![]() ![]() If you’re lifting the entire front of the car, put chocks behind the back wheels. For example, if you’re raising the left rear corner of the car, stick the chock in front of the right front wheel. Basically, you want to stop all of the wheels from rolling on their own.įor good measure, stick a wheel chock behind the wheel or wheels opposite from where you’re lifting the car. Also make sure the transmission is in Park, or in first gear if it’s a manual transmission. If you must work on dirt, I’ve used a piece of plywood under the jack to prevent the ground from swallowing it up. ![]() If possible, make sure you’re on a paved surface as well so the jack and jack stands don’t sink into the soft ground. To prevent this, park on level ground, not on a hill. ![]() You certainly don’t want the car to start rolling away when you jack it up. Again, choose a jack that can handle twice as much weight as you’ll actually be lifting. Sometimes you can buy a floor jack and a pair of jack stands in one convenient package. It will also lift higher than the jack that comes with your car. The one that comes with your car is fine for roadside emergencies, but a good hydraulic floor jack is much easier to use. While you’re at the store, invest in a decent floor jack as well. I have a pair of taller three-ton jack stands that I use for my van instead. Even though they can handle the extra weight of my Ford E250 van, however, they are too short to reach the frame, even at full extension. For example, my two-ton jack stands work great with my Mazda 6 as shown here. If you have a larger or heavier truck or van, consider something a bit stronger. Most jack stands support at least two tons or 4,000 pounds, which will be fine for any vehicle weighing less than 8,000 pounds, or roughly 2,000 pounds per corner. They come in different sizes and weight ratings, so choose a pair (or two pairs if you plan to lift the entire car off the ground) that’s not too big or too small for your car.įor safety, choose jack stands rated to handle at least twice as much weight as they’ll actually be supporting. You can buy jack stands anywhere that sells tools and auto parts. Jacks can fail, and if you’re down there when that happens you’re going to have a bad day. Never crawl under a car supported only by a jack. A jack will take care of that, but jack stands are critical for supporting the car and keeping you safe while you’re under there.Įven if you don’t need to crawl under the car, you should still use jack stands anytime you jack up your car. Most of us aren’t skinny enough to crawl under there, so we need to raise the car to reach these items. Many auto repair and maintenance tasks, from changing your oil to replacing your brakes or exhaust, need to be done from underneath your car. When selecting products, we also aimed for a wide range of features and price points to suit a variety of budgets and needs.Want to stay safe while getting down and dirty with your car? Here’s how to put a car on jack stands before you dive in. We’ve picked out these jack stands based on personal auto maintenance experience, as well consumer review data, and input from publications such as The Drive, AutoGuide, Forbes Autos, and Napa Know How. To get the car down, do it all in reverse. Repeat until all four corners are off the ground and stable. Place the car on flat, level ground, jacking up each corner to the desired height, and then gently lowering them onto the jack stands. Parking brakes and wheel chocks should also be used along with your jack stands to keep any wheels on the ground from rolling during the jacking process.Īlways place jack stands beneath the manufacturer’s designated lift points, which are often marked along the underside of the vehicle. Plywood sheets can make a sturdy base when lifting vehicles on surfaces like dirt, but a hard concrete floor is always preferable. Stands with a larger surface area at the feet are typically more stable under load. Higher maximum settings may be useful for lifting taller trucks or SUVs, but most sedans and hatchbacks don't need extensive height settings. Most jack stands have adjustable height, with a locking mechanism to keep the desired setting in place. As a rule of thumb, make sure each stand can hold about 75 percent of the total weight of the vehicle to ensure safety. When using car jacks and jack stands, it’s always better to have too much weight capacity. In this case, each of the individual stands can hold 3,000 pounds-this pair would be plenty strong for most small- and mid-size cars. Jack stands are often rated as a set in a value of tons.įor instance, a pair of jack stands may have a 3-ton or 6,000-pound capacity when used together. The most important factor in any jack stand is its rated weight capacity, which you should never exceed. ![]()
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