Back when I had my Indie Shop I used only Hein Warner jacks and they'd last about 15 years before begging to leak or slowly drop .

Back then at least once a year some scruffy guy would come by and overhaul them for about $100 in a couple hours .

My Son finally convinced me to by a Chinese 3 ton trolley jack and it lasted close to 20 years, stored underneath an old vehicle parked on Concrete, I'm pretty sure he's still using it, I bought a new 3 ton Harbor Freight one on sale 15 years ago and so far I've only needed to add jack oil to it once .

Maybe I'll try the cute all aluminum low boy quick lift ones he likes for his racing .

As mentioned, never, EVER fail to use safety stands ! not even for changing a tire .

Once you see a vehicle fall when a jack fails, you'll understand why this is so important .

I'm sure there are pictures on the internet of heads popped like rotten tomatoes from folks who 'only needed a minute' to work sands stands .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

DO NOT click if you're squeamish :

Man Face Squished In Motorbike Accident - on horriblevideos.com

After all these years I still feel ill every time I see bad industrial accident .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Cars can fall off of jack stands too. I recall reading about one of those on a BMW board a few years back.

The key is to have a primary and secondary support, at minimum.

The good thing, at least with the w123, is that if the tires are left on, it's relatively high up off the ground to begin with. That's not justification to avoid protections, more of a little peace of mind when under a car like this versus some others.

Doesn't mean no backups...

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)

Only improperly set vehicles can fall off safety stands ~ I always give the car a good shake after they're set before going underneath .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Jack stands themselves can also fail. Always safety block. It really only takes a minute.

Where it can take months to get better or even result in death otherwise. I am not the squeamish type but at the same time there are limits. To my risk tolerance.

Another consideration is most members on site are do it yourself types. Some with limited experience may put a jack stand in the wrong place. We all start somewhere when working on cars. Very tough area to lean a lesson from.

..can only agree with following comment, truly a work of art

Adjustable coffee table ?



Courtesy of this blog

'88 W124 Ex- Berlin Taxi - suddenly a millionaire | Retro Rides

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David


1996 Mercedes S124 E300TD - 129k - rolling restoration project -

1998 Mercedes W210 300TD - 118k (assimilated into above vehicle)

Wow...

That is awesome.

Steampunk floor jack.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Love that old-timer! I've had a Harbor Freight 2 ton for at least 25 years with no issues and just bought a HF aluminum racing jack that I made a box for and carry it in the Dodge PU (my DD) so it's always on hand. I'm still looking for the hydraulic jack races to try it out......


Dan

No more often than a home owner jack is used, they will last practically forever as long as the jack is lowered until it bottoms before storage so that the rod is protected. Unlike industrial hydraulic rods on forklifts, tractors, etc... jack rods aren't chrome plated, so they rust up almost instantly. Rust pits cause leaking and wear the seals. Also make sure not to ding the rod for the same reason, dents in the rod will damage the seals. I have a HF I bought in the early 90s that still works perfectly, a Blue Monster low profile I bought used that is over 20yrs old and a big long 50yr old Weaver 2ton I bought for $50 off Craigslist. The Weaver leaked, but I was working as a machinist at a chrome plating/hydraulic shop. Chromed the rod and put new seals in it. It'll lift over 30". Combine that with heavy jack stands and my transmission swap on the ground wasn't too bad.

I like the Euro idea of driving over a pit. My version is to make stands that are made from three 2 x 12 boards 30" long, screwed one on top of the other.


I use my jack to life under the engine cradle or the rear axle pig and then set the car's tire(s) underneath.


When the tire is sturdily standing on 2x12 boards 5" above the ground, you can't go anywhere. Especially if you are in park with the brake on and chocked.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6