Mechanics: what are your most common tools?

Techstream

 

QuickJacks are great, except that they’re expensive and they take up a lot of room. They cost the same as some full-size hydraulic lifts.

 

I looked at them and they are pretty dear. But the cool factor is pretty high. Still, well above what I can spend on something I don't actually need and wouldn't use very often.

 

I got a run-of-the-mill Chinese-built 3 ton jack for $69 CDN, on Boxing Day sale. Over 15 years back now. Had to pick it up at delivery entrance. Was “supposed” to back down this VERY steep decline, almost too steep to walk, and it was just starting to snow. Didn’t want to risk it, and heroic store clerk dragged the box up the slope, rear corner leaving a track in the whitening concrete pavement.

Used infrequently, it’s still going strong. Coupled with (4 of each) 3 ton and 6 ton jack stands, and (4) heavy rubber wheel chocks. And a tree trunk section: the latter I try to push under the raised car whenever practical, for life insurance.

 

Son's finding it nigh impossible to get floor jack started, with a waaay under front/centre jacking point on his Mazda CX-5, so I'm cobbling some "speed bump" style ramps. Similar conundrum to 4th gen and Prime. Project like this gets you thinking about efficient production technique, tolerances. Still need to (carefully) locate and drill holes for 1/2" threaded rods with washers and nuts, to clamp the 2x4's. Attention @jerrymildred


(existing holes from previous usage; new holes still to be drilled)

Always a learning process, sorting out what's critical dimensions and criteria. The main maxim with these seems to be, that none of the dimensions are really critical, but consistency with all the pieces is.

 

Nice rendering.

Still pulling on your previously employed life still.

I'd argue the only pieces that are critical so be dimensionally similar are the end pieces as the middle ones are "along for the ride".

But all I'd do is cut one and use it for the template going forward then compare and contrast for final assembly.

 

We've seen this before! - No Sir, I almost orphaned my kids today and I haven't even seen them yet. I'm holding on to tight, sorry sir - throwing his wings on chiefs desk. "Cougar from Top Gun"
Man are you holding on too tight? Or is the car that unstable up on the jack stands where you work on it?

Those ramps look neat and easier than widdling a couple from a tree trunk
and idea if you want 4 actual in. lift would be 3 2x4 and 3 well beveled 3/4 in. ply - glued and screwed.
add lateral blocking between 2x4's if not stable enough without them, or with only 2 2x4's.
adding carry handles somewhere possibly?

 

Is that a typo? Are you making those for a CX-5 or an M1A1 Abrams? (photo from Wikipedia)

 

I don't have an air compressor and got tired of jacking up cars before loosening the lug nuts and having to lower them down so I got a cordless 21V air power impact drill with metric impact sockets and, man, it's so much easier removing tires with that thing...should've bought it years ago!
Another handy tool is a magnetic drain plug remover. You loosen the bolt then it connects to the end and you can twist it off without getting anything on your hand and you don't have to worry about accidentally dropping it in the drain pan . Also works good on differential and transmission bolts.

 

Harbor Freight Recalls About 1.7 Million Jack Stands for Dangerous Defect

 

I hope HF hasn't recalled their aluminum stands. Not that I have them, but do you have a link to the recall(s).

 

Uggggh! Thanks for the heads-up! I'll be swapping ChuggyPyg's summer shoes for her winter steelies with the studded snows in the next couple of weeks! (…perhaps I'll get TownFairTires to do the swap (included in the original price of both the snows and the summers!) - heads out to garage to check those numbers)

Update: I remember seeing something about HF axle-stands on YouTube about 3 months ago, check out this one (this was not the one I saw originally, but check out the date it was posted)

 

sure nuff - those 6 ton Pittsburg stands look like they're aluminum. Could be steel but doubt it since they're unpainted. The 3 ton aluminum pittsburg is still on their site. take a look if interested.
3 Ton Aluminum Jack Stands
I just may chop down my tree stump and slide it under the car too, like Mendal does it. Have to admit, that opened my eyes WIDE like.... and I'll refrain from trying to add some humor in posts about others safety measures in the future. Sorry Mendal!

Now I see the link @douglasjre - I wonder how I missed that one too, oops !!

 

Yep, I'm always VERY careful when putting a vehicle up on jacks, especially when I'm planning on getting underneath. If I'm taking off the tires, I'll push them in the middle of the vehicle, right below the crimp welds, for extra safety and I'll also leave the floor jack on the last part that I lifted up, but I'll have the most weight on the floor stand but the jack will stay there as a back-up. (And before getting under the car, I'll push it from all four corners to make sure she's secure.)
To check your floor stand, they are designed to have to push UP before they go down when you push down on the lever...so if the weight of the car is on them it should make it nearly impossible for them to release and go back down and we need to be careful when doing anything around them...don't want your arm coming down on that lever..

 

Latest update: I checked the set in my garage, and sure enough they were item #61196 (baddies!) so I returned them to HF, who were very helpful, knew exactly what I had come in for, and even had a couple of the replacements in stock, so thanks @douglasjre for the heads-up! The replacements are better made, have bigger and better teeth in the ratchet, and even have a locking-pin! I think I might have narrowly avoided becoming a victim of a deadly combination of Chinese workmanship and Sir Isaac Newton!

 

Worked a treat.

 

Looks pretty solid.

Can you tell us why you have a slope on both ends instead of a slope on one end and a stop on the other?

 

A nice piece of work, although I must admit that I'm still trying to work out how I might use such a device to assist in swapping ChuggyPyg's summer booties to winters??? Some confuseration over differences between rampage and axle-standage on my part, perhaps?

Ah! I missed the part about Mendel's son's Mazda CX-5, so now "Alles ist klar!!" …profuse apols!

 

I'm not sure I can answer that, lol. I AM daydreaming about a version with one ramp and a stop:

Yeah. It's a similar dilemma for 4th gen Prius (and 2nd gen, I believe): contrary to 3rd gen with front jacking point on the lower/front cross-beam (about 15" back), the point is well over 4' back (more-or-less aligned with front wheels), and regardless of your jack style, it can be a case of "I can roll it back there, but I can't get the handle raised enough to start building pressure". This few extra inches of lift buys you some handle travel.

 

Right! The whole purpose is to be able to get a floor jack into the absurd location the Gen 4 & Gen 2 require if you want to get both front wheels into the air at once without having to jack up one side, insert stand, move jack to other side, etc.