What load-spreading plate for trolley jack on tarmac?

[havoc]

New driveway (4-5 mths old), swapped some wheels over 2 weeks ago. Just noticed a few dimples in the tarmac from the trolley jack wheels. bks. (Previous drive was brick - didn't even occur to me)

Can't do a lot about the existing dimples, but can avoid adding more...but don't want any more fk-ups on the way (esp. with me in close proximity! ), so want to get it right first time.

Thoughts so far:-
- 2 of the 3 cars are pretty low, already have a low-nose jack, and definitely don't have clearance for any sort of plywood under the jack. So has to be metal.
- Steel has better deformation characteristics than aluminium, so can be thinner for the same performance.
- Need to allow the jack-wheels to move as I jack the car up, but I need to avoid slippage, so i need some level of friction on the plate.


Any expert guidance? Any personal experiences (do's and don'ts)?

Wondering about checker-plate to avoid slippage, but wonder if that'll also prevent the wheels moving when jacking up and add stress in at a different point?

Thanks,
M.

[M11rph]

18mm OSB.

It is fairly weather resistant, doesn't have voids in it like ply and is cheap.

You get around the height issue by cutting 4 300 x 400mm sections off. Drive the car onto them, you've now lifted the car by the same amount as the anti-dimple OSB jacking pad.

If you have a very smooth drive and the driven wheels try to flick the OSB out, just add a few dimples of silicone sealant on the underside and allow to fully harden.

[dingg]

6mm hot rolled steel plate is what you need

Chequer plate will stop your wheels moving on the jack

[LunarOne]

I just went to a metal supplier and bought an aproximately 1M square sheet of spring steel about 1.5-2mm thick to use on my block-paved driveway. It's heavy but not so heavy that I can't move it with ease, and the jack can move over it with ease. It could have been much narrower, but the width gives me the space to manoeuvre the jack into just the right spot without constantly having to readjust the sheet.

[John D.]

Expect some solid garage floor tiles would do the job.

[Panamax]

One of those nylon/plastic kitchen chopping boards, about 10mm thick. The great thing with the chopping board is it has many other handy uses around your garage.

Otherwise some decent plywood or MDF. And put the removed wheel under the car for safety. Too many people get hurt/killed by their own car dropping on them. It's a significant risk when you're hauling on a large spanner with significant leverage.