Topic: Message #110579

[yotaboy79]

Take a look at the proper lifting practice of a truck to do a little exhaust work. Cheap, effective, and absolutely insane.

KYOTA is right about the jack stands. Nobody here wants to be the next Darwin winner lying under the truck they were working on.

If you can't find jack stands tall enough to reach the frame, all you need to do is get something stable to put the stand on for the extra height. The taller you get, the more width you need at the base to maintain adequate stability...just like a lifted truck. Ideally, you might look at fabricating a taller base that will bolt or weld to the stand eliminating the possibilty of ejecting an intermediate component of the support (see stacked blocks concerns on cheap rear lift kits) while pulling on your 3 foot cheater bar to break that stubborn suspension bolt loose. If you do need to block your stands, a tall block with a wide footprint and the jack stand at its lower adjustment is better than a shorter block with the jack stand fully extended. Better to use the jack stand as far from it's least stable condition as possible.

Another thing that can help are wheel chocks. If you only have one end up in the air, preventing the opposite end from rolling or twisting will add stability to the system and reduce the potential tipping load on the stands. You can use your E-brake for the rear but I wouldn't want to rely on it since a drum brake doesn't set very well in reverse...I learned this one the hard way and had a hell of a bruise where the hi-lift clipped me in the leg when it came out. A line-lok could also work but it has the same safety concerns as any hydraulic system in that it can bleed down or let go in an instant.

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