 |
| These old Snap On jacks can be rebuilt. Parts are still available. |
There are two important concepts to remember. First, a floor jack is for getting your car off the ground. Jack stands are a way to keep it up in the air. Don’t ever forget these two basic principles.
Eventually every floor jack starts to leak hydraulic fluid. A leaking jack won’t hold a car up in the air. That’s why you need to use jack stands every time you get your car to the required height. You
Most of us have watched NASCAR on TV. This introduced us to something called the Racing Jack. We never needed this but it sure did sound cool. Then we found them on line for a cheap price. You’re a racer – why shouldn’t you have a really cool racing jack.
 |
| The $243 fake racing jack from eBay. |
Real racing jacks are highly modified floor jacks that have been stripped down to the lightest possible weight and designed to produce the greatest amount of lift possible with the fewest pumps of the handle.
A racing jack is good for is getting a car into the air quickly. We really don’t need to do that in vintage racing. Even if you run enduro events there’s no need for getting your car up in the air for a 15-second pit stop. If you actually need to do that you can plan on spending well over a thousand dollars. Just the jack handle alone from Brunnhoelzi costs $185.00.
NASCAR teams pay at least $1,500 for their jacks. A $200 aluminum jack on eBay isn’t even close to the real deal. There are only two reasons everyone's buying these cheap imported jacks: They're cheap and they're available.
 |
| These are the real deal. |
The first thing you need to do when you buy a new jack is take it apart. Seriously. Unbolt all the parts and use a thread locker on all the bolts. Eventually all of the bolts on your floor jack will loosen. They’ll do this at the most inopportune time. You might as well assemble your jack properly while you have a chance. It’s also a lot easier to do this in your shop than out at the track.
While you’re still in the shop take a minute and lower the car to the shop floor without a tire on the wheel. You want to simulate a flat tire. Can you get your jack under the car? Do this with both the front and rear of the car. If your jack won’t go under the car in your shop how are you going to solve this problem when it happens at the track?
If you know you’re going to be working in a dirt paddock you might want to look into something called dirt wings. These are flat plates that bolt to the front of your jack and provide stability. You can also fabricate some aluminum plates that go under your jack when you find yourself in a dirt paddock.
 |
| Dirt Wings |
Storing Your Jack: You can store your jack in the trailer for the trip home but what happens if you have a flat tire on the trailer? I generally put the jack in the trailer last. Yes, I’ve used my floor jack on the highway when the trailer blew a tire. Just make sure your floor jack will actually lift your loaded trailer high enough to change a tire.
Another choice is to carry a bottle jack in your trailer just for such an emergency. No matter what type of jack you use make certain that you load your trailer and then see if the jack will get the wheels off the ground.
Jack Stands: Jack stands can do two bad things. First they can let you car fall down. Or, they can make really ugly marks on your beautiful shop floor. Oh, there’s one more thing they can do if you use jack stands on asphalt paving in the summer. They just gently sink into the hot asphalt. That usually happens when you’re under the car. The footprint, or base, of a jack stand is pretty important. A larger base provides greater stability. You should use a base plate made of aluminum or wood to support the jack stand when you use it in dirt or asphalt. You don’t want the jack stand slowing sinking into the pavement or the ground while you’re under the car.
One important factor is how high the jack stands reach. Taller is usually better since it gives your more room under the car. Also, what sort of weight can these jack stands handle? Finally, do they meet ANSI requirements? If they don’t carry an ANSI sticker you probably shouldn’t buy them. ANSI Certification: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees the creation and promulgation of guidelines. ANSI doesn't "certify" anything but jack and jackstands can be designed and tested to meet ANSI standards. Remember ANSI doesn’t perform product compliance evaluations and they don’t provide product certification.They simply set the standards.
If you’re buying a jack or jack stands look for the ANSI certification sticker. This sticker may also say something about meeting ASME-PALD (American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Portable Automotive Lifting Device) specification. It you can’t find any of these stickers don’t buy it. Ok, buy it and then call your insurance agent for a bigger policy.Originally published in
