Harbor Freight 12 Ton Jack Stands

[Matt M PA]

OK...I am not one to simply bash anything sold at HF. I have some of their items...

Last night, a friend and I were going to change front coil springs on a 2005 Super Duty with almost 400,000 miles. He brought a pair of HF 12 ton stands. He used them once, they didn't hold and the truck dropped down.

He showed them to me last night, and I figured it might be good to show you guys just in case you have a set of these stands so you can check yours over.

I can't imagine that they are all this way, but the two he got certainly aren't safe to use.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/166352540" width="640" height="1138" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NUTTSGT]

Wow, that could end in a bad day.


I think I have a set of HF stands that I bought because they were taller. They aren't the 12T stands but I believe the car has been sitting on them for awhile.

 

[Bwana]

That is exactly my concern with the ratchet jack stands. There is another thread around here discussing jack stands and the comment was that, with the weight of the vehicle on the stand, the ratchet is jammed/wedged in position and so won't come out. I have always had a tough time believing that and so only use stands with cross pins.

 

[thymer]

wow.... We all joke about some of the stated capacities that come out of China, shelves that hold 5000 lbs, jacks that lift 50 tons (yeah sure) I wonder... If someone were to get injured from these "12 Ton" jack stands how much liability would HF have? Seems like there would be plenty of multi-million dollar suits.

 

[berettafan]

While I don't wish it on anyone I have to say having a harbor freight jackstand fail and crush you is natural selection at work.

I like HF for some things but my goodness I can't imagine trusting my life to anything from them.

 

[Matt M PA]

I should add that the first time they were used, they dropped the truck but he wasn't injured. He thought a shim that could slide down along the one side would help ensure better engagement...but it didn't help.

I'm guessing this "lot" had a defect somehow as the teeth only engage a small amount.

 

[Hghgrad]

The set I have, the lock mechanism bar sits much lower than the one you show. Seems like it could definitely be a lot defect.

 

[CoogarXR]

Wow, even if they would hold in that position, they sure have a lot of play...

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I can't imagine that they are all this way

I can......

 

[bdbecker]

You might want to contact Harbor Freight corporate with that issue. I'm sure they would like to know about it before its too late.

 

[simpler=better]

That is exactly my concern with the ratchet jack stands. There is another thread around here discussing jack stands and the comment was that, with the weight of the vehicle on the stand, the ratchet is jammed/wedged in position and so won't come out. I have always had a tough time believing that and so only use stands with cross pins.

4,000lb car / 4 stands = 1,000lbs per stand

6" handle, 1" throw= 6:1 advantage

1000/6=166lbs to disengage the arm

or for a 3k car that's 125lbs

 

[QwikKotaTx]

4,000lb car / 4 stands = 1,000lbs per stand

6" handle, 1" throw= 6:1 advantage

1000/6=166lbs to disengage the arm

or for a 3k car that's 125lbs

I think you are overlooking friction and the shape of the cam and tooth engagement. That number sounds really low.

 

[IlliniJeeper]

4,000lb car / 4 stands = 1,000lbs per stand

6" handle, 1" throw= 6:1 advantage

1000/6=166lbs to disengage the arm

or for a 3k car that's 125lbs

If you're lifting the car 1", you're going to be lifting much more than 1/4 the weight.

 

[kv501]

You might want to contact Harbor Freight corporate with that issue. I'm sure they would like to know about it before its too late.

If you were to put that video on YT and post it on several popular boards I'm betting they will be the ones contacting you.

 

[pi_guy]

4,000lb car / 4 stands = 1,000lbs per stand

Put your car on scales and tell me again if the weights on the corners are equal.
You will find they are not and as you jack up the car the diagonal corner will have more weight than the other two.
So you can create a scenario that exceeds the rated capacity of the HF junk

 

[kv501]

4,000lb car / 4 stands = 1,000lbs per stand

6" handle, 1" throw= 6:1 advantage

1000/6=166lbs to disengage the arm

or for a 3k car that's 125lbs

That is so wrong I don't even know where to start. You are paying no attention to the amount of friction between the teeth and ratchet pawl which will be enormous due the weight of a vehicle, how much of the tooth is engaged with the pawl, etc, etc.

By your logic you're saying that it would only take 125 lbs of force on a 6" lever (which in reality is shorter than that because of the distance from the end of the handle to the tip of the pawl) to lift a corner of a car a 1/2" or so (rough distance to disengage the ratchet). Think about that for a minute.

I'm not a pedantic by any means, but you are in deep left field.

 

[csp]

The set I have, the lock mechanism bar sits much lower than the one you show. Seems like it could definitely be a lot defect.

Same here. I would by curious to see what is keeping them from engaging the tooth properly.

 

[paranoid56]

The set I have, the lock mechanism bar sits much lower than the one you show. Seems like it could definitely be a lot defect.

same here, i did have one set that the arm was like the pic but i found that the arm was overly stiff and needed a few wacks with the hammer to loosen up. i have had my 5k lb fj40 on these 100s of times and once its in the air i give it a good wiggle and nothing happens.

I am thinking this was user error (not knowing the product and how the cam works)

 

[SMKS]

The way these stands (and all ratcheting stands) work is the pawl engages the teeth on the post. Once the pawl is engaged, the stand can't drop unless something physically breaks.

In this case, there is some reason the pawl isn't engaging the teeth on the post.

OP - can you look and see why the pawl isn't engaging the tooth on the post? Is the pin missing that connects the pawl to the handle? Is there some reason the pawl won't move into place and engage the teeth?

The poster right above me, paranoid56, may have the answer. Perhaps the handle/cam simply need to be freed after sitting. Try moving the handle so the pawl moves in towards the teeth on the post.

In the video it looks like the pawl is pointing up too far and needs to be rotated in towards the post.

 

[Matt M PA]

We figure that there's too much slop in the "slot" that the upright goes through. This allows the upright to move a lot and get away from the pawl. This is why he tried to make shim to slide inside to help remove the slop.

Even at the best engagement, the pawl doesn't contact the upright by much. I'd say (without looking at them) that 25% engaged.

As I wrote before, they collapsed the first and only time they were used. There is no way to move the lever/pawl further in for better contact.

I can ask him if he tried to give 'em some help with a hammer...but I'm willing to bet he worked with them after the first time. I'd also highly doubt that it's operator error...

 

[SMKS]

We figure that there's too much slop in the "slot" that the upright goes through. This allows the upright to move a lot and get away from the pawl.

You should be able to push the handle down so the pawl rotates in towards the post. When the pawl is properly engaged the post shouldn't be able "get away" from it.

On these types of stands the handle is connected to the pawl with a shear pin. You should be able to rotate the pawl by moving the handle.

The shear pin is there so if there's weight on the stand and you accidentally lift the handle -with a floor jack or something- the shear pin will break so the pawl doesn't disengage from the tooth on the post.

It could be a problem with the stand, but at this point I'm not sure.

 

[8man]

I have these stands, so I tried them under a Jeep Cherokee. With the weight of the front end of the Jeep sitting on them they were solid. I even poked at the lever to try and get it to move, it was solid. Maybe just a bad set.

 

[78Bird]

Is it me, or does the angle of the cut on the post of the stand look like it's not an angle that would 'trap' the pawl, but give it a way to slip free? usually to free the hold it it would slightly lift the post before it was free, thus impossible for the weight to make it slip unless it broke.

 

[Capt Chrysler]

No dog in the fight. But I do own 12 of these style stands. It looks like something is holding the pawl up / keeping the handle from rotating down. Smack the handle down and see if it locks.

Please report back with what you find out.

I'm just glad your not telling about a buddy that got smashed working on this truck.


Just watched the video a couple more times. Almost no movement on the pawl or handle. Something is holding it away from the post.

I blow mine out with compressed air if they get rocks and gravel on them. As the crunching noise will scare the hell out of you.

Capt. Chrysler

Remember, New means NEW, Not Good!

 

[gte718p]

I've also had the 12ton for years. I love them. I would never actually trust them at 12 ton, but they are good solid stands. Once the paw is engaged there is zero chance of it letting go with the weight of a vehicle on them.

 

[goodysgotacuda]

I've had HF 12Ts for a few years with no issues. However you should not pick them up by the release handle, which is common. The handle can twist on the stop pawl and not allow it to lock in very well.

If a stand ever moves that much with vehicle weight on it, I have other problems..

 

[johninct]

I put my Chevy C-70 on 4- Snap-On 5 ton stands with no problem.

 

[Dustball]

Is it me, or does the angle of the cut on the post of the stand look like it's not an angle that would 'trap' the pawl, but give it a way to slip free? usually to free the hold it it would slightly lift the post before it was free, thus impossible for the weight to make it slip unless it broke.

I was wondering the same thing. In the HF photo, the teeth are cut straight horizontal then angled out. In the video, it looks like the teeth are cut angled down then angled out.

 

[mizzoutrover]

Lever arm s close to horizontal I'm the video vs angling down 30 degree or so in the above pic

 

[Farmall 1066]

I've got a set of those from HF. Never a problem, but I jumped at a chance to upgrade to like new NAPA ones for $50 a few weeks ago.
Glad I did.

 

[fabjunkie]

I've got a few sets of these and like others have mentioned, the pawl handle in your video is not all the way down. You can see the difference in the angle in the pic a few posts up.

 

[Hornman]

I've got a set of those from HF. Never a problem, but I jumped at a chance to upgrade to like new NAPA ones for $50 a few weeks ago.
Glad I did.

Who made those stands for NAPA?

 

[Tall Paul]

IN that video you can see the cam/pawl on the end of the stand, the direction it is pointing is almost straight up, rather than horizontal so that it locks into the teeth.

 

[ajchien]

On the bottom of the post is a small hole. I believe in that small hole is supposed to be a roll pin that prevents you from over extending the height of the post.

I have a pair of the craftsman 4 tons, and without the roll pin, the post can be pulled up beyond where the pawl engages any teeth, the post will still stand up - but will not hold any weight and drop when load is applied. With the roll pin in place, it prevents the post from going up too far and causing that phenomenon.

Edit: after checking, I also have some "no name" MVP 2 ton stands that are exactly the same mechanism as the craftsman. Needs the roll pin to prevent over extending the post. I agree with Tall Paul, you can see the pawl is not engaged in the proper location on your video - I'm suggesting that the non-engagement might be due to the over extending of the post. Put a roll pin into that hole and see if the post still falls.

I also have 6tom US Jack stands. They do not have the roll pin hole, but instead have a bar inside the body of the base that prevents over extending the post.

 

[sharpe427]

I agree with ajchien; there should be a safety pin in the hole at the bottom of the ram itself, but I still would not trust a jackstand without a secondary safety system (lock pin) of some kind. I went out to look at mine and the name is long gone, but each stand has a steel pin in a kind of triangular shape that goes in after you lock the handle that blocks the wedge from EVER coming out until you remove the pin. I guess I am just a 'belt and suspenders' kinda guy!

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I was wondering the same thing. In the HF photo, the teeth are cut straight horizontal then angled out. In the video, it looks like the teeth are cut angled down then angled out.

Interesting to note that the stands You pictured are of a different design than those pictured on the original post... My two pairs of older orange painted HF jack stands are yet a third variation... I have experienced no problems with mine, but there is no way they will ever be used to their """full rated capacity""" of twelve tons / pair..