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  1. #1
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Dec 2016
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    Default Jacking safety reminder

    Just a quick reminder to all my FEP friends to stay safe while wrenching. Jacks fail. Stands fail. Use many properly secured and block the wheels too!

    Today my 19 year old son had a flat on my 2008 Lincoln MarkLT. He followed the jacking instructions in the manual as much as he possibly could while not being somewhere with a lot of resources, and ended up turning the factory jack into a horse shoe as the truck narrowly missed him when the jack failed and it came down.

    What the Ford/Lincoln instructions manual says to do is put the jack on the front leaf spring perch with the base going length ways in the same direction of vehicle travel then jack from the rear with the long crank handle supplied. They also say block the wheels, but he didn't have anything readily available to do so.

    He put it in 4WD and park and crossed his fingers.

    Well -- the vehicle apparently wanted to roll once the flat tire was in the air with enough force that the jack was no match for it. It turned the screw on the jack into a U shape and slammed the truck down on the brake rotor.

    What I always do when jacking a vehicle is block the wheels and put the jack in perpendicular to the direction of travel. The blocks hold it in front/back motion and the tire across from the flat and the screw jack rod hold it side-to-side. Fortunately I've never had a jack do when happened to my son.

    I have had a 5 ton jackstand fold in on itself and had my 1986GT fall within seconds after I got out from under it before while replacing a motor mount though..... (my safety back -- my jack - was lifting the motor to replace the mount so there was no backup to the stand at the time)

    2nd generation that somehow didn't get hurt, thank god. I remember all too well that scared the crap out of ya type feeling that my son experienced today.

    Any day our family and ourselves are still safe and with is is a blessing. The rest of the crap can be replaced..... Very thankful to still have a son to say the least.

    He wasn't lucky. Lucky would have been no flat tire. But he was fortunate. Fortunate to walk away after the incident alive and in one piece. And able to go buy another jack and finish the job.

    I think I'll do the little stuff I need to do today and stay the hell at home from there.
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    Last edited by erratic50; 01-21-2019 at 08:14 PM.
    -- James

    Favorite thing I’ve said that’s been requoted: “"40 year old beercan on wheels with too much motor"

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    Wife also had a 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe in the 90's.

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  2. #2
    FEP Senior Member Dave9052's Avatar
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    Saint Clair MI 48079
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    Default

    Thanks for reminder! many of the oem jacks are junk! Glad your son is safe.

  3. #3

    Default

    So glad your son did not get hurt. This is a great reminder for us all.

  4. #4

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    I was taught to get the spare out and throw it under the frame until the flat one is off, then throw the flat under and pull the spare out from under and install. The rim acts as a safety stand. I try the throw a wheel under any car when I am under it (having said wheel off). I have had a few jacks fail and stand fold, makes you very cautious.

    Kenny

  5. #5
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
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    Jul 2009
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    Chicago, south subs
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    2,136

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    good idea to put the jack at a right angle to the vehicle. The pad on a hydraulic jack moves in an arc when raising and lowering. I had a car roll off the jack(dented a new oil pan) when I jacked it up from the front. I had a wheel chock behind the rear wheel, but the jack pulled the car forward away from the chock when I jacked it up. The jack was on the k member and the car rolled back, slipped off the jack which was then under the front of the oil pan. Luckily, no injuries other than the pan and pride. Be careful.

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member sowaxeman's Avatar
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    Greenwood, IN
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    I never road trip without my lightweight hydraulic floor jack in the car/truck....and a nice bottle jack in the trailer. Glad he didn't get hurt.
    Jason Smith
    MCA #65481

    '82 Capri RS Resto-Mod
    '88 #400 Saleen Coupe "Mean Machine" Legal Guardian
    '93 LX Yellow/Black Summer Feature - 2,800 Mile Original Survivor (Foxtoberfest 2019 Best Original 87-93)
    '05 S-281 Mineral Grey

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