How high can I jack up my car?

[marcapra]

I'm replacing my brake lines and fuel lines and other things that require working under the car.  Can I jack my car up some way so that it is high enough to sit under?  I know this could be dangerous, but maybe there is a safe way to do it?  Thanks, Marc.

[Guest]

Use 4 jack stands.

They're cheap and available at any parts store.

[Bhigdog]

First the floor would need to be solid and level. Sitting and working height means at least 48"+ off the floor. That means multiple jacking and cribbing. Of course you will be tempted to cut a few corners. Maybe use some cinder blocks here or a few pieces of 4 X 4 there. Maybe jack stands on cinderblocks. A little wobble here. A bit off center there. What could possibly go wrong. I mean how much could a car falling from 4 feet hurt...............Bob

[padgett]

Either a tall curb or a big oak root (changed a clutch on an oak tree root once).

[DAVES89]

I used a ditch to swap out a clutch on my El Camino

[Rusty_OToole]

Use jack stands as others have said. I have used a chain fall hung from a steel beam to lift one end of a car nearly vertical. This made it easy to work on, easier than a lift. A wheeled creeper makes things easier. I don't care for them myself, I prefer a thin mattress pad off a patio lounge. Wear eye protection when working under a car. Rust and dirt fall into your eyes easily when you are on your back.

 

Whatever you do make sure there is no mistake about it. Use good jack stands. Don't take chances. When I raise a car up I deliberately push on it from different directions to make sure it is absolutely stable. If it is going to fall I don't want to be under it.

 

I have some oversize  jack stands made of 3" angle iron that allow raising a car 4 feet off the floor safely but I find I never use them.

Edited April 10, 2019 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[jan arnett (2)]

IK have some jack stands made from old ford banjo rear ends that are quite sturdy but I still wouldn't trust my life to them.

[61polara]

Quote

 

Save a life, buy a lift if you want it high enough to sit under.

[jeff_a]

Or do like the mechanics did in the old days, dig a "grease pit" that you can stand in. My grandfather's shop had one about 35 inches x 75 inches, concrete side walls, in the middle of the shop floor and there was a stout cover for it when not in use. 110 years ago, everything from cars to 50 HP Case tractors were serviced from it.

Edited April 11, 2019 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Ssh I've got a grease pit but keep it quiet, they are no longer legal and have not been for years. If you dig one make it long enough that you can get out of both ends at the same time.

[nick8086]

I wanted to put bigger tires on our 55 truck..

 

But the estate sold it.. Image from the web but the same truck..

 

We are scraping a grain lift next week.. That would get the car up four foot in the air..

 

That is what dad used to replaced the clutch in the 55 Chev..

 

We had the one on the ground..

Edited April 11, 2019 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[C Carl]

4 hours ago, Bhigdog said:

First the floor would need to be solid and level. Sitting and working height means at least 48"+ off the floor. That means multiple jacking and cribbing. Of course you will be tempted to cut a few corners. Maybe use some cinder blocks here or a few pieces of 4 X 4 there. Maybe jack stands on cinderblocks. A little wobble here. A bit off center there. What could possibly go wrong. I mean how much could a car falling from 4 feet hurt...............Bob

 

I believe Bob is warning you to NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHAT SO EVER, USE MASONRY OF ANY TYPE TO BLOCK UP A LOAD OVER ANY PART OF YOUR BODY !! Take a look at my left thumb sometime. Ask me what happened to the very tip of it. Lucky, it could have taken my hand. And I knew better. Haste, you know.   -   Carl 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I have 4 six ton jackstands that allow me to raise the car probably 2 feet off the ground. Plenty of room to replace lines anywhere because I have done it.

[Frank DuVal]

I make mine from wood. Like a 15" x 15" platform floor section, with 2 x 4 or 2 x 6  as the floor joists and 1 x stock or 3/4" plywood as the floor and ceiling. Got to take a picture.  Very stable. Wood does not slide like steel tops of jack stands.

 

________

I   I   I   I

-------------

 

Jack up car a corner at a time, place wood stands, go around again and add more wood stands. Yes, you will need to use a chunk of 4 x 4 or such to get enough lift from your jack, or buy a high lift jack (they are $$$$).

 

Do NOT get under car (or any part of your body under car) while it is supported by jack and block of wood playing Jenga! Rest it on four jack stands.

[c49er]

Turn the car upside down,.  no need to jack it up.

[nick8086]

Some one sold one on ebay for 12k  - upside down,

[mike6024]

[R Walling]

13 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

 

 

Whatever you do make sure there is no mistake about it. Use good jack stands. Don't take chances. When I raise a car up I deliberately push on it from different directions to make sure it is absolutely stable. If it is going to fall I don't want to be under it.

 

 

 I also try and knock the car off of the jack stands for safety.

 

 I also have a carpet on the floor which makes for comfortable working.

[R Walling]

mike6024  ,

 Re. your pic., I would be more afraid of falling off of the mountain than the car falling on op of me!

😵

[kgreen]

Jack stands where designed to hold loads while sitting on solid ground such as concrete, with the extensions raised no higher than designed.  The loads that have to be considered are vertical loads which is very obvious, but also a rotational load.  A jack stand is designed with spread feet to resist the rotational load.  When that stand is placed on a pile of stacked wood, however solid it may look, has there been any consideration for resistance to rotational load?  The simple test of pushing on the car is only partially adequate.  Leveraging a long wrench on a tough bolt could create more force than pushing on the fender causing the car to move or fall.  Another option for elevating a car is to place wood blocking under each tire.  In that case, rolling car movement has to be considered; the wheels need to be chocked somehow.  Stacking wood too high also requires a calculation of resistance to rotational load.

 

This response does not answer your question.  It would be dangerous to give you an answer that was safe.  A car lift can be had for less than $2,000.  Laying on your back with the car elevated on jack stands of appropriate capacity and well placed is less than $150.  The cost of medical care is expensive and unquantifiable if you are only hurt, the cost of a funeral is less than $5000 with no frills.  

Edited April 12, 2019 by kgreen (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Nick that overhead winch and tire cradle looks like the bee's knees. I wouldn't mind one of those in my shop right now. You can see how easy it would be to work under the car if you lifted one end as high as possible.

[Walt G]

Never ever use concrete blocks for support to keep a car in the air to work on. My grandfather and father were masons, and I was made well aware that concrete blocks were made and intended to be used to construct structures - buildings, houses, garages etc. NOT for use to keep a car elevated EVER. My Dad always warned me not to do that when I went to help a friend work on his car ( this was starting back in the mid 1960s even) . Note the sage advice that kgreen mentions and especially his last sentence. I lost my favorite shop teacher in high school because he trusted concrete blocks to hold up his 1959 Buick to work on it when the car was only about 5 or 6 years old.

[ejboyd5]

21 hours ago, marcapra said:

I'm replacing my brake lines and fuel lines and other things that require working under the car.  Can I jack my car up some way so that it is high enough to sit under?  I know this could be dangerous, but maybe there is a safe way to do it?  Thanks, Marc.

If you're asking this question on the internet, you probably do not have enough experience to do it safely.  

[Rusty_OToole]

At least he is smart enough to ask. Short answer, yes but not necessary. We don't do it that way because it is easier to jack the car up on jack stands and do the work lying under the car on a creeper or mat.

[keiser31]

I use ramps under all four tires. I turn the ramp part so they are toward the center of the car so the car does not roll off. I jack up the end of the car and push the ramps under the tires instead of trying to drive up onto them.

[60FlatTop]

Jacking the car and working under it is probably the most dangerous part of the hobby. My Father was really concerned about it and grilled the warning in. When I was young we were a little rough around the edges.

Even this job had a driveshaft proped against a frame rail.

 

The right tools are a lot easier to get now through online ads and the aging of the hobbyists. I picked up a SnapOn scissors lift that raises 4' for $500 or $600 a few years ago. Similar lifts come up often.

 

A friend of mine bought a Kwik Lift, used as well, and loved it. I kept an eye on Craigslist ads and found this nearly new on less than 10 miles from my house, $800 delivered.

 

When I work under either lift I use jack stands and my hydraulic jack as back up supports. My 6 ton Hein Werner stands just fit under the Kwik Lift. And I have varied access depending on the lift.

 

For a low ceiling garage I am in good shape right now, although a short post MaxJax may show up by the end of the year.

 

Before you get under any car remember, the two most dangerous words in the English language are "I thought". Say it out loud.

Bernie

 

[28 Chrysler]

Subtract the height of the car from the height of your ceiling.

There are many ways to raise and block it up. 

[C Carl]

It certainly is a good idea to have redundancy for safety. (e.g. : Boeing used to be a Seattle company run by engineers. Now a Chicago company, apparently run by bean counters - of course I used to work for Boeing back in the 707 days, so it hurts to have said this). My pal, Joe, occasionally does heavy lifting for me. I know some of you have met Joe already, but for you who have not  yet had the pleasure, this picture by way of introduction. I am a bit of a born and practicing paranoid, so Yellow Polly steps in when I need to crawl under. Joe lifts, then Polly suspends completely. Back off until Joe bears 25-35% of the load. This has worked pretty well,........................................., so far...................              -   CC 

 

 

[padgett]

I have a medium rise (40") scissors lift. Since I am mostly taking wheels off and on, made more sense for me. Also needed to be able to lift my Class A RV. Four other requirements:

- all rollers in steel trays (not on concrete)

- positive locks

- separate pistons for each ramp (but mechanically linked.

- portable.

 

RV track was too wide for ramps so used 2x12s. Is on the frame rails.

 

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I have done the ramps thing for two out of four wheels and had no trouble using jackstands for the other two wheels. Also used a fork lift on occasion but the less said about that the better.

[Roger Frazee]

The BendPak Portable Mid-Rise Scissor Car Lift  Model# MD-6XP will lift a car four feet off the floor, giving you the opportunity to sit on a stool and work underneath.

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by Roger Frazee (see edit history)

[marcapra]

John,  I like your answer and your 31 Dodge looks great!  Your long, long friend from San Diego days, Marc.

 

Hey Roger, your scissor jack or lift looks great?  Is it powered by hydraulics? 

Edited April 12, 2019 by marcapra (see edit history)

[Roger Frazee]

6 hours ago, marcapra said:

John,  I like your answer and your 31 Dodge looks great!  Your long, long friend from San Diego days, Marc.

 

Hey Roger, your scissor jack or lift looks great?  Is it powered by hydraulics? 

Yes, the unit is operated by hydraulics.  In the picture the pump unit is just to the right of the doorway.  There is a hydraulic hose that goes from the pump to the two rams on the lift.  Since this picture was taken, I have put two 1/8" X 3" X 36" peices of steel on the floor for the lift's rollers to glide on.

[keithb7]

 I looked at the scissor lift option. I want a lift however my shop height does not allow for it. The scissor lift seemed like a good idea until I did some research. They weigh up to 1000 pounds. My garage is a floating slab type. With living quarters underneath it. I really don't think I want to add 1,000 pounds up top. Everything could end up in the basement. Also as seen in the pics above, much of the centre of the car is un-serviceable when using these scissor jacks.  Sometimes for big jobs, I have used very large chunks of cut wood. I 'm talking like 2 ft cubed pieces. I get the the car up on there and you'e safe. I cannot come down. Worked great for pulling a tranny and doing a clutch.

[39BuickEight]

30 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

 I looked at the scissor lift option. I want a lift however my shop height does not allow for it. The scissor lift seemed like a good idea until I did some research. They weigh up to 1000 pounds. My garage is a floating slab type. With living quarters underneath it. I really don't think I want to add 1,000 pounds up top. Everything could end up in the basement. Also as seen in the pics above, much of the centre of the car is un-serviceable when using these scissor jacks.  Sometimes for big jobs, I have used very large chunks of cut wood. I 'm talking like 2 ft cubed pieces. I get the the car up on there and you'e safe. I cannot come down. Worked great for pulling a tranny and doing a clutch.

 

Are you saying you will park a car in there, but not another 1000 lbs?  That's the same as 4-5 grown men standing in the garage with your car. 

[tripwire]

I'll bet this will work.

[jan arnett (2)]

No body suggested a bumper jack, thank god

 

[keithb7]

2 hours ago, 39BuickEight said:

 

Are you saying you will park a car in there, but not another 1000 lbs?  That's the same as 4-5 grown men standing in the garage with your car. 

 

Well a 4,000 lb car and a 1,000 lb hoist all on 4 concentrated contact areas of the jack. Depending on the style of jack. I don’t have plans of the house build. Not sure what floor weight psi is rated for. It’s not an ideal situation. 

[marcapra]

Tripwire,  Thanks for this pic.  That's the best way I've seen so far.  Hold my 3000 lb. car up with 2 by 4's and smoke cigarettes while I work on gas lines.  Looks safe with at least two 2 by 4's on each side.  That's redundancy for you!  Marc. 

[padgett]

Actually have 34" between the ramps which is plenty to drop a tranny. Also ramps are inside the wheelbase so NP dropping an axle or even a Jag E-type engine and tranny (clutch job is easier if drop drivetrain out bottom).

 

ps I rarely raise any higher than needful. (anyone identify the car ?)

Edited April 13, 2019 by padgett (see edit history)