Sizing my First Floor Jack for 850 Wagon...

Post by **plumsmooth** » 10 Sep 2015, 15:07

IT's time for me to take off some wheels -- something I have never done...

I am going to need to be able to jack a Rear End up for Jack Stand Placement to work on my Parking Brake...

Luckily I have an Auto Parts Store down the Block -- of course just about anything can be ordered online for cheaper.

Anyway they have the W1611 Trolley Jack 2-1/4 Ton for a little under 70 Dollars.
Does this sound sufficient for working on my 850 Wagon?

Thanks for the Help...

https://www.google.com/search?num=20&si ... GkKl2rk38Q

Post by **kahl** » 10 Sep 2015, 15:24

For the occasional use it should be fine for one or two years. If you are wanting to build up shop equipment and learn to do more and more stuff on your car you may want to invest in a more expensive better quality jack.

Post by **kahl** » 10 Sep 2015, 15:45

Look at the Sears craftsman floor jack 50136 on sale for $95.00.

Post by **RussB** » 10 Sep 2015, 15:48

plumsmooth, That jack will be fine!

Post by **cn90** » 10 Sep 2015, 16:19

My Harbor Freight and Advance Auto 2-ton floor jack works just fine the last 5 years.
It cost some $25.

Post by **RussB** » 10 Sep 2015, 16:27

Yeah, my little yellow 2-ton jack is 20 or so years old! Used it last weekend with 3 other assorted jacks to lift all four wheels up at the same time

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 10 Sep 2015, 16:54

I have one very much like the one pictured. Two things about it. It takes a couple of jackings to get enough height to crawl under the car and it seems to be a little unstable because of the width of the jack. I have been thinking about what to get next. A regular floor jack is a perfect choice, but lays around more than it is used. If you get it just keep in mine that it can have it's problems. If you need to jack higher than the first lift, I have used blocks of 2x6 under to jack, not on top, and that helps to stabilize it on higher jacking. Always use jack stands, as to never trust a jack for a long time. Tires under the frame, is also a safety for under car working.
Watching a man die from across the street from where I work was not a sight I want to see or hear about again.
Shane

Post by **plumsmooth** » 10 Sep 2015, 17:33

I'll be too scared to get under the car I'm sure.

Hopefully most things can be done without being directly under the vehicle...

The other thing is I have an uneven packed driveway at the top of which I might have one spot close to level.

I'm sure I am going to ask someone about the safety of this...

Does anyone use Cinder Blocks for safety back-up?

Post by **kahl** » 10 Sep 2015, 18:00

Never ever use cinder blocks. jack stands.

Post by **tryingbe** » 10 Sep 2015, 18:54

plumsmooth wrote:.

Does anyone use Cinder Blocks for safety back-up?

NEVER.

I also lost a friend who used cinder blocks to support a vehicle to remove a transmission. He had no problem removing the transmission. But as the vehicle sat on the cinder blocks for a week as the transmission was being rebuilt, the cinder blocks became weakened from the static force that was being applied to them. Then as he was reinstalling the transmission, and of course there's going to be some wiggling and jockying to get the transmission to line up with the engine, this dynamic action caused the cinder blocks to shatter. The vehicle came crashing down and the transmission landed on his chest crushing him. The coroner said he probably lived thru that hell for two minutes before he expired.

http://community.cartalk.com/discussion ... ting-a-car

Get one of this. Don't mess with the small tiny jack.

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-ton-com ... 60569.html