Need some Jack Stand recommendations

[bigmistake]

What is everyone using and what do they like?  I'm shopping for my first set.

 

Thanks!

[Pete M]

I have 4 of the short ones (used the most), 2 middle height ones and 2 of the biggest I could get at harbor freight (because my truck is now kinda tall and I needed something that could reach the bumpers/frame).    

[johnj92131]

I have one pair of short, 3 legged jack stands I purchased about 1972 from Sears - when the used to sell decent quality tools.  My other set is also a short set but has 4 legs and I can not tell you where I purchased them (Harbor Freight?).  Both have worked well  for decades of home use.  Harbor Freight likely offers the best combination of price and durability for the home shop.

[DirtyComanche]

We don't have the same stores here, but I have 8 or 10 of the same 6 ton ones despite having different brands on them (Princess Auto, Performance Tools, and one other brand, NAPA or something, they're all the same Chinese junk and I'm sure Horror Fraught sells the same).  When you buy these make sure to look at them before use, quality control is pretty bad.

 

I have a pair of smaller ones that I basically never use.  I had more but I gave some of them away.  They're really only good for working on stuff like cars.  I hate cars.

 

I wish I had a set of bigger ones.  Princess Auto sells some 12 ton ones that are about 20" tall at the lowest setting, they never really go on sale so I haven't bought them.  I may make some eventually.  I have some 2x4 cribbing that the 6 ton stands sit properly on too.

 

Also, 6 tons rating means you can put about a quarter of that on them comfortably.  Yes, they fail and kill people.  So bigger is better.

[Smokeyyank]

Hobofrieght all the way! Other than my dad sliding down hill in ice and knocking the XJ off the stands they held up just fine. I also got the big mamba jambas

[Jeep Driver]

There is a member here who's MJ fell on him after a stand broke. F'd him up pretty good. 

 

It's your life. 

[DesertRat1991]

I have four Craftsman 3-ton stands that have served me well for nearly a decade.  They are plenty good for supporting the axles. For frame support I use the Torin Big Reds which are pretty highly rated on AMZ:

 

Torin Big Red Steel Jack Stands: 6 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CODPF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tSHbBbJC0BRWV

[PCO6]

11 hours ago, DesertRat1991 said:

I have four Craftsman 3-ton stands that have served me well for nearly a decade.  They are plenty good for supporting the axles. For frame support I use the Torin Big Reds which are pretty highly rated on AMZ:

 

Torin Big Red Steel Jack Stands: 6 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CODPF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tSHbBbJC0BRWV

I've had my jack stands for so long that I couldn't tell you what brand they are.   I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set of Torin Big Reds though.   I bought a 4 ton Big Red floor jack just yesterday.   I was in the market for a new one.   I was in my usual tire store last week and saw that they had about 8 of them.   I figured if they are good enough for commercial use I'll never wear it out.

[shelbyluvv]

20 hours ago, Jeep Driver said:

There is a member here who's MJ fell on him after a stand broke. F'd him up pretty good. 

 

It's your life. 

Who was that?

 

I don't remember reading about that?

[HOrnbrod]

SBpunk. As I recall a jack stand failed while he was working under his rig and broke his shoulder. Pretty bad, but could have been a lot worse.

[shelbyluvv]

34 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said:

SBpunk. As I recall a jack stand failed while he was working under his rig and broke his shoulder. Pretty bad, but could have been a lot worse.

wonder how I missed that?

[HOrnbrod]

It's somewhere in here: 

 

[Jeep Driver]

I have a good memory..........but for names. 

 

Glad someone remembered who it was. 

 

 

 

 

[75sv1]

               I was always told never to get under a vehicle with jack stand or a jack. Where I worked as a machinist they other side serviced road equipment. They used large blocks of wood. There was a mechanic where I work now a few years ago. Died when his vehicle fell off the jacks. I think he was pinned for a day or so.

             There is guy around here that builds non adjustable jack stands , Taiterbuilt.    

[Pete M]

It's a good habit to also put the tire you removed under the truck too.    

[bigmistake]

Thanks for all the responses!  And good info on the wood blocks + stands.

[HOrnbrod]

2 hours ago, 75sv1 said:

There is guy around here that builds non adjustable jack stands , Taiterbuilt.    

 

I looked it up:

 

[Minuit]

I have an ACDelco branded high lift "SUV" jack and matching stands that I bought from O'Reilly (I think) several years ago that I use for the trucks. The stands are built very well with nice quality welds and wider "feet" on the bottoms, and the jack still works like new. The black one sucks and started leaking down about a year after I got it, and it doesn't get used nearly as much.

 

[PCO6]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

It's a good habit to also put the tire you removed under the truck too.    

I agree with this.   Also, when my vehicles are on jack stands it's either over concrete or asphalt.   I place the stands directly on to the concrete.   On asphalt I always put a 12" square piece of 3/4" plywood under each stand.  

[Eagle]

I use Harbor Freight jack stands, but if I'm under the vehicle I also have a jack under the differential. I have the stands carrying the weight, with the jack just making contact, so if a stand fails or shifts, the jack will (hopefully) prevent my having to try to bench press a 3,000 pound vehicle.

[75sv1]

3 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

I looked it up:

 

I meet him, while the exhaust on my XJ was being worked on. Also, makes them with 3/4" square tubing. I think for the same cost. I think $200 for a set of 4. Also, up to 2 ft height.

[1989commanche]

How high up do you need to go.  I have 4 sets of the 6 ton harbor freight type. I use them the most. For when I need some space I use pipe jacks. They will get up over 3 feet. 

[AZJeff]

I am new to this forum, but I have been working on cars for 40+ years, and XJ's for 15+ years, so I know the needs of the XJ/MJ community.

 

The old tubular 3-legged jackstands are not the most durable, and can fail pretty dramatically if they welds on the small cross-straps at the bottom give way.

 

There are LOTS of more modern four legged jackstands out there that will do the trick.  I recommend "over-buying" to some degree.  For example, an MJ is well under 2 tons, but a 3 ton jackstand is what I would choose, since when used in pairs, they will LOTS of design margin over the actual vehicle weight.

[yxmj]

I made my own.....the blue one is your standard heavy duty princess auto (harbor freight) style

 

[gogmorgo]

About five years ago I picked up a set of Michelin-branded stands and jack. 3-1/12 ton rating IIRC, for a reasonably good price at Canadian Tire. I've never seen them since, there or anywhere else. I suspect they're just similar off-shore branded ones but they're pretty good quality and I've never had an issue with them. Basically I went online and figured out how high I needed to go to be able to pull a transmission and realized the "normal" floor jacks and jack stands weren't really going to give me all that much more height than tires sitting on the ground. I like them because they have a pin that goes from the stand into the ratcheting portion which makes it almost impossible to collapse the stand by bumping the handle. 

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/michelin-3-5t-axle-stand-0090013p.html

I've used the regular non-pinned ratcheting ones at work and they always seem just a bit sketchy. It really doesn't take much grit or whatnot in the handle/ratchet to stop them from engaging properly, despite feeling nice and solid until you give it that hard shake after dropping the vehicle on them. I've had one collapse doing that, fortunately I always give vehicles a firm shake before getting under them if they're supported by something other than their own wheels. After seeing that one go I'll never buy a non-locking stand for personal use, and I'm extra careful with the non-lockers at work. 

 

So basically my tips for safe jack stand use are:

1: Look for ones that will solidly lock in position and won't collapse if you accidentally kick them the wrong way. If you can't find that, make damn certain the ratchet is fully engaged and they're not going back down before trusting them. 

2: Jack stands will only ever be as solid as the ground they're sitting on. I once had a car on stands on grass... seemed solid but then it rained overnight and I barely poked it in the morning and all four tipped over. 

3: Make sure they're solid before getting underneath. Give the vehicle a solid shove in every direction, bounce the bumpers up and down, make sure nothing's moving on you before getting underneath. 

4: always have a backup plan if things go south in a hurry. Spare wheel, large chunks of sturdy wood (oriented so the grain won't split), your roommate's anvil, anything to catch the vehicle and stop it from crushing you if something does go wrong.