Danger faries have been working hard.

BigglesPiP · 12 Oct 2007 at 03:05

2 Post lifts which have been safe for over 45 years have suddenly become dangerous, the arms have to lock in place when the lift leaves the ground.

In reality this means some idiot somewhere has dropped a car on his head, and the rest of us who aren't complete birks have to suffer, with lowering cars all the way to the ground and back to change jacking points.

dalin80 · 12 Oct 2007 at 08:01

you used to change jacking points in mid air?

its is handy though, sometimes our arms used to slide under the car, especialy fiestas when wet due to where the front arms sat on the chassis. having a car creep sideways over your head wasnt much fun. most cars you can just use the sill line which never has such a problem.

Dogbreath · 12 Oct 2007 at 08:41

dalin80 said:
you used to change jacking points in mid air?

It can be done reasonably safely, I've used a transmission jack to support the weight of one corner whilst moving one of the arms.

penski · 12 Oct 2007 at 08:47

Dogbreath said:
It can be done reasonably safely, I've used a transmission jack to support the weight of one corner whilst moving one of the arms.

It's things like that which lead to things like "some idiot somewhere has dropped a car on his head" and then more stringent regulations for everyone else.

*n

penski · 12 Oct 2007 at 08:47

For the record, since dropping a mini on myself at the age of 15, I have been a complete pussy around cars that have been jacked up...

*n

Dogbreath · 12 Oct 2007 at 10:55

penski said:
It's things like that which lead to things like "some idiot somewhere has dropped a car on his head" and then more stringent regulations for everyone else.

*n

It's the clueless that cause these problems, it's entirely possible to do this perfectly safely if you are in possession of more than three active brain cells. Sadly there are too many people around that don't meet this stipulation.

I don't like being under raised cars much either, but I've never been squashed by one as I tend to go overboard with axle stands etc if working on my driveway. Two post lifts are vastly safer than jacks etc.

mattpc · 12 Oct 2007 at 10:57

penski said:
For the record, since dropping a mini on myself at the age of 15, I have been a complete pussy around cars that have been jacked up...

*n

That's a fairly good excuse to brick it!!!

BigglesPiP · 12 Oct 2007 at 11:00

Dogbreath said:
It can be done reasonably safely, I've used a transmission jack to support the weight of one corner whilst moving one of the arms.

Same technique.

Just don't stand under the damn car.

penski · 12 Oct 2007 at 11:07

It was an emergency engine change in a field...jacked up, put the shell on axle stands, breeze blocks and bits of wood, put jack under the engine, undid mounts, dropped jack, lifted front of shell, pulled engine out, put shell back on stands, crawled under to check a couple of things, it got caught by a gust of wind and fell on my legs :/

*n

BigglesPiP · 12 Oct 2007 at 11:12

There's a bloke lives near me always has a car up on axle stands, milimetres from the B road between Bowness and Kendal. On a fast bend.

I've seen him under one there before, complete lunatic.

McLovin · 12 Oct 2007 at 11:13

penski said:
It was an emergency engine change in a field...jacked up, put the shell on axle stands, breeze blocks and bits of wood, put jack under the engine, undid mounts, dropped jack, lifted front of shell, pulled engine out, put shell back on stands, crawled under to check a couple of things, it got caught by a gust of wind and fell on my legs :/

*n

Good thing it was a mini and you where on soft ground

volospian · 12 Oct 2007 at 11:22

I came around a corner on our estate the other day to find some braindead moron fixing his van... on the road... on the driver side!!

Yep, you guessed it... his legs were sticking out from under the jacked up car into the middle of the road... on a bend :eek:

I mean, in the scheme of things it was a housing estate and so I was only doing 20 or so, but still... :rolleyes:

Dogbreath · 12 Oct 2007 at 12:12

penski said:
It was an emergency engine change in a field...jacked up, put the shell on axle stands, breeze blocks and bits of wood, put jack under the engine, undid mounts, dropped jack, lifted front of shell, pulled engine out, put shell back on stands, crawled under to check a couple of things, it got caught by a gust of wind and fell on my legs :/

*n

Not nice, and I can understand your hesitation to climb underneath a car. A friends dad was crushed by a Mk2 Escort many years ago, he lived and is fine now but was in a state when they managed to lift the car, blood vessels all burst in his eyes etc.

penski · 12 Oct 2007 at 12:17

If it hadn't been stripped out for minicross (zero interior, one seat, cage, no glass, bit of mesh for the windscreen) I'd probably have lost a leg.

As it stands, I have one scar and my knees occasionally give me gyp.

*n

mattpc · 12 Oct 2007 at 16:54

penski said:
If it hadn't been stripped out for minicross (zero interior, one seat, cage, no glass, bit of mesh for the windscreen) I'd probably have lost a leg.

As it stands, I have one scar and my knees occasionally give me gyp.

*n

scary stuff m8, suprised you even go under a car at all now. I am always a bit petrified of something like that happening but it's kind of good because it means I actually bother to check the axel stands properly. I always had the poo put up me by the GSF forums guys when I ran my Citroens because quite a few lives have been lost over the year to the Hydroneumatic (or whatever you are supposed to call it!!) suspension.