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Blacktop at 80 degrees

I learned in the past couple weeks that blacktop at 80 degrees iirc is soft enough that the wheels of a floor jack, or the bottom outline of jack stands will sink into the blacktop. This is an especial problem with a floor jack because it's meant to roll backwards as the car is lifted, but if the wheels are stuck in the blacktop, the support plate of the jack will move underneath and wrt the car, making scarey noises at the very least.

Not only that but when I'm jacking up the right side, after I had jacked up the left and rested it on a jack stand, the jack did NOT move wrt to car. Instead it made the whole car move and that made the jackstand on the left side tip partly over.

And going down it makes even scarier noises.

I should have laid down plywood, just a little bigger than the jack, so it would roll.

However the weather was about 70 degrees in the past few days, and nothing sank into the blacktop, and the floor jack rolled as it's supposed to.

For 14 dollars, they sell a ~10 pound plastic bucket of stuff to fix the blacktop, but it's too cold at night to use it now. Next summer I'll patch the parking lot I've been using. I hope no one notices before then. ;-)

Reply to
micky
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Yep, toss down as large a hunk of GOOD plywood as possible if you're trying to use a jack on anything other than solid concrete.

Reply to
Steve W.

"Steve W." wrote in news:m1a5lt$736$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Hardwood plywood is best. That's what I use. I also put squares of it under my jack stands.

Specifically, 15mm Baltic Birch, and 5/8" Maple, seem to be the easiest to find.

Any carpentry shop or furniture shop should be able to give you scrap pieces. There is also a small industry called "steel rule dies" that uses a huge amount of hardwood plywood. Check your local phone listings.

Reply to
Tegger

yup, I hate working on asphalt, I have four pieces of plywood specially made to fit under my jackstands so they don't sink in :/

nate

Reply to
N8N

Weld plates on the bottom of the jackstands to keep them from "cutting in" and get a floor jack with full width rollers instead of wheels/casters. A 2X8' hunk of 3/8" plywood for the jack works too.

Reply to
clare

Much of the problem with asphalt black top is a combination of age and grade. You will note that the roads are made with a much harder grade of asphalt than most driveways. In fact many driveways are made with a grade of asphalt that contains a high percentage of sand compared to stone. This type will be soft and weak for years, while it is easier for the installer to place and roll. Commercial car parks and roads use a grade with much more stone and larger stones. This makes a firmer base that is less likely to deform under pressure. Many people do not like the look because the stone will start showing through when to top coating of tar wears off and the color of the stone starts to show through. If it is made with limestone, it will have a light gray appearance, I have seen green, red and other stone colors in local roads, including sparkles from crushed glass. If I was to pave my driveway, I would insist on a commercial grade of asphalt, to avoid the soft and easily damaged surface.

Reply to
EXT

unless you own the concrete (like my house's driveway), then please use plywood there too.

:-)

GW

Reply to
Geoff Welsh

I remember when the next-door neighbors, the Lewises, put blacktop on their driveway in 1953. I was told that they were told that they had to be careful with it or it would be damaged. Maybe we little kids were told that too, but there was nothing we little kids or the big kids did to other people's driveways. And I don't think t here was anything the Lewises did to any driveway. I guess they were just repeating the contractor's warning. I suppose on occasion Mr. Lewis might hammer on something there, and that's what he wasn't supposed to do.

Reply to
micky

Yep, toss down as large a hunk of GOOD plywood as possible if you're trying to use a jack on anything other than solid concrete.

Reply to
WW

Yep, toss down as large a hunk of GOOD plywood as possible if you're trying to use a jack on anything other than solid concrete.

-- Steve W.

Steve..Would MDF be better than plywood? No voids in MDF. WW

Not really any of it I have used doesn't like to flex. Unless the ground is very flat it will need to bend a bit. That usually means it breaks.

Plywood on the other hand will flex a bit without breaking. I have some here that I wish I had a LOT more of. It's stuff they used to build vegetable crates from for a baby food plant. It's about 3/4" thick, 12 plies, exterior adhesive with NO voids and beautiful fine grained wood.

Reply to
Steve W.

Last year right after my new blacktop job, my bicycle kickstand put a goug in it. It fell over too.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

Last year right after my new blacktop job, my bicycle kickstand put a goug in it. It fell over too.

Greg "

All of this points to the primary reason for the existence of asphalt/blacktop:

To MAKE MONEY.

Reply to
thekmanrocks

It's good for it's intended use. To make a nice parking spot that is relatively easy to maintain repair.

It is flexible so frost doesn't damage it as easily and it is easier to install than concrete. Does it have a few drawbacks, yep. Find a replacement that doesn't and you could be a billionaire with every highway outfit beating on your door.

Oh and for those who complain about asphalt being hot, try this.

This area has a LOT of Amish folks around. During the warmer weather many of them go barefoot. Now think how tough those feet have to be to walk on a blacktop road on a 90 degree sunny day!! I've seen groups walking around on pavement that was oozing tar!!

Reply to
Steve W.

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