Axle stands on a sloped drive

[andyps]

Positioning of the stands is critical, ensuring they are in the right place for car and that the car doesn't move as you jack up another corner. If I want to get the car really high I go round each corner raising it a little at a time to minimise movement on the stands. I would be happy on a gentle slope with precautions taken - a wheel under the sill/chassis member at least is a good idea. Don't worry about damage it might do to anything if the car fell on it - better to break a wheel or the car than your head!

[monkeyra]

Timber, lots of it.

6"x4", 300mm long. Two number, side by side. Another two on top, at 90 degrees, screwed down with 5" screws. Repeat until you have the correct working height.

Position under each sill. Your car will no go anywhere. I swapped the engine out of my MR2, and had to balance the new one on the boot whilst I re-jigged my engine crane. Solid as a rock

[wiliferus]

/Prepares for flaming/

I did some work under my car at my old house with a slight incline. I got the car up onto the stands, and then got the wife's car, and a mate to push it as i didn't want to drive it there, and put them ever so nearly bumper to bumper at the end pointing down. Probably had about a centimetre gap, thus my car if it did rock at all (which it didn't) would only go 1cm, not enough to fall off the stands.

[hyperblue]

V8RX7 said:

If you have to loosen something with a 3ft bar it's amazingly easy to dislodge an axle stand.

I've removed and replaced the engine using a hoist with the car on axle stands, which isn't exactly a delicate operation. I'd always imagined it quite difficult to dislodge a car on them, without a massive sideways force. Is this not the case?

[V8RX7]

hyperblue said:

V8RX7 said:

If you have to loosen something with a 3ft bar it's amazingly easy to dislodge an axle stand.

I've removed and replaced the engine using a hoist with the car on axle stands, which isn't exactly a delicate operation. I'd always imagined it quite difficult to dislodge a car on them, without a massive sideways force. Is this not the case?

If a car is on 2 stands it's fairly safe (is fairly safe good enough ?)

On 4 high stands I've found it very easy to pull it over.

IIRC on the Top Gear Westfield build they managed to easily knock theirs off too.

I used to be more blase but I now have some impressive scars (nice 8" one on my leg where a car door crushed it onto a ramp - ever tried pushing a car back up a ramp when you leg is crushed - it's memorable)

I've also seen 2 and 4 post ramps fail and instantly fall to the floor.

It pays to be as sensible as possible.

[xRIEx]

V8RX7 said:

IIRC on the Top Gear Westfield build they managed to easily knock theirs off too.

I can't remember the bit perfectly, but I think it was probably due to them banging 150kg of engine and gearbox into 100kg (or less) of chassis. And being set up, of course. But it did look to go over easily.

[B17NNS]

First thing my dad taught me, as soon as you have the wheel off, slide it underneath.

[cornet]

Don't like working underneath the car just on axle stands (very slight gradient on the drive also).

If I don't need to remove the wheels then I work on the ramps, If I do need to remove them then I'll stick the ramps underneath the hubs just in case.

[Jamaker]

Sorry for the reprisal of this old thread but I'd say anyone who had stands fail on a slope probably isn't with us anymore and therefore unlikely to reply to this thread. You're talking to the survivors only 😄

[Decky_Q]

I have a very sloped drive and regularly have to work with cars raised on axle stands, I sank a ring bolt into the ground at the top of the slope and use a chain on this attached to the tow point to stop any travel down the driveway. I also have a hole drilled in the base plates of my halfords axle stands which I put a screw through to the wooden wedges I have to level the base so that nothing can slip.

Even with this I have been working away and noticed that one of 4 stands is no longer touching the car so something has been able to move.

I had a fiesta fall off axle stands once and that was on flat ground taking a wheel off.

[e-honda]

Jamaker said:

Sorry for the reprisal of this old thread but I'd say anyone who had stands fail on a slope probably isn't with us anymore and therefore unlikely to reply to this thread. You're talking to the survivors only ??

That's a bit dramatic.
If you are working with the car on jack stands you are likely to try and minimise how much time you spend under it and how much of you that you put under it.
I suspect it happens dozens of times a week the majority of the time with no injuries let alone fatalities.

[vikingaero]

My sisters drive has a slope and I picked up a couple of cheap jacks for £5 each from Facebook Marketplace (the ones that come with with a normal spare wheel). I then put the axle stands in using a trolley jack with one of the triangular points pointing downslope. After I have got the front of the car on the stands, I extend the £5 jacks under the sills. If there's room, depending on what I'm doing, I'll also put the trolley jack under the front subframe.

[595Heaven]

Spotted this near me last year

[The spinner of plates]

I’ve got a general rule in life never to clamber under anything that weighs more than me.

[e-honda]

The spinner of plates said:

I’ve got a general rule in life never to clamber under anything that weighs more than me.

You are missing out on some great experiences

[graham22]

595Heaven said:

Spotted this near me last year

It's when you reverse a rear wheel drive car down slope onto ramps, and the ramps tip up as you release the footbrake and there's no one around to put a chock under the front wheels.

Most careful toe heel throttle/brake control needed to pull away.

Just saying

[RazerSauber]

I've had a car on flat and level ground roll off axle stands and then had the self same axle stands work on a reasonably steep drive on max extension while replacing a fuel tank and it didn't budge an inch. It's all about positioning and taking care. If you do it sensibly then you shouldn't have a problem. Making the base area of the axle stand bigger will help too, screwing them into a wooden base will help if that's possible. Leaving wheels underneath the sills is a good idea for safety and, if there's enough room, I lower the car onto the stands then pump the jack back up so it's just touching the underneath of the car. It probably doesn't provide much help but ChrisFix does it so it can't be a bad idea!

[donkmeister]

RazerSauber said:

if there's enough room, I lower the car onto the stands then pump the jack back up so it's just touching the underneath of the car. It probably doesn't provide much help but ChrisFix does it so it can't be a bad idea!

It's not going to NOT help

I take a similar approach - chunky over-rated stands, jack just touching (even if the hydraulics fail it will slow the drop) and where possible a wheel shoved under (which will stop the drop). With all that there's not really enough room to get much of me underneath anyway, which adds more safety.

I sometimes double up on axle stands, which did once cause headscratching for a few seconds as I wondered why the suspension was so high after I put the car back down...

[VeeReihenmotor6]

Axle stands on a slope - hmmm possibly but wouldn't want to be under the car doing, say, an exhaust swap. Fine if working on brakes/bearing and no limb under the car. Does depend on the gradient of the slope. Also would want to be using a study jack with a wide footprint rather than one of those slim light duty jacks.

I use axle stands and a quick jack depening on what I am doing but work on a flat surface. Always have a wheels under the car too. Have been thinking to make some of these going forward as don't like the idea of the car on 4x axle stands (though have been working under it). These wooden blocks would allow the car to get higher off the ground than axle stands too, perhaps a little bit like a 4 poster access levels.