DIY Floor jack and jack stand saddle: I've never felt safer

[not null]

I built this saddle so I could jack up the Maverick (and our other cars) and then settle it on my jack stands.

I've never felt really comfortable pulling a wheel with the truck only supported with the floor jack. It may be the most dangerous thing I do every 3 months.
I didn't have a good way to use jack stands and the floor jack at the same time on the same lift point. So, a short 2x6, some 3/8 plywood to index everything and I've never felt safer.

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[Geo8866]

Nice work!

 

[dalola]

That's great...a little over-kill, but erroring on the side of safety is wise.

A simpler/faster approach is a ~36" 2x4/6 placed at the center of the truck on the sill pinch weld, then jack the whole side at once, place your jack stands at the marked locations.

 

[scharris99]

Ooh! Wait until that 2x6 splits down the middle! I recommend using plywood, as in 2 sheets of 3/4" in place of that 2x lumber. I've used many pieces of 2x as a jack pad for many years and they all split eventually. I would never use lumber as a jack stand pad!

 

[dalola]

Ooh! Wait until that 2x6 splits down the middle! I recommend using plywood, as in 2 sheets of 3/4" in place of that 2x lumber. I've used many pieces of 2x as a jack pad for many years and they all split eventually. I would never use lumber as a jack stand pad!

You really don't need pads for the jack stands, they should go directly against the pinch welds.

I've been using a piece of oak for 20+ years as a load spreader for my jack, it's unphased.

 

[scharris99]

You really don't need pads for the jack stands, they should go directly against the pinch welds.

I've been using a piece of oak for 20+ years as a load spreader for my jack, it's unphased.

I agree, also the grain structure of oak is very different than pine, spruce, fir or whatever that 2x came from.

 

[surfstar]

U-jack or Unijack are commercial options too
As with everything else, they used to be much cheaper

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I agree, also the grain structure of oak is very different than pine, spruce, fir or whatever that 2x came from.

Of course if you wish to get serious and can pick it up osage orange which is 30% heavier than oak might be considered.
Bending Resistance and Strength Comparison:

• Bending Strength (MOR): Osage orange is over 20,000 psi, with some studies indicating roughly 22,000 psi. Red oak, in contrast, has a significantly lower MOR, typically around 13,000–14,000 psi.
  Zaimoku +1
• Stiffness (MOE): Osage orange is much stiffer, with a modulus of elasticity often exceeding 1.8 million psi, outperforming oak in resisting deformation under load.
  Woodworking Network
• Hardness: Osage orange has a Janka hardness rating of approximately 2,620 lbf, more than double that of white oak (1,360 lbf) or red oak (1,290 lbf).
  Tonewood Data Source +2
• Impact/Toughness: Osage is notoriously tough and resistant to compression, making it vastly superior to oak for applications requiring high-impact bending, such as bows (hence the name bois d'arc or "bow wood").

ETA:
This will be available sometime soon.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...CCgQAQ&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw34P9Ov1bOdJXp4If3Fyhpy

ETA: Perhaps a super wood windshield is also in the future???
Transparent Superwood is a revolutionary, sustainable material stronger than steel yet light and see-through, developed by processing wood to remove lignin and filling it with epoxy. It is 10 times tougher than glass, energy-efficient for insulation, and serves as a sustainable, bio-based alternative to plastic and metal.

 

[Pointyears]

I've never felt really comfortable pulling a wheel with the truck only supported with the floor jack. It may be the most dangerous thing I do every 3 months.

Good instincts. My first boss' son died from only using a floor jack and it slipped. The mom found him and she was scarred for the rest of her life.

 

[Tmurfet]

I built this saddle so I could jack up the Maverick (and our other cars) and then settle it on my jack stands.

I've never felt really comfortable pulling a wheel with the truck only supported with the floor jack. It may be the most dangerous thing I do every 3 months.
I didn't have a good way to use jack stands and the floor jack at the same time on the same lift point. So, a short 2x6, some 3/8 plywood to index everything and I've never felt safer.

Interesting method. Using two jack stands in those locations seems the right way to go. Using a pair of jack stands at each corner, so a total of eight jack stands, you could safely have the entire truck up in the air? Comments?

 

[billpitman]

Look up “ Jack Rods “, touch expensive, but work very well with my floor jacks…………… Bill P

 

[Tmurfet]

Look up “ Jack Rods “, touch expensive, but work very well with my floor jacks…………… Bill P

Yes a good solution but only if you have a compatible floor jack, which I don't (very limited compatibility list).

 

[not null]

That's great...a little over-kill, but erroring on the side of safety is wise.

A simpler/faster approach is a ~36" 2x4/6 placed at the center of the truck on the sill pinch weld, then jack the whole side at once, place your jack stands at the marked locations.

I don't have enough knowledge or experience to decide a 3' board in the middle of a unibody vehicle is good enough.

Ooh! Wait until that 2x6 splits down the middle! I recommend using plywood, as in 2 sheets of 3/4" in place of that 2x lumber. I've used many pieces of 2x as a jack pad for many years and they all split eventually. I would never use lumber as a jack stand pad!

Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind as I use it. Version 2 will probably be made from plywood.

Good instincts. My first boss' son died from only using a floor jack and it slipped. The mom found him and she was scarred for the rest of her life.

Wow. That's horrible. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting method. Using two jack stands in those locations seems the right way to go. Using a pair of jack stands at each corner, so a total of eight jack stands, you could safely have the entire truck up in the air? Comments?

To misquote the Dalai Lama: "You do you"

 

[Finnster]

Interesting method. Using two jack stands in those locations seems the right way to go. Using a pair of jack stands at each corner, so a total of eight jack stands, you could safely have the entire truck up in the air? Comments?

All I ever use is 4 jack-stands to raise the entire vehicle on my concrete garage floor!
Sometimes I even take a nap under there! Lol.

 

[Pietalian]

You really don't need pads for the jack stands, they should go directly against the pinch welds.

I've been using a piece of oak for 20+ years as a load spreader for my jack, it's unphased.

I always assumed this would flatten the pinch weld and avoided direct contact. I guess you never had an issue?

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