Jack Stand Rated Capacity

[freudianfloyd]

I have been getting conflicting information on whether jack stands are rated individually or together. I recently looked at buying a set that were rated at 6 tons. According to the website it said 6 tons each. http://www.dynamotools.com/products/ht56002/

I also found this on a website about jack stands "Also remember, jack stand capacity is rated individually, not per pair so if you buy a set of 2 ton jack stands, each stand is rated to 2 tons." from this website http://floorjacked.com/buyers-guide-choosing-the-best-jack-stands/

So what's the deal? I hear several people say it both ways. Which is correct, and can you back up your answer?

 

[General Geoff]

Different manufacturers/brands rate their jack stands differently. Some like US Jack rate them per stand, others like Harbor Freight rate theirs per pair.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I'm not aware of a hard and fast standard. I assume the rated capacity is the total for the pair unless the manufacturer explicitly states the rated capacity is per each stand.

 

[anndel]

As others posted above, some manufacturers rate them each and some by pair. I have 30 year old NAPA made by Walker jack stands rated at 2 tons each while I have 10 year old Hein Werner rated 3 tons per pair and the same for the recent purchase of Hein Werner 6 tons per pair. According to Dynamo's website (the link you provided), theirs are rated at 6 tons each.

 

[Loscaldazar]

I'm not aware of a hard and fast standard. I assume the rated capacity is the total for the pair unless the manufacturer explicitly states the rated capacity is per each stand.

Yeah, jack stands can be advertised as per unit or as per pair. Most places do advertise per pair, and the strength standards (ASME PALD and ANSI) assume that the jack stands are rated as a pair, not rated individually. Plus jackstands are usually sold and used in a pair, so another reason this tends to be the most common rating.

If you're wondering...

ASME PALD standards state that a jack stand must hold 200% of half of what the pair is rated/advertised at. So a pair of jack stands that are advertised as 6 ton PER PAIR and as conforming to ASME PALD, each individual stand must hold 200% of half of 6 tons. Which works out to be each stand has to hold at least 6 tons before it fails (6/2=3; 3*2=6 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand PAIR (both stands together were tested to 12 tons before failure though). This standard has been in place since 2012 (it was a 2009 revision, and implemented for advertising in 2012). The previous version of ASME PALD standards are the same as the current ANSI standard (explained next).

ANSI standards for jack stands are 150% of half of what the pair is rated at. So a pair of jack stands advertised as 6 ton jack stands and as conforming to ANSI standards, each individual stand must hold at least 4.5 tons before failing (6/2=3; 3*1.5=4.5 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand (and were tested to hold a total of 9 tons before failing together).

Hopefully you follow the math

Very few jackstands are rated at the ASME PALD standard. Most use the ANSI standard.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

If you're wondering...

Thanks, that's good to know. I'm most comfortable using stands at well under their rated capacity, whatever the system. 6 tons (per pair) should be adequate for the Neon.

I'd like to see manufacturers compete on jack stand base area or perimeter beside just weight ratings. Never had a jack stand collapse but I've had a few tip overs.

 

[SMKS]

U.S. Jack is another company that rates them each, not by pair. So a 3-ton U.S. Jack jackstand is equivalent to most 6-ton stands.

 

[FigureItOut]

ASME PALD standards state that a jack stand must hold 200% of half of what the pair is rated/advertised at. So a pair of jack stands that are advertised as 6 ton PER PAIR and as conforming to ASME PALD, each individual stand must hold 200% of half of 6 tons. Which works out to be each stand has to hold at least 6 tons before it fails (6/2=3; 3*2=6 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand PAIR (both stands together were tested to 12 tons before failure though). This standard has been in place since 2012 (it was a 2009 revision, and implemented for advertising in 2012). The previous version of ASME PALD standards are the same as the current ANSI standard (explained next).

ANSI standards for jack stands are 150% of half of what the pair is rated at. So a pair of jack stands advertised as 6 ton jack stands and as conforming to ANSI standards, each individual stand must hold at least 4.5 tons before failing (6/2=3; 3*1.5=4.5 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand (and were tested to hold a total of 9 tons before failing together).

Hopefully you follow the math

Very few jackstands are rated at the ASME PALD standard. Most use the ANSI standard.

This is interesting. Do you happen to know anything about the testing methods? How many stands are sampled? Do they test a design
and call it good, or each production run?


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[mikeceli]

Anyone remember what passed for jackstands, in the 1970's? I refer to the discount store type.

Basically a piece of thinwalled tubeing, splayed out in 3 "legs" at the bottom. The legs each had 2 tiny spot welds, secureing them to a 1" wide thin sheet metal cross strap.

Went for about 3 Bucks ea. and were said to hold 2000 lbs. I used them as a teenager, wouldn't today.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Anyone remember what passed for jackstands, in the 1970's? I refer to the discount store type.

Basically a piece of thinwalled tubeing, splayed out in 3 "legs" at the bottom. The legs each had 2 tiny spot welds, secureing them to a 1" wide thin sheet metal cross strap.

Went for about 3 Bucks ea. and were said to hold 2000 lbs. I used them as a teenager, wouldn't today.

Yep, and they would hold 2000 lbs. 10 uses 200 lbs each time and they were tweaked in some way. 20 lbs at a time and you could get 100 uses out of them.

 

[Loscaldazar]

This is interesting. Do you happen to know anything about the testing methods? How many stands are sampled? Do they test a design
and call it good, or each production run?


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The papers I was reading mentioned none of that My guess is they test a few once before they go on sale, and then they're allowed to advertise their stand as certified under x standard.

 

[freudianfloyd]

Yeah, jack stands can be advertised as per unit or as per pair. Most places do advertise per pair, and the strength standards (ASME PALD and ANSI) assume that the jack stands are rated as a pair, not rated individually. Plus jackstands are usually sold and used in a pair, so another reason this tends to be the most common rating.

If you're wondering...

ASME PALD standards state that a jack stand must hold 200% of half of what the pair is rated/advertised at. So a pair of jack stands that are advertised as 6 ton PER PAIR and as conforming to ASME PALD, each individual stand must hold 200% of half of 6 tons. Which works out to be each stand has to hold at least 6 tons before it fails (6/2=3; 3*2=6 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand PAIR (both stands together were tested to 12 tons before failure though). This standard has been in place since 2012 (it was a 2009 revision, and implemented for advertising in 2012). The previous version of ASME PALD standards are the same as the current ANSI standard (explained next).

ANSI standards for jack stands are 150% of half of what the pair is rated at. So a pair of jack stands advertised as 6 ton jack stands and as conforming to ANSI standards, each individual stand must hold at least 4.5 tons before failing (6/2=3; 3*1.5=4.5 tons) to be rated as a 6 ton jack stand (and were tested to hold a total of 9 tons before failing together).

Hopefully you follow the math

Very few jackstands are rated at the ASME PALD standard. Most use the ANSI standard.

Thank you for this information. It is very interesting.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Anyone remember what passed for jackstands, in the 1970's? I refer to the discount store type.

Basically a piece of thinwalled tubeing, splayed out in 3 "legs" at the bottom. The legs each had 2 tiny spot welds, secureing them to a 1" wide thin sheet metal cross strap.

Went for about 3 Bucks ea. and were said to hold 2000 lbs. I used them as a teenager, wouldn't today.

I have all four pair that I bought in that era.. One pair was "damaged" when I did a test push on a car. For years, they have been stored in a gym locker out in the tractor shed. In the meantime, I have not dreamed up a practical use for them.

 

[Pontiac787]

Is there consistency to how stands are labeled? I have a set of stands from the mid 90's that are sized like todays 3 ton stands (11 1/2" tall at the lowest setting) but each stand is stamped 6 tons.

 

[bw77]

US Jack is no longer rating their stands per stand, they are now rating them per pair. I emailed the company and got this reply which explains the change.

-----------
Thank you for your interest in U.S. Jack Company and our 100% USA made hydraulic jacks and service/ lifting equipment.

The current standard that is correct is that all vehicle support stands (i.e. garage/ jack stands) must be used as a pair and must be rated per pair, and not rated per stand. A new standard, ASME PASE-2014 (Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment), became effective 12/29/15 and made clear that the vehicle support stands can only be rated per pair and not per stand. It states: ‘Maximum load capacity per matched pair shall not exceed the rated capacity of the individual stand.’ The previous standards came from the ASME PALD-2009 and ASME ASP-2010 standards.

With that being said, the testing standards for manufacturers of vehicle support stands requires that each stand be capable of performing a proof load test at 200% of rated capacity for at least 10 minutes. In order to pass this proof load test, ’a permanent reduction in overall height, measured after the removal of the load, at the point of load contact shall not exceed 0.125 in.’

Before this new standard was made available for review and prior to becoming effective, U.S. Jack Company personnel assumed that because the proof load testing was done at 200% rated capacity for each individual stand, the rating of 3-Tons for example, was per stand and not per pair. This new standard made clear that the 200% proof load test has nothing to do with the rated capacity of the garage/ jack stands and that the two are independent of one another.

Because this is a safety standard, I think the ASME committee that created this new standard wanted to make clear that: 1) the vehicle support stands are only to be used as a pair, and therefore 2) are rated per pair and not per stand as they are never intended to be used individually. They have to be rated as a pair if they are only to be used as a pair.

For these reasons, U.S. Jack Company has had to change its previous position and statements that our garage/ jack stands are rated per stand to now they are rated per pair.

We have updated the instructions and parts sheet (attached) accordingly for these products to comply with this new standard. We have also updated our product information page on our website and most recent catalog publishing.

Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or if you need anything else.

Thank you,

Bradley Houseworth
Production Manager

 

[wmm2]

I have all four pair that I bought in that era.. One pair was "damaged" when I did a test push on a car. For years, they have been stored in a gym locker out in the tractor shed. In the meantime, I have not dreamed up a practical use for them.

My father bought a pair of those things. I don't know if he was suicidal, or trying to kill me. Even as an ignorant preteen, I knew better than to get under a car they were supporting. I don't know how or when it happened, but one of them developed about a 20 degree tilt. After that, I found the practical use for them that you wanted. Take the "support" post out of the stand, and they make a great pad for launching bottle rockets at an angle towards the neighbors.

You're welcome.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

My father bought a pair of those things. I don't know if he was suicidal, or trying to kill me. Even as an ignorant preteen, I knew better than to get under a car they were supporting. I don't know how or when it happened, but one of them developed about a 20 degree tilt. After that, I found the practical use for them that you wanted. Take the "support" post out of the stand, and they make a great pad for launching bottle rockets at an angle towards the neighbors.

You're welcome.

I have a good supply of bottle rockets that can be used with the bent one.

I was thinking about mounting a seat cushion on top of a straight one, and mounting the bottom to a four caster furniture dolly. That would give Me a scooter seat with adjustable height..

Four of them secured under a bench would make an adjustable height bench.
They could be fastened upside down to the bottom of the bench; and then put caster wheels on the end of the former top.. Viola, an adjustable height roller bench to go along with My scooter seat. Then I could roll the bench and seat outside and sit down and relax. I would have plenty of bench room to hold a beer, bottle rockets, and a small propane torch when shooting off the bottle rockets.

 

[pstemari]

> In the meantime, I have not dreamed up a
> practical use for them.

Practice stock for developing your technique with an angle grinder and cutoff wheel, followed by a visit to the local metal recycler.

Hmm, I suppose you could instead weld the bits and pieces into an art piece. Six of one, a half-dozen of the other.

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[wazzabie]

Anyone remember what passed for jackstands, in the 1970's? I refer to the discount store type.

Basically a piece of thinwalled tubeing, splayed out in 3 "legs" at the bottom. The legs each had 2 tiny spot welds, secureing them to a 1" wide thin sheet metal cross strap.

Went for about 3 Bucks ea. and were said to hold 2000 lbs. I used them as a teenager, wouldn't today.

About 15 years ago I had this type of jack stand fail on me.

 

[thwaller]

I know this is a year old thread, but I have a question on this exact topic that seems to fit the focus of this thread exactly.

In search of the answer to the OP's question, I have read many answers, usually conflicting taking one of the two sides ... the rating is each or the rating is for the pair. I did read one interesting answer to the question that seems to make a lot of sense, and also sort of shows both sides to be both right and wrong. That answer ...

The jack stand rating is the rating as a whole. Meaning that if you have a 3 ton rated set of jack stands, you should never have more than 3 tons above it. So if you use one of them, you should not have more than 3 tons above it. If you use 2, you should have no more than 3 tons above it, etc. Basically, the number of stands used does not change the rating.

Has anyone hear heard of this that can supply some support for or against the concept? The way I interpret it ... if I have 3 ton rated jack stands, the vehicle I am supporting, whether in 1, 2, 3 or all four corners, should not be a vehicle weighing over 3 tons.

 

[sberry]

A few tip overs? Doesn't matter how good the stand is if it's poorly rigged.

 

[Chris Stapley]

The ASME PASE-2014 (Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment) states that jack stands must be rated as a pair and not rated per stand. This became effective in late December of 2015. It also states: “Maximum load capacity per matched pair shall not exceed the rated capacity of the individual stand”.

 

[AJHD]

The ASME PASE-2014 (Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment) states that jack stands must be rated as a pair and not rated per stand. This became effective in late December of 2015. It also states: “Maximum load capacity per matched pair shall not exceed the rated capacity of the individual stand”.

Not to split hairs, but rather for the sake of clarity...

"rated as a pair" and "rated capacity of the individual stand" seem to contradict each other.

Are we supposed to split the "rating as a pair" in 1/2 to reach the "individual rating"?
Example: 1.5 tons per stand if rated 3 tons as a pair?

 

[PMD1966]

Anyone remember what passed for jackstands, in the 1970's? I refer to the discount store type.

Basically a piece of thinwalled tubeing, splayed out in 3 "legs" at the bottom. The legs each had 2 tiny spot welds, secureing them to a 1" wide thin sheet metal cross strap.

Went for about 3 Bucks ea. and were said to hold 2000 lbs. I used them as a teenager, wouldn't today.

I still have a pair. Use them for non-critical jobs. Nothing I am going to get under.