I have some very good cast iron jackstands which I use regularly. I do not care to be a greasy spot under my car. They are used when I need to remove a wheel. Just used a couple of pairs the other day win I was putting new pads and rotors on the wife's 2005 Mazda 6.
Nothing dodgy about these ramps - they are solid wood and could easily support far more weight than this car. I built them because I had a pair of the stamped steel ramps a while back, and I had two major issues with them: 1.) They wouldn't stay put so you could drive up on them. That is, when the tire came up against the ramp the ramp just skidded forward. The manufacturer's suggestion: Put them on a "soft" surface, or place a piece of rubber sheet under them so they wouldn't slide on the floor. 2.) One of them started to bend or distort and dropped in height by about an inch. It was not overloaded according to the ratings and the car I had on it at the time (a 1970 250C) was well below the maximum load. That's when I got rid of them. The jack has a very slight leak that's been present for some years. The lack of hydraulic fluid was a cumulative thing that I had just never addressed. I haven't seen any leakage since I refilled it, so I'll continue to use it with diligence. That means inspecting it before each use. Again, I am very careful when working under a car and usually have multiple means of supporting it in place. I have no intention of being squished under my car. When you're excavating a trench, do you ever get down in it without shoring? I'll bet not. My rule - never get in a trench or hole deeper than my waist. Dan On Feb 25, 2013, at 6:28 PM, Hendrik and fay wrote: > Dunno, dodgy ramps and a flakey jack, sounds a bit dodgy. > I have a pair of metal ramps but gave up using them ages ago, I might drag em > out now and again but the car is jacked up and the ramps put under the tires. > I just hate driving vehicles up ramps. > Over the years I have invested in jack stands and now have three pairs, > ranging from weak to very strong, this is particularly useful as a lot of > jobs involve removing the wheels, hard to do when the wheel is sitting on a > ramp. > Where is this jack losing oil? A jack that has issues is to be treated with > great care. > > Hendrik > who is usually careful _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
