How to Put a Car on Jack Stands: The Proper Way of Doing It
Knowing how to use the jack stands is something we should know especially if you will be working underneath your car. Unfortunately, many assume they know the basics of how to operate a jack without having a disastrous consequence.
Setting the jack correctly can be the difference between life and death for someone working underneath the car. One error can make the stand slip and accidentally fall on someone under. Therefore, it is necessary you know how to stand your jack properly and correctly. In this article, we are going to show you the proper way of using the jack stand correctly.
Importance of Jack Stands
If you are a DIY mechanic, you should have a dependable jack with support stands. The car jack and stand is useful when changing oil, installing a new muffler, replacing a clutch or transmission, doing steering or suspension work. The jack alone can be too risky to lift your car for an extended period. A jack stand is needed to hold the weight of your vehicle for your major and manor repair works. The jack stand is designed like a triploid-like or a towered shaped usually placed under the car to provide necessary support after raising the car. Jack stands generally come with particular weight capacity.
You Will Need:
- Floor Jack
- Jack stands
- Wheel Chocks
- Vehicle Owner Manual
How to Put a Car on Jack Stands: The Steps
Before trying to use your car jack, you will need to make some safety preparations to make things easy for you.
Check the jack and the stand: Make sure the jack is in excellent condition. Give it a thorough visual inspection and make sure all the parts are working correctly. No part must be broken or faulty, try and pump the jack without putting any load on it to ensure its working properly.
Park your vehicle on a smooth flat surface, also ensure the surface is not soft like grass or dirt and uneven. Ignoring this may lead to a fatal injury.
Ensure you park the car and make sure the parking brake is fully engaged. Ideally, you should use wheel chocks to secure the wheels. Depending on the end you are lifting, you should always secure the other end you are not working on with the chocks to prevent the vehicle from rolling off. Nevertheless, if you don’t have wheel chocks, you can find a good alternative. These will assist you in increasing the level of security so that the car doesn’t roll away.
Ensure you read the instructional manual before you proceed: Read your owner’s manual to determine the appropriate parts of your car that are designed for jacks. These part should be strong enough to hold the car’s weight. Using a weak spot can cause damage to the vehicle and can be harmful to the user. The strong points are usually located next to the wheel, ensure you follow the manual to know the exact spot.
After locating the point, place the jack stand under these spots completely facing its contact point. Once the stand is in the right location, slowly use the jack to lower the vehicle until its wholly and slowly rest on the jack stand. Wiggle the car to confirm the stability of the stand. Give it a little push to the front, side to side to ensure the vehicle is well secured before going underneath.
Safety Tips
You can take some preventive measures to protect yourself while working under the car. You can place a wooden block on a solid surface close to the jack or jack points, and these will ensure maximum protection in case the jack stand fails. Avoid the use of a material that can be crush upon impacts such as bricks or blocks.
Always remember to use a smooth flat and hard surface. Using a jack and a jack stand means paying attention to every detail. Under no circumstance must you place your jack stand on an even or soft area. Saying a soft work area doesn’t necessarily mean soft, a warm asphalt spot can be considered mild especially during bad weather.
Always ensure safety at all time: Always ensure you read the manual for your car. It manual shed more light on the best spot to place your stand, the technique you should use and how to set the jack and the stand.
Don’t work underneath your car if its only held by a jack stand even though your repair and maintenance won’t take too long. Always remember safety first, always place at least two jacks underneath your car to ensure maximum safety.
Lightly nudge the car to ensure the stand stays in place. Though it sounds scary, it is better the car fall at that time than you let it fall on you. Gently shake the car to confirm it is secure. Make sure all the stands are correctly placed. Ensure your vehicle doesn’t wobble while your shake the vehicle. If it passes this test, then you are good to go.
Conclusion
Now that you have seen the easy steps on how to use the jack stands, you can now proceed to change your flat tire, oil, clean the brakes, and do your car maintenance. Always remember lifting your car is not just finding the best stand in the market. Before lifting your car, you need to know all the basics on how to use the jack stand properly. The steps we mentioned above will go a long way in helping you when you are trying to work underneath your car. You should have the knowledge and tips about safety when you are trying to stand your vehicle. Using a floor jack means paying close attention to the work surface and the equipment used. Under no condition must you endanger your life by trying to lift your car on an uneven or soft surface.
