Is it harmful to support a Dana 70 on one side only for a short period of time (2-3 hours max), while working on the wheel seals/drum brakes?
I have my eye on getting a single Esco 22 ton stand (~$100-110) that uses a pin instead of a ratchet bar setup. I really only want/need one stand since I will only be working on one side at a time. Assuming it's not gonna wreck something doing that.
I can't say I trust cheap jack stands at all anymore, no matter who makes them in the "split" design with ratcheting bar, due to HFT's failures in both the welds and bars. I returned the unopened HFT 6 ton stands I bought in March even though they weren't in the recall.
I need to do the rear wheel seals on my RV, and I have to use a 12 ton bottle jack with a "Big Bottle Jack Buddy" (https://bottlejackbuddy.net/the-big-one) to raise it, since my 3 ton Craftsman floor jack can't lift the rear end at all. It simply stops. You can't even move the bar/lever anymore. But to be fair, you can't get much leverage since you have to lay under the back when trying to pump the jack in order to reach the axle in such a way that you don't block where the stand needs to go. I think the jack is maxed out though to be honest.
So, a big bottle jack with the "Buddy" to cradle the axle makes it so I can safely jack it up without buying a $300-400 22 ton jack. And it's useful for tire changes out on the road too since it's compact vs a 22 ton floor jack. I already tested the 12 ton bottle jack with the "Buddy" and it works great. The short little 2 piece pole with the bottle jack lifts the thing fine, no struggle at all. The "Buddy" cradles the axle so it can't slip off like it could from the flat top of a bottle jack alone.
It's safe enough since I won't ever be under there messing with the jack or stands unless the wheels are on, so even if the jack or stands fail, the wheels will be on. Plus there is quite a lot of room under there, it's not a tight squeeze for me. The black water tank is gone right now, so there is a big area above the frame with nothing in it that could go around me if it did somehow fall. Unlikely though. It's on a good old textured cement driveway that's level.
I have my eye on getting a single Esco 22 ton stand (~$100-110) that uses a pin instead of a ratchet bar setup. I really only want/need one stand since I will only be working on one side at a time. Assuming it's not gonna wreck something doing that.
I can't say I trust cheap jack stands at all anymore, no matter who makes them in the "split" design with ratcheting bar, due to HFT's failures in both the welds and bars. I returned the unopened HFT 6 ton stands I bought in March even though they weren't in the recall.
I need to do the rear wheel seals on my RV, and I have to use a 12 ton bottle jack with a "Big Bottle Jack Buddy" (https://bottlejackbuddy.net/the-big-one) to raise it, since my 3 ton Craftsman floor jack can't lift the rear end at all. It simply stops. You can't even move the bar/lever anymore. But to be fair, you can't get much leverage since you have to lay under the back when trying to pump the jack in order to reach the axle in such a way that you don't block where the stand needs to go. I think the jack is maxed out though to be honest.
So, a big bottle jack with the "Buddy" to cradle the axle makes it so I can safely jack it up without buying a $300-400 22 ton jack. And it's useful for tire changes out on the road too since it's compact vs a 22 ton floor jack. I already tested the 12 ton bottle jack with the "Buddy" and it works great. The short little 2 piece pole with the bottle jack lifts the thing fine, no struggle at all. The "Buddy" cradles the axle so it can't slip off like it could from the flat top of a bottle jack alone.
It's safe enough since I won't ever be under there messing with the jack or stands unless the wheels are on, so even if the jack or stands fail, the wheels will be on. Plus there is quite a lot of room under there, it's not a tight squeeze for me. The black water tank is gone right now, so there is a big area above the frame with nothing in it that could go around me if it did somehow fall. Unlikely though. It's on a good old textured cement driveway that's level.