Jack stands: what happened to these?

[rlitman]

I think the picture says it all. I got them real cheap on Craigslist.
I'm thinking that I drill out the broken one, and use a 5/8" hitch pin instead.
It just needs to hold up my Subaru a few inches higher than I get out of my 3 ton stands.

 

[ZRX61]

Throw them away.

 

[TwoInch]

jack stands are too cheap to be messing with bent up stands, let alone risking your life under them. those bent ears have obviously been stressed and bent. i would toss them in the scrap pile personally.

hope we dont read about you in the paper next week...

 

[TwoInch]

even the tab is bent out the wrong way. its supposed to be bent in to keep the cast insert from coming all the way out and being used on the last few teeth.

 

[bobemmerich]

I concur. If you start messing around with that one, it may break. I'm sure the welds are compromised. The second one looks ok.

 

[mustanginky]

pitch them and buy a new set of jackstands. not worth your life.

 

[trbomax]

Aw hell,just give it a little heat n beat.Your not putting them under a semi.

 

[pendragon1998]

Caskets cost more than $40.

 

[ZRX61]

I concur. If you start messing around with that one, it may break. I'm sure the welds are compromised. The second one looks ok.

They both went to the same party...

 

[PugetDude]

"Jack stands: what happened to these"

What matters more than "what happened" is what SHOULD happen next...

Is this really where you want to try to save a buck?

 

[Farmall450]

I'd say check on some HF ones...don't wanna die over a few bucks.

 

[91bronc300]

I got them real cheap on Craigslist.

I like "Don't worry, it's not loaded" better.

 

[Farmall450]

You could even make a safer pair.

My neighbor made some custom tall ones with huge rimmed bases for tractors & such.

 

[volvo92906]

I wouldnt use em...

 

[ilovevocs]

If I were to use them I would reinforce that flange after a heat and beat or press. Wouldn't take much to reinforce the area of the bend in an very over engineered fashion. I wouldn't try to use then as is. Did I me mention I'm a tool hoarder and throw nothing away.

 

[rlitman]

even the tab is bent out the wrong way. its supposed to be bent in to keep the cast insert from coming all the way out and being used on the last few teeth.

You're thinking of the wrong tab. That tab in the picture holds the pawl from being turned up too high, and if turned in would hit the teeth.
The tab you are thinking of is on the back side, and fits into the recess in the middle of the I section. It is bent in correctly, however stands are often sold with the tab not bent, and the orange stands behind these don't even have a tab. The tab is a convenience only.

If I were to use them I would reinforce that flange after a heat and beat or press. Wouldn't take much to reinforce the area of the bend in an very over engineered fashion. I wouldn't try to use then as is. Did I me mention I'm a tool hoarder and throw nothing away.

I've thought about that, and am still on the fence as to how to repair, or even if.

Here's what I know.
1) these things as they sit are still WAY stronger than the 3 ton stands behind them, and those are overkill for my cars
2) all the way down, they are only around 1/2" lower than my 3 ton stands, and I can safely use them as-is right now by just forgetting about the ratcheting mechanism (that is one option, but I'd like maybe another 3-4" of height out of them, which I suppose I could get with cribbing).
3) nothing on the pyramid part of the stand is bent out of shape or appears damaged. The welds look fine, and measuring across different points gives the same dimensions on both the damaged, and the undamaged stand (within tolerances of a few thousandths).
4) the undamaged stand is just that, undamaged

I cannot find any pictures of a jack stand that failed in this way, and the forces against the pawl when in use do not seem to want to make the ears bend out like that. And that's what I'm trying to figure out. It wasn't like this could have been overloaded to do that. If something dropped on it to do that, there would be marks on the paint below the ears.

 

[OHMS LAW]

A set of HF jackstands are 20 bucks all day long. Sometimes you just have to pass on stuff

 

[fflintstone]

heat n beat and reinforce. I would take that over a 3 ton any day.

bunch of wussy pussies on this board. JMO YMMV

 

[TheGrooveking]

You may not like this statement but here goes: You are dangerous and need to learn more about engineering, metal fatigue and common sense. Sorry but everyone else is being polite, I'd rather your thought I was a jerk than for you to may a critical mistake by using those in any shape..

TheGrooveking

 

[ex-x-fire]

Those are some good quality stands, some one musta overloaded them a lot.
You could use them only in the low position.

 

[trackwelder]

If you do scrap them cut it in half so no one else uses them.

 

[hmbemis]

Oops just re-read... yeah I'd dump those. It's not worth it.

 

[Larwyn]

I would keep them around, they could be useful as "fixed height" jack stands but would more likely become part of some welding project that did not utilize the ratchet mechanism. That should take care of cutting up the bad one so no one else can use it as well as provide a stable base for either a super deluxe beer holder or perhaps some other less useful device......

 

[454ragtop]

Kind of strange the way that's bent, don't think it's from overloading. It's not like the ears are folded right over, don't think that small amount of bend is going to cause much metal fatigue. I'd repair it, just make it exactly like the good one. Could reinforce the ears, though I don't think it would be necessary.

 

[cburnscrx]

If you do use them be sure to give somebody your log in to GJ so they can let's us know what happened.

I get being "frugal", as in most instances I am outright cheap...this is not the place to be cheap.

 

[CNGsaves]

+1 to weld those into FIXED-height jack stands. They will then be useful and SAFE.

No use saving a couple bucks and getting yourself pinned under vehicle when it falls down, or trashing your project car when it comes crashing down!

 

[Dennis93]

No wonder they were cheap. You're an idiot if you use those under a car and deserve everything that is going to happen if they fail. There's only so much we can tell you politely before outright calling you an idiot.

Plus you got had if you paid for them.

 

[PT Doc]

I am surprised that someone would use jack stands without their past history and even more surprised contemplating using someone else's damaged ones.

 

[rlitman]

+1 to weld those into FIXED-height jack stands.

The ratchet pawl is missing, so they're already fixed height.
Welding to the cast iron would certainly make them more dangerous. There's no way I'm doing that. I am still considering whether to repair the ratchet mechanism in addition to drilling for a pin (ok more complicated than simply drilling and inserting a pin because I need to weld on thicker metal to prevent the pin from tearing the sides, but it is not un-doable), or just to put in a pin and forget the ratchet, or just leave it at the lowest height.

 

[turbowoodworker]

If you do scrap them cut it in half so no one else uses them.

This right here is the real issue.
Scenario: You die of natural causes after many lucky years of using that damaged and repaired stand under your import. Your family sells your stuff to some poor ******* who unsuspectingly puts it under his F-250...guess what happens? I think you'd hear about that one in Heaven or wherever you're goin'.
Be responsible and don't let yourself or any one else get hurt!

 

[Steinmetz]

I think the picture says it all. I got them real cheap on Craigslist.
I'm thinking that I drill out the broken one, and use a 5/8" hitch pin instead.
It just needs to hold up my Subaru a few inches higher than I get out of my 3 ton stands.

They've already failed. Send them straight to the scrapyard.

 

[OHMS LAW]

To quote something I heard long ago, amateurs skip safety checks, pros don't.

 

[ATC]

heat n beat and reinforce. I would take that over a 3 ton any day.

bunch of wussy pussies on this board. JMO YMMV

This....those stands were not overloaded. The only thing I can see wrong with them, is someone spread the area where the pawl was and removed it. Overloading a jackstand will not bend those tabs like they are.

 

[TwoInch]

You're thinking of the wrong tab. That tab in the picture holds the pawl from being turned up too high, and if turned in would hit the teeth.
The tab you are thinking of is on the back side, and fits into the recess in the middle of the I section. It is bent in correctly, however stands are often sold with the tab not bent, and the orange stands behind these don't even have a tab. The tab is a convenience only.
.

sure enough is. didnt look at the damn thing close enough before posting.


so the ratchet pawl is missing? you are wanting to also fabricate a pawl along with fixing the pin ears? youch

 

[ssentt]

Have a john boat or any kinda fishin boat? I would use that bent one for an anchor. Looks like it might hold the river bottom or lake bottom decent, And if it gets hung up on the bottom just cut it loose it will biodegrade being steel. Or you can risk being crushed to death under a vehicle its holding up.

 

[Kevin54]

I think the picture says it all. I got them real cheap on Craigslist.
I'm thinking that I drill out the broken one, and use a 5/8" hitch pin instead.
It just needs to hold up my Subaru a few inches higher than I get out of my 3 ton stands.

I'd throw down a couple of pieces of 2x to get the extra height.

If you really have to question the integrity of a jack stand, it's time to get a good set.

 

[rlitman]

This....those stands were not overloaded. The only thing I can see wrong with them, is someone spread the area where the pawl was and removed it. Overloading a jackstand will not bend those tabs like they are.

And that's exactly why I asked the question. I still have no idea why (or how) someone would do that. Especially because the pawl is only pinned to that shaft with a spring drift on the good one, so it would be easy to take apart.

sure enough is. didnt look at the damn thing close enough before posting.

so the ratchet pawl is missing? you are wanting to also fabricate a pawl along with fixing the pin ears? youch

I'm thinking about it. It doesn't look that complicated, and would make a nice backup to a 5/8" pin going through the whole thing.

 

[krivasgarage]

Use them as-is. Just make sure you back them up with cinder blocks. /sarc.

 

[Fast Orange]

I think that WAS caused by overloading or an impact load-My advise-scrap the one and save the other ....

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I'm not sure which is worse...the fact that you've tried multiple times to justify risking your life over $40 or that people are actually helping you. Not to mention the fact that the only thing the helpers have seen is pictures. That shouldn't matter though, right?

You ain't gonna be on my conscience. Those things were junk the second you questioned them. BOTH of them.