JackStands

[patrick_g]

My blocks are used with the grain at 90 degrees to the load.

Have you tried strips of expanded metal in soft sand?

So you are conscious of the grain and have selected appropriate grain structure deployed correctly. Just wanted to tweeze those facts out into the open so anyone encouraged to use wood blocks because of your comments would be able to do so with more safety.

Expanded metal in soft sand? No. I'm afraid it would get bent easily unless of very robust specs and then it would be quite heavy. If you have a light vehicle it might be OK. Way back I used to carry some strips of the portable runway material from WW II bolted to the front bumper of my Corn Binder (International Harvester) 4x4 DIY motorhome. It was to be deployed for self rescue in soft conditions. I hauled it around for years and never unbolted it. Did use the Ramsey PTO winch a couple times but never needed the runway material.

Farther inland from our recreational property in Baja there were some lots that were hard to get to as you had to cross some really soft sand in some dry washes. Some of the folks who had property there carried pieces of old carpet to deploy to drive over the one bad spot.

Pat

 

[Egon]

Pat:
I even have a hole drilled through the center of my wooden blocks! That is to know which way to place them!

The effectiveness of expanded metal strips may may come as a surprise to many!

 

[mjarrels]

Local man was crushed to death yesterday when under his truck working on the transmission being supported with a chain hooked to a backhoe! Don't know the details.

mark

 

[Charlesaf3]

good concrete guy was crushed around here a few years back with his car up on concrete blocks. It happens.

I didn't transfer the piece of plywood to my new truck this thread made me realize. Good reminder. The shovel up here in the North is pretty common - we have this weird white fluffy stuff from the sky a lot, and you can wake up to a situation that's much like being buried in sand

 

[crashz]

Back about 15 years ago I was working on my old GMC, with the front tire off and the truck sitting on a concrete floor in my fathers garage. A jackstand of sufficient strength was under the solid front axle and I had been doing something like brake work. I got up to get something from the work bench and with my back to the truck, I heard it crash to the floor. I promptly jumped out of my skin! The truck was in park, but the floor was very smooth and covered in fine sand in near the door. I could see the track from the rear tire as it slid backward. No blocks on any of the tires, parking brake didn't work. My thought after was that the axle wasn't centered on the jackstand and it acted like a lever using the weight of the front end to push it backwards.

Now I use the jackstands (carefull to center the load) and back them up with big wooden blocks (grain 90 degrees to the load like Egon). If I'm gonna get squished, my trucks will have to chase me down first!