Best way to get the axle off the ground?

Okay, so I'm changing the ball joints on a 2000 F350 4x4. I put it up on jack stands, and proceeded to dismantle everything. I ran into some issues where I didn't have the right tools for this specific axle, and had to order them. While I was waiting on the tools to arrive, the rain came. After the 2nd day of rain the jacks shifted and the truck slide about 18" as they toppled over. The passenger side mirror is now about 8" from my travel trailer, and the trailer axle is now in the way of putting the passenger side drive shaft back in... but I digress. Since it was going to get down around 0 the next several days, I laid in the mud with my 12 ton bottle jack, and got the axle up out of the mud and onto some 8x8 solid oak blocks that I happened to have. The problem is that the jack stands tore the snot out of the ground under the axle, so now there's not a spot underneath flat enough to put the jack. I had to put it under the leaf springs in order to get it up this far, but now I'm out of travel on the jack and I still need to go quite a ways before I can get another set of jack stands under it.

Any one have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mark

be right over with the forklift

Cribbing to support it and then remove the jack, use cribbing under the jack and keep going up??? Get some 4X4's and hack them up to about 16" in length. About the only thought I have. Not the best idea, but I have done. Used concrete block under a jack before also. I used to use 18" X 18" 3/4" plywood under jacks stands in gravel and on asphalt.

Yeah, that's about where I'm at. Short of having a farmer swing buy with a bucket loader capable of lifting over 2 tons, nothing else is jumping out at me.

pafixitman said:

Cribbing to support it and then remove the jack, use cribbing under the jack and keep going up??? Get some 4X4's and hack them up to about 16" in length. About the only thought I have. Not the best idea, but I have done. Used concrete block under a jack before also. I used to use 18" X 18" 3/4" plywood under jacks stands in gravel and on asphalt.

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If the fall hadn't made such a mess of the ground under the axle, this is probably what I would be doing. Now its so rough and uneven that I simply don't trust it. Maybe when the ground thaws, I can level it out some and make it better.

I will certainly be getting something to go under the jacks for future use. I didn't worry about it to begin with because the ground was frozen, and I planned on having the job done WAY before the rain came. Then life happened...

Get you some Jack mats. Or out rigger pads. Like 2'x2'x0.5" aluminum. Steel would work, just be heavier.
Or some good beams. Like 4"x6"

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I have a fair amount of scrap 2" C channel. I was thinking of cutting 4 of them, and welding a lip on the ends to make small 2" wide x 1" deep boxes, then set the legs of the jack stands in those. 2 legs in each box, 2 boxes per stand. Figured that would be enough to distribute the load and keep them from sinking next time. If not, then I'll see if my local weld shop has any scrap steel plate.