Cool new product idea - Check this out!

[AZhitman]

A little something from my "other" life - When I'm not doing restorations in the shop, I run a big automotive forum.

We recently featured this inventor's product, and I think it's gonna be a hit. Love to see what the GJ faithful think!

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/rennstand.html

 

[bczygan]

What is the capacity per stand?

 

[ZRX61]

That thing looks like it will just fold in half & fall flat at the wrong moment.

 

[unslow1]

That thing looks like it will just fold in half & fall flat at the wrong moment.

That was my first thought. That thing looks flimsy as hell. I think I'll stick to jack stands.

 

[matt_i]

They should change the angle of the photo in the article. It looks like the footprint is about 3" wide, front to back, due to the limited depth perception.

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

My low profile jack barely fits under my car. No way in hell would this thing on top of my jack fit under the car.

 

[tymbo]

too complicated, too many pieces.

 

[Majordisorder]

I hope the patent process didn't cost a whole lot.

 

[chops101]

Also an auto restorer as a hobby, and I don't see the excitement.

"The problem with standard jackstands are well-known. They’re cumbersome, inconvenient, unsafe, and prone to failure."

Having used jackstands all my life and them some, the article is slanted with injected inaccuracies. I was unaware they were such a frightful health hazard, not.

Inconvenient, maybe. That's why we have car lifts.

 

[joe_padavano]

As a motorhead, it seems like the answer to the question no one asked. As a structural engineer, the fore/aft stiffness seems poor, as you are relying solely on the stiffness of that curved upper tube to prevent the whole thing from parallelogramming.

Also, the jack stands are ALWAYS in the way when I'm working under the car. A stand that takes up even more footprint just makes this problem worse. Sorry, but I'm not feeling the love.

 

[cadunkle]

That curved section doesn't inspire confidence in the strength of it. What weight are they rated for and what weight are they failing at? The gusseted one appears stronger.

Too many parts. I count at least 10, difficult to store and keep together. Lose the pins, now we're jamming nails and whatever random rods in to hold it? Sounds like trouble. Pins should be integral (spring loaded retracting, or attached with chain/cable).

 

[pmiranda]

I think it's brilliant, but I agree there are alot of moving pieces to it. If the top were a single piece of billet that the legs slotted on to from below, and the pins were bigger than a pinky finger, I'd feel more comfortable using it.

Note: I gather the curved-tube version is the prototype. The gusseted, welded version is probably the final product, but I don't like that the welds seem to carry load in tension, unless I'm missing something.

 

[driz]

As a motorhead, it seems like the answer to the question no one asked. As a structural engineer, the fore/aft stiffness seems poor, as you are relying solely on the stiffness of that curved upper tube to prevent the whole thing from parallelogramming.



Also, the jack stands are ALWAYS in the way when I'm working under the car. A stand that takes up even more footprint just makes this problem worse. Sorry, but I'm not feeling the love.

That's my take. Why use something even bigger than the thing you already have when they both are. In the way.[emoji849]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Nor'Easter]

Agreed on weight capacity or lack thereof. A 3/4 diesel truck weighs the same per corner as that Porsche in the article does on all fours.

 

[Gotcha640]

My typical need for a jack stand is when I want to get under the car (duh), so I usually want to jack close to the middle, so I only have to do it once, then put two stands in for stability.

Even when I'm only changing one wheel, or looking at one corner, it's usually easier to lift a whole end and put in two stands, than it would be to find two solid points (jack, stand) on the same corner.

The only time I've done one side was when I had no ramps available on a very low bmw e39, and had to use the factory jack to lift one side high enough to get the floor jack in. This product would not have fit.

 

[Bwana]

I like it. The box section tubing "should" minimise parallel folding but I'd still like to see the load rating and method of testing. The cars I work on definitely have limited number of secure jacking points and this qualifies as a "two-fer" in that regard. I find that I jack up the car from a questionable (slippery/angled) suspension point just to be able to use the factory approved jacking point for the jackstand. This eliminates that.

 

[CJ7VFR]

My low profile jack barely fits under my car. No way in hell would this thing on top of my jack fit under the car.

Agreed. How did they get that under the Porche? If you have to put this stand on your jack, then roll your jack under the car, then jack the car up with the stand in place on your jack, then lower it so the stand stays in place as you remove the jack, how do you get this contraption under an actual car without having to use a second jack to get the car up in the air high enough to get this setup under there? If you need two jacks to get this to work, then why bother?

And as others have pointed out, this stand actually takes up MORE floor space under the car than a conventional jack stand.

I think it's great to come up with new ideas, but this does not seem to be a time or space saver.

But just like the Pet Rock, someone will buy it!

Jim

 

[pmiranda]

I didn't bother to watch the video.

Then I won't bother to read your comments... I didn't get it at all until I watched it. Makes alot of sense but it can be improved.

 

[sberry]

There have been dumber ideas.

 

[unslow1]

I have seen some expanded bottom and top plates for a bottle jack. That seems like a much better route to go if looking to improve on a jack stand/jack setup.

 

[BgBmBoo]

A little something from my "other" life - When I'm not doing restorations in the shop, I run a big automotive forum.

We recently featured this inventor's product, and I think it's gonna be a hit. Love to see what the GJ faithful think!

Interesting idea. I can see how it would be useful for the situation where you don't have enough room to jack the car up and place a jack stand next to the jack. As far as your safety concerns with traditional jack stands, there is always this style:

In a similar vein:
I bought, at tractor supply, a jack stand with a bottle jack welded to it.

I bought it for the trailer, want another for the other trailer.

Is this what you have?

Bottle Jack Stand

Looks like they still make them.

 

[tonyx]

There are cars where there is no place to jack up and place jack stand side by side(and body side flange is not a jacking point), this invention would be perfect for it.

Having said that, more robust elbow design would be reassuring as mentioned earlier.

 

[rayra]

That was my first thought. That thing looks flimsy as hell. I think I'll stick to jack stands.

yep. Design gives me the willies. Especially for working under a car.


and Boo! for click-baity title and lack of description in the OP. Had to click all the way thru to find out what the subject was. Poor form / deliberate web hit driving BS.

 

[dadsEH]

Oh well....better than a stack of bricks

 

[619DioFan]

Don't think I would want to be under my 8,000 lb ram using those ( don't look like they would go high enough anyway )

 

[Playwme]

Oh well....better than a stack of bricks

But not better than a pile of spare wheels with tyres and a couple of pine sleeper offcuts.

Then again, I've dropped a 4000kg truck on my hand before so I tend to be a little over enthusiastic about my vehicle supports now.

 

[MrBalll]

Design is not making me feel good. Especially since I only own SUV's and trucks. I really don't see how one of these would support anything over a 1/2 ton, if that.
Also seems to take up more space. I know you can stick your arm under it, but if that's the case and a bolt won't loosen and you finally get it and slip and hit that stand...

 

[maxpower_hd]

Well no feed back at all from the OP so maybe this is just click bate maybe not. In any event, I KIND OF like it but don't really see the need. I would be leery about whether it could tip over with a bit of a shove, especially when in the higher positions.

And I agree these look to me like they are designed for a smaller vehicle like the Datsun mentioned in the article rather than something larger like an F-250.

Like already mentioned I usually jack by the center of either the front or back and place two stands at a time. You cannot do that with these. They might be OK for brakes or tire changes but I wouldn't feel comfortable having to pull a transmission or rear end out with those holding my truck up.

 

[APEowner]

I can see where that might be useful on cars that have limited jack points. The ability to use the same contact point to lift and for the stand would be very nice.

All jack stands have weigh limits so if the limits worked for the cars I was working on and I had confidence that there was some actual analysis and not eyeball engineering to come up with the rating the the fact that they won't hold up my 8k pickup truck wouldn't stop me from using them on, say my wife's S60 Volvo.

I think the idea has potential for a viable product. It won't replace conventional stands but I could see adding them to my collection if I had a car that warranted it.

 

[CJ7VFR]

There are cars where there is no place to jack up and place jack stand side by side(and body side flange is not a jacking point), this invention would be perfect for it....

That won't work in most cases since most vehicles barely have enough room under them to slide a jack underneath.

If you have to put this stand on top of your jack, then you will need to have more height available under the car to get all of this in.

As an example, most cars (not SUV's or trucks) today only have about 6 to 8 inches of space between the bottom of the side rocker moldings and front fascia and the ground. If this device is 12 inches tall for example, how are you going to fit it under the car while it is on your jack if you only have 8 inches or less of clearance to begin with?

Even trying to get a jack under some of the suspension parts is not always easy, as there is not a lot of room at the back or front of cars also.

I think the idea has merit, and just needs a bit more fine-tuning.

Jim

 

[simpler=better]

Make it with the legs about twice as wide and I'd use them. Add locking pivots so it fits under the car in the first place and you're golden.

It's a great idea, it just needs a little more balance.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Make it with the legs about twice as wide and I'd use them. Add locking pivots so it fits under the car in the first place and you're golden.

It's a great idea, it just needs a little more balance.

Yup! A little more fine-tuning and it would be a good idea!

I know that when I jack up my wife's SUV to rotate the tires, there is just barely enough room to get the pad from the jack and the head of the jack stands in the same basic space after I jack up the vehicle.

I have to kind of put the jack on an angle under the SUV so that when I do jack it up there is enough room for the feet of the jack stands to fit on the ground next to the jack when I lower the SUV onto the stands.

I think this idea has merit like I said. It just needs some more development to work in everyday situations.

Jim

 

[AZhitman]

What is the capacity per stand?

Per the inventor:

"We can safely rate the lightest version that you see in the video to 2 tons/pair by ANSI standards, or 1 ton per stand. The requirements are that each pair has to hold up to 3x the stated rating (or each individual stand has to hold 1.5x that rating) and the stands actually exceeded that."

 

[AZhitman]

Well no feed back at all from the OP so maybe this is just click bate maybe not.

Wow, that's a little presumptuous.

I was sharing an article - I'm not sure why I would be expected to provide feedback or answer questions.

p.s. It's 'bait.'

 

[K13]

That won't work in most cases since most vehicles barely have enough room under them to slide a jack underneath.

If you have to put this stand on top of your jack, then you will need to have more height available under the car to get all of this in.

As an example, most cars (not SUV's or trucks) today only have about 6 to 8 inches of space between the bottom of the side rocker moldings and front fascia and the ground. If this device is 12 inches tall for example, how are you going to fit it under the car while it is on your jack if you only have 8 inches or less of clearance to begin with?

Even trying to get a jack under some of the suspension parts is not always easy, as there is not a lot of room at the back or front of cars also.

I think the idea has merit, and just needs a bit more fine-tuning.

Jim

Did you watch the video? I am guessing no.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Interesting.

I've invented several items, had a few provisional patents. Good luck if the inventor plans on manufacturing or marketing that item.
In today's sue happy environment, I wouldn't want that liability.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Wow, that's a little presumptuous.

I was sharing an article - I'm not sure why I would be expected to provide feedback or answer questions.

p.s. It's 'bait.'

I was only expanding/clarifying on what someone else had already mentioned. And you are correct. It is bait...And for the record I said it may or may not be click bait. That was based on the previous post, the small number of posts by you and that it didn't look like you were responding to your own post which is what I usually see when people post things. I wasn't presuming anything. Sorry if it read that way. That's the problem with online communication as opposed to speaking in person. It is sometimes hard to hear ones intonations and gauge feeling in what is read. It is sometimes equally difficult to convey feelings when writing.

I still don't think there is much of a market for this type of stand. It seems they may be very useful but only for very specific applications. Which IMHO isn't a real money maker.

 

[Fishplate]

It would be better if I could replace the jack pad with the stand's top bar, instead of placing the bar on top of the pad. Solves some of the excess height problem.

There ya go, free advice for the next patent.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Did you watch the video? I am guessing no.

Actually I did watch it. The problem I would have is that my 3 ton jack, when lowered all the way down, just barely fits underneath the side rocker moldings and front and rear fascia's of my car.

I actually bought a flat rubberized pad to replace the cradle that came with my jack because with the cradle on the jack it would not fit under my car at all.

My point is that I would not be able to use this product because putting even a part of it on my jack would not allow me to push the jack under the car.

And even if I lowered the jack, pushed it under my car without any part of this product on the cradle/rubber pad and then tried to put the product on the cradle/rubber pad while the jack was under the car it would not work, because I have less than an inch from the jacks rubber pad to the jacking points under the car. So it would not fit even doing that.

I would have to use two jacks. One to lift the car slightly in order to get it up in the air a few inches, and then another jack to slide under the car in order to use this product.

That defeats the purpose for me using something like this on my car.

Now my wife's SUV or my old Jeep CJ-7 is another story. They both have enough clearance under them for me to use a product like this by putting it directly on the jacks cradle/rubber pad and sliding the jack under the vehicle and raise it.

But to answer your question, yes I did watch the video. I think this product has a potential market. It just needs some fine-tuning, just like any other product.

Jim

 

[pepi]

A little something from my "other" life - When I'm not doing restorations in the shop, I run a big automotive forum.

We recently featured this inventor's product, and I think it's gonna be a hit. Love to see what the GJ faithful think!

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/rennstand.html

Ridiculous ! That's my thought, good old jack stands simple and logical