JackStands

[wh22366]

I liked Soundguy's tank brazing comment. I once knew a junkyard owner who welded up gas tanks by first piping the exhaust from a running car into the tank. I used to go away before he started. Another time a fella in Calais, Maine soldered hole in a tank of tank of mine using a flattened penny and an electric soldering iron. Both of these guys were blessed.

 

[Bedlam]

thats why I like the 'new' high density plastic gas tanks..

 

[brandoro]

Since the truck on the rocks is a Dodge it will have a plastic tank. They started using them in the early 70's. The rest of the truck is steel though and way more than he would want sitting on him if the rocks decide it's time to leave.
I also have a nice collection of jack stands and often use them along with solid timbers under the wheels, just in case. I like that wheel lift though. I had to buy another floor jack the was low enough to get under my car, my regular floor jack won't fit under.

 

[Bedlam]

OOPS HMM Maybe the 'he' is a 'she' we could blame the opposite sex LOL

 

[texasjohn]

Looks to me like he's in Mexico... and, if you've ever been in a 3rd world country, you know that he's actually practicing safe mechanic procedures...for the area..... it may or may not be a US licence plate... but i bet it's one of those hundreds of auction vehicles I see all the time on I35 headed to Mexico.

That said, I have at least 4 jack stands and one really wonderful, long throw, 2.5 ton hydraulic jack from HF.

 

[Egon]

Just remember Jack stands also need a firm base to sit on and be sized correctly to hold the load.

Take a cool Texas day of 90 F. or so and put a heavy load on a jack stand sitting on pavement and it may just may sink in and tilt!

 

[patrick_g]

Take a cool Texas day of 90 F. or so and put a heavy load on a jack stand sitting on pavement and it may just may sink in and tilt!

Funny you should comment on hot pavement (not cement, probably black top.) I stopped at a rest stop which was black top pavement on highway 95 I think it was (loneliest highway in northern Nevada near Great Basin???) and while standing still for just a brief period I sank into the pavement and nearly was stuck. As I walked back to the truck I ended up a couple inches taller. Luckily we had some plastic bags to put our shoes in before getting into the nice clean truck. Later, at camp that night I used a toothbrush and several pans of diesel to try to get the goo off the shoe.

Jack stands in a situation like the that wold make for interesting times.

Pat

 

[Egon]

That is why I have some three quarter in. plywood squares cut out to fit under my jack stands.

The next problem is trying to find an almost level spot on the driveways where I can set up. For the front of the truck I almost always use wooden blocks as I do not trust my jack stands!

 

[patrick_g]

That is why I have some three quarter in. plywood squares cut out to fit under my jack stands.

I almost always use wooden blocks as I do not trust my jack stands!

Egon, with your wide experience with wood, hopefully you are careful in selecting your wood blocks and keep an eye on the grain. I have seen wood blocks split under load and let the vehicle down. I have through bolted blocks before to stabilize them.

I glued and screwed half sheets of 3/4 ply together to make 1 1/2 inch ply 2x4 feet in size. I installed rope handles at one end. Originally they were for driving my 1 ton Dodge over soft sand to deliver an RV to a rec site in the Baja desert but they were used a few more times for such things as a stable base for a jack and jack stands and for self rescue when I drove into too soft of sand.

I carried a piece of ply about 12x16 inches in my VW dune buggy so if I ever had to use the little hydraulic jack I carried I would jack up the vehicle instead of burying the jack in the soft sand. I also carried a small folding entrenchment tool because if yo are down in the sand there is no place to put the jack or the 12x16 plywood until yoiu dig out a spot to deploy them. Luckily I didn't have to use them but a few times.

Pat

 

[Egon]

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

Have you tried strips of expanded metal in soft sand?