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How the heck do you jack one of these things up?


williaty
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1 hour ago, MLB said:

Someone pointed out the hitch tongue rating as a limiting factor. Not true as tongue weight limit is about how much load  the suspension will handle, not a max lifting number.  

 

If what you say was true, then for sure there would be a max lifting rating stamped on the hitch also . . . . and there isn't.  Bolt on hitches were not designed to support the weight of one end of the vehicle and should not be used as a jack point

 

Don

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59 minutes ago, Beta Don said:

Bolt on hitches were not designed to support the weight of one end of the vehicle and should not be used as a jack point

 

Yet, people still think that 4 bolts attached is strong enough. All the weight is on those 4 bolts.  Or maybe 6 bolts.  Or 8 bolts.  

 

To lift and support 1 corner, equipment should be rated higher than the vehicle weight.  Yet, people choose to believe that the weight rating is for 1/4 of the vehicle.  I see it all the time.  A 1/2 ton truck weighing 5,000  - 6,000 pounds needs at least a 3 ton jack. 

 

 

It's the 1.5 ton lightweight racing jack from Harbor Freight.  A lot of people like it because it's light weight and inexpensive.  They don't understand that it's for small cars like Mazda Miata, Toyota Yaris,  or a Smart Car.  There are people who believe that a 1.5 ton jack is fine, since you are only lifting less than 1 ton on any given corner of the truck. 

 

Even with a Transit Connect, you need at least a 2 ton jack.  And support with jackstands. Hydraulic jacks can fail.  I don't want to think about something going wrong.  Be safe.

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 3/20/2020 at 6:54 PM, Beta Don said:

 

If what you say was true, then for sure there would be a max lifting rating stamped on the hitch also . . . . and there isn't.  Bolt on hitches were not designed to support the weight of one end of the vehicle and should not be used as a jack point

 

Don

BS

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I don't think any hitch receiver was engineered to be a lift point. No hitch receiver manufacturer recommends it. Does that mean that it won't work?  Clearly, it has been done. But does that make it safe?  Some people don't use jackstands.  Every vehicle manufacturer specifies a lift point in the owners manual. Some owners manual specify where not to lift.   But we see people lifting at the differential, lower control arms, engine/transmission support cross members, bumper.....sometimes nothing bad happens.  You should probably know better than to use a jack under the engine or transmission.   Sometimes damage occurs. Some people die.  Knowing the risk, you make your own choice.  Nobody can convince you that it's safer to use the recommended lift point. And you already believe that there's nothing wrong.

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  • 5 months later...
On 3/20/2020 at 6:54 PM, Beta Don said:

 

If what you say was true, then for sure there would be a max lifting rating stamped on the hitch also . . . . and there isn't.  Bolt on hitches were not designed to support the weight of one end of the vehicle and should not be used as a jack point

 

Don

LOL< well you do what you do and i'll do what i do.

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1 minute ago, MLB said:

LOL< well you do what you do and i'll do what i do.

FWIW, Don is right. The hitches aren't rated for jacking up the vehicle. You may get away with it once... twice... or not at all. How do I know? Members of my family that are first responders have pulled bodies (yes, more than once) out from under cars where the they were being lifted by a hitch, the hitch or unibody failed, and the guy working on his car was crushed to death. Having installed the hitch on my van myself, I will definitely say that the OEM hitch design is particularly likely to fail if abused in this manner.

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On 3/20/2020 at 6:54 PM, Beta Don said:

 

If what you say was true, then for sure there would be a max lifting rating stamped on the hitch also . . . . and there isn't.  Bolt on hitches were not designed to support the weight of one end of the vehicle and should not be used as a jack point

 

Don


Hmmm, I think the jack  pushing UP on the bolts WITH the hitch as opposed to tongue weight pulling DOWN on the hitch and bolts would be the significant difference. ;) 

Edited by MLB
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On 3/21/2020 at 7:36 AM, G B L said:

The clamping load for a grade 5 bolt is 9046 lbs per bolt and a grade 8 bolt is 12771 lbs . If something fails on the hitch when you use it for a jack point it won't be the bolts.

 

https://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pdf/Torque-Tension Chart for A307 Gr5 Gr8 Gr9.pdf

 

 Uh oh, facts.  That could be a problem here. 

Edited by MLB
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