As you raised one end, either the car’s wheels or the jack’s wheels must roll. Positioning jacks are the tools of choice for manoeuvring vehicles in tight spacesĪs you raise or lower a car, it travels in an arc which can cause the car to slide off the jack. If you need to support the vehicle long term, such as when doing body work, it’s better to support both ends, either under the tyres, or at the same points where the suspension bears the weight of the vehicle. These owner-fabricated stands feature sturdy, steel construction and are ideal for supporting the vehicle for very long periods as they load the vehicle's structure the same way as when parked For this reason it’s not a good idea to leave a car on stands for long periods of time a day or so at the most. When placing stands under the chassis around the firewall area (ie, for easy access to the engine area) you’ll notice the car flex as the stands take up the weight - doors often become difficult to open or close as their frames slightly distort. The range of bright anodised colours also makes alloy jacks look pretty.Īlthough still popular in the truck industry, bottle jacks have few uses in the automotive trade other than emergency tyre changes you're much better off putting your money towards a good trolley jackĪll cars are flexible older cars are very flexible. The exception is if you’re carting one around in the boot of your car and regularly unloading it offsite, such as at the race track.
However, trolley jacks get wheeled around, not carried, so weight isn’t that big a deal. Spend the money and buy a good one if you look after it, it’ll last you a lifetime.įor the same lifting capacity, an alloy jack weighs less than a steel one - but it will also cost more. Their versatility and ability to lift a vehicle to a decent height makes them the number-one choice. So what should you buy and how should you use it? Let’s take a look.įirst and foremost, I recommend every enthusiast should buy a good trolley jack - sometimes referred to as a floor jack. Even the ACCC has weighed in with its ‘Don’t be a jackass with jacks’ campaign. I’ve had a car topple off a jack for no apparent reason and have also lost a friend when a car he was working on rolled off the car ramps and killed him after he unbolted the tailshaft. Back in 2013, the RACV website stated that in the previous four years at least 10 people died in Victoria, crushed under vehicles they were working on at home. We cannot stress it strongly enough - jack safety is a big deal. If you have any intention of working under your ride, a good jack and a good set (or two) of jack stands are absolutely mandatory.
NOTHING will literally kill your enjoyment of street machining like having a car fall on you.
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