[steve25]

A few months ago in Hot Rod mag I think it was ,there was a accident that happened to a fellow and just two nights ago the same thing took place to a buddy of mine's Relative .

Both guys where under the front of there car's doing some wipe down and clean up from the driving season.
Both cars where Manual Trans, jacked up on the front only and set in gear to be kept from rolling.

The near fatal flaw in both of these situations is that the battery was left hooked up!

With both guys wipping down there headers near the starter there wrist Watch shorted across the nose of the starter and the car cranked itself off the jack stands and onto them!!

The guy from the hot rod story some how managed to get himself out on his own with a crushed skull and a dislocated Shoulder, my buddy's friend we do know if he's gonna make it yet!

[PDC]

Very sorry to hear about your buddy's friend. Terrible. Goes to show how much of 'being careful' is actually 'experience.' Someone nan be genuinely cautious about what they are doing, but the just don't know (from experience) what can actually happen.

[Cliff R]

I had a Forum member/customer tell me a story a while back about his GTO backing off the car ramps as he was unaware that the transmission was built with a reverse valve body. I can't remember the details and he may chime in to correct me here, but the car backed off the ramps, out thru the garage door and into the neighbors house or garage door! Very scary stuff and lucky it was only property damage with his experience.......Cliff

[The Boss]

I was under my F350 on a creeper when the front dropped off jack stands while we were changing the front springs. I'm lucky to still be here.

(And yes I know some of you will think - Damn, so close!)

[Bobalong]

I am friggin paranoid about getting under my car.
Jack stands, wheel chocks, stacked wood as a back up with jack stands.
I never put my head under the car when I lift with my hydraulic jack as I'm adding jacks or wood, broom handle to slide things in place.
Then there's always those contraptions in my way when I finally slide under.
I don't even like to be under commercial side lifts.
Never thought about disconnecting the batt cable. (My car is an automatic)

[Chief of the 60's]

And this is exactly why I have never worn any jewlery in my life. No watch, no rings, no braclets, nothing.

I also don't do things like clean the underside of my car. I find that stupid and a total waste of time.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by The Boss

I was under my F350 on a creeper when the front dropped off jack stands while we were changing the front springs. I'm lucky to still be here.

(And yes I know some of you will think - Damn, so close!)

Stifle! I'll be under my F250 later today.

[Formulajones]

About 30 years ago I had a friend die when his 63 Impala fell off the jacks and crushed him. I've had a car lift ever since.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

About 30 years ago I had a friend die when his 63 Impala fell off the jacks and crushed him. I've had a car lift ever since.

That doesn't mean a thing.

[Chief of the 60's]

[Formulajones]

BS!! Anyone that wants to sit here and tell me a car lift isn't safer than a floor jack and jack stands is simply kidding themselves. Without knowing the circumstances of those pictures they don't mean much. For the record though, they look like cheap knockoffs.

[gtofreek]

I got under a van that my friend put up on jack stands. Myself and another friend of mine were under it loosening the pinion nut, and my friend told me I should move my crotch over as it was directly under the brake drum. He said, if this thing falls, you're going to loose your family jewels. I slid over a little and went back to cranking on the nut. A few seconds later, the van fell. We both slid to the side instantly as the side of the van scraped both our chests as it hit the ground. We are both very lucky to be alive. From now on, I put cars on jack stands, then I push the car around. I figure if I can't push it off the jack stands, then it isn't going to fall on me. So far so good!

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

BS!! Anyone that wants to sit here and tell me a car lift isn't safer than a floor jack and jack stands is simply kidding themselves. Without knowing the circumstances of those pictures they don't mean much. For the record though, they look like cheap knockoffs.

Apparently you missed the point.

[Formulajones]

There isn't one. No one is going to convince me car lifts aren't safer than floor jacks.

But if you want to go over a few things lets look at those pics. In both instances, you can see the lifts didn't "completely" fail and didn't crush or kill anyone. You have a much better chance of survival and more time to move, as well as better mobility on your feet under a car lift verses a pair of jack stands and laying on your back. That alone is a better deal all around.

So yeah, a car lift is going to be a safer way to go than a floor jack, no ifs ands or butts about it. Millions and millions in use at shops around the world. Even if you could show me statistics and percentages of failures of both the results would still be lopsided anyway because of the amount in use.

Besides all that, lets at least buy a decent car lift too, not those cheap minimum rated knock offs in the pictures.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Besides all that, lets at least buy a decent car lift too, not those cheap minimum rated knock offs in the pictures.

Does a Rotary fit your criteria?

[Formulajones]

That's apparently not a lift failure, that's human error. Some dumbass didn't secure the arms under the car properly. Nothing to do with lift safety record.

You can't fix stupid

[Tom Vaught]

Really do not like "Store Bought" Jack Stands, but some are better vs others. In High School we made our own from 1/4" wall steel tube material, 2" diameter, with 1.5"x1.5"X .125" angle iron legs.
Legs were welded to 3"x3" pads .250" material
on the bottom of the legs. They used a ACME screw thread and a matching ACME Nut for adjustment. Because the ACME Thread and Nut
slipped into the end of the tube it was easy to swap out a different length threaded portion or base if you needed a different height.
(These parts were made to hole up Farm Tractors and other machinery.) Way over-kill but would never fail. Those Farm Boys could carry 300#
parts around like it was nothing (The weights that are on the front of Tractors to hold the front end down) for tractor Pulls.

That being said I am the Wooden Square Block support kind of guy like B-Man Posted in one of his threads. There are PY Threads out there on this stuff.

Tom V.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

That's apparently not a lift failure, that's human error. Some dumbass didn't secure the arms under the car properly. Nothing to do with lift safety record.

You can't fix stupid

And this thread is about faulty jack stands???? Duh!

The bottom line (as well as my point) is, you should never trust a vehicle in the air because s hit can and will happen.

[sdbob]

Jackstands,4x4s,and spare tire on side I'm working. Seen falls luckily no injuries. Local news last week guy stealing tires off of van single wheel, he was crushed. Couldn't figure why he was under van just stealing tires maybe convertor.

[Tom Vaught]

I have seen theft vehicles where the perp snapped all of the wheel studs off one side of the vehicle but could not get the wheels off.

So IF this Perp tried to get the wheels with no luck and then went for the converter, (and now the tires came off the hubs) Oh My, that poor POS was crushed under the vehicle.

Tom V.