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> Harbor Freight jackstands recalled!, Could collapse under weight!
oakdalecurtis
post May 19 2020, 03:20 PM
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Here’s a link to the Harbor Freight jackstands that are being recalled. Apparently the catch pawl can slip and allow collapse of the stands under load.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/bu...-of-collapsing/

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Steve
post May 19 2020, 03:24 PM
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I know this has been discussed before with some gruesome pictures... but who in there right mind would use ratcheting jack stands? Most people use the ones with the pins. To easy to kick that lever and have the car fall on you.
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VaccaRabite
post May 19 2020, 04:07 PM
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QUOTE(Steve @ May 19 2020, 05:24 PM) *

I know this has been discussed before with some gruesome pictures... but who in there right mind would use ratcheting jack stands? Most people use the ones with the pins. To easy to kick that lever and have the car fall on you.


If by "most people" you mean "a distinct minority of people" then you are correct.

I've seen a LOT of shops and garages, and most that have jackstands have the pawl kind not the pin kind.

Generally speaking you can't get the pin kind at Walmart, FLAPS, or Harbor Freight. And when you can they are way more expensive. To get the pin type you are suddenly bumped into shop tools, and they are out of the price range of the guy just wanting to change his oil.

So, the vast majority of people that use jackstands use the pawl type. And those people are better off then the even larger majority that don't use anything at all.

Zach
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iankarr
post May 19 2020, 04:19 PM
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Looks like you can now get hybrid ratchet / pin stands for about the same price. I can only imagine the insurance claims that forced this redesign...

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Steve
post May 19 2020, 04:51 PM
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QUOTE(VaccaRabite @ May 19 2020, 03:07 PM) *

QUOTE(Steve @ May 19 2020, 05:24 PM) *

I know this has been discussed before with some gruesome pictures... but who in there right mind would use ratcheting jack stands? Most people use the ones with the pins. To easy to kick that lever and have the car fall on you.


If by "most people" you mean "a distinct minority of people" then you are correct.

I've seen a LOT of shops and garages, and most that have jackstands have the pawl kind not the pin kind.

Generally speaking you can't get the pin kind at Walmart, FLAPS, or Harbor Freight. And when you can they are way more expensive. To get the pin type you are suddenly bumped into shop tools, and they are out of the price range of the guy just wanting to change his oil.

So, the vast majority of people that use jackstands use the pawl type. And those people are better off then the even larger majority that don't use anything at all.

Zach

Maybe your right, but I had no problem finding mine at Pep boys, but that was 20 years ago.
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914Sixer
post May 19 2020, 04:54 PM
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NEVER buy a jack stand that does NOT have a locking pin. It is that simple!
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jdamiano
post May 19 2020, 05:08 PM
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QUOTE(cuddy_k @ May 19 2020, 04:19 PM) *

Looks like you can now get hybrid ratchet / pin stands for about the same price. I can only imagine the insurance claims that forced this redesign...

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I purchased this exact set after watching a YouTube video of a guy testing the story of a guy dropping his 914 on himself by releasing a non pined stand accidentally with a long screwdriver caught in the release lever. His test proved it possible.
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jdamiano
post May 19 2020, 05:13 PM
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https://youtu.be/G7_Aa8pbM7Y
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Superhawk996
post May 19 2020, 06:47 PM
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QUOTE(jdamiano @ May 19 2020, 07:13 PM) *


Click bait video.

"ha ha it totally failed" -- After he hooked a pry bar under it and then exerted substantial force on the pry bar without measuring the force on the bar and calculating the total force exterted on the jack stand lever.

Later in the video he goes on to show that it isn't easy to accidentally release. What also isn't considered is that a failure of 1 jackstand probably won't kill you. Could it?

Yes, in just the right scenaro but the weight would not crush to the ground and the other 3 stands would still bear weight. Now if you're only using 1 jack stand and working directly below it, that is just asking for trouble. I almost always back up a single jackstand with another.

News Flash: working the the garage around heavy objects and power tools can be dangerous. Even full on two post and 4 post hoists have been known to fail unexpectedly. Extremely rare but it has happened. Standing under a two ton object is inherently dangerous to a degree.

If we don't take responsibility for our own safety and actions, expect a set of jackstands to soon cost $500 to cover corporate liability and the costs of frivilous lawsuits.

This sort of "experiment" makes a well proven jack stand design appear to be critically flawed though intentional misuse. Sort of like when NBC news was caught using ignitors to ensure that a "test crash" caught on camera would result in a firery crash.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-199...1335-story.html

Just for clarity -- I'm not against pin type either!
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JRust
post May 19 2020, 08:27 PM
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I have those jackstands but only use them as extra. I never rely on them to hold my car up with me under it. I have had my car up on 4 of those before with it supporting all it's weight. I always have backup blocks under or wheels under to back them up. Point being I know they have had failure issues. So if you do use them be smart & has safety measures in place. I have a mid-rise scissor lift now so mostly they just sit in my garage
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bbrock
post May 19 2020, 08:36 PM
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QUOTE(jdamiano @ May 19 2020, 05:08 PM) *

QUOTE(cuddy_k @ May 19 2020, 04:19 PM) *

Looks like you can now get hybrid ratchet / pin stands for about the same price. I can only imagine the insurance claims that forced this redesign...

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I purchased this exact set after watching a YouTube video of a guy testing the story of a guy dropping his 914 on himself by releasing a non pined stand accidentally with a long screwdriver caught in the release lever. His test proved it possible.


I have a set of Strongway brand jackstands that are the same design. Somebody posted here about them when I started my build a few years ago. I'm glad they did because they are really nice stands. Easy adjustment of a ratchet with the security of a pin. I highly recommend them.
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bkrantz
post May 19 2020, 09:16 PM
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My preference.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019JVIP...=UTF8&psc=1
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VaccaRabite
post May 19 2020, 10:22 PM
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Just so we are clear, the guy that was under his 914 when a pawl style jack stand failed was a World member and Admin.

When Gint had his incident that was when I shoved my pawl types under a workbench and bought several pin types.

Zach
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911GT2
post May 20 2020, 05:26 AM
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QUOTE(Steve @ May 19 2020, 01:24 PM) *

I know this has been discussed before with some gruesome pictures... but who in there right mind would use ratcheting jack stands? Most people use the ones with the pins. To easy to kick that lever and have the car fall on you.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bs.gif)

I use them all the time. Without any problem.
You can't kick that lever as the lever forces the support up. So then you would be kicking the car up. Unless you're Gary Anderson I don't see that happening any time soon.

Believe me I've tried more than once in the name of speed to do it that way, it will not happen!
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Superhawk996
post May 20 2020, 06:01 AM
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QUOTE(VaccaRabite @ May 20 2020, 12:22 AM) *

Just so we are clear, the guy that was under his 914 when a pawl style jack stand failed was a World member and Admin.

When Gint had his incident that was when I shoved my pawl types under a workbench and bought several pin types.

Zach


That is indeed is tragedy. I don't mean to make light of that incident or any other that has led to death or injury.

My main point is that everyting we do in the garage or under a car has inherent risk. I use two post hoists all the time as part of my day job (well at least when we were allowed to actually go to work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) ) and stand under cars on those hoists.

Standard procedure is to load car, lift hoist about 6" off the ground then shake the hell out of it to make sure it is solidily on the lift pads properly and the car is stable on the hoist itself.

The hoists have built in pneumatically actuated ratchet and pawl locks of exactly the same design as a set of ratcheting jack stands.

Could they fail? Yes. Have hoists failed in the past? Yes. Will they fail in the future if not maintained or used properly - Yes.

Guys -- be safe out there. Take responsibility for your own safety. Use back up devices or some sort of blocking when ever you can.
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horizontally-opposed
post May 20 2020, 08:08 AM
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QUOTE(911GT2 @ May 20 2020, 04:26 AM) *


I use them all the time. Without any problem.
You can't kick that lever as the lever forces the support up. So then you would be kicking the car up. Unless you're Gary Anderson I don't see that happening any time soon.

Believe me I've tried more than once in the name of speed to do it that way, it will not happen!


Find the nearest dumpster and throw them away. Preferably disassembled, in two stages, so no one can reassemble them.

Pin types are inexpensive on Amazon and elsewhere—very cheap insurance, and there's only one you. Said with love for ya…

QUOTE(Superhawk996 @ May 20 2020, 05:01 AM) *

My main point is that everyting we do in the garage or under a car has inherent risk. I use two post hoists all the time as part of my day job (well at least when we were allowed to actually go to work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) ) and stand under cars on those hoists.

Standard procedure is to load car, lift hoist about 6" off the ground then shake the hell out of it to make sure it is solidily on the lift pads properly and the car is stable on the hoist itself.

The hoists have built in pneumatically actuated ratchet and pawl locks of exactly the same design as a set of ratcheting jack stands.

Could they fail? Yes. Have hoists failed in the past? Yes. Will they fail in the future if not maintained or used properly - Yes.

Guys -- be safe out there. Take responsibility for your own safety. Use back up devices or some sort of blocking when ever you can.


^ Yes, to all that.
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Andyrew
post May 20 2020, 12:29 PM
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I use mine on the low level only so no opportunity to fail. If I raise it up beyond that I put two extras as safety.
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pt_700
post May 20 2020, 12:41 PM
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would it be safe to drill holes to add pins to these types of stands? how much might the hole compromise strength? what type of "pin" would be strong enough?
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AZBanks
post May 20 2020, 01:00 PM
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QUOTE(pt_700 @ May 20 2020, 11:41 AM) *

would it be safe to drill holes to add pins to these types of stands? how much might the hole compromise strength? what type of "pin" would be strong enough?


Without proper test equipment, who knows. Why risk your life to save a few bucks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
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Rufus
post May 20 2020, 07:50 PM
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QUOTE(911GT2 @ May 20 2020, 04:26 AM) *

QUOTE(Steve @ May 19 2020, 01:24 PM) *

I know this has been discussed before with some gruesome pictures... but who in there right mind would use ratcheting jack stands? Most people use the ones with the pins. To easy to kick that lever and have the car fall on you.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bs.gif)

I use them all the time. Without any problem.
You can't kick that lever as the lever forces the support up. So then you would be kicking the car up. Unless you're Gary Anderson I don't see that happening any time soon.

Believe me I've tried more than once in the name of speed to do it that way, it will not happen!


Almost certainly not the same brand, and appear to be designed a little differently (the levers on mine come down much closer to the legs of the stand when the pawl is fully engaged), but I’ve been using my pawl type stands without a problem for more than 25 years ... on the probably more than 20 cars / pickups I’ve owned in that time. I 100% agree it’s impossible to kick the release lever up with the car’s weight on them.

I ALWAYS check very carefully (visually and by feel) when setting them that the pawl and tooth are fully / properly engaged. Then after the car’s up in its final working position, I ALWAYS grab the car by the body, engine, or ??, and give it a healthy shake to make sure nothing moves. Only THEN do I go underneath.

Back in the ‘70’s a couple of buddies and I R&R’d transmissions on our Chevy’s together using tree stumps as jack stands ... no more!

And there was also a time when I crewed for TransAm Camaro at Lime Rock in 1972 ... being one of the last to arrive at the track our only option in the paddock was an uneven spot and being early May the ground was still a little wet. During prep for the race I was under the car a bit; changing oil, etc. Then soon after finishing some of my work, the car slipped off the stands!

As I read in the R&T article, the problem is due to old / worn tooling used in manufacturing.

I’m very curious ... does anyone on here have stands that fall within the recall? And if so, could you please have a close look and report anything that looks suspect? Photos maybe??
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