Jacking up the car-options...

I forgot about scissor jacks, its the first thing i throw away when i purchase a vehicle. they can twist or sway when working on a vehicle mon any surface. People tend to lift vehicles too high and put extra stress on the jack.
 
Hi Autopians, just a quick question in my mind...



Usually, the 4 jack points of a car is around the corners of the car underbody, but still abit of distance from the front/rear wheel (probably 4" away). Whenever I lift my car using a 2-post car hoist, is it OK to position the 4 arms at the four corners of the underbody nearby the factory recommended jack point such that for the front, it is nearer to the front wheel, and for the rear, it is nearer to the rear wheel without damaging the car. Thanks!
 
TINTORO said:
I forgot about scissor jacks, its the first thing i throw away when i purchase a vehicle. they can twist or sway when working on a vehicle mon any surface. People tend to lift vehicles too high and put extra stress on the jack.
Click to expand...



Here is a fine example:



15.jpg
 
Nobody has mentioned that when rotating tires, using a standard rotation, at some point you need to lift diagonally opposite corners at the same time - this DEFINITELY eliminates the use of scissors jacks.
 
wifeshatescars,

I have a 1995 Acura Integra so I understand your confusion. I purchased a craftsman 2.5 ton hydrolic jack a couple of weeks ago because I want to start doing all of my oil changes and tire rotations.



I rotated my tires last week without a problem. theres really no need to put the car up on jack stands. I also thought the same thing but realized it really wasnt necessary.



All you have to do is this:



1. Place the hydrolic jack underneath the front pinch weld. Always use the front pinch weld because of the extra weight of the engine.



2. You will see the front tire raising and a couple more pumps, the rear tire will follow. I was a little hesitant having the jack support the weight while I worked on it so I place a jackstand underneath the lift arm for extra support.



3. Besure you do this on a level surface. Do not do it on slope driveways.



The jack defininely supported the weight nicely and for reassurance, you can always purchase a three ton jack for extra support. If you car is like mine and lowered, youll need to lift the car a bit to slide the jack underneath the pivot point. Pm me if you have any questions.



~hope this helps~
 
Wow, I just noticed when this thread was started. I bet you could probaly give me advice on the best way to do this
 
Best place i can think of is the a arms. Just put the jack under the shock mount point and start cranking. It'll compress the spring some, but it's probably the most stable point on the fron end of the car,
 
Prometheus, is A arm the same as control arm? Is it OK if I place the jack on the A arm but on the side nearer to the engine?
 
Our detailing business just bought one of these. Its called the Carter 125. One person can air jack a car to head height and wheel it around the workshop by themselves! Its brilliant! No more bending over or having trouble accessing wheel wells, etc.



The only site I can find is this one at the moment...I'll keep looking. Its manufactured in Australia but I believed its marketed internationally.



Click here
 
Ok...it's called the Cartar 125, not Carter 125. No wonder I had trouble finding their website. :o :o



Website here.



BTW, I believe the '125' part of the name is the collapsed height - 125mm or 5 inches. Fits under anything.
 
wifehatescar said:
B. jack up one side of the car as if to rotate tires.
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I just rotated the tires on my car yesterday afternoon. I had the car standing on 3 jack stands (in the past I had 4, but I found a place in the back in the middle where I can put in 1 instead of putting 2 on the sides of the back). It had to be all the way off the ground to rotate all 4 tires. How are you doing it by only jacking up one side?



Here's another question though: How do people jack up their car when they have them lifted like 1, 2, or more feet off the ground? I've never seen any jacks around local chain stores, hardware stores, etc. that go that high. What if they get a flat on the highway or something?
 
A unique feature of the Cartar 125 is that you can wheel the car around the workshop by one person while its jacked up.



The jack's not just portable, the car on the jack is portable.
 
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