenty of extra height if needed.