I could use many jack stands at this point. Three of my old cars need some work on the underside . I thought I would buy some new jackstands and came close to buying some Harbor Freight 6 ton ones when I went to Buffalo last month to pickup some E9 parts , but I balked at the store and thought I'd better keep looking for something from a more trustworthy supplier. While doing a little looking online I came across a tragic thread involving the death of a car enthusisast on Bimmerforums about a jack stand failure where they suspect the person somehow managed to knock the release handle while under the car.
I ended up buying these stands.
I hope they serve me well and for a long time. When I look at my other stand (in the photo) I can see a couple of areas that it could fail. I do believe the pin style mechanism is superior when it comes to safety, but the welds on the lower reinforcements could crack and the jack stand would then collapse. The welds look pretty rusty. The Black ones are pretty heavy duty, but I have had them for twenty five years and never given them much thought. (I will weld an additional reinforcement on the perimeter and keep on for another twenty I hope.)
The new ones are made in the US and are very reasonably priced. They have a double tooth engagement and I cannot see the handle being dislodged while under load. I also think the design with the lower reinforcement being on the outside is far superior.
They are rated at 6 tons per stand. The base is very wide. They only cost $67 for the pair plus shipping. My second choice would probably be the Torrin ones with the secondary locking pin or the US made Hein Warner's)
Anyway, always a bit of a comfort buying a US made product when it comes to metal quality. For me the problem with the Harbor Freight style ones is when to decide that they should be replaced. I hope these last a long time. Will be putting the E9 up in the air for an indefinite period
I ended up buying these stands.
I hope they serve me well and for a long time. When I look at my other stand (in the photo) I can see a couple of areas that it could fail. I do believe the pin style mechanism is superior when it comes to safety, but the welds on the lower reinforcements could crack and the jack stand would then collapse. The welds look pretty rusty. The Black ones are pretty heavy duty, but I have had them for twenty five years and never given them much thought. (I will weld an additional reinforcement on the perimeter and keep on for another twenty I hope.)
The new ones are made in the US and are very reasonably priced. They have a double tooth engagement and I cannot see the handle being dislodged while under load. I also think the design with the lower reinforcement being on the outside is far superior.
They are rated at 6 tons per stand. The base is very wide. They only cost $67 for the pair plus shipping. My second choice would probably be the Torrin ones with the secondary locking pin or the US made Hein Warner's)
Anyway, always a bit of a comfort buying a US made product when it comes to metal quality. For me the problem with the Harbor Freight style ones is when to decide that they should be replaced. I hope these last a long time. Will be putting the E9 up in the air for an indefinite period
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