How to Safely Use Jack Stands?
A jack stand is used to prop up a vehicle once it is raised using a floor jack. Placing the jack stand completely could mean the difference between making repairs on your can or having routine maintenance and a terrible accident. Working under a floor jack without a jack stand is very dangerous.
How to Lift a Car onto Jack Stands?
Precautions:
Before you start using a jack stand there are a few things that you will need to ensure. First, you need to check that the jack stand is rated to support the weight of your vehicle. Using a jack stand whose weight rating is less than your vehicle is a potential for disaster and will likely lead to an accident. You can check the weight rating of the jack on the manual. The second precaution to take is to never place the jack stand beneath non-structural components of the car. Do not place it under pans, for example. This can be very dangerous.
Even before you start working, you need to find a flat surface level to work on. Working on an inclined or uneven surface will likely lead to an accident as the jack stand can tilt and give way. Finally, always put your car brakes on before you prop up a vehicle and work beneath it. This is an important safety procedure that will definitely save your life.
Using the Jack Stand:
Using a jack stand is fairly simple. You need to first use a floor jack to raise the vehicle slightly higher than your desired height. Once you have done this, the next step is to place the jack stand underneath the jacking point of the vehicle. This position needs to be as close to the floor jack as possible. Once again, lift up the jack stand slightly higher than the desired height and let the cradle rest against the locking mechanism of the jack stand. The next step is to remove the jack stand once you are finished working on your vehicle.
To remove the jack stand, you need to lift the vehicle slightly with the floor jack so you can be able to lift the cradle up. This is a necessary move because you need the cradle to disengage from the locking mechanism. Once you have reached this point in the process, the next thing that you need to do is to lift the lock handle. This will cause the cradle to collapse into the stand.
Conclusion:
The importance of a jack stand cannot be emphasized enough. Working underneath a vehicle can be a very dangerous and daunting task. You always need to be sure that all grounds are covered so that the vehicle does not collapse on top of you. One of the safety precautions is to always use a jack stand alongside a floor jack. It is the difference between safety and a bizarre accident when you are working underneath your vehicle. Now that you know how to use the jack stand, you can teach others to do it as well for the sake of promoting safety.