Jack-aphobia (nervousness while jacking)

[berettafan]

boy is this thread timely. i picking up a 911 Monday and have been giving a lot of thought to a Bend Pak scissor lift. i am a bit claustrophobic and really don't like the idea of being under a car. Not to mention i have a 2yr old and i don't want any unsafe situations presenting themselves to him.

[defcon65]

No, it's a floor jack with a 20" maximum lift capacity, I think that was a sale price. It's orange like the stands with the hydrualic valve open/close controlled by rotating the handle. 2-1/2 ton capacity, I believe.

[kwm]

Yhea that is the kind I need defcon. Mine you have to pull the handle off the jack and rotate the on/off screw valve with the end of the handle. I will check at our version of HF for one.

[madmmac]

I too do not like the side to side jacking routine, the time it takes and the possibility of slipping off while doing it.
I had put this "out there" before to see of its feasibilty but got zero response.

Here's my thoughts:

air compressor

2 air hydraulic bottle jacks

Air splitter/contoller for distribution of the air and lifting of the air jacks

4 jack stands

Here's where I need help..... 2 "Z" shaped jack pads...not really a z, but with a 90 degree on it for the verticle lift from the horizontal pads, not the diagonal of a z but the only way I could describe it here.

Process: Insert both jack pads in sides of car with the Z lift pads in the high position, place bottle jacks, lift the entire car at once and jack stand. To lift higher, pull the Z pads and flip them over and relift the entire car and jack stand again.

It seems to me to be a very quick, easy and safe way to do it.

Any thoughts, naysayers, engineers, fabricators, investors??

[coloradoporsche]

Colorado- Whoa. Did you get hurt? Sounds like you were right where I am not with the cheapy little jack stands and jack. Do you or have you used a jack plate?

Fortunately, I was not hurt. I was jacking up the car on the other side when it slipped. Yes, I was using a jacking plate and a small floor jack.

I still use the side jacking method using the jacking plate when I only want to raise one side of the car (to change wheels at the track, for instance). I think the side jacking method is very safe if you just want to jack up one side.

To get the whole car off the ground, however, I think back-then-front is safer because the car can pivot in the "U" of the jackstand when you lift the front. Very stable.

[lateapex911]

I thought this thread was about a fear of pictures of our moderator, Jack O.

Yes, my thoughts on this are that good gear in jackstands and jacks makes ALL the difference. The jack MUST roll.

[defcon65]

Another good jacking safety procedure: use wheel chocks on BOTH sides of front or back wheels when jacking the opposite end or side. I made some out of 4x4 timbers cut on one side at an angle and strapped them together with cheap bungee cords to hold them snug against the wheel. I cut pieces of an old rubber doormat and glued them on the bottom for a non-skid grip.

Regards,

[mthomas58]

Kind of a morbid thread guys but so true. All of these thoughts go through my head every time I jack the car.

[}{arlequin]

just keep the shades drawn...

[bigchillcar]

ughhh.