Which brand of jack stands would you recommend? The biggest car is a 81 Monte Carlo.

3 ton?, I have looked at Craftsman and AC Delco, which is best?

 

No matter what brand you buy they probably come out of the same factory in "Yan Ling" China so just find the least expensive price in any store. The height and capacity are generally related. Your lift height on your jack will determine the height you need.

There are a number of threads on jack stands in this forum.

 

Jack stands are too unstable for my liking.
Instead, I collect various diameters of steel rims (so I can "nest" them) and set one within the other.
I also welded a few pairs together permanently. Stable, even on dirt.
Another way to do this is to lay one horizontal and set a smaller-diameter rim upright inside the first. This adds height and is nice for supporting a truck by the frame rails.

 

Georgia-Pacific or Weyerhauser. I make my own out of 2x4's. I start out with one 7" piece stacked on top of two 7" pieces, stacked on two 8" pieces, stacked on two 9" pieces, etc. Each layer being 1" longer than the last. You get 1-3/4" of height for each layer. Each layer is held to the next with rosin coated box nails and liquid nails. You end up with a pyramid of wood that has 4 columns of solid wood holding the weight. Wood is best in compression. After I came up with this idea I made one and put it into my 12 ton shop press to test it. It hardly even groaned. As an added advantage the load bites into the top piece so it does not slip off the stand. These are more stable than any you can buy, cheaper too. The only problem is storage, they are not small.

 

Wood is great stuff too. I scrounge pressure-treated wood, and soak it in drain oil. Lasts for many years outdoors.

 

No need to get real high dollar ones. I bought 4 3-ton stands from autozone 7 yrs ago and they've held up great. I have to say I am impressed with how heavy duty they are and they are very stable. Jack stands are a must IMO.

 

the set i have i bought for like $20 at harbor freight. they have held up just fine and i figgure if i do something stupid im only out $20.

 

who makes kegs j/k

we have about 20 jack stands some are heavy duty for holding up the grain trucks some are just big enough for a lawn mower
i go to old farm sales and buy ours you can useually get them pretty cheap

 

Is your life only worth $20??? I've had a stand fold up on me before, not a good feeling. Greg

 

The way I look at it, I shouldn't be able to knock a vehicle off whatever I set it on without substantial effort.
I can kick or push most vehicles off jack stands, and during engine wrestling (like pulling front-wheel drive engine/trans combos) they can shift.
On properly nested rims, welded rims, or nested rims plus wood I can't do that. The geometry means that to tip over the vehicle I would actually need to LIFT it a few inches.
To be fair, my jack stand whose base is set into (and welded to) a 15" rim stays put rather well.
I'd rather use overkill than try to bench press my truck...

 

i got 3 set's 2 from trak auto part's and 1 set from harbor freight,they all work great.i have loaned them to alot of my buddy's with no trouble's.i think all together i maybe have $40.00 total invested,work's for me.

 

Snap-On, MAC or Matco

How much is your life worth - I would rather buy these since the MFG knows they are surrounded by Personal Injury atty's rather than the cheapos made in Metal Fabricating plant #19 in Shanghai where there are no consequences for product failure (only for not meeting your production quota)

 

I bought mine from Harbor Freight and had to go all out for the 12 ton model. They are well built, especially for a Chinese item. One thing I stress to people about jack stands is to get a stand big enough that you don't have to have it way extended for most of the jobs you do. That is what makes them unstable. If you buy a bigger stand and only have to take it up 3 or 4 notches you'll still have a lot of stability. If you extend the jacks to the last notch they don't make for a very safe setup, no matter what brand you use. Think of it like standing on the very top of a step ladder.

 

My jack stands are homemade, 2 are 30" tall with 20" wheels for the stand and 6" pipe with 5" inside for the slide.(1" bolts for the pins) Other 2 are 18" tall with same construction. I have had a 28K John Deere skidder balanced on the taller ones, so I don't think they are going anywhere soon. Also don't have to worry about em growing legs(need a dolly to move em)

 

Harbor Freight 6 tons for the F-150, 3 tons for the wife's Sienna mini-van. 4 of each type. Total investment: $60. Stable, safe and no need to depend on a jack's hydraulics while swapping tires.