21 replies to this topic

[StephenSLR]

Yep and don't use bricks, they split quite easily.

 

s

[bullitA9X]

axle stands axle stands axle stands why don't people use them??? couple of years ago here in sa a guy from our Monaro club was working under his hq when the jack gave way and the car fell and killed him so sad can never understand why people trust hydrolics...I must admit though when I was young I used to change a tyre with no stands not the same as working under it but still stupid....

[fatslr]

Agree with all the above


As a maintenance supervisor on a minesite it is a "golden rule" at least will cost you a written warning at most. Your life .

I am willing to be labelled a Cunning Stunt for giving out written warnings for this it is easier on my conscience than a fatality

[a9x868]

Agree with all the above


As a maintenance supervisor on a minesite it is a "golden rule" at least will cost you a written warning at most. Your life .

I am willing to be labelled a Daisy Chain for giving out written warnings for this it is easier on my conscience than a fatality
garth
i hear ya!
young n stupid
old n should know better!
keep up the good work
and educate the masses
aftrer all your a long time dead when you fuc up!
why not spend two minutes to enjoy your ride for a lot longer?
sorry if theres spelling mistakes
i'll call it a jim beam keying error!
cheers
davemc
take extreme care everybody

[StephenSLR]

it is easier on my conscience than a fatality

 

Mate, you keep up the good work.

 

When there's a fatality at my company an email gets circulated to about 5,000 of us and it's a real downer to read about it. 

 

s

[ls2lxhatch]

According to a story I read he was a mechanic by trade with 20+ years experience. He was changing the springs on his 4WD and was pinned between the front wheel and the guard. There was an axle stand laying on its side and the jack appeared to have been spat out.

 

Probably best for everyone involved to leave the speculation as to what happened to the coroner.

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 14 September 2013 - 02:57 AM.

[StephenSLR]

I don't think any of us here are playing backyard coroner, just giving out additional advice in the hope others may take a little extra time to make sure everything's safe before they start a risky task.

 

Sadly it won't be the last time someone dies under a car and these tips should be taught at school when boys start to get an interest.  I recall our engineering science teacher telling us about reinforced concrete how metal is used to make a ceramic stronger, how ceramic on it's own doesn't flex and cracks, he then showed us how easy it is to split a brick in half with a single blow of a spatula, then said something like, 'don't let me hear of anyone working on a car jacked up with bricks'.

 

That stuck with me, sadly it isn't taught to every school boy.

 

s

[StephenSLR]

how do they rate some of these axle stands, we have 4 x 6 ton stands at work, so in theory you would be able to have a 24 ton load on them

 

If they're meant to be used as a pair it's likely the SWL (safe working load) is 6 tonnes per pair.

 

They should also not be misused, here's the warning from one manufacturer:

 

DANGER! Great care must be taken to ensure you lower the vehicle load slowly and carefully onto the stands.

 

DO NOT use a single stand. Only use in pairs. 

 

DO NOT use four stands on one vehicle. 

 

DO NOT use on soft ground or tarmac. Use only on concrete. 

 

DO NOT overload axle stands beyond rated capacity. 

 

DO NOT jack up the end of vehicle if the other end is already on stands. 

 

DO NOT use on three wheeled vehicles or trailers. Refer to makers instructions. 

 

DO NOT use stands if they are damaged or parts are missing.

 

s

[Statler]

I built my own!

 

Extra heavy duty. Been using them for over 20yrs. 

[StephenSLR]

well how do you lift the whole vehicle clear of the ground ??
and I don't think there is any warning on the ones we got,i will have a look on Monday

 

Wheel ramps may be safer?

 

The instructions above were for one particular make of jack stands, perhaps they aren't the most rigid and unstable to sideways forces when there's four supporting a car, particularly if they're extended to full height. I've seen people under cars using a bit of force to remove a pesky gearbox, etc. 

 

It could also be addressing the risk of getting the car up on all four?

 

I imagine they have a life-time guarantee, if your life-time expires while using them; so does their guarantee.

 

s

[r2160]

There was also another incident a few years ago, where a guy had his 4wd up on a jack and the concrete gave way, and the jack went through the concrete (it was a brand new home with a waffle slab).

One thing I have done for years is when I pull the wheel off, I ALWAYS put it under the car just behind (front) or in front (back) of the wheel well. That way if the car falls, it saves your life.

 

I will be using the same thing when I put my car on the rotisserie for the same reason.

 

cheers

Glenn

Edited by r2160, 14 September 2013 - 05:06 PM.

[StephenSLR]

 the jack went through the concrete (it was a brand new home with a waffle slab).

 

Oh wow, that's very unlucky.

 

s

[Mort]

99% of the time I put the wheel I have taken off under the car, it's a habit I picked up many many years ago, I always thought it was a good place to keep the wheel out of harms way while I worked on the car, honestly I never saw it as a safety device in case the car fell off the jack/ stands etc.