Recall On Harbor Frieght Jack Stands

[Ulu]

I have two sets of the smaller stands, both purchased over 20 years ago. No issues but one had some flash from the forging die, and wouldn't lock solidly in the top-most position.

 

I snagged it out with a grinding wheel in a few seconds

 

It was odd that it latched OK in every other position, and flash was the culprit.

 

 

[DJ194950]

This Hp jack stand recall news Just showed up on Yahoo News.

 

Well this news forum is way ahead of one of the biggies!  ?

 

DJ

[desoto1939]

2 minutes ago, DJ194950 said:

This Hp jack stand recall news Just showed up on Yahoo News.

 

Well this news forum is way ahead of one of the biggies!  ?

 

DJ

DJ:  As soon as I was able to verify the recall I decided that in the best interest of everyone to  post this information to the forum members.

 

This is the kind of information that take a top billing to insure that no one get injuied. I know someone might not get the message but hopefully it will get passed onto your other car buddies and if you are a member of a local car club I hope that you pass this along to your club newsletter editor and if they have an email address for their members that they send out an emergency notification.

 

I contacted my webpage contact for my local club with the info and they replied back and told me that it would be going out tonight.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[Plymouthy Adams]

on the red lifts above...if anything like my rolling jacks for the lift...the ratcheting device is low within the bottom of the lifts...

[kencombs]

5 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

it is an IF THE SHOE FITS statement......again not criticizing anyone for a nip at the jug....moderation in all things....I know many who have no clue moderation is even in the dictionary….let alone know its meaning.

If that was directed at me, you misunderstood.  Not the second sentence,    The second half of the one before 'diminished mental capactity'.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I did not direct anything at anyone but now I am so confused I think I had too many nips at the jug and I DO NOT drink.....lol  and I just looked..that was supposed to read "I will NOT throw…….."?

[falconvan]

My auto shop teacher always stressed using two methods of supporting a car if you’re going to be under it. Jack stands and a floor jack as a back up. 

[kencombs]

2 hours ago, falconvan said:

My auto shop teacher always stressed using two methods of supporting a car if you’re going to be under it. Jack stands and a floor jack as a back up. 

One can't be too careful.  So many things can go wrong with cars in the air.  Tragic incident from years ago in a HS shop class.  My neighbor's 16 year old son was working on his '56 chevy starter.  Manual shift, in gear, rear wheels on the ground.  Front on  good stands. He didn't disconnect the battery cable from the battery before starting work.  His wrench contacted the hot cable from the battery and the start terminal on the solenoid.  Engine cranked, car moved enough to tip the stands over.  

 

It fell, crushing his chest and he passed on the way to the hospital.  Even worse, his older brother was in the same class and had to see the whole thing. 

 

Be careful out there, shops are dangerous, so many ways to be hurt. 

 

I do a lot of woodworking, all kinds of power tools, have worked on cars and trucks for over 60 years.  There have been some 'learning experiences' that I survived.  Use as many safeguards as you can, as often as you can.  One of the things that has always concerned me is having a disabling accident while working alone.  My shop is 300 feet from the house and wife would have no way of knowing if I were to be trapped, unconscious or unable to move for some reason.  I do try to always have my cell phone available though.

[desoto1939]

Kencombs is so correct about safety while working under a car.

 

My friend was working on his airflow Desoto and had the car up on a BOTTLE Jacket and accidently hit the bottle jack with his foot. He was working on the manifold and then the car came down and did damage to his arms and hands.

 

This is one of the reason why I do not like bottler jackets there is such a small point of contact of the jack for being under the car and the base of these bottle jacks is so small and makes the unit unstable.  Need to have a larger point of contact on the ground and alo at the point where it hits the frame  or point of where it is supporting the car or truck.

 

I use  heavy duty jack stands but also use my large floor jack to support the car jus in case if something shifts.  Better to be extra cautious when under or near a car that is off the ground.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com.

[Plymouthy Adams]

good point also on the bottle jack...the small contact that is the ram's end is not going to displace much weight to surround contact point and it would not be good to punch through a weak spot that COULD be part of the frame...I like using larger displacers and floor trolley jacks for the most part.  Scissors jacks are common in about most all vehicles today and I like them but do not consider them suitable for being under the vehicle....very few folks including myself carry a jack stand in their daily driver...so be careful just changing a tire...I have had these slip on road shoulders where you are often forced to do a tire change...

 

 

[JerseyHarold]

12 hours ago, kencombs said:

 One of the things that has always concerned me is having a disabling accident while working alone.  My shop is 300 feet from the house and wife would have no way of knowing if I were to be trapped, unconscious or unable to move for some reason.  I do try to always have my cell phone available though.

Get a wireless baby monitor and leave the speaker section in the house and the microphone section in the shop.

[Sam Buchanan]

13 minutes ago, JerseyHarold said:

Get a wireless baby monitor......

 

My wife would consider that to be very appropriate...........   ?

[Plymouthy Adams]

HEY YOU IN THE HOUSE.....BRING ME A BEER....as  you slowly begin to open you eyes again...type on here just how it went down.....

[desoto1939]

On 5/21/2020 at 11:59 AM, Plymouthy Adams said:

good point also on the bottle jack...the small contact that is the ram's end is not going to displace much weight to surround contact point and it would not be good to punch through a weak spot that COULD be part of the frame...I like using larger displacers and floor trolley jacks for the most part.  Scissors jacks are common in about most all vehicles today and I like them but do not consider them suitable for being under the vehicle....very few folks including myself carry a jack stand in their daily driver...so be careful just changing a tire...I have had these slip on road shoulders where you are often forced to do a tire change...

 

 

When I ever have to use a scissor's   jack I also when on dirt or a gravel shoulder like to place a flat piece of wood under the base of the jack just to give a solid footing and not on loose soil or gravel that might start to have the jack start to sink because of the loose ground

Rich Hartung

[captden29]

love the wood ones sam posted. years ago I had a set made by my grandfather. they were a tree stump with 4 legs around it he made from part of the tree. I used them for years. can't believe I trusted my life to them, but they always did the job. I used to use cement blocks to set the car on when I worked under it. I found out that they can fail with the weight on them, so I do not use them anymore. I have jack stands that look  like the ones in this recall and I will check them out as soon as I go out to the garage. I used one last night to hold up my boat trailer while I changed out the trailer jack. I almost always keep my hydraulic jack in use along with the jackstand. today I am changing a trailer tire. I also have the pipe kind with the pin, but I do not use them anymore as I never did really like them. anyway, thanks for the heads up on this product.    capt den

[Eneto-55]

We used to use cement ('cinder') blocks too.  Did for years with none of them ever breaking, and left cars up on them for years at a time, too.  I suspect that the reason is that the blocks were either on the dirt, or on very level cement, and we always had a slab of wood on top of them.  (I figure that they break because of having a very small contact area with the frame of the car, and the block of wood takes care of that.  We also always set them the same way you would if building a wall, not on their sides.)

[Sniper]

Sort of like how you break a cinder block with your bare hand, you don't hit it where the support is, you hit it between the supports and it breaks easy, well easier.

 

I imagine where you put the weight of the car is the key factor.

[Eneto-55]

As I mentioned before, I have 4 of this type of jack stand, two that were made in China, other two are older, made in USA.  I bought all of them on auctions when someone was selling off all their stuff, no part numbers on what is left of the labels.  (ID numbers should be STAMPED into the steel of stuff like this.)
So to make these more secure (I DO always keep the hydraulic floor jack under the car as well, just engaging enough that it's snug), I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on if drilling holes for a pin would weaken the extension, which is cast iron.

[Sam Buchanan]

7 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on if drilling holes for a pin would weaken the extension, which is cast iron.

 

I wouldn't do it.....much better to just use unmodified jack stands you can trust.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Sam Buchanan

[kencombs]

16 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

We used to use cement ('cinder') blocks too.  Did for years with none of them ever breaking, and left cars up on them for years at a time, too.  I suspect that the reason is that the blocks were either on the dirt, or on very level cement, and we always had a slab of wood on top of them.  (I figure that they break because of having a very small contact area with the frame of the car, and the block of wood takes care of that.  We also always set them the same way you would if building a wall, not on their sides.)

Red is the key.  I've seen several, both in person and in pics, that had failed.  All had the holes horizontal.  And, adding the wood helps with preventing concentrated point loads.  Not that I'd ever work under one like that, but for storage, sure.

[kencombs]

54 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

I wouldn't do it.....much better to just use unmodified jack stands you can trust.

I've done it, added pins, but not by drilling the center post.  Drill the base so that the pin goes under the post when fully extended.

 

May not be possible with all designs though as some don't look like the frame extends fare enough down.

 

If one trusts there welding skills enough, some metal could be added I guess.

Edited May 24, 2020 by kencombs

[kencombs]

On 5/21/2020 at 8:48 PM, JerseyHarold said:

Get a wireless baby monitor and leave the speaker section in the house and the microphone section in the shop.

300 feet, inside a metal building with the receiver inside a brick building.  Doesn't seem to me to be workable.  But, I'll look at some specs, thanks for the idea.

 

Maybe there are some that could use my phones' hot spot to reach the internet?

[Los_Control]

I have a couple small jack stands I bought from tractor supply, probably should check to see if they are also on the list.

But, I can have them set at lowest level, put them under the axles of my truck, plenty high enough for me.

If I need more height, would set wooden pads under the stands. I just never was a fan of the lever on the side to ratchet raise/lower the stands.

 

two 2"x6"x11" lying side by side, with 2 more on top going opposite direction and 3" screws to hold them together. Thats a good sturdy base for the stand and raises it 3" Use 2 pads on each jack stand and raises it 6"

Attach a loop of rope to them for a handle, easy to swing under and into place, or pick up and store in some corner. Cheap and easy to build and never worry about the jack stand falling.

 

Just my two cents, mine are not harbor freight, possible they were made by the same manufacturer? Just never bothered to check the numbers because I wont be raising them up and working under the car anyways.

I might possibly raise them up if I was not going to be working under them.

[Eneto-55]

1 hour ago, kencombs said:

I've done it, added pins, but not by drilling the center post.  Drill the base so that the pin goes under the post when fully extended.

 

May not be possible with all designs though as some don't look like the frame extends fare enough down.

 

If one trusts there welding skills enough, some metal could be added I guess.

I'll have to look at mine again, to see if this is possible.  Like someone else said, I usually use them at their fully retracted (lowered) position.  Now on my P15, I usually don't need to raise the car at all, as it's high enough (and I'm skinny enough) to be able to slide under it as it sits.  (I'm not into lowered cars anymore, either, so that helps too.)

 

Before I found these jack stands at an auction, I always just used wood blocks (pieces of 4 x 6 hard wood).  Maybe I'll make some up with casters rigged up on old valve springs, so that when the weight comes down on them they sit flat on the floor, but otherwise come up just a bit, to make it easier to position them (because hardwood tends to be on the heavy side to manipulate the older I get).

[Sam Buchanan]

2 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

(because hardwood tends to be on the heavy side to manipulate the older I get).

 

Not older........wiser!   ?