I just ordered some heavy duty jack stands and wheel chocks from Summit and was wondering if anyone recalled anyone ever getting hurt while working under a car that was not properly supported?

A while back, a fellow around here was crushed while working under his car when the cement block he was using to support it cracked and broke, causing the car to fall on him.

Not trying to scare anyone, just reminding everyone to put safety first and be smart and careful guys when supporting your car before getting underneath it.

Regards,
-Greg

A buddy of mine was killed when the station wagon he was working on fell. He was using a set of the triangle, stamped steel stands. The drivers side collapsed, crushing him. I was setting in a resturant across the street from his place when it happened. I saw the cops arrive and went over to see what was going on. He was dead already.

Great post!
Its easy to forget we can be killed working under our cars. I was always told to use a jack only to lift a car and then place jack stands under it to hold it there.

SAFETY FIRST!!! Think about what you are going to do BEFORE you do it. Remember "Hast makes waste".

ALWAYS use jack stands in tandem with a floor jack when possible. A frame rail will always win out over a ribcage.

Don't trust those cheap-a$$ Chinese jackstands, either! :angry::angry: When it comes to my life, I don't trust any Chinese crap to protect me.

I learned my lesson 8 years ago, those bumper jacks were meant to stay in the trunk.

Good advise everyone. Another issue is lifting engines. Make sure your lifting devise will support the weight of the engine. I had a friend back in the 70's, who was using a home made lift, suffer a severe head injury when his lift failed and pinned him. Although he survived he only has the mind of a child now.

Bob L.

A frame rail will always win out over a ribcage.
:yes:

When I was 11 or 12, I was out one afternoon doing my newspaper route. I came up to a scene I never want to see again. A guy was working under his station wagon with a bumper jack holding it up. When it fell, the front brake drum had crushed his head. Not something a kid should see.

To make matters worse, I found out later that day when I went to little league baseball practice, the guy who was killed was our team manager. Needless to say, I've always used at least two different types of jack stands, before I crawl under a car, ever since that day.

BTW. I've crawled under the car trailer and realized there's nothing more that the front jack holding the trailer up. I now, always put a jack stand under the tongue just in case.

I always carry a pair of heavy jack stands in my trailer...for my own use AND to offer to anyone else that may need them.
You'd be surprised how many times they've been loaned out at a weekend show. :yes:

ALWAYS use jack stands in tandem with a floor jack when possible. A frame rail will always win out over a ribcage.

Ditto! I always leave the jack under there with a little tension "just in case" those garabage stands decide they dont wanna do their job.
Hate working under cars.

This is why i bought a lift, i can't lay on my back anymore since having back surgery 2X. I bought a Rotary lift. By far the best tool i have ever bought. Well worth the money.

There was a story on our local news just last week where a guy was working under his car and it fell on him. His wife went to check on him around 2:30am when he didn't come back into the house and found him. Their 14 year old son had to jack the car back up, but it was too late. I think the guy was 29.

One other point gentlemen, back in 1984 when I was working at a Caddy Dealership the common practice was to remove the engine and trans together as one.Well I was helping my friend alining a engine/trans. My arm was under the driverside motor mount trying to pull the engine/trans and hoist towards the frame mount. Well I don't know if it was divine intervention or just plain luck but I pulled my hand out to the adjust the crane and wham!!! That big-ass chain broke, needless to say the New shop policy was NO MORE ENGINE AND TRANS REMOVAL IN TANDEM.. Good thread, I hope it cuts down on unwanted injury.

I'll be the honest one and say over the years there has been hundreds of times I've just used a jack and nothing else, most of this was in my late teens. Now I have jack stands and use them readily, but there have been more times that I haven't used stands. I working on changing that ratio. I've had a jack slip just one time, as luck would have it the tire I took off the car was sitting in just the right spot. Car came down, say my life flash before my eyes... Then took a big sigh of relief when I squeezed out from under the car and saw the tire saved the day.

Big D

Oh yeah...while were on the subject, US Jack in Michigan is having a sale on their 6 ton stands. American made too. I bought 2 sets of the 6 ton and 1 set of the 3 ton ones for spares. Nice to have extras around.

Thank you for this post guys. I am guilty as charged. I've worked under cars in the past just up on the jack. ( In a hurry you know) Really sad part is I have 2 pair of 6 ton jack stands at the ready. I know beyond stupid. This is a real eye opener. Thanks again for making me think about something I had never really put much thought into. Some day I will build another garage and get a lift. I do hate laying on the floor.

Great post. Every novice should read this and realize it's importance and consequences if not followed. Unfortunately, even a few of us experienced rodders are guilty of the "quick-jack, in-and-out" method.

Question,...where on the car does everyone support a chevelle with jackstands? Is there a favorite place amongst us? Comment on both places, front of car, or rear of car.

back when I was 15 (1985) my dad was changing an oil pump in my 78 grand prix. using a bumper jack only and it was on the grass(dirt) the car fell on him but he wasnt seriously injured. in 1987 I was helping a friend change a u-joint and the truck fell on him. again only using a bumper jack. I am either very wise now or paranoid but I use a floor jack with jack stands and have been known to add ramps under the front tires also.

I have quality jack stands too, but when ever I have the car up I throw spare tire/rim under there. :(

I'm getting too old to lay on the concrete floor anymore, and, like MotorCity (Mike), I have a Rotary lift. I still have jack stands in the garage, but can't remember when I used them last. I can honestly say I've never gotten under a car with out stands (on firm ground) since I changed a rear end in a 66 Chevelle 30 years ago on gravel and had the car and jack stands slid sideways and over while I was undoing the u-bolts. A friend of mine saved my life that day...........and I'll never forget it! be safe out there!

When I was 17 I was changing front brakes on a 66 Mustang with only the scissors jack!!. I couldn't get the drum off one side and was pulling it and sure enough, it fell off the jack. Fortunately, only my foot was under the car, and only got seriously 'squeezed'! Nothing broken and only about a week on crutches. Believe me. jack stands and leave the jack under it too!
John

We can never be too careful. Thanks for the reminder.Not getting any younger is nothing compared to not getting any older.

FOR THE GUYS WITH LIFTS REMEMBER TO LAY THEM ON THE LOCKS.IF A HOSE FAILES THE CAR WILL FALL.A FRIEND I WORKED WITH AT A DEALER HAD A LIFT COME DOWN.TOOL CART SAVED HIS BUTT.CAME AWAY WITH ONLY A BROKEN ARM AND SOILED SHORTS.GOT LUCKY..
ERIC:beers:

Whenever I remove any of the wheels (for a brake job, to do ball joints or whatever) I automatically lay that wheel between the car and the ground in the area I am working (jack stands or not). :thumbsup:

I always use heavy duty jack stands, rated at 6000# per stand and back that up with my floor jack as insurance. I only have one body and plan to keep it from getting crushed. My fellow Chevelle friends please be careful it only takes a nano second, also when doing under car work, its nice to have somebody there if something goes wrong.

Rudy

I always use heavy duty jack stands, rated at 6000# per stand and back that up with my floor jack as insurance. I only have one body and plan to keep it from getting crushed. My fellow Chevelle friends please be careful it only takes a nano second, also when doing under car work, its nice to have somebody there if something goes wrong.

Rudy

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Isn't it funny how we get older we do get wiser. I have done the bumper jack thing. I won't do it again.

Transmissions scare me the most, especially 4x4 tranny and transfer case units. All of that weight over my head with a jack supporting it makes me nervous. I always have someone nearby when removing or installing a transmission.

As for jack positioning I prefer the rear axle and the lower control arms. If either one of those place can't be used I jack in the frame either in front of the rear wheels or behind the front wheels.

I work at a shop and had to change a starter in a F250 Super Duty Ford Diesel yesterday. It wouldnt fit all the way on the lift so I put the 2 front hoist arms on the front of the frame and raised the front of the vehicle up, it is quite safe to do this way but I still felt uncomfortable about it. Grabbed 2 jackstands to slide under the frame just in case. Didnt have to lower the truck on the stands but kept the height of the stands touching the frame.

As for the China stands, I wont stick up for them and say to go out and buy China stands. But there are some stands that do look very strong and have are nicely welded peices. We talked about this in great detail not too long ago. The real trick is to look at what your buying and determine how the strength will be. Not where its made. I have seen some american stands I wouldnt trust under a car as much as I hate to say that.

I survived a car falling on me.How..I do not know.I placed jack stands under the control arms and slid underneath.Unbeknownest to me..the adjustable center support was longer than the 4 legs at its lowest setting.One yank on the shock bolt and the trans pan pinned my head..the oil pan compressed my chest and blew all 4 wheels off the creeper.I did have the front tires still on..that is what saved me.When setting your jack stands..make sure it is NOT pivoting on the center support.great topic imo..sometimes we are are in a hurry.Slow down and think safe first.:yes:

a former employee of mine put his head between the rotor and ground to inspect brakes on a van. Was using a floor jack.crushed his head. Died 2 weeks later from an infection in the hospital. 1 year old boy left behind. Very sad.

At my shop if I see a jack and no stands, I freak. Sometimes you got to scare the younger guys to get it to sink in. My father had a corvette come down on him years ago and luckily came out of it ok. When I started working on cars, he always made sure I had plenty of stands. I too use stands with a jack under light pressure.

Man, I am amazed at the amount of people that have only used a jack to crawl under a car here. I have never done that in my entire 55 year life. Dang meteorite will probably get me though. Must have been my training, I started working at a repair station when I was 14.
I thought it was only me, but I did recently have a engine and trans removal open up a link on a chain, didn't fall though. I quickly hooked up another chain it all was well. I think we buy more Chinese crap than we know. Anything that can kill me, I buy the best available has always worked for me. Be careful out there.

Transmissions scare me the most, especially 4x4 tranny and transfer case units. All of that weight over my head with a jack supporting it makes me nervous. I always have someone nearby when removing or installing a transmission.

I have found a motorcycle jack works great for tranny's!:hurray:

This is similar to what I use.

http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Product/161137.jpg

I'm using that MC jack for my trans also. Another item I would like to bring up is the safety cage for struts. I responded to a 911 call for a mech. changing struts on a good size car and the spring exploded out of the compressor and hit the guy in the face knocked him out gave him a bloody nose and a cut on the bridge of his nose and his eye was swollen shut. X-ray showed his cheek bone and the orbit around his eye crushed and he lost the use of that eye

When I was in college in the late 60s, I lost a good friend because he didn't have the car properly supported. The front lower A-frame dropped down on his head.
I now have a Kwik Lift. My garage ceiling isn't high enough for a full lift. The Kwik Lift is a drive-on ramp. Once the car is driven up on the ramps, the rear of the lift is jacked up and the rear legs swing down and lock into place. About the only way a Kwik Lift would be unsafe is if someone drove a loaded dump truck onto it!
I use the Kwik Lift 95% of the time. When I use jack stands, I have the GOOD, heavy sturdy ones. After jacking a car and placing it on stands, I usually keep the floor jack in place also for added safety.

I My fellow Chevelle friends please be careful it only takes a nano second, also when doing under car work, its nice to have somebody there if something goes wrong.

Rudy

If I am home alone, I have a cordless or cell phone within reach if I am in the garage or under the car.
Also,I have 2 ABC fire extinguishers - located by the door! Thats where I want to be when I decide if I can fight the fire or get the h*ll out.
John

.

Question,...where on the car does everyone support a chevelle with jackstands? Is there a favorite place amongst us? Comment on both places, front of car, or rear of car.

I put them under the frame where it kicks in behind the front tire, and in front of the rear tire. There is a hole in the bottom of the frame at those points, and I like to have the 'curve' of the jackstand cradle the frame - 0ne end in the hole, one out (no comment needed!!)
John

Concur with all the above comments. Working for a Coroner's office we see about one death per year from some one in a hurry or just not thinking. Also would like to point out even jackstands are not safe on an inclined driveway which is most driveways in Calif.
My .02

My dad always always rolled a couple of thick oak logs underneath in addition to jack stands. As a kid, I thought it was alot of extra work until I lost a highschool friend who was working on his car in a gravel driveway. The jacks shifted in the soft earth and gravity took over.:(

I prefer using 2x4's myself.

http://members.cox.net/davoaz/pickup.jpg

Don't trust those cheap-a$$ Chinese jackstands, either! :angry::angry: When it comes to my life, I don't trust any Chinese crap to protect me.


China has about the best SS out there besides Pakistan. at least if you do get the MDST sheet "Chemical Composition of 316 Stainless Steel" i buy tons of metals and well alot of metals that come from the east are about as good as you get unless you want titanium. and well alot of companys in the USA wont send you there MSD sheets.

i'm shocked by the number of people who have either had a car fall or known someone who has been hurt or killed by one. i sometimes think about 'what if' the car fell, but thought it was a fairly irrational fear. i like the jack stands with the proverbial tire/wheel under the frame rail just in case.

What are some good jack stands to get? I don't like the cheap $25 ones. I'm looking at a set of milwaukee jacks. There $75 but use a pin not the teeth to hold it in place.

I learned my lesson around 4 years ago. The jack went out and let the truck down. I just moved in time or I would only have one leg.

In 1996 I was jacking the rear of my 69 camaro up to change the transmission. The front of the car was already up on stands and as I slowly jacked the rear up the car pulled the front stands over pinning me to the shop wall that was behind me. Luckily a very good friend was there to help me. I am very safety concious, sometimes so much that people think I worry to much. My point is it can happen to anyone. I now have a lift in the shop and I use the safety latches.

A guy I know bought his 55 Chevy brand new. Drove it to work in the USAF, dated his future wife, brought the kids home from the hospital. Years later, his son, then grown, learned to drive in the car...putting a few minor dents in the car. After retirement from the USAF, he worked at Boeing and was retiring from there too. Now time to have the Chevy restored. With tow truck on the way to take the 55 to the body shop, he went under the 55 (disconnect the driveshaft?) and the car fell on him, killed him. I don't know the particulars but I got the story from the widow.....didn't wanna ask in-depth questions.

I put them under the frame where it kicks in behind the front tire, and in front of the rear tire. There is a hole in the bottom of the frame at those points, and I like to have the 'curve' of the jackstand cradle the frame - 0ne end in the hole, one out (no comment needed!!)
John

Sorry to hijack the thread. John how are you doing? Any winter projects on the Camino? I just today reinstalled My flywheel,clutch,trans,etc. I was chasing down a nagging oil leak. The good news is I think I have the leak kicked in the arse. Now I need to fix my reverse lights.
Brad

How about this one?.....................

In '81, I was putting new BB springs in my Chevelle. I had the car on stands, old springs taken out, rivets CHISELED out of the A frames, and was putting the new springs in. The new ball joints were then installed, and I had a good spring compressor collapsing the springs, and was sitting on the ground with my legs stretched out in front of me, facing the LF spindle. Well, I got the ball joint nuts started, and then figured that I would take the compressor out. Fine, no problem.................. I started to tighten the ball joint nuts, (I was 21, and probably was under the influence of "something" ...........hey it was the 80's....remember?) and I tightened the upper ball joint, but when I started to tighten the lower (you already know, don't you?) I ended up loosening the lower, and it came down with so much pressure, it would have snapped my thigh bone. Holy Crap, I have never forgotten that, and it will always give ms some sort of chill. I knew that lefty was loosey, and righty was tighty, but THANK GOD nothing happened.

Brad

I prefer using 2x4's myself.

http://members.cox.net/davoaz/pickup.jpg


Thats a funny picture ! I like the rock behind the right rear wheel ! You can never be to careful right ? LOL !
I worked with quite a few guys that would pull cars / trucks into the shop , then just kick the lift arms underneath without even looking at what they were lifting on ! I've seen lots of floor pans , exhaust systems , and running boards ripped off or get crushed that way that way ! The best part is when they just keep raising them without checking out what all the crunching sounds are , then ask me to come over and " have a look " at something under the car .... LOL ... Yeah right !

had my truck on the lift and had the engine chained to the beam up on the ceiling while working on the cross member , didnt have it on the locks all of a sudden my truck was hanging off the ceiling and came off the front lift pads and shifted 6 " while i was under it 6 foot in the air and hanging I thought the whole thing was coming down on me didnt nkow what was going on at first while looking up,always back down on the locks .

I learned to work on cars trucks and heavy equipment with my dad who was a master mechanic by profession. He made an extra effort to make sure I always had everything well supported when removing or installing heavy components or working underneath - some big truck cylinder heads are heavy enough to require a lift for safe removal.

Much to everyone's surprise my dad "mr safety" was nearly crushed to death under a van that was improperly supported. He had been retired for 15 years and was doing a friend a favor - I guess he "forgot" the lessons he taght me so many years earlier. That incident left him black and blue and hurt all over for several months. He never again worked on another car.

Let me add another safety practice when lifting engines: always have a second safety chain wrapped around the hoist lifting arm. One time I actually had a chain snap as I was just starting to lift an engine. I know that chain failure is rare - but it really is easy to have a safety chain "just in case".

Thomas

I just ordered some heavy duty jack stands and wheel chocks from Summit and was wondering if anyone recalled anyone ever getting hurt while working under a car that was not properly supported?

A while back, a fellow around here was crushed while working under his car when the cement block he was using to support it cracked and broke, causing the car to fall on him.

Not trying to scare anyone, just reminding everyone to put safety first and be smart and careful guys when supporting your car before getting underneath it.

Regards,
-Greg
Unfortunately I have too known of people who were killed with the old cement block deal. I myself very foolishly had a car fall on me because of them. Thanks to some quick action by my wife in managing to get a jack under it I survived. Please discourage anyone from ever using those things. From one who has been there and with a rear axle housing on his chest struggled to breathe it is just too dangerous!

My dad always always rolled a couple of thick oak logs underneath in addition to jack stands. As a kid, I thought it was alot of extra work until I lost a highschool friend who was working on his car in a gravel driveway. The jacks shifted in the soft earth and gravity took over.:(

I'm surprised nobody has made mention of using plywood under the jack stand. I have several square pieces of 3/4" plywood that are cut to about 1-1/2' x 1-1/2'. I place these under the jack stand any time it is not used on concrete. That means you use them on asphalt, dirt and for sure if you're working on grass and gravel.
The plywood will make the jackstand far more stable. Keep it from sinking. Keep it from tipping and distribute the load.
It's a good idea to paint the wood to seal it up so that water over time doesn't delaminate it.

I think a couple pieces of plywood like this would have saved your friends life. probably less than $10 worth. Sorry about your friend.

Whenever I get a car up on 4 jackstands, I grab the fender and rock the car back and forth a few times to make sure it's stable. No room for error here. 1 slip and you're done.

Another trick I do is I have some 2x6 doug fir that is cut to short lengths. I place these on top of the jack stand. When the weight of the car is applied, the jack stand makes an impression and locks the wood in place. The irregularities of the cars frame do the same on the other side. Makes the jack stand even more rigid. This is a bit risky as I've seen the wood split a few times. But usually not unless it's used several times. I inspect the wood often and if it looks sketchy, I use a new piece.

This is an excellent thread.

I, too, have done the dummy moves in the past, without incident.

However, at this stage of life, it's safety#1. One thing that hasn't been mentioned, although I'm sure you all do it, is once I have the car up on the jack and supported by the jack stands, before I crawl under it, I give it a healthy shake back and forth and side to side.

If the stand is going to fail, or something weird is going to happen, I want to be standing beside it, not lying under it waiting to crush my melon.

I started to hear bad experiences about the ones with the teeth but its hard to find the pin ones. I got a set from milwaukee hydrualics for $68 plus shipping. THere made in the good old usa in milwaukee wi. They acually make them when you order them. They don't have them just sitting around. They are awsome i'm going to order one more set of the 5tons and one set of the 2 tons.
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g253/68bowtie/P1040005.jpg

Wow, some eye opening stories to be sure, thanks for sharing no matter how graphic they may be, I will keep this in mind.

I have 4 pairs of Jackstands.:D

All the pin type and have used them everytime and have not one horror story.:D

when I first got my camaro, I found a set of cheap swap meet stands, I think they were cast aluminum or something, not made for a american made car for sure, A friend wanted a tape out of the camaro. i was under it, when he opened the door, i saw the car shift just a little. I pulled myself out just as the stands crushed in on themselves. Jim

I can honestly admit that I have rarely ever used a jack stand. I always jack up the car and place skids under the frame on both sides behind the front wheels. I live in south louisiana and the ground is almost always soft and the legs on jack stands just don't seem safe so I pile up a bunch of wood. As I am only 25 I will one day have a shop so I don't have to drag those heavy skids out anymore.

I too shake my car once i have it up on stands ...The bumper jack is good for breaking down tires and makes a good porta-power when modified.
I used to use some old large hardwood stumps in my gravel driveway..my splitter was a wedge and a sledge hammer ..stumps were better used as jack-stands