Trolley jacks and saddle size?

[Chris32345]

Richard-D said:

Plenty of garages jack straight onto the edge of joint where the sheet metal comes together. You may get away with it for a while but I've seen plenty of cars where this has damaged the sills and crushed/folded the joint flat. It's best not to base your methods on what garages do. Plenty of garages also impact wheel nuts up to a million Nm, doesn't make it a good idea.

edit: Also, the Halfords advanced jacks are good, available everywhere and their saddle size is listed on the website.

Edited by Richard-D on Friday 25th December 20:59

I know that's why I said I use a Jacking pad/adapter to sit it in the weld correctly so all the weight is spread around ant not straight on to the weldede seam

[GreenV8S]

How far is the bottom of the seam from the jack's lifting saddle when you're lifting it via that pad? If the pad is 50mm high that would seem quite safe on an 80mm base but a bit precarious on a 50mm base, especially if it's made of something flexible. If the seam drops in so far that it's almost touching the jack, that would be less of a concern.

[LeadFarmer]

Chris32345 said:

Don't think I'd use if just sat on the 4 raised metal edges

Not without somthing in the centre to level it outand spread to contact area

Yes, ideally I would like my jacking pad to sit inside the saddle with the raised edges preventing it from moving/slipping, which is why I want a saddle that is 75mm 0r 85mm diameter.

Chris32345 said:

Can't tell from the picture but I assume you jack pads if a flat bottom type designed to sit on top of the jack saddle

Rather then the one with a deeper centre designed to sit inside the recess of the jack?

To clarify on the pad, it has a flat bottom, but the grooved cut out you see is to allow for a cill/seem/pinch weld under the car directly next to the jacking point. This seem isn't load bearing hence the cut out groove to allow the seem to remain untouched.

thebraketester said:

Get a jack with the flat pad and throw what you have, they are not required.

I can't do that i'm afraid. A flat pad would crush the seem/pinch weld under the car next to the jacking point, hence why the pad is needed with the groove to allow the seem to remain untouched. Theres only a small area that is load bearing and suitable for jacking.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Friday 25th December 22:10

[LeadFarmer]

Richard-D said:

Plenty of garages jack straight onto the edge of joint where the sheet metal comes together. You may get away with it for a while but I've seen plenty of cars where this has damaged the sills and crushed/folded the joint flat. It's best not to base your methods on what garages do. Plenty of garages also impact wheel nuts up to a million Nm, doesn't make it a good idea.

edit: Also, the Halfords advanced jacks are good, available everywhere and their saddle size is listed on the website.

I agree. I can't control what a garage might do with my car, but when jacking it myself at home I want to do it correctly, hence needing a suitable trolley jack saddle to accommodate my jack pad.

[LeadFarmer]

i've just found this image might explain the situation better...

This jacking pad pictured below is identical to mine but has an wider 80mm diameter. It is photographed sat inside the saddle and within the raised ridges of a trolley jack which I know is a Facom DL200LP, but this retails at over £500 and isn't easy to find. The saddle appears to have an internal diameter slightly bigger than the pad for a good fit with the pad.

So I'd like to replicate the below, and find a trolley jack with a saddle diameter close to that of my pad. I don't want to go too large incase theres a chance of the pad moving within the saddle under load.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Friday 25th December 22:50

[Order66]

The rubber pad will be fine sitting on the 4 edges of the pad. If still not happy with this a small bit of wood in the middle to "level" the jack would work. So long as the rubber pad is roughly centered it's not going anywhere.

[Belle427]

Don’t think you will find the one you need but certainly there are some that will fit in the cup.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-car-Jacking-Pad...

[Chris32345]

Belle427 said:

Don’t think you will find the one you need but certainly there are some that will fit in the cup.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-car-Jacking-Pad...

Looks like best solution
Get a rubber pad like the above inside the jack saddle then out your shaped on ontop of that

[thebraketester]

LeadFarmer said:

i've just found this image might explain the situation better...

This jacking pad pictured below is identical to mine but has an wider 80mm diameter. It is photographed sat inside the saddle and within the raised ridges of a trolley jack which I know is a Facom DL200LP, but this retails at over £500 and isn't easy to find. The saddle appears to have an internal diameter slightly bigger than the pad for a good fit with the pad.

So I'd like to replicate the below, and find a trolley jack with a saddle diameter close to that of my pad. I don't want to go too large incase theres a chance of the pad moving within the saddle under load.



The jack I use is similar to this... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-RJAS1500-Trolley...

Edited by LeadFarmer on Friday 25th December 22:50

I have been jacking my car (MK5 GTI) up on the pinch weld (where marked by the jacking arrow) for the last 10 years.... no adverse effect. I think you are overthinking this. A jack with a flat pad will be perfectly find for your use.

[LeadFarmer]

Think I've decided on the Halfords Advanced 2Tonne trolley jack as its rubber pad is removable. With the saddles internal diameter being 93mm I'll either cut a 75mm hole in the rubber pad to fit my own pad into, or I'll replace the rubber pad with a ring of plywood to fit around my pad and drop into the saddle to keep it in place.

[LeadFarmer]

bluezedd said:

Agreed with this. Ive been jacking many different cars with a flat hockey puck on the pinch weld too without any damage. I tend to find any existing damage by a previous owner or garage has been likely due to metal on metal at the edges of the cup on the jack where nothing has been used to spread the load (such as my hockey puck).

I do understand sometimes you just want things to fit nicely though even if it's not needed.

The pinch welds next to the jacking points on my car have a drain within it which can get distorted if the jack is placed on it, so I need to avoid applying any pressure to the pinch weld in that area. Whilst I might get away with jacking up anywhere along the pinch weld of the car, whilst I have the choice I'd rather just place the jack in the area specified by the manufacturer.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 27th December 17:10

[LeadFarmer]

Ended up buying the Halfords Advanced 2 Tonne low profile trolley jack. Its rubber pad is removable and whilst the saddled is wider than my rubber jack puk it stays in place under load..