Trolley jacks and axel stands - what weight?

[Hoopy_Frood]

I need a jack and stands so I can replace my exhaust.
Halfords are doing a package at a reasonable price (£50 for jack, stands and a wheeled thing for lying on), but it's only rated for 2 tonnes. Will that be strong enough?

The link does/did work, but the website is slower than a week in the jail.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255207

Thanks
Iain

[benlawlor85]

They will work but i would get something better if i were you. I bought 3t axle stands the 4leg ones. and then a 3ton clarke jack that can lift alot higher and its a beast compare to the halfords one i was usign before.

[benlawlor85]

This is the jack i bought
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... -trolley-j" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
its really good. worth the money and will last you forever.

[croc]

Hi Iain

IMHO ben is correct to recommend something better.
These vans are heavy and its your life!

For doing something like the exhaust, you can run the van up on concrete blocks or similar. Use your levelling ramps to get it up n on, no jacking required! This gives enough access for the exhaust.
Great feeling of security with 2 tons above you and not relying on jack stands to have the van on its own wheels!!
Never rely on a jack alone when under...

I bought a 2t trolley jack from Hal****s 2-3 years ago with the 'quick lift' feature and I find its cr**!
It does go up fast but that makes it hard to position, then its hard to pump with weight on. It was on special so they may not do it now.
Hope yours is better than that Ben!

jon

[benlawlor85]

mine is spot on would recommend it to anyone not wanting to spend £100+. my van is only slightly lowered for doing exhaust i just slide under it! lol

[chriscburgess]

Am I being a bit dense here?

You are not lifting the whole van with this trolley jack as the front end is supported by the front wheels or vice-versa so surely once you have it on axle stands you should be ok. I would have thought that steel axle stands must be stronger than yellow plastic levell ers?

[benlawlor85]

the cheap 2ton jacks i find dont go up high enough and also dont feel strong enough for a big van. I think the levelers were meant as a means to get the wheels onto blocks. ramps would obv be the best option if you don't need to take the wheels off.

Do what you like. support with a trolley jack a bottle jack stands blocks. it all works but some of us prefer a margin of error.

[CovKid]

Exactly right. On the road a beefy bottle jack or smaller trolley jack and a piece of hardwood to put the jack on and increase lift is OK if you can find space for it. At home I wouldn't use anything less than a big trolley jack (Sealey type with a 6" lifting dish) and very strong axle stands. Scissor jack - never.

[HarryMann]

A big quality bottle jack is very handy for front suspension work in harmony with trolley jack or axle stands.
Need flat ply plates 3/4 or even 1" thick and maybe some chunks of 4 x 4.

Esp. Handy for doing Syncro front driveshafts in the field...

'Little' trolley jacks whatever their weight rating can be both a pain on rough ground as well as potentially dangerous. A properly sized trolley jack of 2.5 to 3 tonne whether traditonal steel or a low access ally racing one is the right sort of thing.

[Hoopy_Frood]

I did buy that halfords lifting kit, but ended up not using it (d'oh) as I could get under the van (just) without lifting it. I tried the trolley jack, but my driveway is quite rough tarmac and it slipped a few times when lifting the van.

Will get myself a half decent jack in the not too distant future.

[croc]

Yes, the levelling ramps, I should have said, were just for getting the van's wheels onto the blocks.
Also when jacking the rear of the van on one side for instance, the jack is lifting more than half the weight that is on that axle.
Another point is that the cheaper jack's weight rating is the absolute maximum its capable of in ideal test laboritory conditions- not necessarily a safe working load in the driveway, roadside or whatever.
All lifting gear the safe working load, SWL, is usually much less than its max rating.

Better to be safe than sorry - working under the van is not something worth taking chances with.