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Using a trolley jack with seam weld jacking points.

The saddle of my Sealey low entry jack has an external diameter of 11cm. This is only slightly smaller than the length of the seam weld jacking points on my replacement the car.

The jack saddle is bowl shaped but there is a lump in the middle, the end of a shaft that goes down into the rest of the jack.

I tried to use a Sealey rubber pad. This does not take the weight of the car but just gets compressed to the level of edges of the saddle. I did try to put some washers under the centre of the pad. This just lead to the seam weld cutting through the rubber pad and loosing some of its body underseal coating.

I have seen many rubber pads on ebay with a grove. These are generally only about 7cm in diameter which is a bit small for my jack. Also there is the problem of the lump in the centre of the saddle.

I now plan to use a bit of steel channel about 6" long which should rest on the jack saddle and take the weight of the car even if it is not perfectly centred.

Any other suggestions as to how to solve this problem?

Reply to
Michael Chare
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Short length of 4x2 timber with a circular saw cut down the middle?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

on 09/10/2017, Michael Chare supposed :

I made a wooden block to fit my trolley jack's cup. Steel on wood is less likely to slip, than steel on steel and it also avoids damage to paint.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Hockey pucks are quoted as being good for making custom jacking pads from.

Reply to
Scott M

And I'd make sure the sill was sitting across the grain to avoid the wood splitting.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

That is quite an interesting idea, I found a youtube video. My main problem is cutting a hole in the middle about 3cm in diameter and 1 cm deep.

Reply to
Michael Chare

^^^^This. Get an ice hockey puck, cut a groove in it.

Reply to
Chris Bartram

Same problem here - motoring forums talk of buying a (ice) hockey puck and sawing a groove down the middle to accommodate the seam. Not tried that...

Don't know why they can just weld a box cup at 4 points to hold a jack's cup and equally, the small car jack. Or the most secure: a box tube in the centre of each side and the car jack has a square bar. Very difficult for that to slip and a trolley jack takes it from underneath.

Reply to
Tim Watts

You need a boring tool or hinge cutter - see:

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... or similar.

Reply to
Graham J

A couple of ink erasers, cut into sort of semicircular shapes, and arranged in the cup of the jack?

Reply to
Dan S. MacAbre

Depends on your "seam" weld jacking points.

Some cars have extra thick bit of sill seam that can be jacked on.

Nissan must never be jacked on the sill seam. The jacking point is behind the seam at the notch in the seam and is reinforced angle welded to floor and inner sill. The service jack top is like a box section with a slot in it. It only jacks on the inner edge, the outside of the jack top should not contact the sill paint.

For a 2 post lift with 4 arms they do show a slotted "lift pad" used on the service jack points.

Once jacked on the seam it is crushed, the paint is broken and rot sets in to the sill quite soon after. Then the jack goes though the sill/floor.

Seam jack point is usually for the service jack found in the boot/spare. Trolley jack should be used on the jacking points that will be found in the workshop manual. Usually the front and rear subframe. Otherwise use the axle stand points which again are in the service manual. Usually chassis rails or for some cars with torsion beam rear axles on the beam.

You can bore a hole in a hockey puck with a hole saw. Or just chain drill some holes, then join them up with a hacksaw.

Reply to
Peter Hill

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