Lifting a Car Safely for Minor Maintenance/Repair

Hi:

For a Ford Taurus 2004, what is a good way of lifting or having access to a car safely for minor in home maintenance or repair? One problem I have found is difficulty with putting the car on jack-stand once it is lifted by jack (small number of assigned areas for jack or stands) and the ramps look risky as they might collapse. The old-fashion approach (may be the best one) is to use a repair-pit but it difficult to have one handy!?

Thank you.

Mansour

Reply to
Mansour
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whats wrong with ramps?

i have a heavier duty set apparently for pickups, and they are very sturdy. well spent extra 20 bucks

Reply to
Picasso

The thought that the might collapse and another is falling off the top of it if I go too much forward. For the collapsing, is there any type that can be further secured by putting something underneath the stand part of the ramp and be longer so that if one drives too much starts to ramp down from the other side? I mean something symmetric.

By the way, please let me know about the brand of your ramp and where to get it.

Picasso wrote:

Reply to
Mansour

Yeah, it is called a peice of string with a weight on it. Put the ramps where you want them, measure how far you need to drive up the ramps. Then hang, from the ceiling, a peice of string with some sort of weight on it as far forward of your windshield as you need to move the car. When the weight hits the windsheild, you have moved the car as far foward as you should.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Well, I'm in canada, and mine came from canadian tire. They are Jackall brand. 9000lb ramps. I have some extension for them too, for lower vehicles... like my wifes civic... the bumper is lower than my car & truck, so i saw these extensions on sale for 20 bucks and use them with her car. anyway, they're not really necessary, I used a 2x6 before i had these to bring hte tires up a bit before starting on the ramp... these just don't slip out or slip sideways like the 2x6's usually did! haha.

Naw, i've never had much trouble with overshooting ramps... its pretty easy to feel when they hop up into the channel...

just put your park break >> The thought that the might collapse and another is falling off the top

Reply to
Picasso

Ramps are safe IF they are used on flat solid ground, and they are not damaged or distorted in any way.

The inexpensive ones that are based on one big sheet of press-formed heavy sheetmetal are strong if they aren't dented, but they can fold up like a cheap tent if they get a crease or dent in a critical spot, or they're sitting on uneven pavement or dirt and one corner sinks in.

The heavier ones that are welded out of multiple stampings or angle iron will take a lot more abuse.

Get a spotter to make sure you don't drive off the end.

And always rig up jackstands or a trolley jack as a backup for the ramps, even if they don't look that sturdy - they might not hold the car for long if the ramps start failing. But if you hear ominous groaning noises and see the car above you start falling, you'd be amazed just how fast you can get your ass out from under there.

Adrenaline is a Wonderful Thing... If the jackstands can delay the final drop for another ten seconds, that's plenty of time.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Thanks.

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

Reply to
Mansour

For the welded ones, any brands you suggest or where I can get one?

Reply to
Mansour

just a little info, I just looked at 3 different brands of ramps at three different stores( K-mart, Kragen and Pep-boys). All 3 were made out of plastic and one had a removable ramp part once you get the car up there(the pep-boys one). They all were very light weight and seemed sturdy enough....

Reply to
ShoeSalesman

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