USE JACK STANDS, STUPID!!

Mechanic crushed under his Mercedes in his driveway- http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/crime/fl-naples-man-crushed-by-car-20120223,0,6576547.story

If he was a mechanic, he should had known better. Anything under the car is better than nothing. Throw the damn wheel under it if you dont have anything!

A car is one thing, I hate to read about idiots working under semis and heavy equipment without jack stands. I'm not interested in self inflicted death or dismemberment.

sometimes I get nervous even with jackstands...

Oh, man, that's aweful!

My dad always taught me to be very careful. I'm teaching my kids the same.

I'm curious- auotcrossers, what safety measures do you take when changing wheels? I should be more careful than I am. I always treat the car as if it could come down at any time- as in, I don't ever put my feet under or anything when I'm changing tires. But maybe jack stands really are in order. I've never seen another autocrosser use them, but I maybe just haven't been paying attention.

But I would never even think of getting under a car held up with just a jack.

Gearheadotaku wrote: sometimes I get nervous even with jackstands...

why I bought quality stands... 2 - 6 ton stands(28" of total reach) and 2 -4 ton stands(20" of total reach)

Gearheadotaku wrote: sometimes I get nervous even with jackstands...

I use ramps if I can.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

Sounds like you do pretty much the same as me on autox tire changes; I tend to jack up one side of the car at a time, changing that side's F&R wheel. I don't use jackstands, but no part of me goes under the car (with the obvious exception that I'm reaching into the wheelwell to remove and replace a wheel).

I'm cautious about the surface, make sure everything's solid, and am constantly cognizant that my jack could expire at any moment...

Anything more than wheel swap, the car goes on jackstands.

Should be changed to "use quality well built jackstands and put them in the right spot." There's way too many questionable products out there that barely meet any minimum requirements. It also doesn't do much good if the jackstands aren't under something solid. Then there's the whole flat, level surface thing that needs to be considered. Best jackstand in the world is pretty useless on soft dirt. Anyone calling themselves a mechanic should definitely know better.

Just stupid...even cheap jackstands ($13 a pair on sale at Harbor Freight) are better than a jack alone. I get nervous putting the cars up on stands, enough so that even when it's up, I leave the jack in position just in case one of the stands fails.

I have slowly come around to the idea of jackstands. It is not that I wasn't protecting myself, just that I did not trust them.

After putting all my wieght against my saab while on jackstands.. it didn't even shift

Couple of years ago, at out area pick and pull, a mechanic was changing a tire on a FRONT END LOADER with out supports. Killed him.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: Oh, man, that's aweful! My dad always taught me to be very careful. I'm teaching my kids the same. I'm curious- auotcrossers, what safety measures do you take when changing wheels? I should be more careful than I am. I always treat the car as if it could come down at any time- as in, I don't ever put my feet under or anything when I'm changing tires. But maybe jack stands really are in order. I've never seen another autocrosser use them, but I maybe just haven't been paying attention. But I would *never* even *think* of getting under a car held up with just a jack.

Jackstands. Always.

In SCCA Solo, it's a rule. Heavily enforced on the National level.

Rule 1.3.2.U in the Solo rulebook: "Competitors are responsible for using proper support (e.g., jackstands) to safely support a raised vehicle if any person is underneath that vehicle."

Jack stands and spare wheels with tires mounted. Floor jack lightly touching a sturdy section wherever I'm working.

E36 M3, to make it 39 years and have it end because of something that dumb. That's something I've often thought about: how dumb would it be to die from this?

I think it might be time to retire my stamped sheet metal jack stands. I have a nice 4-ton pair but the sheet metal ones still get trotted out for certain jobs. I should probably get rid of them - having them in the garage just results in temptation to use them.

I also always throw the removed wheels under the car's frame rails and leave the jack in place when possible .. but also double-always make sure to use jack stands!!

I admit to not using jackstands when bleeding brakes one corner at a time.

My fear, and one of the motivations to using good jackstands, is that when the car landed on me, it wouldn't kill me instantly. I'd lay there dying for an hour, contemplating what an idiot I was, for the remainder of my short life.

Taiden wrote: I admit to not using jackstands when bleeding brakes one corner at a time.

As soon as I start doing anything more involved that changing tires, I start doing stuff like sticking my head in the wheelwell to get a look and sitting with my legs under the hub, and... and... So that's why I always use jackstands for bleeding.

That and it seems like I frequently end up going back around the bleed process, so I'd just as soon have the thing up with all four tires off before I start.

Large wood blocks are a good, sometimes better substitute for jack stands. 4×4s and 4×6s are my favorites. I also have a pair of 8×10×18s. I work on large industrial vehicles and use them more than jack stands.

Gearheadotaku wrote: sometimes I get nervous even with jackstands...

^THIS!!!

Thats why give the car a good nudge after I pick it up. Then I set the park brake, leave her in gear, disconnect the battery, use blocks of wood to chock the wheels (if there are any on the ground still), tires under the low points to catch the car if it DOES fall, and then I put a can of spinach in my pocket just in case.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

Jack stands are always part of my autocross day equipment.

In reply to dculberson:

I have a pair off black and yellow Craftsman Professional stands in additions to my old sheet metal stands. I also bought a 24-ton (yest 24-ton) bottle jack because it was on sale at Sears and I am paranoid.

24 ton bottle jack........

I wonder what method they use to determine load ratings..

In reply to Taiden:

Maths! Pressure, piston area, lever arm, etc.

What bothers me is that jackstands don't say the stable load rating, just what it can hold up if everything is perfectly balanced. That's why even on my civic that I can lift off the ground, I use the big daddy jack stands.

I can tell you from experience that second gen f-bodys are extremely heavy when they are laying on you.