Jack Stands - Use Wood???

[Graymills - Craig]

Quick question. I'm going to adjust the parking brake on a '98 M3, which involves getting the whole rear of the car off the ground. Obviously, jack up one side, put it on jackstands, and then lift the other side. On the car, there is both a lifting pad under the car and place on the side to insert a removable pad, so I can lift with the removable and set it down on the undercar pad (hopefully that makes sense).

So here's the question. Normally I'm only working on one corner at a time (e.g., replacing rotors), so the jack stays attached and the jackstand is merely insurance. However, I was always taught to put a smallish (maybe 8" x 8") piece of wood between the jackstand and the car to spread the load when using the jackstands on their own.

Is this smart or stupid? Of course, knowing this group, even though there are two possible answers to that question, there will be at least five by the time we're done.

 

[mrholeshot]

Not to smart. The wood can split or shift and cause the vehicle to slide off the stand. I can't think of a single good reason to support a vehicle with a peice of wood atop a jackstand

 

[Graymills - Craig]

Not to smart. The wood can split or shift and cause the vehicle to slide off the stand. I can't think of a single good reason to support a vehicle with a peice of wood atop a jackstand

Cool. That's why I ask the pros before doing it!

 

[woody 73]

Not to smart. The wood can split or shift and cause the vehicle to slide off the stand. I can't think of a single good reason to support a vehicle with a peice of wood atop a jackstand

Yes indeed I have seen wood give under heavy loads! I have also seen those hollow cement blocks burst under heavy loads.

 

[davido30093]

I agree. Never put a piece of wood between the jackstand and the vehicle.

 

[JayL]

How about wood on the jack itself to act as a riser / pad ( sometimes )?

On jack stands we never use wood.

 

[toast boy]

We use wood as a riser sometimes on a jack and almost always to spread the load on the area I'm jacking from. We work on classic cars and it's pretty easy to damage a subframe without spreading the load sometimes. However I wouldn't use wood on a stand, the idea is to get the stand onto something good and solid, it shouldn't need the load to be spread or you shouldn't have the stand there at all really.

Hope this helps.

 

[mrholeshot]

How about wood on the jack itself to act as a riser / pad ( sometimes )?

.

I'm guilty of that just to get increased height

 

[JayL]

I'm guilty of that just to get increased height

We are too. In fact we have specially cut 2 x 4s sizes only for this purpose . None the less we choose the better scrap hardwoods.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

Yea I wouldnt do that either. The only thing I have ever heard of using wood for was using a 2x4 on the cross member of an sx4 because its so underbuilt that it could bend while jacking. I personaly altho many poeple have sucsessfully done this would never attempt it. The wood could shift or split and I could drop a brand new car and damage it or worse. Best to find a good solid spot to jack and support from and If your worried about where to place jack stands then its probably not a good spot to support from in the fist place.

Best luck and stay safe
Sean Scott

 

[maxipouce]

It depends on the jacks stands you use and the contacting surfaces, If it's flat steel on flat steel a piece of wood is compulsory.
Old flip flops are excellent if you want to protect the painted areas the car is weighing on .

 

[glenmore]

The jack point on my jack is a shallow cup so I use a 3" square piece of plywood to pad it. Not really necessary for Mercedes because the cars have flat jack pads. I need it when jacking up my Lexus, because you need the type of jack where the jack point has a slit in it.

I have "V" shaped jack stands, so I use a small piece of wood cut into a v shape to make the jack point flat.

After placing car on jacks, I keep the jack there and also throw the wheels under the car too. I also give the car a good shove after I get it on the jack stands.

"so the jack stays attached and the jackstand is merely insurance"

It's the other way around. The jackstands are your primary support. The jack adds only a little insurance. You never crawl under a car that is supported only by a jack.

 

[Mitch Detailed]

I'm guilty of that just to get increased height

i've screwed 4 - 2x4's together, thrown some iodized salt under the wood, then placed my jack atop the wood. helped me get an extra 8 inches of lift when needed.

 

[UncleJoe]

Don't use wood and avoid the temptation to use a concrete block as a jack stand. Those concrete blocks are not meant for this and they can break very easily.

 

[Graymills - Craig]

Consider me duly chastised.

 

[ZRX61]

How about wood on the jack itself to act as a riser / pad ( sometimes )?

On jack stands we never use wood.

I've used wood under jackstands before, usually while doing gear swings on aircraft to get move clearance.

 

[crewchief888]

How about wood on the jack itself to act as a riser / pad ( sometimes )? .

when i'm jacking up one of my trucks, i use either a 4x4 or 6x6 to get some extra lift.

both trucks are running oversize tires, one on 305's (33's) the other on 35's.

 

[dieseltech]

if you must get some extra hieght use blocks under the jack stand and remember blocks should always be ''cribbed'' like a log cabin if going more than one block high I have used wood blocks for years on trucks and equiptment up to 100 tons

 

[kiall1987]

Wood on metal is better than metal on metal . Plus wood is very strong
I use a bit of wood on the jack saddle to spread the load but not on the axle stands

 

[forceyoda]

Not suggesting doing the wood thing but I remember seeing some tank restoration show and all they used to support the weight of a tank were wooden blocks.

 

[dkroth]

I'm going to adjust the parking brake on a '98 M3, which involves getting the whole rear of the car off the ground.

You can also adjust the parking brake at the handle inside the car.

Each cable has its own attachment to the handle with a couple nuts. Pull the handle boot up off the console and you'll see how it works. A couple end-wrenches and you're good to go. No wood required.

 

[csargents1546]

If you need to use wood to spread the load, put the grain of the wood horizontal, not vertical, the sharp points on a jack or the car can cause the wood to split. Just use caution.

 

[Flange]

I have some off cuts of railway sleepers which I use to chock things up with, including cars. However they are very big and very strong and I use the sleepers as jack stands rather than using the sleepers to make the jack stands higher.

It works for me but it is, in my opinion, safer than a jack stand.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Not necessarily relating to an auto, but sometimes wood under a load is the preferred method. Steel on steel slips out of place easily, and suddenly. In the millwright world, oak blocking or timbers are used quite often to support multi-ton pieces of equipment for this reason. Watch a house mover at work sometime. After years of using wood for blocking, quite honestly steel topped jack stands make me a little nervous using them, especially if the unit has to be jacked up side to side, due to specific jack points. My shop has a stock of wood blocking that is maintained and treated just as any other tool in my arsenal.

 

[KenB]

Softwood cribbing is often used to support buildings, ships, oil platforms and other things much bigger and heavier than cars and trucks. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbing_(rescue).


Ken

 

[bart1]

I sometimes use wood on my jack for the lift, but I only lift with it and then use my jackstands for support. I highly recommend the Esco jackstands that I use. Very sturdy and have a big rubber pad on top. You can get them from Pelican Parts or Ultimate Garage.

 

[Tatsuya]

The only time I would use wood to support a car is if the wheels were stuck between two parking blocks and I had to jack it up and use 2x6 boards on the blocks as a ramp to get the car free.


Not that I've ever had to do that or anything......................................

 

[SMKS]

I use these on my jackstands. $10 at HF.

They fit my non-HF jackstands pretty well.

Here's a link for more info on the HF website.

 

[tonydanzah]

i would never trust a jackstand under a forklift when i was a tech, it was common practice to use railroad tie pieces of wood. Since those days i will occasionlly use a piece of wood between the jack or jackstand. The car bites into the wood and the jackstand bites into the wood.

 

[davido30093]

There are certainly a lot of situations where heavy loads are supported by wood and/or metal/wood supports, but putting wood between a jack stand and a vechicle that you are going to crawl under is NOT a good idea. You should always make sure that the jack stand is more than capable of handling the load and is very stable. Sure it is OK to use wood to spread the load when jacking it up, lifting a transmission, or lifting an engine because you are not in harm's way while doing that. To lower the car onto a jackstand with wood between the car and the jackstand IS NOT safe. If your jackstand is not tall enough, get a taller jackstand. Be safe and live to be old like me.

 

[Thedroid]

I have a high level of faith in the strength oof wood. We routinely use wood cribbing to support heavy loads. A 10 ton stator was the last job. Putting a 2 x 4 between a jackstand and the car might be alright in a pinch, but not if your going to be under it. And only across the grain.

 

[snk]

To the OP. Here you go.

 

[glenmore]

I sometimes use wood on my jack for the lift, but I only lift with it and then use my jackstands for support. I highly recommend the Esco jackstands that I use. Very sturdy and have a big rubber pad on top. You can get them from Pelican Parts or Ultimate Garage.

Those jackstands are like Snap-On ratchets, almost too pretty to use!

 

[Griff93]

You can do this one side at a time. Just chock the wheels and jack up one side on the rear. Take the wheel off, then reach through one of the lug holes with a screwdriver and adjust the shoes. Run them down until they snug down the wheel. Then back them off 8-10 clicks. After you have done both sides adjust the cables at the handbrake.

 

[bart1]

Those jackstands are like Snap-On ratchets, almost too pretty to use!

No no, they are most beautiful when used as intended. By far the safest and best stands i have used. I think the design originally came from AC.

 

[NotEnough]

You can also use a hockey puck on the pad of the jack if what you're interfacing with won't like the wide tooth profile that's on most jacks.