Harbor Freight Ramps?

I'm looking for a decent set of ramps for maintenance and found a decent looking set at Harbor Freight. I was telling my son and he had a fit saying how they had collapsed and killed bunch of people. Is this true? Excluding Harbor Freight where is a good place to look for a safer set? The ones at O'Reilly and AutoZone look exactly the same in material and construction as the ones I was looking at in Harbor Freight.

 

Yes they have collapsed on people before. I use rhino ramps. I've got an old grey set that's really thick plastic and a slightly newer black set that's kinda flimsy in comparison. Both around 10 years old give or take and probably from the same factory in China as the Harbor Freight ones. I think I got them at WalFart or Autozone.

I always use a combination of ramps, floor jack, jack stands and wheel chocks. The idea is that if one device fails I have 1 or 2 others as a backup to buy me a few seconds to scoot my butt out from under the vehicle.

Also, when I do tire rotations or brakes I'll leave 2 wheels on the ground (one side of the vehicle) at a time if possible with a floor jack and jack stands on the side I'm working on.

The older I get the less I enjoy crawling under vehicles to work on them, but I still prefer to do my own work versus paying someone else and trusting that it was done right.

Safe wrenching.

 

i got some rhino ramps from walmart, dont forfet to get a wheel chop for the truck wont roll back. Also never work on dirt landscape after a rain, I had my truck once take a dive after the jack gave out in the soil, it was compacted soil so you never know. Be safe.

 

I don't think it was the HF ramps that were re-called....I DO know that they re-called their jack stands...I had a set for a few years and took them back only recently...Those actually did collapse ...Pretty sure they were 2 ton jacks and I can't even remember the name but you can Google it just by asking and the articles will pull up...They were gray....I remember HF selling carbon fiber AND metal ramps before...Never trusted metal ramps, especially on a Tacoma...I bought myself 2 sets of two ton stands from Walmart and I have a 3 ton floor jack from HF... lol. I think the stands are called Black Max ( something like that )...I don't really see the need for ramps actually...Maybe for the guys who are off-road heavies... Everything in the suspension would be compressed from ramps though...Somebody kick in on this please...I only use my stuff in a shop setting..

 

MGM... Up until recently, I've always had a partner when I put my truck up on jack stands...And I'd usually have the floor jack snug at the front or rear.. Depending on which end I was under...But, now I'm a solo act and have been thinking about getting crushed...I think I'll cut a 6x6 post into 4 pieces for safety..( I feel I can make better progress with the truck off the floor...Now I also can relate to your idea as well...But what's your process to do that...?

 

Yes I've heard about those recalled harbor freight jack stands too. I use these, because they have safety pins...

$58 BIG RED T46002A Torin Steel Jack Stands: Double Locking, 6 Ton (12000 lb) Capacity, Red, 1 Pair

https://www.amazon.com/Torin-Big-St...la-451443326108&ref=&adgrpid=63790029762&th=1



Process? I guess it depends on what type of mechanical work I'm doing and which vehicle I'm working on. I agree that having the entire vehicle lifted up makes mechanical jobs easier. I've always wanted a four post lift, but never had the space or the garage ceilings to accommodate.

For Tacoma oil changes, drive on ramps, shift in park, apply e brake, chock wheels, and place a floor jack in position resting in contact with the frame, usually drivers side. A jack stand or two doesn't hurt.

If I'm doing tire rotations I'll leave the truck in park, apply e brake, then place floor jack under drivers side frame and then lift the rear axle on the pumpkin just enough to bring the rear drivers side tire off the ground about an inch or two. Swap tires front to back and then proceed to do the same on the passenger side.

I also use 6x6's, but for wheel chocks. Another tip is to place the tire under the frame when you're working on on brakes. (Keep rim far enough out of the way to avoid brake fluid/cleaners dripping.)

My 4th gen Camaro is a bit different, because it sits so low. That's usually driven on to ramps and then lifted onto jack stands on all four with the floor jack resting in place as extra insurance on whatever corner or side I'm working on. Of course, if it's something simple like a coolant flush I'll drive on ramps, chock rear wheels, apply e brake, and leave in reverse or first gear. Sometimes the floor jack is left resting under the driver or passenger side or supporting the k member.

Changing the fuel filter on the 4th gen usually involves ramps under all four tires, a floor jack resting in place and a jack stands as extra insurance.

A couple of years ago the local news had a story about a man working on his car when the jack failed and the vehicle crushed and killed him. That's awful. As someone who loves cars and working on them I'm willing to take a few extra precautions. This reminds me I'm due for a new floor jack.

 

It was the Pittsburgh brand 3-ton and 6-ton stands. I have a different label on mine, the only difference are that my HF 3 tons came with a safety pin. Still, they are a backup to my already backed-up unijack.

Ramps are an easy method for oil and fluid changes. Since I rotate tires with every change anyway I have no personal need for them. But I can see the convenience.

 

Well, I decided to use the scrap 6"x 6" post I had...I'm gonna use them as safety chicks....And by the way, Harbor Frt has Black Friday on right now and they carry Daytona brand jack stands...Today for the insiders club , a set of 3 ton stands cost me 29 bucks and they are a better stand than the pair of Black Max I bought 2 days ago and am now returning....Hey MGM...I decided on spending 3 hours jacking and measuring to make these safety chocks and I figured, what the hell....Now between the stands, floor jack and 4 big hunks of lumber at the frame, I won't have to worry...And I was just about to cut them when I realized that the shudder while braking is most likely in the rear...Bearings are difficult to pinpoint in the same way...It was the ambient noise that threw me...Looked at the front yesterday and the discs and rotors are perfect...My calipers are shot tho....So today I checked the rear..First thing I did was check the tire play and both sides are rocking backwards and forward ( in a clock fashion ...About 11 to 2 ....Im pretty sure my idiot friend put my drive shaft in and although he marked it, he was f***** up as hell that night....Gonna try that first....80 bucks.
It could be a much worse problem,I know...But the calipers are pushed back a few days...When you have never had this kind of problem, the possibilities are endless...I'll keep y'all up

 

I use HF ramps in combination with stands. No issues....yet just my .02, @Partychief67 did you end up getting them?

 

I use ramps and jack stands as backup and roll an old wheel with tire under as well.

 

Tons of good deals at Harbor freight but you get what you pay for. Not sure safety is an area to cheap out on. IMO

 

100percent agree don't skimp on saftey

 

It’s like everything else you buy lately (a flip of a coin matter sometimes y’know) heck I still got a set of those recalled HF’s jack stands I forgot to take back when the recall was going on but I just use them as a extra now when that recall was goin on I had like 8 sets I had got on a special buy but they gave me credit and took forever to get new stands in, so I just went elsewhere to get some new stands (I do like the style of the Daytona stuff) ...like said above don’t ever rely on one method of safety under a vehicle always have a backup behind it just to be safe 110%!

 

bought ramps at WalMart. They do good for me. Makes oil changes faster. Chock your wheels though.

 

Is your life worth trusting on something from harbor frieght? A company where we all know stuff breaks

 

Torin Big Red. Truck version.

 

If portability is less an issue and weight is not an issue ... buy a bunch of 2x4s, screw them together. If the weight of a Tacoma crushes a mostly-uninterrupted block of pine, things have changed drastically.

My solution adding 4 inches to the 9.5 ...