Harbor freight jackstands, UNSAFE!!!!!!!!!

strykersd · November 29, 2016, 11:29 AM

I'll see if I can snap a picture next time I head to my shop

Rickf1985 · November 29, 2016, 10:11 AM

I don't see any picture of the front side of those Torin stands to see the piece that broke on mine but that added pin is in a position to prevent the the post from rocking forward against the sheet metal so they are much better than mine. As long as you put in the safety pin.

Let me be clear on something here, It was not weight that caused my stand to fail. It was motion of the vehicle and the stands inability to contain that motion. If the stand rocks towards the locking side of the post there is nothing there to hold the post but a thin, 1/8' piece of steel, very poorly welded to the frame of the stand. IF it were securely welded it would be much more secure and IF you added another section to that piece coming down inside it would be even better. The basic stand itself is pretty strong as long as you are on perfectly flat and level surface and you are not working on the vehicle. Otherwise do the welding and modifications.

strykersd · November 29, 2016, 09:06 AM

Good idea on sliding the tires under!

The more I thought about it, I had the answer right under my nose the whole time. Having built a few offroad trucks with tires up to 37" I had to buy jack stands taller than the usual two or three ton models. So I bought a pair of Torin brand 6-ton jack stands. Although it's a similar design to the HF jack stands, they have a locking pin to give you a second locking mechanism. And they're only $56 instead of the $50 harbor freight charges. For now I'll just store one of my jack stands in the Winnebago and eventually buy another pair.

tmsnyder · November 28, 2016, 02:56 PM

"Folks wonder "why" I slide the tires under the vehicle when I take 'em off,..."

I do that too, just in case.

LJ-TJ · November 28, 2016, 01:59 PM

Holy CRAP! He's back. What'd yeah miss us. :)rotflmao

DRMousseau · November 28, 2016, 01:19 PM

DANG Rick!!! Ya,... I'm back!

And REALLY wish you could emphasize this matter more!!! SERIOUSLY!!!!
Too many folks rely on WAY too little when it comes this kinda thing. And made worse by the market availability of poor products that many "assume" to be safe. And most people won't have the good fortune of "surviving" similar experiences as you, so as to "know better" the next time.

I too have been shopping for satisfactory stands, a balance of weight and usefulness. Mostly, I jus need "stabilizing stands",... to relieve weight from tires and suspension and provide some leveling with less motion inside the RV. What you have would be somewhat satisfactory for me, but I also need something for when I help out "others", when I assist in odd repairs and projects. AND, the reach up to the frame of some of these "RV trucks" can sometimes be quite considerable. I carry a pretty good assortment of blocks in a bunk, but not enough when the wheels come off!!! That hasn't been necessary yet with the Cruise Air,... but it has to considered soon.

BTW,... we jus called those heavy jobs above, house jacks. Used 'em a lot in my days of water well drilling. Made before any "load ratings" were considered, we jus used common sense. Those 1 1/2x9's were IMO, "light general use", and safely allowed enough lift for 6" timbers, trying for 8" was usually foolish,... "get a bigger jack!", like a 2x12. I really like these kind, but they are SO dang heavy, and you STILL can't neglect blocking for safety.

Folks wonder "why" I slide the tires under the vehicle when I take 'em off,... and I'm fussy about WHERE they're slid under, jackstands or not. But if I'm workin' on it,... then it's MY rules!!!

Rickf1985 · November 28, 2016, 10:06 AM

I have been looking for new stands and every single stand from every place I look at including Sears and Snap on are all built the same exact way! I will bet a lot of money they are all built in the same place. As long as the vehicle is perfectly stable and does not move or wiggle they should be fine but mine moved to one side when I pulled hard on a wrench and that is what folded and broke loose that poorly welded piece of metal bracing. NOW, If you do buy them and before ever using them take some time and fully weld in that brace then what happened to me cannot happen. I think that is what I am going to end up doing is buy the Harbor Freight ones again but this time I am going to fully weld the braces in before ever using them. There is no substitute for wood cribbing but in some situations there is just not enough room for it. Or enough back for it in my case! I used to do a lot of rigging work so I am real familiar with cribbing and I have seldom ever seen it fail. I say seldom because it has happened and when it does it is BIG!!!! Whenever cribbing failed when I saw it it was because of side slipping.

khantroll · November 28, 2016, 09:55 AM

I do the same as TJ. I have rail road ties that I use lift the ole girl up. Depending on how high I need her or what may be required for leveling.

I've got some front end work to do though, so I may have to invest in those $160 jack stands for added safety.

Also, as an aside to Rick's comment about their being a lot of companies in China called Pittsburgh, they set the tooling up on a per order basis for white label manufacturing. So you can order stuff from 4 different companies, have as many as 4 different designs (depending on what they copied to make it), and all be labeled as one company's product.

Stanley does this as well.

LJ-TJ · November 27, 2016, 04:11 AM

Ignorance is bliss and I don't say that to be a smart bum. When I'm working on my old girl I don't want to be thinking about what if the jack stand fails, or sinks in the earth. That's a lot of vehicle that's going to come done on you and it's going to hurt. If it were me, well actually what I've done is gotten some railroad ties (pieces of ) and that's what I set my rig on when I want to work under her. She's nice and solid and I never worry about anything braking and falling on you. Piece's of rail ties are pretty easy to come by. Hm? Oh! hey if your passing by somebody building a pole barn stop buy and pick up the cut offs of their 8X8's.

strykersd · November 26, 2016, 10:42 PM

I hate to bring up an old thread but I'm in the market for jack stands and am considering the harbor freight ones. How much weight did you have on the stand when it broke? My 20' Brave is rated for 7,000lbs over the rear axle. Since jack stands are rated in pairs, the pair should be good for 12,000lbs so that should give me an good safety margins. For any motorgome bigger than mine I'd probably go with the 12 ton jackstands.

uglydukwling · August 17, 2016, 09:25 AM

I always get nervous about using jack stands, even good ones that aren't likely to collapse. They may be all right on concrete, but on gravel, they'll settle more on one side than the other and then tip. What I prefer to use are wooden blocks that are wider than they are high. If possible, I try to use single blocks rather than stacks.

Btw, concrete blocks are more deadly than even HF stands. A concentrated load like the weight of a vehicle resting on a bolt can cause a core block to shatter. Large solid blocks look safer, but too heavy to move.

An interesting approach I've seen in several junk yards consists of 2 wheels welded together. One lies flat on the ground to provide a wide base. The other stands on edge inside the first one providing extra height and a deep groove in which an axle can rest. They look safe and they probably are because liability must be a tremendous concern in u-pull yards with untrained people removing parts.

Rickf1985 · August 15, 2016, 06:49 PM

Quote from: Jerry on August 15, 2016, 11:57 AM
Glad you were not hurt Rick, HF does have some poor built stuff but I have to give them some credit I have one of the old orange floor jacks that still works great and several air tools that do a good job. They have always taken care of my faulty stuff without a problem, I guess there are some who don't care in your stores.

It was their main office that I talked to.

BrianB · August 15, 2016, 01:17 PM

Quote from: Surfinhurf on August 15, 2016, 09:44 AM
Rick, you got me thinking about what I use for jack stands. I got them from my dad and have used them for 30+ years. I have no idea what the capacity is, any guesses?

I have used them many times under the Winnie, but I always stack wood blocks under the axle. "Belt and Suspenders"

HURF

They look like what we used to use to jack up a house when doing foundation repairs. Set them up on 8x8 hardwood cribbing.

Surfinhurf · August 15, 2016, 01:04 PM

Quote from: Rickf1985 on August 15, 2016, 10:34 AM
Rough guess, the 1 1/2 x 8 could mean 1 1/2 ton by 8" high but if they are more than 8" high then that idea is out the window. Being all cast iron they are good stands but not much footprint. They were great for holding things up that were steady but they do not have any lateral stability. We used them when rigging machinery that had multiple sections that had to be put together since they were good at minor height adjustments. I would not use them as a primary stand but as you say you also use blocks.

The threaded rod is 1 1/2" dia and they have 8" of adjustment. Their lateral stability is what worries me also, so I block all wheels that are on the ground, in both directions, and have a wood block pile that is snug.

HURF

Jerry · August 15, 2016, 11:57 AM

Glad you were not hurt Rick, HF does have some poor built stuff but I have to give them some credit I have one of the old orange floor jacks that still works great and several air tools that do a good job. They have always taken care of my faulty stuff without a problem, I guess there are some who don't care in your stores.

Rickf1985 · August 15, 2016, 11:49 AM

I had a Craftsman stand collapse years ago and drop a 64 Impala across my legs and trap me in my yard. Luckily for me the ground was soft enough that my legs did not get broken but I could not get out from under the car until the mailman found me several hours later. One thing I COULD do was reach the cooler so I was real happy (drunk) in more ways than one when he found me. Have never bought another Craftsman jackstand since, that was 45 years ago.

lemortede · August 15, 2016, 11:22 AM

I am always SUPER paranoid when ever I jack up the Winne. Not only do I use jack stands, but I also have some 4x4's cut into 3 foot lengths (from another project) that I stack under the axle. It sends up creating a 12" wide platform. There ends up being a small space between the stacked 4x4's and the bottom of the axle but will stop the bago from crushing me hopefully. I also place some 12 ton bottle jacks on the corners of the end I am working on. They are snug against the frame but are not lifting. Yes, its redundant, but I don't have a spare me.... I have seen what even having a car fall on you can do....something this big and I am dead.

Rickf1985 · August 15, 2016, 10:34 AM

Rough guess, the 1 1/2 x 8 could mean 1 1/2 ton by 8" high but if they are more than 8" high then that idea is out the window. Being all cast iron they are good stands but not much footprint. They were great for holding things up that were steady but they do not have any lateral stability. We used them when rigging machinery that had multiple sections that had to be put together since they were good at minor height adjustments. I would not use them as a primary stand but as you say you also use blocks.

Surfinhurf · August 15, 2016, 09:44 AM

Rick, you got me thinking about what I use for jack stands. I got them from my dad and have used them for 30+ years. I have no idea what the capacity is, any guesses?

I have used them many times under the Winnie, but I always stack wood blocks under the axle. "Belt and Suspenders"

HURF

EldoradoBill · August 13, 2016, 05:16 PM

Yuasa makes batteries, and the name was, you guessed it, coined to confuse the "made in Japan" naysayers

Bill

TerryH · August 12, 2016, 09:15 PM

Canuck. What can I say? Assumed it was what we saw years ago - Made in Usa (City in Japan?).

Rickf1985 · August 12, 2016, 08:42 PM

It was and it is fissed, Thanks fer pointin' it out.

TerryH · August 12, 2016, 08:03 PM

And, of course,
Pittsburg
wasn't a spelling mistake on your part. i??

Rickf1985 · August 12, 2016, 07:50 PM

I sent them the pictures. I also looked at the three ton and 12 ton stands and they are built exactly the same, just different sizes. I asked why they have four different 6 ton jack stands listed all for the same price with all different part numbers. Two are listed as heavy duty and two are listed as standard duty, all the same stand. He told me there is such a demand that they have to source them from different makers. I pointed out that there must be a lot of companies in China named Pittsburgh since they all have the same name. No comment from him on that one.

TerryH · August 12, 2016, 07:44 PM

Should you happen to hear from HF again, maybe send them your photos and a list of the various sites you belong to. And a count of others that belong to those sites. And a sample of what you are going to post to each site to warn people of the potential injuries that may result from HF products.
One complaint - BFD. One customer with a legitimate complaint, who is willing to pass the problem on to thousands, and each of those who read it have friends, etc., heads should roll. Far better that they withdraw an obviously defective and dangerous item from their shelf
Ideally, contact everyone who has purchased the item to - minimally - let them know of the danger when using this item.
Yeah.
Right.