kevinb120

Put some scraps of 2x6 wood on the floor, drive on wood, then put jack under car, silly taco

TacoBill

I've actually done that method using the 2x4 pieces as 'pre-ramps' to the Rhino ramps. If you can keep the ramps from slipping, they work great!

btw, the additional height from a 2by won't cut it in trying to fit a floor jack from the front. I usually have to go pretty high on the side jack just so there's enough room to actually jack the handle (on the front jack).

kevinb120

I do the wood, I just use 1/2 the handle for the first few pumps then put the extention in Its an autozone special jack, but it works for once in a blue moon jobs. That may not work once I put the splitter on though

TacoBill

That may work if you don't have a front spoiler.

After raising mine several times now, it feels like it's no big deal. Although if I only had one floor jack to work with, it could be a real head scratcher.

kevinb120

I got it! TWO pieces of 2x6's under each tire Just angle a piece on the other one and it will ride right up...

Mustangfreak

If you have only one floor jack, go buy another, or 3 more.

I have this. Which is $99.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...cemldffidfmg.0

And these. $19
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...cemldffidfmg.0

All are 3 ton, so don't worry about the weight.

mustangbaxter

Instead of 2X4, or 2 X 6's, just get a set of ramp extenders...... they have pegs to hold em on to the ramp. makes driving up on the ramps VERY easy, and they lessen the angle.

Robbieg

Were did you get those, there great?

mustangbaxter

I got them about 5 years ago at Pep Boy's, they were only $9.99 for the pair, plus they came with a handy bag to store them in.

RRRoamer

I have never seen anything in the manual or anywere else saying not to jack the car from the center of the k member. That piece holds the engine AND the front suspension, so it IS tough.

The problem is the other end of the car. According to Ford, the tubes on the rear axle are thin enough that you can tweak the tubes by jacking the car up the "old fashioned' way from the center pumpkin. If you look where the springs are attached to that axle tubes, they are way out at each end, just inside the hub. That gives the springs (and the weight of the car they are carrying) a log of leverage against the axle tube way back at the center section. Thin tube + lots of leverage + high rear weight = potential for bent axle housing.

I have often thought about building a jack accessory for my floor jack. Basically, it would be heavy wall 3x3 rectangular steel tube with an axle cradle welded on at each end. In the center on the bottom, I would weld on a steel pin that would fit my floor jack. This would allow me to jack up the rear of the car from the center with my floor jack without any chance of damaging the rear axle.

Unfortunately, each cradle would have to be pretty high so the steel tube would clear the bottom of the pumpkin. Which means I could not assembly my "axle jack" and slide it under the car. Instead, I would have to position axle harness under the axle (maybe have somekind of clip so I could lift it up and attach it to the bottom of the axle), then slide the floor jack underneith it, engage the pin on the harness to the floor jack, THEN jack it up.

In the end, I probably wouldn't save any time over the current method of front, then one side, then the other. I just don't like putting that much diaganal stress on my car if I don't have too.

crazyhorse

Maybe this will help:

http://home.comcast.net/~kjobrien/Ve...__S7Z06A12.pdf

ford4v429

small world- I was looking at making the same thing. if you make a new 'head' for the jack(lose the whole existing top that holds the swivel pad) and dont lower it all the way, I think theres room to get it under there...might get around to trying it one of these days with my old jack...

RobK

Get a lift!

I personally use two 2x6s nailed together. The top piece is about 4 or so inches shorter than the bottom piece so the tire can grab the lower piece before hitting the upper piece. This prevents slipping. At that point I can get a floor jack anywhere I want under the car. I'm lowered 2" with a GT500 splitter so I've got just about the worst scenario possible for getting a jack under it.

Regarding bending axle tubes, due to the close proximity of the spring perches with relation to the hubs there actually ISN'T a big moment about the pumpkin. That would only be true if the car was supported by the pumpkin with the spring perches out at the ends. In reality the only load on the tubes is the weight of the pumpkin itself. The tubes support the pumpkin, not the other way around. Now, jacking via the pumpkin?...I do it. Unless Ford has really cheapened up their axle tubes I'm not worried.

RRRoamer

You have no idea how much I WANT a lift! I just don't have the room for one. Nor the cash to buy it.

But someday...

RRRoamer

Actually, have you look at where the spring perches are on the s197? The are at the very far end of the axle tube, right up against the flange. While it is on the road, this is great as the the loads are transmitted from the axle to the springs with very little bending moment.

The problem occurs when you jack it up. The springs (and therefore the weight of the car) are way out on the end of the axle tube. If you jack it up by the center pumpkin, the force DOES have very long leverage against the axle tube at the pumpkin.

When you look at the fact that the forces on the tubes are generally low due to the spring placement, the drive to reduce SOME weight AND the drive to reduce the cost of the car, I can easily see where Ford could have went with very thin or very weak (aka: cheap) axle tubes that CAN bend from jacking the car up by the pumpkin.

I just need that hoist!

RobK

I think I misread your argument. I thought you were saying there's a big moment when the car is supported by the wheels. My bad.