Homemade jack stands. Sketch or good to go?

Yeah, the further up you extend the jack stands, the worse it get.
I don’t max them out. I’ll build up under the stands.

 

YUP!!!!!

 

Even with multiple jackstands I still move a tire under the truck.

 

Stupid is as stupid does.

 

That`s the bad part they were not extended but 2 notches from completely closed .

4 6ton stands .

 

Gravity + jacked up vehicle = unspent energy.

My preference is to jack it up, then put my blocks under the tires, jack down. So it isn't gonna fall on me. Of course you can't do that if working on tires or suspension. So jack stands or whatever else. Shake with the same or slightly more force you intend to use so you know it's stable. To each their own. Your response for your own safety.

 

BTW I'm at a tire shop now, just watched them jack up my 9k# work truck & not use jack stands of any sort.

 

I just bought a pair of 6 ton double locking stands for 60 bucks shipped. This thread makes me want to go buy even more than my growing shelf of assorted stands.

No limb goes under the truck without double redundancy. No life-vital organ goes under the truck without triple redundancy.

 

Why take the chance? Is your life worth less than 4 beefy 12 ton stands from Harbor Freight for $300?

 

‍no. Super sketch.

when I was younger, and dumber, I made my own jackstands.

it was a 15” rim with a 14” rim nested and welded on top. The 14” rim had a 13” rim nested and welded on top.

that’s about as sketchy as I’d go.

 

The only acceptable wood jack stands.
I used them to lift all 4 tires on my Miata to work under it. In that instance the wood blocks actually felt safer than using 4 jack stands.

But just so you know metal jack stands don't go bad, I've had mine for 20 years. Hell my dad's set has to be at least 40 years old.
Seems really, really, really stupid to cheap out on a very critical safety device that doesn't cost that much in the first place.
Also always remember to chock your wheels too.

 

Okay I agree these are sketch. I may beef them up with something to make them solid and sturdy.
Also to those who think I am poor and cannot afford good quality jack stands. I actually own real six ton jack stands. And they're not the recalled Harbor freight ones. I had these 4x6's and some large bolts and wanted to do something with them. That's all. People jump to conclusions really fast. I didn't even do any work under the truck with these.. Chill out or talk some shit just don't be so serious.

 

NOPE.

Not even on a bet.

 

Seems to be working fine for this guy in the Oreilley parking lot. At least he has the common courtesy to warn people of his poor choices with cones.

 

Then why replace a good tool with homer's wonderbat?

Toss 'em or repurpose to a less load-bearing application. Its just scrap wood.

We did talk shit. Nobody will condone your tinkering on the off chance that they will be later accused of encouraging/egging on a fatality.

 

thats a lot of $$ in wood there. Just go get some jacks

 

These would potentially be useful when used with a proper set of jack stands for some additional support, but definitely not as the primary/only means of supporting a vehicle

 

seriously…the number of self appointed safety nazis on here is unreal. It’s a little sketch…that is all

 

$300 US JACK D-41610 6 Ton Garage Stands 100% Made in USA

https://www.amazon.com/US-JACK-D-41610-Garage-Stands/dp/B00P248NYO/


I have 2 pairs (4 jackstands) of these. Picked them up when they were still $200 a pair, not $275.

Expensive peace-of-mind.

Ngl - I trust my life to them, no backups. I don't drag a tire under the frame or stack up 4x4 wood cribbing every time I get under the truck.**

**I do have a dead flat, smooth concrete garage floor to work on, I chock both sides of both on-the-ground wheels (with massive rubber tire chocks fit for a bus) when I am only jacking up one end of the truck, and I use max body strength to shove & oscillate the jacked-up truck in all directions to check jack stand stability before I go under.

Doing this last part every time is useful because most of the time I do hear creaks and pops as the jack stands & their bases shift tiny amounts to "lock in" against frame rails & concrete floor surface. After a couple of seconds the settling is done & there's no further movement no matter how I push.