Safety Reminder: don’t trust a jack

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In addition to the above, set parking brake and chock any wheels still on the ground. Before getting under the car, grab each corner and give it a good shake to settle it and make sure it won't slip down on you while you work.
 
Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
In addition to the above, set parking brake and chock any wheels still on the ground. Before getting under the car, grab each corner and give it a good shake to settle it and make sure it won't slip down on you while you work.


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Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
In addition to the above, set parking brake and chock any wheels still on the ground. Before getting under the car, grab each corner and give it a good shake to settle it and make sure it won't slip down on you while you work.


+2 Never trust a jack of any type alone for under the car work.
 
Great reminder, I read in the local paper about a car falling of of a Jack about once a year, and pretty often it ends up as a fatality
 
Originally Posted By: Al
Ramp or jackstands period. No jacks


I personally use ramps with a jack stand as a safety measure. I've seen many rhino or plastic style ramps get old and brittle.
 
I live in the PNW area (oodles of rain).
There's a neighbor who has stored his home-made, wooden ramps stored outside near to where he parks.

Do these ppl not understand what happens to rain-soaked wood!?!?!
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I use jack stands on level concrete. I shake the car to see if the jack stands rock. I want it to make noise or fall before i'm under it. If i have the wheels/tires off, i put them under there as well. I don't get under the car,( or on top of my camper) when no one but me is home. I'm not 30 anymore.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I use jack stands on level concrete. I shake the car to see if the jack stands rock. I want it to make noise or fall before i'm under it. If i have the wheels/tires off, i put them under there as well. I don't get under the car,( or on top of my camper) when no one but me is home. I'm not 30 anymore.


You have the exact same process and approach as I do. I don't get under the car without my wife home and knowing I'm out in the garage working under the car. Heck, even sometimes she'll come out help hand me wrenches.
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Originally Posted By: funflyer
Wow! About a dozen firefighters and every piece of equipment the truck has just to lift a car off the guy?
The metaphor about a monkey and a football crossed my mind. There were enough personnel on hand to lift the car off the poor idiot
 
Looks like there's a metal stand just forward of the right rear wheel. If so, it tipped over. Guy could have been doing it mostly right except setting the car's partial weight properly on the stand.

If immediate risk of life was in the balance they might have lifted the car by hand. But blowing out backs isn't the safest method. And if the car slips out of their grips and falls again, you can crush the person worse than before, especially if they change position while trying to get out. The firefighters may have deemed the situation stable and not immediately life threatening...enough time to get proper rigging gear. I wasn't there so this is all conjecture.
 
In addition to jack stands, I made a set of solid wood safety block. About 9 layers of 14” long pieces of 2x12 layered and glued and screwed together. I put them near the jack stands as a backup.
 
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Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: funflyer
Wow! About a dozen firefighters and every piece of equipment the truck has just to lift a car off the guy?
The metaphor about a monkey and a football crossed my mind. There were enough personnel on hand to lift the car off the poor idiot
Exactly my thought as well fun. Just lift the car up and pull him out. I sometimes think that the rescue crews like to get all those high tech tools out just to get a little droll time.
 
Originally Posted By: Yah-Tah-Hey
Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: funflyer
Wow! About a dozen firefighters and every piece of equipment the truck has just to lift a car off the guy?
The metaphor about a monkey and a football crossed my mind. There were enough personnel on hand to lift the car off the poor idiot
Exactly my thought as well fun. Just lift the car up and pull him out. I sometimes think that the rescue crews like to get all those high tech tools out just to get a little droll time.


I talked to a friend who was a fire fighter about what he thought was going on in this video. He reminded me that yes they are public service but having 12 people lift the car and then hold the car long enough to properly package and remove the patient just isn't logical. Plus, that opens them up to injury. If he was alive and had a head/neck/spine injury, they could injury him even further instead of helping. Plus depending on if it wasn't life threatening or if it already was a fatality depends on the methodology they use.

Thought this was interesting.
 
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