csnow, regarding rubber pads... I ran across somewhere in my searching where a guy used hockey pucks on some customized jack stands. Might be worth a try.

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1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

Benzwood,

I'll check out the one at COSTCO ad let you know.

glenmore

Went to COSTCO to buy a jack but they were all out. Here is some info from the floor model.

Manufacturer: ARCAN
3.5 ton capacity
Dual hydraulic pistons
model LL35
Ultra low , looks like about 3-4"
front steels wheels have grease fittings
flat saddle with metal cup attachment

Best feature, price $70!

glenmore

Thanks for the info... I assume from the price it's a Chinese import too.

Sounds a bit nicer than my Sam's Club one, though. Interesting that it has dual pistons, maybe that's to get the clearance lower.

The clearance on mine is about 5.5", with a max height of 22".

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

As a fellow MB owner (2001 E55 & 2002 ML500), I'll offer the flat top rubber pad stands at $70.00 each to members on this list. I have the exclusive on this product and another 300 coming in later next month. Even compared to ASE deals pricing, a regular 3000N plus rubber pad comes out to $64.00. For the additional $6.00, you get the special flat-top post (instead of the cradle post) which is ideal for supporting cars on frame rails and other flat surfaces. Regular price on the stands is $95.00ea. Offer expires Sept 15th or until the current inventory is deleted. If this posting is inappropriate, let me know and I'll delete it.

Oooh, that's getting into tempting range.

I'm curious, have you actually used these stands with your MBs? In looking at them closer (the pics on your site), I wonder if the pad might compress too much in the center (especially since it appears to be heavily slotted) causing the edges (where the metal lips are under the pad) to contact the side of the car when used with the car's rubber jack point.

I have a similar problem if I try to use my rubber-padded jack with the car's jack point.

The rubber on the jack point on the car itself also compresses quite a bit leaving very little clearance.

I guess ideally, a flat incompressible metal pad on the jackstand is what would work best for this specific purpose.

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1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

Back to my clunker stands... here's the steel I have available for free. This is a 1/4" thick piece. Kinda crusty... before/after photos (an excuse to use my recently aquired angle grinder with wire brush ).

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

I looked at the realities of making a box to cover the stand, and I dunno... with the angles caused by the bent saddle, and the overall crude construction, there are no straight sides to be found. I could make it loose fitting, or custom-fit it, but it's still 5 pieces to cut and weld vs just one if I welded directly onto the stand.

Here are simulated before/after photos if I did weld it directly on. The black stuff in the first photo showing where I'd arc-weld it.

The second photo is via the magic of Photoshop. It also shows grinding off some of the other pointy edges.

The advantage of this (in addition to simplicity) is that you could grab it by the top without anything falling off.

I have some 3/8" thick steel that I could use too with a little more cutting, but I'm not really sure strength is an issue... I presume steel is a lot stronger than the cast iron that I think is used here on the stand? I also presume I can arc-weld steel to cast-iron (if that is what the stand is)? I must plead metallurgical ignorance again.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

Another alternative came to mind if I'm making a permanent modifcation anyway... why not lop off the crude saddle completely and weld a flat plat right onto the tube? But, I'm a little concerned about the integrity of the plate-to-tube weld. If there was any imbalanced load it might pop off one side (not trusting my welding skills here).

Then a (short-lived) Eureka moment... how about making a detachable flat-top to go on the bottom of the tube, and flip it upside down? See photo.

That way I can leave the saddle intact, and make a more easily constructed removable flat-top (a plate of steel with a block welded on the bottom that inserts inside the tube).

But, as you can see from the photo, the problem is that when you insert it upside-down, the saddle prevents you from adjusting it any higher than shown on the left. As opposed to the normal full-extension as shown on the right.

So, I think I'm back to welding a plate on top of the saddle. Seems like the easiest and the safest... my weld is really just holding the plate steady, it's not under any load.

The disadvantage is obviously that the stand is permanently modified... if I ever wanted to use it as a saddle-type I'm outta luck. But since the stand is so cheap that's only a $20 fix... just buy another set.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

If you're handy with torch and have the appropriate materials around, you can make your own flat top stands. I like to start with a decent set to begin with and go from there.



With a the lawyers in this country, I had the manufacturer in Denmark make these for me (they've got strict TUV standards to follow). Of course, they wouldn't do a run of 4 stands...the job was based on a somewhat larger commitment. SD

Benzwood,
Very unlikely that your stands are cast iron. Cast iron is tricky to weld, and requires special nickle rods.

If you wanted to get a little more complicated, you could fabricate a removable insert that would slide into the end of that 'upside-down' tube. That way you could remove it, and use the other end as needed.

For a 'one off' solution with your arc welder, it may indeed be easiest to simply cutoff the existing saddle, and weld on a flat one.

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1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi.

What would be the disadvantages of just using duct tape to stick the sacrificial wood blocks on top of the cheapo jackstands?

Do they have concours d'elegance for home DIY repair? Am I missing something?

My experience is that you might have to install new duct tape every three years or so.

Duct tape can be painted to match your jackstands, or you can find it in nontraditional, tasteful designer shades.

__________________
Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)

ultgar, I didn't realize you had these custom-made, glad somebody out there realized the need and did something about it! Can you address my question about them though (just after your first post)?

csnow, thanks for the cast-iron info. I was assuming it would be cast iron (cheap?) but after I posted that I realized that the saddle looks like a strip of steel that was bent and sheared off. Regarding the removable insert, that's what I was trying to communicate in my last post, but unfortunately as I mentioned the max height suffers greatly when you flip it upside down.

Richard, do you have the MB part number for this thing you call "duct tape"? I want to make sure I get OEM quality with the star logo silk-screened on it. My current wood blocks (made from a 2x4) have the problem of compressing when weight is on them, and along with the normal compression of the rubber pad on the car, the sides of the car actually contact the wood. I could probably fix that by using a hardwood like oak instead. But they also wiggle, creak and groan under use, and just generally do not give me a warm fuzzy feeling when I'm lying under a couple tons of chest-crushing metal.

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon

These are the same rubber pads used on the AC Hydraulics jacks. They are solid in the center of the pad, about 20mm (3/4" approx) thick. I don't know the Shore hareness (D durometer) number...presumably 50-60. Even if they do tear up over time, they are easily replaceable.

Wood blocks could potentially split, especially on non-flat surfaces causing the car to shift on the stands. Better make sure those blocks are made of Ipe or some other hardwood. DS

I agree with you wholeheartedly that the wood is a bad idea.

I wasn't concerned about the the rubber on your stands disintegrating, it sounds like the manufacturer cares about quality, and at $20 a pop I assume the pads are top quality , but I still have this question... repeated here:

I wonder if the pad might compress too much in the center (especially since it appears to be heavily slotted) causing the edges (where the metal lips are under the pad) to contact the side of the car when used with the car's rubber jack point.

I have that problem if I use my jack under the rubber jack point of my car. The metal cup hits the side of the car because both the rubber on the jack and on the car compress under load. My jack has higher protrusions so it's more of a problem, but I wonder about the protruding lips on the AC jack stand.

If you've never tried it on an MB jack point, I'd be happy to accept a complimentary sample and write a review.

__________________
1992 300E Sedan (Sold)
1999 E320 Wagon (Sold)
1995 E320 Sedan
1995 E320 Wagon