Hi there. Do you love your car? If you do, like I do mine, you would want to just get your hands dirty at times, doing minor repairs or maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape.
To do this, sometimes it requires going under the car and this is not a simple matter. Don’t get me wrong. It is easy, but not simple, owing to the fact that it can be a risky affair.
Coz of this, I want to look at how to pick the best jack stands that would ensure safety, the car’s safety, and durability of the jack stands themselves. So, what are the factors to consider in this case? Follow me and learn a few things.
The Type of Car
When selecting a jack stand, one of the main factors to consider is the type of car you will be working on.
The first thing to about the car is the ground clearance. How high is the base of the car from the ground? This would influence the type and height of jack you will need.
For SUV’s, you will need a tall jack stand in order to reach the car’s safe jack pointswith ease. For a low chassis vehicle like sports performance cars or custom made low-riders, you will need a shorter jack stands to fit well under the car.
The second thing to consider is the curb weight. Go through the owner’s manual to get the curb weight of the car so as to inform the jack stand’s weight load. Remember, whatever the weight of the car, it is advisable to get a jack stand with double the load capacity.
Vehicle Frame
Consider the chassis type of the car. There are different types of chassis, but we will focus on theunibody chassis and the steel frame chassis. The reason I am looking at the unibody is coz of the limitations it gives with regards to the safe jack points.
For steel frame chassis, there is room for your floor jack as well as the jack stand, anywhere along the frame.On the other hand, a unibodychassisdoesn’t leave much room for the jack stand when raising just one end of the vehicle.
The solution to this challenge is to get anall-in-one jack stand. With this, you don’t need a lot of room since you only need the one jack point. The all-in-one jack stand will raise the car and lock in place- problem solved.
The Jack Stand’s Build Quality
This is the quality of the jack stand you procure. With so many different companies making jack stands, it is obvious that there will be all kinds of qualities out there. Some stands will be made out of cheap material and hence come at a low cost. Don’t be fooled. Cheap is expensive and can cost you a limb or your life.
A typical jack stand is made of aluminum or light steel while the heavy-duty ones are made of steel and cast iron. Anything other than these materials will be a risk on your part.
These jack stands also differ in corrosion resistance, fit and the finish. A good quality jack stand will be corrosion resistant meaning that its integrity will not be compromised.
With regards to the structure, look at the weld quality of the joints. These must be even. If you are picking a foldable jack stand, check the quality of the hinges to ensure that they will last longer.
Also, check the jack stand’s footing. I prefer getting a wide and flat-based jack stand to minimize the risk of sinking into the driveway on hot summer days.
Type of Jack Stand
There are two main types of jack stands. The adjustable and fixed height jack stands. For adjustable jack stands, their versatility is higher than the fixed height ones. They can be used on different kinds of cars easily and offer more portability. Fixed height jack stands on the other hand lack adjustability but coz they have no moving parts, they rarely fail on you and are extremelydurable and reliable.
Final thoughts
The best jack stand should be one that serves its purpose, keeps you safe and lasts a long time. So, with this information, you should be ready to pick one out and get busy.
