Thread: Safety first

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Sure this is just another a story that came over the news here in Roch,NY.But it made me think of my brother/sister hot rodders here.

Man 56 yrs old was crushed to death while working on a friends car after the jack slipped.He was found by his friend when he returned from from the auto parts store.He called 911 and his friend was taken to the hospital where he died shortly after.

Short of being burned,I think it would be one of the most horrible ways to die.Be honest,we all have taken short cuts that we shouldn't have.Lets be careful out there.Jack stands,with the jack as a back-up and the car's wheels blocked so the car doesn't move.

Good points well worth remembering!

This can happen so easy. We've all gotten under cars that were jacked up/supported marginally, and this just goes to show how a few extra minutes can save a lot of pain or a life. I had the roll pin come out of a Harbor Freight jack stand a while back, dropping the rear axle, and smashing my finger nail. So now I leave the jack under the car as well as jack stands, just in case.

Don

10 years ago before I got my lift set up I was working on my 41 ply I wanted to get the front end up as high as possible. I had the rear up on stands and I made up a metal box to set under the cross member. I had the pan off and for some reason I got out from under the car on the side that was real close to the wall I could barely get beside the 6x6 post as the car was coming at me. It was a tight squeeze getting out, the passenger fender was resting on the post.

Another dangerous thing is the car ramps, especially for front wheel drive cars. I was looking at the ramp with the door opened trying to get momentum to get the front wheels started. Then the drive wheel spun and moved the stand and I drove over it, the ramp was underneath the driver side rocker panel.

Richard

Generally, if I'm under a car, there are jack stands and, if the wheel is off, that is slid under the frame along with a couple boards(2x8s) to reduce any clearance. If the wheels are on, I have lots of 2x6s, 8s or 10s which go under the tires. Additionally, the jack stays in place if at all possible. Also, the wheels are chocked. My ramps - after the umteenth time they went skittering away while trying to drive up them, they went to the metals dumpster at the land fill and have now been 'reborn' as Toyota front fenders

The old fellow who lives across the street, Frank, is about 85 years old. I opened my garage door one afternoon a couple of years ago and looked over at his place to see him all humped up in one of the wheelwells working on the front brakes of his Dodge Minivan. All the support I could see was a 2x4 under the rear tire and a bumper jack extended to the top notch on the front bumper.

I grabbed my floor jack and took off running, pulling it across the street as fast as I could, making one hell of a racket and slid it under the front crossmember, quickly taking the stress off the bumper jack. I explained to Frank that I would be right back with jackstands and wheel chocks.

His wife got a good laugh when I said that Frank was too young to die under a car.

Well what a lucky neighbour Tech, (Richard I think) is he alright or did you give a fright with the noise that trooley jack must of made. Amazing man to still be keen to work on his own cars at a young 85.. Awesome...

Why is it that when I work on my 1 ton dually that I'm even more paranoid about jacks and stands.?? I use double stands now after one broke the top off ( 4 ton jack stand). I have so much support stuff, wood blocks, jacks, stands that there is hardly any room to work.

There must be a phobia for this. Most of us have it especially after surviving a car fall.

Years ago I had a car roll off a set of ramps,while I was under it. I had a peice of 2X4 under the back wheels,certainly not big enough to block them. I knocked the tranny into neutral and the car slid down the ramps, the 2x4's kicking back slowly. I sucked in my belly,(it was smaller then anway) and moved with it, but not before taking most of the skin off my back, still have the scars. I often think if the wheels went over the 2by's, I sure wouldn't be here today!
Gary, thanks for ths reminder on this, Ithink we get to complacent at times.

Proper support while you are under the car is extremely important!!!

When I was in high school, I knew this older gentleman that had two of the same interests that I had. He played with guitars and cars. I had guitar lessons from this guy and he was a mechanic at the local garage. He was like a second father figure for me. You can imagine how devastated I was when I learned that he was crushed under a car that wasn't supported properly. It only took a second and his life was gone. I hurt for a long time after that.

I'm sure my son gets upset at me when I yell at him to get out from under a car that isn't supported. I too require very good quality jack stands ALONG with keeping the jack in place in the event that a Jack stand lets go (as jack stands CAN fail too). After years of nagging, he is pretty consistent in using them now. I've told him many times of my old friend and the sad story that happened. At first he just rolled his eye's, but I explained that I'm NOT going to bury you. Dad's need to pass on before their children.

Safety, isn't a second thought.... It's a priority!!

Jerome

One of my earliest jobs after high school was at a cement company. The fella I replaced was basically crushed under a front axle after a jack failed with no stands! He was found alive (barely) as he was able to get the smallest of gasping breaths for an unknown amount of hours. He couldn't even scream or yell! That image made an impression on me to be sure! Can you imagine the front axle of a cement truck across your chest for hours?!?! I never wanted to find out!

a bobcat fell on a fellow i knew .. had it propped up on concrete blocks

Originally Posted by HOSS429

a bobcat fell on a fellow i knew .. had it propped up on concrete blocks

Concrete blocks are the worst. They can vaporize into dust at any moment.

When I was in high school had a gearhead buddy of mine die when a concrete block disintegrated and the right front of his '58 Chevy landed on his chest.....His Mom found him when she went in the garage to tell him dinner was ready....

When handling a cutting torch, don't wear synthetic, flammable clothing such as nylon, polyester, etc.
I had a nifty red jumpsuit that I worked in sometimes. I was under the pickup, welding up an exhaust system. I had some material to remove for a pipe to fit in following an engine swap. I was very careful about handling the torch, but I was just laying on my back on the concrete floor, without being on a creeper because it was too tight under there. The truck was sitting on its tires and wheels and I, for some reason, didn't want to stop long enough to put it up on jackstands so that I'd have room to get under there on the creeper. Some red hot balls of material rolled under my arm and caught the sleeve on fire. Had this jumpsuit been made of cotton, I would have gotten maybe a few small burn spots at worst. As it happened, with the flammable material, the entire underneath of my right arm had seriously burned skin that took several weeks to heal.