Do you ALWAYS use jack stands? Help settle the argument.

[JackOfDiamonds]

I swap between summer and winter wheels on multiple cars, multiple times per year.

I was taught that jacks are only for jacking cars up, not supporting them. So I have a nice 3 ton floor jack that's reliable, but I always jack up the car, fiddle with getting jack stands positioned (and now I'm actually reaching under the car with no jack stands...), put the car on jack stands, change both front wheels, and reverse the process. Then do it again on the back.

Recently my friend told me I'm crazy for doing all that. If I just jacked the car up with the floor jack, I could swap the wheels in all of 30 seconds and without putting any part of myself under the car at all, or even getting down on the ground, which he says would actually be safer.

I do see the point that it almost seems safer not to piddle around with jack stands in cases where I'm not going under the car. After all, in an emergency you have to change the spare tire using the scissor jack and no jack stands. Only question is which is more reliable....a scissor jack on the side of the road or a big 3ton floor jack in a controlled environment...


So is "jacks are only for lifting" an overly broad rule?

 

[dnschmidt]

You need to use jack stands when getting UNDERNEATH THE CAR. If there is no possible way for the car to fall on you a floor jack is perfectly acceptable. I live where Discount Tire is the tire king. I've never seen them use a jackstand to change tires. Since they change about a million tires a year, and I haven't heard of anybody who works there dying from being crushed, a floor jack seems entirely adequate to me.

 

[SARG]

I have a half dozen jack stands but prefer to use stacks of 2x6x8 lumber when I'm under the vehicles.

 

[BrandonV]

Discount Tire at least here in Arizona will jack you car up on 4 floor jacks at once.

I'm not really a fan of this approach (they've bent a pinch-weld or two) but as for your safety? Yeah it's fine to do one at a time.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

I use jack stands positioned underneath the car, and the jack as a failsafe if it's not in the way. If you're not getting under the car and just jacking it up enough for the wheel to be free, I can see not using the stands.

 

[mike93lx]

I won't use jack stands to swap a wheel, but anything more and I always will

 

[larry_g]

I have been known to jack up the car, slide in the jack stands but not lower the jack to rest the car on the stands. Somewhat depends if your on a level flat concrete floor or a slanted dirt or gravel pad.

 

[rayik]

I always place a jack stand under when changing tires but do not lower the jack. The stand is there just in case the jack fails. That way no vehicle damage or worse hand / arm injury if the jack fails.

 

[four.cycle]

^ what @dnschmidt said.

I've been dealing with T & T tire here for well over 30 years. I have yet to see them set up a jack stand under a vehicle when changing a tire.

That said, when my buddy came over to install new pads on my Ranger, I drove up to ACE and ponied up the money for a new set of jack stands. Brake jobs generally do not require one getting under the vehicle, but after selling jacks, jack stands, and ramps and seeing what came back as "warranty", there's no way in hell I would trust a jack - ever. I don't care who made it or how much you paid for it.

And those "ramp" things? I stopped carrying them after one of our junior counterman sold a pair to a guy who owned a 1962 Buick Invicta and brought them back 45 minutes later - flat as a pancake. No way!

 

[sean Buick 76]

For changing a wheel no I wouldn’t use a stand unless it’s a valuable vehicle in which case I with slide a stand under the car just in case the Jack failed.

If doing anything more than a simple wheel swap I support the vehicle with stands, and have the Jack in place as the backup in case of a stand failure.

I also have big 6x6 chunks of wood and custom cribbing to use to support vehicles as needed. I often trust the solid wood over stands. But I have bought better stands over the years.

 

[cvairwerks]

For tire swaps, I don't bother. The tire is only an inch or two off the ground....Anything else that has me under the vehicle, then stands or cribbing gets used.

 

[driftpin]

I'm retired from fire-rescue in FL, and I've seen what happens when not using jackstands. If the tires aren't supporting the weight of the entire car, the car gets jackstands wherever they aren't. I don't care "how the tire store does it," I'm going to do what I believe is sufficient to do it safely, and working only with a jack and no jackstand(s) doesn't work for me. Consider what the outcome would be if the jack fails or it tips-over because of a poor surface. What do you need to speed through the wheel change for? Which is more important, the few minutes saved or your safety and state of health?

 

[jblnut]

I don’t use jack stands but I do have two chunks of white oak that are 14x14x24 that I’ll slide under the car when I’m doing anything “quick” like changing tires and such. I figure the car will fall on the oak blocks and even my fat *** won’t be crushed with 14” of space left for me under there. It’s a lot faster than jack stands and I’m never under the car without some sort of safety to the jack itself.

That being said I’ve never had a jack fail but you know what they say, one day it’ll happen so be prepared.

 

[16again]

I ALWAYS use jack stands. If the car is being jacked up, it gets a stand under it. No exception. Guys in my shop used to jack the cars and just crawl under them. First thing I did when I took over the shop was a safety meeting. They all know I have no intention of making "THAT" call to their loved ones.

 

[bradleydavidgood]

Wood blocks are a great idea. I may fashion some with a chainsaw from tree chunks I have in the yard.

 

[username2]

I'm cool with jacking up a corner, swapping a wheel/tire, go to the next. Since we're talking rare failure cases here, is it safer to never get under the vehicle, or fiddle with a jackstand for a minute? Dunno.

It seems to me that a really good compromise, assuming you don't have perfectly sized wood blocks or something you can just slide under there, might be to have a second jack you just roll under lickety split. God knows they're cheap enough anymore.

 

[bradleydavidgood]

The only problem with the wood blocks is that they will get in the way of you crawling under there if you need to access something it's usually close to where the good support is on the vehicle.

 

[username2]

The only problem with the wood blocks is that they will get in the way of you crawling under there if you need to access something it's usually close to where the good support is on the vehicle.

I think that OP was about swapping wheels and tires. I admit it's kind of a corner case.

 

[WildBill]

When swapping winter/summer tires on my approximately 9 billion beaters I don't usually use jack stands but I always slide a tire under the car next to the jack. I've had a jack fail, not pretty even if your just putting a tire on. At the very least your likely to have some expensive damage to the car if you don't have something as a backup. Mine went through the floor pan and destroyed a brake line when it failed.

 

[LopezBart]

I've rotated tires w/o jackstands, but it definitely made me feel uncertain. However, with cars like our Tesla w/ carefully denoted jacking points, there just isn't a good place to put jackstands, and dropping the vehicle's battery on a jack stand doesn't really seem like a good idea, either. Perhaps adding a mechanical lock to the floor jack would be a better approach; I could then jack up the vehicle, engage the lock and then lower the jack enough to make sure the lock supports the vehicle.

 

[whateg01]

Discount Tire at least here in Arizona will jack you car up on 4 floor jacks at once.

I'm not really a fan of this approach (they've bent a pinch-weld or two) but as for your safety? Yeah it's fine to do one at a time.

They did this for my F150, but the they put the Edge on the scissor lift. I know they were under the rear axle. I don't know where they jack the front from, but I assume it's at the ends of the crossmember.

... Brake jobs generally do not require one getting under the vehicle, but after selling jacks, jack stands, and ramps and seeing what came back as "warranty", there's no way in hell I would trust a jack - ever. I don't care who made it or how much you paid for it....

I generally sit with my legs extended out in front of me when doing brakes. So, if the vehicle falls, there's a good chance my legs are getting crushed. Even though I'm not "getting under the vehicle", part of me still is.

The only problem with the wood blocks is that they will get in the way of you crawling under there if you need to access something it's usually close to where the good support is on the vehicle.

How is that different than jack stands? Don't they generally go where there is good support also?

 

[MovingAlong]

Recently my friend told me I'm crazy for doing all that. If I just jacked the car up with the floor jack, I could swap the wheels in all of 30 seconds and without putting any part of myself under the car at all, or even getting down on the ground, which he says would actually be safer.

Your "friend" is incorrect...

But hey, I only know one person who was crushed to death under his car while working on it and a friend that was killed when a hydraulic cylinder got hung up and he tried to clear it by hand. Watching little kids grow up without fathers will shape your views on a few different things...

You got kids? Anyone counting on you being there tomorrow? Use the damn jack stands.

 

[Sumboodie]

I use them only if I'm working under it. Swapping tires, nope.

 

[Al G]

For what the OP described, changing wheels one at a time, I don't use jackstands. Many of the responses are describing a situation the OP didn't ask about. If any part of me is going under the car then jackstands are an absolute.

 

[crashmtb]

Changing to/from winter wheels, one at a time - no jack stands particularly since on my cars the jack point is also where the jack stand would go. Notably, in the scenario of changing a flat, no car comes with a jack stand. I'd argue a one-legged scissor jack is way sketchier than a hydraulic floor jack.

Going under the car, or it'll be more than one corner off the ground? jack stands.

It seems @JackOfDiamonds that you need a quickjack! perfect for your use case if it fits your vehicle.

 

[charger 73]

When swapping tires no, when underneath yes.
when I was in my teens I worked under cars with just the jack, dad didn't even own jack stands.
no one I knew did. thinking about it now it was dumb, we were lucky nothing ever happened.
I guess today we are more knowledgeable about safety at work and home.
would not even think of doing that now, and when helping my son with his car the stands are in if underneath.

 

[johnre]

Hydraulics can fail. If I'm putting any part of me under the vehicle, I use jack stands. I don't care if there is quadruple-redundancy on the hydraulics, as is the case with Discount Tire - it's still only hydraulics. I want a mechanical locking system.

I use jack stands positioned underneath the car, and the jack as a failsafe if it's not in the way.

Yes, technically you've backed up the jack if you do it this way. But my approach is to put the weight of the vehicle on the jackstand and leave the jack unloaded as a backup, not vice versa. I just don't like the idea of transferring the load over in case the jack fails - think of the many times you lowered the vehicle onto the stands, then decided it needed to be adjusted to properly hold the weight.

 

[Basskiller]

I use a jack rod. https://agm-products.com/collections/jacks/products/jack-rod-2-ton

 

[MovingAlong]

when I was in my teens I worked under cars with just the jack, dad didn't even own jack stands.

Granddad used to put me under his 4x4 raised up with only two HiLift jacks under each end of the front bumper. Was 12 yrs old or so when it fell sideways one day, tire landing right beside my rib cage.. Used to park the front wheels of his car on cement blocks to change the oil on it too.

And yeah, I lived to tell the tales. Doesn't make those things right, just makes me lucky. Ignorance was bliss. Was fortunate to have mentors slightly smarted than the OPs friend though and now I do things a little bit different.

So for those that didn't ask - do what you want.

But for @JackOfDiamonds who did ask - use the damn jack stands!

 

[four.cycle]

I'd argue a one-legged scissor jack is way sketchier than a hydraulic floor jack.

We sold "Bumper Jacks" - back when cars had steel bumpers. And "Scissors Jacks" (which became OEM standard on many import vehicles in the early 1970s.
I have seen them twisted, collapsed, pancaked. "Warranty" returns on the scissors jacks were off the charts - I suppose because people were positioning them improperly under the vehicles or (as I stupidly did myself one day on a sloped gravel road) weren't using them on a flat, level, hard surface. (I ended up rolling the Opel down the hill on the flat tire until I hit a mainline and flagged down another driver who was kind enough to help me out.)
Fortunately the sales rep (Bob Lee) sold us about 20 other lines and had no issue with writing us a credit for them.

We didn't start selling the little hydraulic bottle jacks until "JET Equipment Importers" started up here in Tacoma (on Jefferson Avenue.)
We were retailing a 1-1/2 ton bottle jack for $8.88. Warranty return rate was less than 5% of net sales, so we were okay with that - we just tossed them into the trash. Told the stores to not return them to the warehouse because they got jack oil all over the delivery trucks.

I generally sit with my legs extended out in front of me when doing brakes. So, if the vehicle falls, there's a good chance my legs are getting crushed. Even though I'm not "getting under the vehicle", part of me still is.

My father originally started out just pumping gas and selling used cars. He later expanded the building and put in four hydraulic lifts and offered full-service repairs.
Hydraulic lifts in the 1940s and 1950s were essentially an "H" of railroad track, sitting on top of a hydraulic ram coming up out of the floor.
His lead mechanic was doing a brake job one afternoon, sitting flat on the floor with his legs under the vehicle.
The lift failed. The vehicle came down and cut off both of his legs about mid-thigh.

My father had the lifts pulled out, replaced the roll-up doors with giant windows, and swore he'd never perform auto repairs again.

Use the damn jack stands.

 

[tarmy]

I tend to be “that guy” that thinks about safety. Experience is a great teacher.

I have 4 floor jacks and 4 quality jack stands. Quick tire rotation where I am not under anything I admit being about 50/50 with the stands…usually I use one on the corner I am on when the whole vehicle is up. If under the car I always have two At the least.

 

[jblnut]

Hydraulics can fail. If I'm putting any part of me under the vehicle, I use jack stands. I don't care if there is quadruple-redundancy in the case of Discount Tire


Yes, technically you've backed up the jack if you do it this way. But my approach is to put the weight of the vehicle on the jackstand and leave the jack unloaded as a backup, not vice versa. I just don't like the idea of transferring the load over in case the jack fails - think of the many times you lowered the vehicle onto the stands, then decided it needed to be adjusted to properly hold the weight.

This is why I use white oak blocks when under the vehicle. You can drop a Mack truck on them and they won’t fail.

I change tires on tractors and such and block accordingly with a set of stands holding the weight and wood as a backup. Never had an issue. With a small car a 14x14” chunk of wood tossed under the side of the car I’m working on is good enough for me.


When we do rear tires we don’t use we anything other than ratcheting air jacks and we are throwing all kinds of weight around to get those tires on. Never had an issue.

 

[Kurt4440]

Clearly I have been doing things wrong for decades. Whenever I swap over from all season to winter tires, I always jack up the vehicles (with jack stands) and check everything out under the vehicle. Additionally, I touch up the Fluid film before the salt water testing begins. In the Spring time, I do the same thing all over again after washing the undercarriage. The last time I just swapped a tire was in the late 1980's due to a flat tire on my 1981 Dodge pickup.

 

[dchawk81]

I thought everyone on this forum had a home lift.

 

[username2]

I thought everyone on this forum had a home lift.

lol. Good point.

Next up, should you use ratcheting jack stands or pin type when you are changing to your snow tires?

 

[isb cornbinder]

You need to use jack stands when getting UNDERNEATH THE CAR. If there is no possible way for the car to fall on you a floor jack is perfectly acceptable. I live where Discount Tire is the tire king. I've never seen them use a jackstand to change tires. Since they change about a million tires a year, and I haven't heard of anybody who works there dying from being crushed, a floor jack seems entirely adequate to me.

My friend worked at an independent repair shop. There was on set of jack stands. The boss insisted that the stands were not necessary. Well, the new floor jack collapsed and my friend was crushed, He never walked again.

 

[dchawk81]

My friend worked at an independent repair shop. There was on set of jack stands. The boss insisted that the stands were not necessary. Well, the new floor jack collapsed and my friend was crushed, He never walked again.

Yeah he obviously got under the car.

 

[JSutter]

Safety is no accident.

 

[FigN⋅m]

I'll admit to using the floor jack and sliding a stand under the frame but not lowering it
for one corner, but just the jack? Ehhh..."play stupid games, win stupid prizes"

 

[N_Jay]

Even if you leave that jack under, lower the car enough to put weight on the jackstands so they can't move.