TOOK A PIECE OF PIPE AND A STEEL CORNER!!! and here's what happened

[WmRMeyers]

I had a set of jack stands in late 1975 (first ones I owned) that were made of somewhat thinner tubing that that shown in the video. They were split 4 ways, and bent out, with bars welded across the gaps at the bottom of the split. I had to jack up my new-to-me 1963 Impala SS to work on the drive shaft. Was working in the yard, not on a slab, so had 12x12 pieces of 3/4" plywood under the jack stands. I'm under there pulling the U-joint loose, when I hear a low 'creeeeeeee' sound, and look at the the front passenger side jack stand. The leg closest to me is slowly folding up against the curve of the pipe. I wiggle out, and just as I get clear, the jack stand collapses completely, and drops the car on the space I was just in. A couple of seconds earlier, and it would have landed on my head. I junked those jack stands that day. Also, I never every worked on a car on soft ground after that.

These stands look a lot sturdier, but I'd still want angle-iron braces from each of the corners to the central pipe welded in. It would be fine as is if nothing ever bumps the car, or you don't have to work on it in the wind. And NEVER use a hydraulic jack as a jack stand, as he did for the front axle, while you're rotating tires. Jack stand can't do you any good if you don't use it. You need one under each corner you're lifting. And even then they can fall off the stands. I generally put the spare tire under the axle I'm working on so the bottom of the vehicle doesn't hit the ground. Makes it really hard to get the thing jacked back up.

Not saying I'm smarter than others. Just that I survived being stupid a few times. Or more.

Bill