Jack Stands

[Knox]

What do most people run for jack stands?

I need a pair (or two) so I've started looking around, but the review on this don't seem overly favorable, a lot of reports of the jack seizing/bending or the stands giving out.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441888723&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672077&bmUID=1280864229717

do you guys run larger stands? ie 3 ton or 6 ton or something?

[JackstandJohnny]

those are fine for little things, like supporting axles when doing lift kits, etc. 

if you want to support the jeep completely i've got some 3 tonnes i use (again, for lift kits) and do one end at a time.  i'm sure you could support the whole vehicle off the ground with 4 3 tonnes

[dac]

I believe mine are the 3 ton ones from Walmart.  I'm not a fan of running them at or close to full height though.  I've got a stack of 4x4 blocks I use as a base for the stands.

[BlackYJ]

those are fine for little things, like supporting axles when doing lift kits, etc. 

if you want to support the jeep completely i've got some 3 tonnes i use (again, for lift kits) and do one end at a time.  i'm sure you could support the whole vehicle off the ground with 4 3 tonnes

A stock TJ only weighes about 4,500 lbs which means the entire vehicle could be support by just 2 of those stands since they have a capacity of 4,000 lbs each.

I use 2 ton stands but usually have to put blocks underneath them to get to the right height

[JackstandJohnny]

A stock TJ only weighes about 4,500 lbs which means the entire vehicle could be support by just 2 of those stands since they have a capacity of 4,000 lbs each.

I use 2 ton stands but usually have to put blocks underneath them to get to the right height

ha, ya you can do that too. i don't like using blocks. the 3 tonnes are  alot taller and work perfect for holding a jeep without really extending them. hence i like em

[Knox]

ok so for the 3 tonnes as a minimum lets say, are there brands to stay away from?

I mean I could run out to half a dozen places and buy them now, but the quality would likely be different between the places. ie PA vs CT etc

[tubby]

Buy yourself some quality jackstands and floor jack. Your life and wellbeing is at stake. Don't cheap out on ANY equipment that your life depends on. I've witnessed a few sketchy setups over the years and I've always invested in equipment that is overkill for my application. I use 3 and 6 ton jacks to fit a myriad of vehicles that I own.  I'm not a fan of using wood under a jackstand as I've seen them split . The 3 to 6 ton has a longer extended height.

Once I have a vehicle in the air, I usually give it a good nudge to see if it will move before I get under it.

HTH.

[tubby]

ok so for the 3 tonnes as a minimum lets say, are there brands to stay away from?

I mean I could run out to half a dozen places and buy them now, but the quality would likely be different between the places. ie PA vs CT etc

Jackstands don't have much in the way of moving parts. Have a peak at the welds at the very least, but you should be more than okay with 3 ton and up from CrapTire or PA.

[dac]

Buy yourself some quality jackstands and floor jack. Your life and wellbeing is at stake. Don't cheap out on ANY equipment that your life depends on. I've witnessed a few sketchy setups over the years and I've always invested in equipment that is overkill for my application. I use 3 and 6 ton jacks to fit a myriad of vehicles that I own.  I'm not a fan of using wood under a jackstand as I've seen them split . The 3 to 6 ton has a longer extended height.

Once I have a vehicle in the air, I usually give it a good nudge to see if it will move before I get under it.

HTH.

There's a fella a few blocks away that has his truck camper blocked up with an assortment of wood and cinder blocks.  Whaddya think of that?   

Not that a camper is all that heavy but I'd expect to see it piled over one of these days.


Sarcasm aside, don't use cinder blocks.

[Justink]

We run 3 ton stands from crappy tire.  One thing to make sure of is that the base is wide enough,  We have 2 sets from CT, one with a wide base, one with a narrow, I do not trust the narrow set as it looks like it will fold under the weight of a jeep.
HTH
 Justin

[Tinkerer]

I use the 3 ton ones and love the ratchet action with handle, beats the stupid pin and retainer on my other pair.  I can put them up to the right height quickly and drop them quickly. They have been good on dirt etc. and more than tall enough so far under axles etc.  You will want something taller if you are aiming to be on the frame and go high enough to unload the suspension!  X2 on do not skimp out on safety stuff!
http://www.princessauto.com/search-products?keyword1=Jack+Stands

[Shearcon79]

I bought a 3.5 tonne Jack and I have (4) 6 tonne stands (for the height) and (2) 2 tonne stands for the axles.  2 of my 6 tonnes are from P.A. and 2 from Crappy Tire.  Not too worried about collapse since I went overkill.  Never trust a chunk of wood to hold up something that's rated for literally tonnes of weight...too much risk.

[Rubi03 jef]

i got four 6 ton jack stands from PA there great  and they lift high enough to reach the frame lots of support and wide base means they are stable

i also have four 2.5 jack stands for smaller stuff or just working on cars

always good to have a couple of everything .

but if your question is what brand to buy    dont waste your money on snap on   you will pay way to much for no reason
got to crappy tire or PA 

[Bnine]

Greggs has nice jackstands. The PA and crappy tire types always have the internals fall apart. You can still use them, you just need set the clasp manually.

That said, I use 6 tons, and 12 tons, all of that cheap style. If I only had 1 set, it would be the 12 tons for height and comfort.

[jpthing]

Go to PA , buy the biggest or second biggest ones they have, buy them for the height, stability and beef, not 'cuz you really need a 12 ton jack stand but these are the best for the $$ IMO. Whether or not the little ones are strong enough is a moot point since they are usually not big enough. The big un's will allow stuff like tcase or tranny to be slid out from under, and will allow you to get your tires off the ground from the frame etc...I don't know if I would trust a cheap jackstand at or near its rated weight but a 12 ton stand with a two ton vehicle seems like a pretty safe bet...also I am paranoid about dropping a car on my body (kind of a reasonable fear?) so I always use a second reduntant set of jackstands if I am actually going under...one set all set up and holding the car and a second set just in case which could help shelter you in the unlikely event it did fall...I also sometimes use a big stump as a secondary backup just in case sometyhing went wrong. I know it's just paranoia but better safe than sorry. Ideally a wide range of sizes is best since they can be used to support all kinds of stuff other than the mass of the vehicle...skid plates, fuel tanks, drive shafts, etc.