Glad you are still around to tell your story Blades, we know this won't happen again with you. Like you confessed, lesson learned. I'm sure everyone on here has had their moment...
Same thing for me. I always use two jack stands and then grab a door handle or fender and give the car a good shake. If it moves or rocks in the slightest I won't go under the car. I reposition the stands until it's solid and stable. Then, for a little extra insurance, I put the jack back under the car until it just contacts the frame. And even after all that, I won't go any farther under than absolutely necessary. I'll reach for stuff rather than roll completely under the car.
Wow! Did the "quick release" fail, or was it not "locked in" all the way? I use those things sometimes, just wondering what happened.
I don"t even feel good using jack stands (although I still do). My choice is 6x6x24" blocks laid flat. I KNOW those aren't going anywhere. Glad your okay.
Safety is any man's number 1 priority! It goes without saying. The best thing you can do is over-capitalize on safety! Take precautions, think before you do. I always try to "foresee" any potential dangers or problems and secure them/correct them!! I think that is the key... "Foreseeing" the possible danger and correcting it! Be over-worried, over-cautious, whatever... Just don't take chances with things like this!! HC.
I would stay away from any Jacks or Jack Stands Sears sells !!! They are JUNK. A Tractor supply type store has about the best I have seen for the price.IMHO
I don't think your a dumbass, I think you got careless and as a result had a damned close call. I'm glad you're still alive. Thanks for sharing your experience. It doesn't hurt for us all to be constantly reminded about what can ( and does) happen.
Here's a scary story. I had 4 nice heavy duty Blackhawk jackstands (bought long ago when Blackhawk was still good USA shit) supporting a 37 Packard V-12 Cpe. It was a whole car, nearly 3 tons of ancient American iron. One of the stands must have been really close to a spring mount, but not completely centered in the saddle. It had been there for months as I finished the restoration of the car. I was installing the gas tank and the bolts are just above and barely behind the rear axle. As I did the final twist of the ratchet I heard a really loud "CRACK" at the left rear stand. I flew out from under the car so fast I thought I was 30yrs younger. I truely moved on instinct. Shaken but not stirred, I looked everything over really well and like I said, it must have been close enough to be just near the center of the saddle, but not quite there. So close you couldn't tell by looking. I think it moved less than a 16th. Terrifying. One of the most frightening things that has happened to me in a long time, but all was actually well. I called it a night and closed up shop. Again, it was late at night, my sweety at work, I was all alone. Just sayin...
49ratfink - Who needs fancy smancy orange jack stands when a couple of 4x4 posts will work just as well? ... click thumbnail to enlarge
I work as an engineer in a mill here in Maine. They recently ran a contest for a Safety Slogan. The winning slogan was " Tomorrow Is Your Reward for Working Safely Today". I think it says it all.
i'm alone out in my garage alot. i keep my cellphone with me or on me all the time. i have a fire extingwisher (don't we all) , but shit happens pretty fast. 911 guys are just down the road.
I have one pair of jackstands actually holding the car up. Another set is just a hair short but right behind them. And the floor jack is there on one side. I put my shoulder in it and tried to move the big caddy, it didn't budge. I did have the front tires under the frame but I pulled them out to paint. When I have roughly 5000 pounds over my soft skull I ain't taking any chances. You made a stupid mistake. But at least you got a chance to learn from it.
this shit happend to me tonight ..jacked up the roadster to drop the rear to change the shackles get everything ready to go back in and the damn jack stands tipped over and the car fell to the side and onto the floor ....well half of the car ...i still had a jack under the center of the rear just in case and boy was i lucky it was there ..i bent the shock mounts pretty good and almost lost a couple fingers other than that i can fix everything else ...moral to my story even with jack stands you still can never be to safe ..glad your ok ..
You can buy decent cast jackstands rated for 3 tons for like $30. I always put at least one under and leave the jack too.
When I was about 14 I was changing a tire on my dad's stationwagon. I was sitting with my legs on both sides of the tire. Some how, with the tire off, the jack gave way and the drum fell right between my legs. I didn't get hurt but came away from the school of hard knocks with a good lesson about using jackstands. I'm always harping at my boys about using stands for safety. I'm going to make them read this thread. Man, I'm glad you didn't get hurt, I don't like reading about losing fellow HAMBers this way. SAFETY FIRST. And, I've used Tman's suggestion about the spare tire more than once. Good luck you guys.
Blades, there's a lot of raggin on you now. I give you kudos for bringing this to light and getting a lot of good (common sense) advice. I think at one point all of us have done something silly or stupid. If you hurry a lot of times its not done right or needs redoing at best, at worst some kind of injury. Stay safe.
Yeah, good to hear that Blades managed to avoid serious injury with this scary incident... We all tend to put on our "thinking caps" and exercise considerable caution when we're out with our cars on the street or the strip, however, when our cars are parked, it's then that we occasionally get slightly sloppy with safety and subsequently get ourselves into trouble... I've learned over the years from going to the drags, that almost as many people get hurt in the pits as they do on the track-- When vehicles are jacked-up, it's essential to make sure that your ride is secure and that you, and/or anyone else around your car isn't in danger's way... Once again, glad to hear that this particular story didn't result with far worse consequences... We all gotta be careful... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)... P.S. Ode to the old school respirator mask... We love the old mask style... <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RTrvVi7C_Qg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Fucken Blades! ahah! glad youre ok dude, does the fact that the car is in your garage means that the body mods are done? or you got it back from the shop for what reason? Anyways, i always use both the jackstands and a jack for back up, plus whatever i have handy for further peace of mind. I have yet to see a decent quality one from any of the stores i visited, but you might have better luck. I will make my self a set as soon as i wil need more than 2 at a time, w/ thick steel plate and thick square tubing, but i understand not everybody has a welder.
Glad you're OK, and you have certainly received your fair share of tongue lashings from this forum, but I feel the need to frequently bring this sort of accident up to remind all of us, especially the new guys, who, at this point, may not believe they have the money for a good pair of jack stands, that jack stands are one of the most important tools we should have in the shop/garage/carport/driveway. I would bet that almost everyone who has worked on cars for any length of time, has had a similar incident happen to them or a friend. I know I did, and having a car fall on you is one of the most horrifying events one can experience.
i'm not going to read the entire thread of "i knew a guy once who did that and . . ." or " you're crazy" . . . i believe thats been covered. dunce. use your head so it can be used again tomorrow, and if you dont, it'll be used as an ashtray.
The picture below looks scary but the wheels were actually welded together. They were supplied by the owner of the wrecking yard after I got there and forgot to grab my jack stands. And don't forget to chock the wheels. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I learned my lesson the hard way also! Obviously, didn't have to worry about that in this case.
Working on the 48 plymouth brakes etc, got 2 jackstands under framerails and 2 bottle jacks under framerails, plus wheel/tire under frame rails AND jackstand under each a-arm AND floorjack centered under front end. Still worry about it falling, but that's ok, that's what keeps me safe. Always thinking "what if...."
Interesting thread. Big of you to post your experience just to get all of our brains jogged regarding safety. It is easy to just do something quick without thinking once in awhile and that is when it will inevitably get you. I made a serious error with a jack one time when I was about 17 years old. I won't even tell you what I did because it is too stupid to discuss, but I have never forgotten it and try to instill safety in my son's when they work on cars. Unfortunately sometimes real life experience is the best teacher.
The Jalopy Journal
