Jacking points and axle stands

[Chris71]

Can someone explain in really idiot-proof terms exactly how is best get an 'S up on to axle stands? Is there a particular procedure to follow? Where's best to jack and also to put the stands? Do you need to 'cushion' the stands?

With a slow-puncture finally forcing my long overdue tyre change I think it's time to call E-Tyres. Come to think of it, it's probably time I bought a trolley jack and some axle stands too...

[SS2.]

Back end up, I normally just use the trolley jack on the diff housing.

Front end up, its a trolley jack onto one of the main [square] chassis rails with a small block of wood acting as a cushion in between.

To start with, my trolley jack would not fit beneath the car so I bought a pair of caravan levelling ramps . Simply place these in front of the front wheels, nudge the S forwards and you have an instant extra 3 inches or so of clearance..



Axle stand wise, I've always supported the car on the main chassis rails and never bothered with wooden packing pieces.

[GreenV8S]

The best place to jack is under one of the main chassis rails down the center of the car, or the heavy square cross tubes. Used a wooden board to avoid damaging the chassis.

If you can't get at any of these (for example because it would put the jack where you want to be working) it is usually OK to pick it up by the front or rear supports for the outriggers. Do not under any circumstances try to jack up under the outrigger tubes that run along the sills, these are nowhere near strong enough. You definitely must use a board to spread the load if you pick it up by any of the round tubes. And be aware that the outriggers routinely rust away to the point that they barely support their own weight let along being strong enough to pick up the car. So consider carefully what state the outriggers are in before using them as a jacking point. If you do use them, the best point at the front is directly under the diagonal brace. The rear support is far more substantial and you can pick it up anywhere along here as long as you spread the load. The rear support is structural and if it is too weak to support the car then the car is not safe to drive anyway.

If you only want to pick a wheel off the ground then the easiest way to do this is to put the jack immediately behind the wheel picking up the outer end of the wishbone (front) or trailing arm (rear), with a board to spread the load. This is easiest because you only have to pick the wheel up half an inch, rather than pick the whole car up several inches to unload the suspension.

Usual warnings about loosening and tightening the wheel nuts with weight on the wheels, chock the opposite wheel(s), recheck the wheelnut torque after a few miles.

Edited by GreenV8S on Wednesday 30th July 11:29

[ketvrin]

If you do jack the car up and support it by the central chassis rails as recommended above, you need to also add something at the widest midpoint of the car, not to support and take weight but to act as a stabiliser and a safety precaution - the central chassis is fairly narrow and the car can wobble about if you are wielding spanners.

Although it is handy, I personally would not jack the rear up by the diff...

K

[GreenV8S]

ketvrin said:

Although it is handy, I personally would not jack the rear up by the diff...

K

Me neither.

To be honest I was assuming that you were only picking up one end / side of the car, leaving at least two wheels on the road at all times. Picking all four wheels off the ground is far more dangerous and needs considerably more care.

[merky300]

I have a block of wood which is wide enough for the central rails. At the front use the block direct on the rails and at the rear a block of 3" x 2" on each rail holds the main block of the exhaust.



Tony

[Chris71]

This does raise an interesting point...

I've always gone back to my dad's fully equipped workshop before, but I now have a garage big enough to work in at home, so I need to buy a jack and some axle stands.

The question is, are they all S-friendly? Do I need to look for a particular height range on either? Presumably I want the lowest trolley jack I can find?

Going back to the original question - you jack somewhere along the centreline of the car (i.e the main chassis tubes) to lift both wheels at once, then stick the axle stands in, then lower onto the stands and repeat on the other end?

[ketvrin]

Chris71 said:

This does raise an interesting point...

nice pun

[Longers]

That's an interesting exhaust merky!!

[steve j]

Longers said:

That's an interesting exhaust merky!!

Certainly loud enough

[clarenceboddiger]

Chris71 said:

The question is, are they all S-friendly? Do I need to look for a particular height range on either? Presumably I want the lowest trolley jack I can find?

I got one from Machine mart which is really low and goes under the S quite easily, it was a present from my son, oddly enough it is also low enough to fit under his lowered Golf GTI I beleive it cost about £90 I'll try and find a no' on it

[merky300]

It's a lightweight special made by blunderbuss

[Gerald-TVR]

This is the one

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/...

I'm a cheapskate and got this from screwfix - its fine but the car needs to go up by a couple of inches (i've two wooden blocks about 6" wide 2" high and 12" long with one end sloping) before the jack will go centrally under the nose, I thik the machine mart one is low enough to do away with the blocks

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/88816/Automotive/Jac...

[Barkychoc]

Machine mart used to do a low trolley jack that was £35 - I know cos I've got one.
For some reason they stopped doing it - its really good fits under anything. The model was CJ2LR. They are only badged so you may be able to find one under a different manufacturers name (& part code) I guess.

[Chris71]

ketvrin said:

Chris71 said:

This does raise an interesting point...

nice pun

I'd love to claim that was intentional.

The Machinemart one is a possibility - does sound like a lot of money, but realistically most things I'll ever wnat to jack will probably be low-slung, so maybe it's worth it to avoid a lifetime of driving onto ramps or wooden blocks? Hmm.

Is there anything to consider with the axle stands or are they all ok?

As a short term fix I might just make the e-tyres bloke wait as I take them off wheel by wheel and not bother with the axle stands!

[merky300]

All depends on the work you are doing on the car. If you are just working on brakes, wheels servicing etc any cheapish jack and axle stands are ok. However if you are thinking of more extensive work under the car chassis, gearbox, diff etc then you should really be looking at more substantial gear that will lift to 45cm and above prefrably 50 - 60cm if you use a creeper. Makes working under the car far easier and more comfortable. The black and white axle stands in the photo are Sealey 6 tonne and I have some Draper 12 tonne. Just because the car is light and the cheaper axle stands will cope with the weight the stability of the heavier duty stands is esential for safety if you are doing heavier work under the car.
A set of lightweight and heavyweight kit woul be a better option to help jacking up in stages or jacking components etc. Not cheap but better than the car falling of the stands.

Tony