Crappy Jack Stands Can Kill You, But Which Ones Are Safe?

Gif: Project Farm via YouTube

Everyone who has worked on their own car has likely heard approximately one million times that you should never get underneath a vehicle that is only supported by a hydraulic jack and that it’s only safe once that vehicle is resting securely on jack stands. What if your jack stands suck, though?

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Given how relatively simple jack stands are and the fact that they have to do one job and one job only, you’d think that they’re more or less all created equally. They’re not. Designs and quality vary greatly, and sometimes cheaping out on these simple safety devices is a real bad idea. For example, remember back in 2020 when NHTSA had to issue a recall for Harbor Freight’s 6-ton Pittsburgh jack stands?

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So, how cheap can you reasonably go and do things get better or safer as you spend more money? These questions can be answered by yet another awesome video from the Project Farm YouTube channel that debuted on Monday.

In the video, several different designs of jack stands are tested, from the traditional pyramidal style with a ratcheting bar to a flat-top three-leg jack stand as I use on my 911. There is even a very obviously stupid folding design that, as you’ll see, shits the proverbial bed way before it should, despite costing nearly $150.

What’s the tl:dw? Spending around $90 on a set of Husky jack stands from Home Depot seems to be a good move, but more importantly, make sure you lift your vehicle on a stable, level surface and don’t get in a situation where there’s a significant side load on the vehicle that could cause the jack stand tip.