Lucky Break with 2 post lift

[killahog]

I wanted to share a photo with those who use a 2 post lift. Last week I was in the process of repairing a broken brake line that was undoubtedly caused by corrosion .This truck has been exposed to the salt used on the roads in Ohio for the last 22 years and I knew the frame was rusted but i had no idea it would fail like it did. The lift was a 2 post asymmetrical and I had the arms as far rearward as they would go before the point that the frame curves upward toward the bed. had this truck 6 foot off the ground 2 times just before the failure. he last time I lifted it i noticed the front end came up just a little bit ahead of the rear I thought the truck might have rolled back a little when it was lowered so I repositioned it on the lift after the adjustment I started to lift and the rear end was just about 2" lower than the front but that didn't worry me as vehicles don't always lift perfectly level. When the truck got about 10" off the floor the frame buckled and the picture was taken shortly afterwards i about **** myself after it happened. If your using a lift don't get complacent and always expect the unexpected. the pictures are from each side of the frame.
[[URL=http://s142.photobucket.com/user/killahog/media/IMG_1781_zpsvxpbbgd9.jpg.html]

 

[Buck41]

Wow
You did get a lucky break. You have the same BP lift I do. Do you like you lift so far? You can't be too careful on these lifts. Glad your ok bro.

 

[bottom feeder]

Well that's pretty terrifying. As bad as it is, imagine it coming apart hitting a bump at 70mph.

 

[killahog]

I like the lift but if I would have had a longer reach I could have lifted on the spring hangers. I am going to contact Bendpak and try to get longer arms. i really never thought about it breaking while driving Just what could have happened if it broke when 6" above my head.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Is the truck junk?

 

[killahog]

I though so but someone bought it with a full discloser of the defects.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Looks scary

 

[zkdiesel]

Yep a Chevy thing
Lifting on spring hangers probably would have spared it for a few more years

 

[saulvg99]

Yep a Chevy thing
Lifting on spring hangers probably would have spared it for a few more years

Yup. He have a two post lift as well. Always lift the rear of trucks on the spring hangers. Never felt comfortable lifting from any other point in the rear of trucks.

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[Farmall450]

Yup. He have a two post lift as well. Always lift the rear of trucks on the spring hangers. Never felt comfortable lifting from any other point in the rear of trucks.

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If you can reach them...I remember the struggle to do that on my 2500HD. Granted its frame is plenty thick

Edit: I guess with it only being a single cab there weren't a lot of options for the OP.
OP, as long as you can get the front arm to be at an angle of 90 or more you're golden. You can slide back some to get a better "grip" on it. That narrow of one would mess with you if you pulled the engine or something too.

 

[Flail]

Looks like you were one set of 'hitting a dip in the road at speed' from disaster.

 

[Schurkey]

Post a scan of the owner's manual, showing the factory-recommended lift points.

 

[Playwme]

Not sure what this has to do with lift points at all.

The scary part is that something can get that FUBAR and still be driving around with no one noticing.

 

[Schurkey]

Not sure what this has to do with lift points at all.

The frame broke because it was cantilevered behind the cab. The guy lifting it on the hoist screwed the pooch with improper arm placement.

 

[overkill 19]

Glad ur ok!
Me being new to a 2 post lift, im interested if lift points. I always try to get on the rear leafs too. But my Dodge mega cab is way too long.
My question is do any of you use the body mounts as a lift point? Ive seen pictures of this practice at retable shops.

 

[JohnnyK8]

Was the bed full of sand? Wowza!

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[sberry]

Millions of cars on the road like that, agreed, it was rigged wrong added to the problem.

 

[killahog]

Post a scan of the owner's manual, showing the factory-recommended lift points.
Was the bed full of sand? Wowza! It was empty

The frame broke because it was cantilevered behind the cab. The guy lifting it on the hoist screwed the pooch with improper arm placement.

I knew before I posted this that I was going to get beat up a little bit so I was just going to kept this off the internet but I figured its worth it if helps anyone avoid the same mistake.

 

[zkdiesel]

If you can reach them...I remember the struggle to do that on my 2500HD. Granted its frame is plenty thick

Edit: I guess with it only being a single cab there weren't a lot of options for the OP.
OP, as long as you can get the front arm to be at an angle of 90 or more you're golden. You can slide back some to get a better "grip" on it. That narrow of one would mess with you if you pulled the engine or something too.

I can reach them on crew cab long beds no problem. Involves having the proper lift

 

[sberry]

It is worth it, I went to a forum on something I took a little hit on knowing it would be the case but **** happens, we try to keep it to a minimum. Good post and good thread.

 

[zkdiesel]

Post a scan of the owner's manual, showing the factory-recommended lift points.
Was the bed full of sand? Wowza! It was empty

The frame broke because it was cantilevered behind the cab. The guy lifting it on the hoist screwed the pooch with improper arm placement.

I knew before I posted this that I was going to get beat up a little bit so I was just going to kept this off the internet but I figured its worth it if helps anyone avoid the same mistake.

Not bashing you at all. Just giving info about rusty vehicles and lifting. If that was a clean truck you would be fine
Just like lifting cars. Pinch welds fine until that rust bucket comes and you have to lift by suspension sub frames....

 

[JJThrasher]

One thing about those older Chevy's you have to pull them further forward. Better to have a bit extra hanging in the front so you can get to that spring hanger. It ***** that happened, but I bet you won't do that again.

 

[Perfectstranger]

Dude, no worries, you are a hero. You took it on the chin so others could benefit. Glad your ok and thanks for the post.

 

[jkeyser14]

Wow, that was not at all what I was expecting based on the thread title. Good thing it didn't happen at highway speeds.

 

[bottom feeder]

Glad you posted it - could save someone's life, or at least save someone from having the **** scared out of them. I don't own a lift (yet) and did not know that using that point on the frame might be considered unsafe. I'd have thought that as long as the load was balanced using the frame as a lifting point would be a good idea.

 

[killahog]

I am not sure how much the truck shifted when the frame buckled but there was a lot of movement when it went. I'm glad it happened when it was low enough for the rear wheels to contact the floor.

 

[scooz14]

your rear arm was too far forward. you have to extend the foot up to deal with the curved frame. front arm foot flat, rear arm foot lifted the same amount the frame bends.

 

[WVBrady]

Wow, that was not at all what I was expecting based on the thread title. Good thing it didn't happen at highway speeds.

That's why it was a lucky break. It broke when it was 10 " off the ground.

 

[brownbagg]

The frame broke because it was cantilevered behind the cab. The guy lifting it on the hoist screwed the pooch with improper arm placement.

no he didnt, the rusted frame screwed the pooch

 

[CJM8515]

Improper lifting contributed to the frame breaking in half, but the rust was mostly at fault. Still YOU DO NOT lift a truck like that EVER, if the arms wont reach the spring perch then buy longer arms. I would never have listed it like the OP did

 

[nehog]

Reminds me of the time I was trying to lift a Ford Ranger for a pre-buy inspection. The truck when up. The rear wheels and axle stayed on the ground.

 

[scooz14]

no he didnt, the rusted frame screwed the pooch

yes, it was lifted wrong. yes, the rust is why it broke in half. had it been lifted correctly it may not have failed. that could have been good or bad though.

 

[Burl]

I live in a neighboring state to Ohio, we have yearly safety inspections, unlike Ohio, including rust issues. When you sell someone in Ohio a vehicle, you have to include a spray can of touch-up paint (to paint over the "farm use only").

 

[El_Diablo]

First off, where in Ohio are you? Second, if you're close to the Akron area, is the truck cap for sale? lol

 

[WhiffySpark]

The frame broke because it was cantilevered behind the cab. The guy lifting it on the hoist screwed the pooch with improper arm placement.

No. it broke because it's a rusted out Chevy frame. That's how you lift those trucks. Not many choices for it on a 10k lift

 

[killahog]

Improper lifting contributed to the frame breaking in half, but the rust was mostly at fault. Still YOU DO NOT lift a truck like that EVER, if the arms wont reach the spring perch then buy longer arms. I would never have listed it like the OP did

I don't disagree .

yes, it was lifted wrong. yes, the rust is why it broke in half. had it been lifted correctly it may not have failed. that could have been good or bad though. I was already in the process of looking for another Truck at least now the guy who bought it knows the problems .

The Truck was empty, and according to the recommended lifting points I should have been using the spring hangers, however the rust was far worse than I thought it was. The day before this happened I hauled 2 heaping truckloads of wood while pulling a trailer I guess that weakened it even more.One good thing to come out of this was I finally broke down and bought something a little bit nicer

 

[Steven K]

No way the truck would have broke in half lifted the way it was if the it wasn't rusted like that.

Better to have it happen in the shop then going 65 down a highway. Glad you weren't under that thing when it let loose.

 

[CJM8515]

I don't disagree .



yes, it was lifted wrong. yes, the rust is why it broke in half. had it been lifted correctly it may not have failed. that could have been good or bad though. I was already in the process of looking for another Truck at least now the guy who bought it knows the problems .



The Truck was empty, and according to the recommended lifting points I should have been using the spring hangers, however the rust was far worse than I thought it was. The day before this happened I hauled 2 heaping truckloads of wood while pulling a trailer I guess that weakened it even more.One good thing to come out of this was I finally broke down and bought something a little bit nicer

Oh I wasn't directing it at you personally. I'm just saying it isn't smart to lift it like that on such a vehicle

 

[killahog]

CMJ Im not offended it was improperly lifted, now the one on the picture is lifted according the the lift points but I am in the process of trying to get longer arms to reach the spring hangers.

 

[sberry]

I lifted one off a while back, not all the way but had to stop and say oh ****. I agree it shouldn't have broke. There are lots of them out there this way. I got couple buds fixed them.