Down&Dirty
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2005
- Location
- Greenville SC
Like most of you, I have been battleing for some time with jackstands that a poorly made in china, a little to short, and that don't have enough adjustment for getting everything level. A recent axle swap project drove me to build some new jackstands to replace my HF 6 ton units as my primary stands. I wanted something that would be tall enough for rock crawler duty. That had a fine adjustment for leveling items when I am building a frame section or working on a cage. But mostly I wanted to build something rather than buy it.
I started out at agri supply and bought 4 2 inch reciever hitch centers that were 8 inches long, 4 hitch pins, 4 1 1/8 nuts, and 4 1 1/8 bolts that were 3-4 inches long. I then dug into my drop pile of 2x2 box steel and got 20 feet of steel out to make the rest of the jack. I also grabbed 4 old leaf spring shackles to make buckets to hold the item being jacked.
For a single jack I cut 4 legs, 40 degrees on one side and 50 degrees on the other. Each one 14 inches long tip to tip. I also cut a piece square on both ends that was 24 inches long to make the jack body. 4 legs were welded with the 50 degree side on the 2 inch receiver. This gives you a base that has approximatly a 19 inch span for stability. I tacked on the first 3 legs and then stood the jack up and used the 4th leg to get everything level and stable. With all 4 legs tacked in place I welded them in solid.
With the body, I measured 3 inches up from the body and then marked every 2 inches until I reached the 11 inch mark. This gives you a rough adjustment of 2 inches, which a 3-4 inch bolt will adjust through fully to allow any height. I marked the center and drill holes all the way through the body. These were then opened up to allow a hitch pin to pass through. I then assembled the rough components and stood it up. It started to look like something.
With the rough adjustment and base built I began to add in the fine adjustment. I threaded the bolt and nut together about 3-4 turns. Then I tacked the nut into the top of the body holding the bolt level and square. With the tacks in place I removed the bolt and welded the nut in solid. While this cooled I bent the hangers. I bent the ends of the hangers to give me a 2 inch base to hold a frame. The ends were bent to around 30 degrees using a bender, but a vise and hammer would work.
Now that the nut had cooled, I threaded the bolt back into the nut. I placed the newely bent bucket on top of the nut, centered it, and tacked it in place. Then I moved it to where it was easy to weld and burned it in. Once this cooled I gave everything a quick acid bath and then a couple coats of paint.
Finally I have the jackstands that I needed.
These end up with a 24 inch collapsed height and a 32-33 inch extended height.
The real pictures are coming. I forgot to take some while I built the first set, but the second pair is in the works.
I started out at agri supply and bought 4 2 inch reciever hitch centers that were 8 inches long, 4 hitch pins, 4 1 1/8 nuts, and 4 1 1/8 bolts that were 3-4 inches long. I then dug into my drop pile of 2x2 box steel and got 20 feet of steel out to make the rest of the jack. I also grabbed 4 old leaf spring shackles to make buckets to hold the item being jacked.
For a single jack I cut 4 legs, 40 degrees on one side and 50 degrees on the other. Each one 14 inches long tip to tip. I also cut a piece square on both ends that was 24 inches long to make the jack body. 4 legs were welded with the 50 degree side on the 2 inch receiver. This gives you a base that has approximatly a 19 inch span for stability. I tacked on the first 3 legs and then stood the jack up and used the 4th leg to get everything level and stable. With all 4 legs tacked in place I welded them in solid.
With the body, I measured 3 inches up from the body and then marked every 2 inches until I reached the 11 inch mark. This gives you a rough adjustment of 2 inches, which a 3-4 inch bolt will adjust through fully to allow any height. I marked the center and drill holes all the way through the body. These were then opened up to allow a hitch pin to pass through. I then assembled the rough components and stood it up. It started to look like something.
With the rough adjustment and base built I began to add in the fine adjustment. I threaded the bolt and nut together about 3-4 turns. Then I tacked the nut into the top of the body holding the bolt level and square. With the tacks in place I removed the bolt and welded the nut in solid. While this cooled I bent the hangers. I bent the ends of the hangers to give me a 2 inch base to hold a frame. The ends were bent to around 30 degrees using a bender, but a vise and hammer would work.
Now that the nut had cooled, I threaded the bolt back into the nut. I placed the newely bent bucket on top of the nut, centered it, and tacked it in place. Then I moved it to where it was easy to weld and burned it in. Once this cooled I gave everything a quick acid bath and then a couple coats of paint.
Finally I have the jackstands that I needed.
These end up with a 24 inch collapsed height and a 32-33 inch extended height.
The real pictures are coming. I forgot to take some while I built the first set, but the second pair is in the works.
