Greg Smith tripod question

[PoorOwner]

Are they supposed to hold the car? The description says you can but I have seen similar stand that says they are only meant to stabilize the car while on a lift.

My other question is can this support the oil pan or even lift the engine a little, so I can do the timing belt on a lift on the lowest lock position. This is the only thing I can find in the 30" range and also can adjust with a screw.

The cradle shape is not a fit for oil pans but I would try to put a piece of small plywood in between?

 

[wssix99]

Yes, you can use them like that, however you should use other ones to stabilize the load first. For example, the picture you posted is not so great because the load on the lift is unbalanced. (This is why they make special jacks that do this as accessories for the 4 post lifts.)

If you are going to raise the engine on a two post lift, I would stabilize the car with other stands before lifting the engine. (The load will tilt back when you lift the engine.

I did something similar as you are describing when I changed an oil pan but I lowered the car on a 2 post lift, stabilized the four corners with jack stands (these are just really big jack stands) and then lifted the engine with a crane.