Warning about HF 12 Ton Jackstands

[wild cowboy]

for $130 shipped, you can get a pair of the Escos at Tooltopia

 

[bobemmerich]

I have a pair of 20+ year old C-man and they are great! I also have a set of older ones I bought from Auto Palace(now AutoZone) 25 or so years ago. I back then up with my 3 ton floor jack.

 

[Dan Jacobs]

Dan, that point would be what many folks conclude... But I question if HF owns a jack stand factory..

So many of the HF offerings can be found in competitor's stores with a different badge and paint scheme.. Whether they came out of the same factory, and were built to the same standards would lead to question any of them.. Whether the HF jack stands are any worse than their imported competitor's jack stands could be a **** shoot...

I would agree. We spend a lot of time on this board talking about COO and quality.
Myself I have Rotary lifts, Hein Werner jacks and stands and look at them
constantly for problems. Granted I have employees that are using these
and am responsible to them and their families for their safety
Lifting equipment should be top quality no excuses

 

[Dan Jacobs]

I just google the Hein Werner jack stands:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200349988_200349988
Is $65 too much? I didn't know they were that cheap

 

[Farmall450]

Harbor Freight takes this stuff seriously, and you can tell your buddy to send pictures and the story to HF corporate in Camarillo, CA.

They'll take care of him and dive into the possible causes rather quickly.

I had a set of jack stands, fail on me, I wasn't under the car at the time and I took a bunch of pictures and drove down to Camarillo and wanted an explanation from HF.

To my surprise, they were friendly and swapped out my squashed new pair, with another new pair. With a stack of 25% anything coupons and a tour of their facility.

About a few weeks later they found that there was a defect in the manufacturing process and pulled that lot from the stores.

Jason

You considered using the new ones after you could have been killed by an identical pair?

 

[Skin]

I like the ones with the pins. They aren't going anywhere unless it breaks. I'm glad your friend is ok. Backups are a must if you're underneath a vehicle. Even if it's sliding a rim under the rocker.

You're in the most danger while placing and engaging the stands. Pin style requires you to be under the load to place and set, ratcheting style can be done with one arm. Pine style are also not idiot proof since the pin can be knocked under load or be only partially through the second hole. Ratcheting style also engages in two points requiring a double failure. Point is a quality pair of ratcheting stands are safer in every way. There is a reason pinned jack stands are few and far between.

My home jack is a fairly decent imported Sunex aluminum but I went with US jack for the stands. What I'm working on, let alone my life, is worth alot more than couple hundred dollars. There are thousands upon thousands of those HF jack stands out there but personally I wasn't going to trust my life to the lowest bidder of such a intrical piece of safty equipment.

Dan, that point would be what many folks conclude... But I question if HF owns a jack stand factory..

So many of the HF offerings can be found in competitor's stores with a different badge and paint scheme.. Whether they came out of the same factory, and were built to the same standards would lead to question any of them.. Whether the HF jack stands are any worse than their imported competitor's jack stands could be a **** shoot...

Actually you and a lot of other people would probably be surprised how many different manufacturers there are for seemingly identical Chinese products. Given HFs pricing I bet they merely follow who ever is cheapest for any given production period.

 

[Scimmia]

This is starting to look like a drive-by. The OP posts one post, saying that he hasn't seen the jacks in question, then not another post in this thread? Come on, give us some more info!

 

[alan camby]

I looked at every stand on the market and could not find anything that I liked. IMO, Threaded stands are the berries. I can level a car, welding fixture, atv, ect.....

I laugh every time I watch a car show on tv and they are trying to level a frame with ratchet stands. How is that even possible. Sticking a bunch of shims and such between the frame and saddle.

My solution is not for everyone. I trust my life to my stands. They have been tested to 40,000lbs without failure.

My garage floors have never been perfectly flat. If I put a truck or one of the extremely rigid unibody cars up on 4 ratchet or pin stands, one of the stands always ends up loose under the car. 3 stands are holding the weight and the other is not doing any of the work. I could accidently kick this loose stand out of the equation.
I can adjust my stands to eliminate a rocking vehicle.

Once again, my floors are not perfectly flat. Well 4 legged stands will almost always have a "soft foot". When a electric motor is aligned, the motor has 4 attachment points to the base. Shims are added to align shafts and to eliminate a soft foot. My point is, most of the time your stands have a loose leg. This can contribute to a vehicle that moves around up in the air. A 3 legged stand has close to equal weight on all three legs...no rocking.

These are all just my opinions, take them for the price you paid to read this. I don't wish to argue or discuss COO on this. That is all I got to say about that.

For entertainment purposes.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184890

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

When I have to use that syle of jackstand I always position my jack underneath the axle with slight tension in case **** goes wrong. I dont trust them or any cast piece that may experience a side load; I prefer the fabricated pin style.

 

[expfcwintergreen]

I was wondering if a screw jack like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00079WOZI/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Would be safer. I would like for the base to be wider.

 

[davewo]

Not sure if the roll pin commentary is directed at my post above... But you can drop a vehicle on the jack stand all day long, it shouldn't load the pin if the connection between the pawl and j-handle is proper. I'm not a tool scientist, but when the holes are drilled off center between the pawl and j-handle and a soft roll pin is driven in like a mother, you might have problems. You'll see in my previous post there is a cotter pin of lesser material in place of the failed roll pin. It doesn't see any load, it just ties the pawl and j-handle together. In use you can't visually tell if the pawl is fully engaged, but you check the orientation of j-handle for engagement. It also pushes the pawl against the rack via gavity, and provides a handle for carrying and positioning the stand, so the assembly does get stressed under "normal" use.

 

[Junkman]

I have a couple pair of the jack stands that use the roll pin to position the pawl, and on a couple of them, the roll pin has sheared. These are jack stands that I have owned for at least 30 years or more, and I believe that they are USA made. I removed the broken pins, but have yet to replace them. Now, I am thinking that I might just be better off putting them into the scrap pile, because of an inherent design flaw. Can the pins be replaced with a pin that is strong enough not to shear?

 

[LG63]

I was wondering if a screw jack like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00079WOZI/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Would be safer. I would like for the base to be wider.

I have a pair that I use as safety backups and for tweaking the final height when that's important. They are so small in diameter they aren't stable enough to be used as a primary jack stand.

 

[davewo]

Junkman - I don't think it's really a design flaw, just economy of design. I'd pull the parts and check how well the holes align. If they align well (I'm guessing they do), just replace the roll pin. You don't want to press in a solid pin as that would deform the J-hook bar, which does have a load. I suppose you could press a second roll pin inside the regular roll pin for more mass.

 

[Jason280]

These threads always crack me up....you have the usuals bashing HF jack stands, yet continue using other stands from almost certainly the same Chinese factory. Reality is, you can find reports of jack stands failing from a just about all manufacturers if you search long enough, and the problem isn't just inherent with HF stuff.

Regardless of the manufacturer, any stand should be routinely inspected and checked. I have several pairs of Chinese 6-ton stands, and have never felt unsafe under them. Anyone suddenly afraid of HF stands, send them to me....

 

[Bullitt427]

56 posts (now 57) and not one pic of the offending failure.

Josh

 

[Kev442]

These threads always crack me up....you have the usuals bashing HF jack stands, yet continue using other stands from almost certainly the same Chinese factory. Reality is, you can find reports of jack stands failing from a just about all manufacturers if you search long enough, and the problem isn't just inherent with HF stuff.

Regardless of the manufacturer, any stand should be routinely inspected and checked. I have several pairs of Chinese 6-ton stands, and have never felt unsafe under them. Anyone suddenly afraid of HF stands, send them to me....

Shhh. Let them continue to believe jack stands from Northern, Walmart, Autozone, etc are somehow superior. You either own expensive jack stands or cheap ones, there is no quality difference with chinesium jack stands.
There is a thread right here on the GJ where USA made jack stands ($$$$) have the welding prowess of a cross eyed 10 year old.

 

[95riosnake]

For entertainment purposes.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184890

Every time I see you post pics of these beautiful stands I can't help but drool. I'd plop down the cash for a set of these in a heartbeat.

 

[wild cowboy]

Seriously, Alan, how much would you charge to build a couple of these for me? (the smaller ones)

I have my PayPal ready to hit send!


mass production!

group buy!

 

[Bull]

I want some Cambystands, too.

 

[willymakeit]

I have an older pair that the weld on the release handle came loose. I will look at it closer.
Think I will switch to pin type.

 

[Matt M PA]

Sorry guys...worked all weekend.

I haven't seen the stand in person or a picture. I'll catch up with him tomorrow and update.

I don't have exacting details because when he told me what happened, I was more interested in his condition...not the details of how the stands broke.

I highly doubt operator error with this person. He is exceptionally careful and deliberate. At the time of the failure, he had other parts of the truck supported by other means, stands, etc.

Again, I'll see what I can learn tomorrow and posts back.

Despite what some may think, I've posted on these forums for years and have no other interest in this post except offering caution to fellow members,

 

[kctyphoon]

I had two of these holding up the front of my F350 diesel dually for a few months, and didn't have a problem, I'm thinking this might be hit or miss.. Also are they the Orange sets or the grey? Don't know if that was asked..

 

[Scimmia]

I had two of these holding up the front of my F350 diesel dually for a few months, and didn't have a problem, I'm thinking this might be hit or miss..

Like so many other things at HF.

@Matt M, PA, I saw your post before you edited it, so I know that last comment is directed at me. I'm not questioning your intentions, simply questioning a very vague post when the poster seems to disappear afterwards.

 

[Matt M PA]

Scimmia...I misread what you wrote, hence the edit. My original post is only a day or two old.

I heard about the failure on a phone call. The only picture I have seen is of one of the stands shortly after purchase, but prior to use via a text message. They are grey and black.

 

[theknurl]

I use the 3 leg, pin jack stands.....

drop the 2 ton 3/8" and stack BIG wooden blocks under the frame rails, and then shake it

even if the San Andreas Fault lets go I'll probably be OK

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I was wondering if a screw jack like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00079WOZI/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Would be safer. I would like for the base to be wider.

I have two of the 25 ton Jet screw jacks.. 25 ton capacity each. They are fairly stable by themselves, and make raising a lift point 1/8" just a simple matter of a light pull on the cross bar.... and no chance of them settling...

I use them along with jack stands and wood blocking to support a vehicle and components....

 

[Matt M PA]

Okay guys, talked to my friend today. (Sorry no pics)

He has lodged a complaint/concern with HF and is waiting for a reply. I will update once I hear more.

As I understand it, the "lever" that holds the shaft up is not cut straight, but on an angle. There is also the thought that the tolerance on more than one part could be off adding up to a problem. Regardless of the reason, there is too much slop in the rectangular "hole" combined with the issue on the lever.

Please understand that I'm not saying HF stuff is no good...I'm not saying all 12 ton stands are bad...just a warning to check 'em if you got 'em.

 

[Bullitt427]

Okay guys, talked to my friend today. (Sorry no pics)

He has lodged a complaint/concern with HF and is waiting for a reply. I will update once I hear more.

As I understand it, the "lever" that holds the shaft up is not cut straight, but on an angle. There is also the thought that the tolerance on more than one part could be off adding up to a problem. Regardless of the reason, there is too much slop in the rectangular "hole" combined with the issue on the lever.

Please understand that I'm not saying HF stuff is no good...I'm not saying all 12 ton stands are bad...just a warning to check 'em if you got 'em.

Keep in mind the lever is separate from the pawl.

Josh

 

[enrare]

What's your thoughts on this style http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200610848_200610848 vs the ratcheting type?

 

[panknuckshovel]

Okay guys, talked to my friend today. (Sorry no pics)

He has lodged a complaint/concern with HF and is waiting for a reply. I will update once I hear more.

As I understand it, the "lever" that holds the shaft up is not cut straight, but on an angle. There is also the thought that the tolerance on more than one part could be off adding up to a problem. Regardless of the reason, there is too much slop in the rectangular "hole" combined with the issue on the lever.

Please understand that I'm not saying HF stuff is no good...I'm not saying all 12 ton stands are bad...just a warning to check 'em if you got 'em.

HA! HF complaint setup. That has to be the busiest and most ignored Email/Voicemail setup on the planet.

 

[Matt M PA]

Keep in mind the lever is separate from the pawl.

Josh

I should have used the work "pawl". As explained to me the part that contacts the shaft is incorrectly formed.

 

[scw1991]

I've owned 2 pair of the 6-ton HF jack stands for 15 years and have had zero issues for use on my 5,000 lb GMC K1500 truck.

However, I also don't beat them to death like jacking up the truck, placing stands underneath frame and quickly releasing the jack to let the frame slam down hard against the jack stand.

And as others have stated, I always leave the jack under the truck near the location I'm working at as a precaution.

 

[panknuckshovel]

I've owned 2 pair of the 6-ton HF jack stands for 15 years and have had zero issues for use on my 5,000 lb GMC K1500 truck.

However, I also don't beat them to death like jacking up the truck, placing stands underneath frame and quickly releasing the jack to let the frame slam down hard against the jack stand.

And as others have stated, I always leave the jack under the truck at near the location I'm working at as a precaution.

Yep, and 1 in 400,000,000 win the lottery.

 

[wild cowboy]

Yep, and 1 in 400,000,000 win the lottery.

yeah, you're right, about 1 in 400 million have had harbor freight jack stands fail catastrophically, that's why you have never heard about it here on GJ as being a problem, because it is not a problem, or you would have heard about it!

 

[Farmall450]

yeah, you're right, about 1 in 400 million have had harbor freight jack stands fail catastrophically, that's why you have never heard about it here on GJ as being a problem, because it is not a problem, or you would have heard about it!

We just did hear about it being a problem; therefore by your logic it is indeed a problem, but only to those that read this thread.

 

[hoffman912]

yikes, a lot of you guys are recommending the tripod style. Ever have one of those tip on you? it is not fun.

I prefer four legs for that reason.

 

[wild cowboy]

We just did hear about it being a problem; therefore by your logic it is indeed a problem, but only to those that read this thread.

No, those using logic can quickly discern that I am implying previously hearing about it here on GJ or on some news outlet, but sometimes logical thinking comes with age, and like a great bourbon, you can't rush it, it just comes with time! - eventually you will pick it up!

 

[wild cowboy]

yikes, a lot of you guys are recommending the tripod style. Ever have one of those tip on you? it is not fun.

I prefer four legs for that reason.

hmmmm......good point!

 

[bob15]

yeah, you're right, about 1 in 400 million have had harbor freight jack stands fail catastrophically, that's why you have never heard about it here on GJ as being a problem, because it is not a problem, or you would have heard about it!

Let's see, 76 post up to yours, and I read about 2 different people's HF failures. Maybe you should read more and write less.