JACK STAND RECALL - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chevota · #1 08-23-2020, 03:05 PM

I wanted to add my experience of a HF jack. I got the cool Aluminum floor jack which I thought was awesome being so light. So one day in my driveway I go out and jack up my cars front end, forget why, and before I crawl under I think to myself; maybe I should put jack stands under it just in case. So I head to the garage to do that and BAM!!!!! I turn around and my car is down. The jack completely let loose and dropped it! Not leaked, or leaked fast, but flat out dropped it like a rock. Had I not made the jack stand decision I would've likely been under it... Since the jack looked fine physically I assume it the seal blew, but I didn't know they could blow like that.
Since then I used a cheap steel floor jack on my diff, trying to get it up high enough to get something under it, and the car slowly moved to one side and fell over on the ground. No harm but basically the jack offers little side support so over it went.
So not trusting jacks or stands, I wanted to get some ramps, which are either very thin sheet metal or plastic (wth?) and people are online posting pix of the plastic ones breaking. I also realized none would work since the body would hit long before the tires touched it. So I made some out of wood. I used 2x12 boards and five layers thick, the top being 14" long, the bottom 48", each with a 45 cut on the edge. Many deck screws connecting each to the next. Yes they're big but they won't collapse or fall over.

My friend has like a dozen sets of various HF jacks, no problems but he's returning them anyway. The story he heard is the ratcheting ones like Roncallo posted will release if the car moves back and forth enough times. As in it'll slowly, bit by bit, walk the catch out. I looked at it and can't see how, but maybe the bad ones are different. I dunno. Fyi...

Hogweed · #2 08-30-2020, 07:19 PM

i bought a snap-on YA-642 back in 1985 and still use it. rebuilt it once in 2011. i got another one that is a little older called an Ajax but looks almost identical.....it turns out the are both made by Lincoln......had that one rebuilt and use that as well. you can find them around for a couple hundred dollars, but well worth it
one of the best tool purchases i ever made

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chevota

I wanted to add my experience of a HF jack. I got the cool Aluminum floor jack which I thought was awesome being so light. So one day in my driveway I go out and jack up my cars front end, forget why, and before I crawl under I think to myself; maybe I should put jack stands under it just in case. So I head to the garage to do that and BAM!!!!! I turn around and my car is down. The jack completely let loose and dropped it! Not leaked, or leaked fast, but flat out dropped it like a rock. Had I not made the jack stand decision I would've likely been under it... Since the jack looked fine physically I assume it the seal blew, but I didn't know they could blow like that.
Since then I used a cheap steel floor jack on my diff, trying to get it up high enough to get something under it, and the car slowly moved to one side and fell over on the ground. No harm but basically the jack offers little side support so over it went.
So not trusting jacks or stands, I wanted to get some ramps, which are either very thin sheet metal or plastic (wth?) and people are online posting pix of the plastic ones breaking. I also realized none would work since the body would hit long before the tires touched it. So I made some out of wood. I used 2x12 boards and five layers thick, the top being 14" long, the bottom 48", each with a 45 cut on the edge. Many deck screws connecting each to the next. Yes they're big but they won't collapse or fall over.

My friend has like a dozen sets of various HF jacks, no problems but he's returning them anyway. The story he heard is the ratcheting ones like Roncallo posted will release if the car moves back and forth enough times. As in it'll slowly, bit by bit, walk the catch out. I looked at it and can't see how, but maybe the bad ones are different. I dunno. Fyi...