Safety jacking up your car - NEVER JACK THE REAR WHILE FRONTS ON A RAMP

[3onTree]

Car is lowered so to use the trolley jack up front , low profile ramps are needed to get the jack under the car.

Finished the service then lowered the car front wheels on the ramps intending to drive off the ramps next.

Needed to check another issue on the rear of the car, so thought nothing of putting the trolley jack under the rear diff to raise the rear and get axle stands under the rear stand points - front wheels still on the ramp.

As the rear rises, it pulls the front wheels back and it caused the car to roll off the ramp with the rear wheels in the air - so the car is rolling on the trolley jack wheels at the rear (despite hand brake being on, obviously)

Thankfully I wasn’t under it at the time, but a pretty weird experience - i had the hand brake on & in gear and was baffled why the car was rolling on a level garage floor.

Safety first, one of those things. I am normally very conscious of always putting the car on high quality stands and never getting under a car while on the jack. Had it rolled later while on the stands it would have rolled off the stands and caused an accident.

So lesson is never jack the opposite side of the car while one side is on ramps. Only jack the car on a level surface or jack the side where the ramps are. Might be obvious to others, but sometimes we just don’t see the danger and make bad decisions - nearly earning a Darwin award.

 

[Gavkat09]

i had this where i jacked the front up and put it on jack stands. when to the rear to jack it up so i could get under the whole car and it started rolling backwards.

 

[vc commodore]

Glad you didn't get hurt, but having the handbrake on and in gear doesn't do much, when the back wheels get lifted off the ground

 

[dgp]

This is why your trolley jack has wheels, so it can roll forward as you jack up the rear.
I always jack up the front, place on stands, then jack up the rear and place on stands. Jack rolls forward to compensate.

 

[3onTree]

Yes , normally as you lift one end of the car, the trolley jack wheels allow the jack to maintain a vertical position under point load. I didn’t account for the movement of the front wheels instead of the trolley jack on its wheels (which roll very well so no unusual resistance). Then the front wheels rolled onto the angled ramp section and off the flat resting pad, where the car started rolling down the ramp. Just need to think and never rush these things. I was hoping to point out to readers to never jack the car when one end is on ramps. The car will move and then roll off the ramp. Just one of those things I neglected in my haste, but was lucky.

 

[3onTree]

That might be due to trolley jack wheels and surface not allowing the jack to roll and maintain vertical position under the lift point. If the jack cannot roll under the lift point it will pull the car back and if the jack stands are raised high, the car can roll off the stands. Never get under the car unless those axle stands are sitting nicely on all 4 corners.

 

[3onTree]

Glad you didn't get hurt, but having the handbrake on and in gear doesn't do much, when the back wheels get lifted off the ground

Thanks mate. Yeah I know, but at the time, i was rushing, and nothing good comes of rushing.

 

[07GTS]

i have to do the same got those ramps to get the front up enought to get a jack under it, then i always put the front on stands then lift up back and on stands, if i only lift the back the front i put block under front and back of wheel to stop it rolling either way, or if only front up use handbrake, if i ever think it moves after getting on stands ill lift the first end i put stands on again and back onto stands so it releaves any stress forward/back on the stand if there was any, also before u go under just push car once its up if it dosnt budge ur good but if u feel some movements or noises check it out first

 

[krusing]

Yes , normally as you lift one end of the car, the trolley jack wheels allow the jack to maintain a vertical position under point load. I didn’t account for the movement of the front wheels instead of the trolley jack on its wheels (which roll very well so no unusual resistance). Then the front wheels rolled onto the angled ramp section and off the flat resting pad, where the car started rolling down the ramp. Just need to think and never rush these things. I was hoping to point out to readers to never jack the car when one end is on ramps. The car will move and then roll off the ramp. Just one of those things I neglected in my haste, but was lucky.

I did just the same early in the year twice to replace my Fuel Pump, "yes twice", as the after market one was not compatible, so ended up installing a Genuine One.
In my case I had the back wheels on the ramps, and had the front on stands,
Being my ramps are made of right angle steel, I made up some timber wheel chocks out of blocks of timber that sit in the top of the ramp vertically in front of the back wheels, so they can not roll forward,
mainly because I had to drop the front of the K- Frame, and loosen the back of the K-Frame halfway so t he take would drop out, more details of how it was done in a previous thread.

Because I had to remove the tail shaft and other hardware, and also release the hand brake cable, there was nothing to secure the back wheels on the ramps, and nothing to stop it from rolling forward.

 

[whats up]