racedeck and floor jacks...

[danieldolin]

I know there has been a lot about the use of cheap jack stands and racedeck flooring getting damaged from small edges supporting large loads over time. My question is with a cheapo sears floor jack like the one imaged below. Will this damage my racedeck if I use this jack to do a tire rotation / winter wheel change, not leaving the car jacked for extended periods, but for like 15 minutes per corner? Just curious if I should be shopping a better jack with a flat bottom like the red scissor below or if my current floor jack with work, or if a scrap peice of racedeck or plywood under the floor jack is in order. Anyone with experience please speak up!

Thanks,

- Dan

 

[mikeyr]

Those will work fine for short times. My floor jack has bigger wheels and my truck will sit on the tiles for days with no problems, if you are really worried but put a small piece of plywood under the jack but you won't need it for a hour or 2.

 

[danieldolin]

Thanks for the response mikeyr... Anyone else? Anybody use a floor jack with smaller wheels like the black one above and have a problem with damage to thier racedeck floor? I am not planning on leaving the load on the jack, but just for a few minutes per corner to do winter / summer change overs.

 

[Stee6043]

I just installed my Racedeck (Freeflow) and will not be using my floor jack on it without something under it. I believe the freeflow tiles are rated for less weight to begin with. But I did leave a "dent" in one tile while lifting a shelving unit with my 2-1/2 ton Craftsman trolly jack during install. Not a big deal, hardly noticable, but I definitely will not be doing any heavy lifting directly from the tile itself in the future.

I've got a few samples of the diamond plate pattern Racedeck that I will be putting under my jack in the future. It's easier to protect the tile during jacking than it is to pop a tile out and replace it. That's my thought at least.

 

[RAO-3]

To be safe, I bought a few aluminum sheets that I put under my jack if I am concerned about the race deck possibly getting dented by the wheels.

 

[danieldolin]

To be safe, I bought a few aluminum sheets that I put under my jack if I am concerned about the race deck possibly getting dented by the wheels.

great idea with the aluminum sheet, thin for clearance but still protects the floor. Can I pick a sheet of aluminum up at home depot/lowes or do I need to go to a specialty place?

 

[RAO-3]

both HD and Lowe's carry sheet of aluminum that will work. Make sure to allow for movement of the jack when you place the aluminum sheets as the jack will move as you raise the car.