My 55 Buick fell of its jack today, now what?

[Gronk]

Cribbing IS the way to go! There's plenty of 4x4s and 6x6s in dumpsters at home building sites or elsewhere. When I get them I just cut em to the appropriate size needed.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Frankly, I don't understand: you had a floor jack only on one side (driver side)?

[edinmass]

I always slide the tires under the car in the middle when doing this type of work, even with jack stands. When you spend 20,000 hours in the shop over a lifetime, things happen no matter how carful you are. We also keep some 12x12’s about 18 inches long if tires and rims are rare/expensive. The only real important part is no one got hurt.

 

Twenty years ago, I was under a lift when it failed…….bending over to pick up a dropped tool. The single side came down incredibly fast from what one would have expected. The safety caught on the fourth latch, spilling the car over to the low side. I just walked out while still bent over. The guys in the shop were stunned. I was happy to not take it on the head and crush my spine a few inches. I walked away for the rest of the day……….it’s so clear in my mind it seems like yesterday. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Terry Harper]

I learned a long time ago about redundancy of supports and how quickly things can go wrong when lifting heavy machinery or vehicles.  Mass and momentum are interesting.

 

Many, many years ago I was involved in a volunteer effort to jack up two locomotives and build a new roadbed beneath them. As we jacked and blocked the bigger of the two we realized that it was not going straight-up but off to the right. We decided that we would push it side ways with 60 ton bridge jacks set at an angle. Mind you none of us had ever done anything like this before. Well as you can imagine we almost had one of those "here, hold my beer" moments. When it slid it slid... all 188,000 lbs of it! We didn't think it was going to stop! For a few seconds the awful vision of having destroyed a historic and cultural treasure flashed through my mind and I am sure I was not the only one in the group needing to change out the shorts. It all turned out well but that was an eye opener! Since then I have had to move and lift lots of heavy stuff with that memory always fresh in my mind reminding me of how quickly things can happen and the need for redundancy and careful planning.

 

 

2022 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2023 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[Nailbitten]

On 1/2/2023 at 10:16 AM, M1842 said:

This was what I was thinking, I have a buddy coming over this afternoon to give me a hand.  The wife, quite understandably, is freaked out and has demanded I get help.

LoL Yep,I hear that! My wife has called me an idiot more than once but i always manage to get the job done.Just throw a jack under the center front cross member and start pumping.Toss a tire for safety,block what you got,and go again.Won't take all that much to get some tires on it.

 

[Nailbitten]

On 1/14/2023 at 6:45 AM, edinmass said:

I always slide the tires under the car in the middle when doing this type of work, even with jack stands. When you spend 20,000 hours in the shop over a lifetime, things happen no matter how carful you are. We also keep some 12x12’s about 18 inches long if tires and rims are rare/expensive. The only real important part is no one got hurt.

 

Twenty years ago, I was under a lift when it failed…….bending over to pick up a dropped tool. The single side came down incredibly fast from what one would have expected. The safety caught on the fourth latch, spilling the car over to the low side. I just walked out while still bent over. The guys in the shop were stunned. I was happy to not take it on the head and crush my spine a few inches. I walked away for the rest of the day……….it’s so clear in my mind it seems like yesterday. 

Yes sir you are lucky buddy. A guy i raced with every weekend from Danville,IL.had his Modified slide off his car lift about 5 yrs ago and pinned him until he died.I couldn't hardly walk under my racecar on my lift after that happen for quite a while.

[Professor]

I too had a near accident when a jack stand collapsed sideways while my dad and I were installing an engine in my Corvair back in the early 1980s.  One rear Jack stand collapsed, the car dropped, and as stupid luck would have it, fell on a metal car ramp positioned to the side of the Corvair in the direction it fell.  The brake drum hit the ramp and the ramp held, but the car was so close to the ground that my chest was compressed so that I could not breathe.  I remember my father sticking a scissor jack under the car near my head and I remember my hair being pulled into the jack and hearing / feeling the ripping sound (I did not feel a thing) as a large chunk of my hair was pulled out.  I passed out and came to with the paramedics leaning over me.

 

To this day, I do not get under any car without jack stands and a jack, both protecting me.

 

To this day, I also do not get under a car without a feeling of great unease… almost a brief sense of rising panic.

 

I am removing and installing a transmission in my 1936 chrysler and I have ramps on all four corners and jack stands under the rear axle with the rear ramps positioned under the tires in case both rear jack stands fail.

 

My heart is racing simply recounting this story.

 

One cheap, accidentally placed Western Auto metal car ramp was between me and death or serious injury.

 

Joe

[VW4X4]

I work outside most of the year.  The ground where I work is a mess of old asphalt, gravel, grass, mud, etc. If that wasn't bad enough, most of the area is sloping down hill.  I've managed to  cheat death for over 30 years.  Several cars have fallen on me but I've seen most of them start to go, and got out from under them, like lightning. I'm definitely to old for those tricks , so I take the extra time,  as many have noted, to throw a tire , concrete block , or something under the car just for a little extra insurance.  I've also learned to , try and knock the car off the jack stands, before you get under. If its shaky,  try jacking it again.  

 For any kid reading this..... if you think its not going to happen to you,,,,   Its not if, its when....

 

ERIc

 

[Digger914]

A few years ago I bought the quick jack and it's as sturdy as all get out, but you still need to be spot on with your lift points and don't trust everything that looks good, especially in rust country. I have my jack stands that I still place under the car for extra safety when I go underneath and I always give the car a good wiggle as soon as all tires are off the floor. The one thing that I can mention about using the quick jack that isn't mentioned in the operating instructions, is to place your car and especially your SUV in neutral before lifting. The quick jack isn't a straight up lift and your locked wheels can slide the jack and can also change your your support points while lifting.

 

I've never dropped a car, but I was in the shop the day the hoist cable broke while lifting, before it passed the first safety catch. It made quite an impression, both literally and figuratively.

[Nailbitten]

It's a wonder half of us aren't busted up using them old bumper jacks back in the day.Hell you had to have the bumper 3' high and about the time the tire came off the ground that's when the whole car slid sideways..THEN you had to trip the jack to let it back down and  keep your hands from getting pinched or crushed. I've had to jump out from under a falling car many times but those days are over.

[Roger Zimmermann]

By reading all the precautions some people are taking before going under a car, have a look at the attached picture. The body was not high enough to let roll the frame under it; I added small wood blocks under the front jacks to clear the frame. to ad them on the LH side of the body, I had to go under it and I was alone. Safety first was not a theme that day!