williaty Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 To my disbelief, both the owner's manual and the service manual basically say that you can only work on one of these vans on a lift because the only approved jacking locations are the 4 corners of the side sills straddling the pinch weld. Every other car I've ever worked on has specified those locations for the use of the roadside emergency jack but also listed locations for lifting it in the shop with a floor jack. They're usually on a crossmember, rear diff, etc, something that's well supported to the unibody. Since Ford left us twisting in the wind on this one, has anyone found a place both front and rear where there's enough body strength to use it as a jacking point for a floor jack? If I get the OEM trailer hitch, is it sturdy enough to serve as a rear jacking point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSUPC Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Not sure what year you are inquiring about. I never used a floor jack with my 2012 TC but I did use ramps and had no problems. I have seen others mention that they have used floor jacks by taking a piece of wood and cutting a slot into it. Then placing the pinch weld into the slot, and placing the wood block onto the floor jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonShockley Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Adapter pads are only $10 for 2. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WRMSHP2?psc=1 Willygee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomerweps Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Next Amazon order, I'm getting me some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Ridley Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 The black pads on Amazon I bought were made from Chinese rubber and the nasty smell filled the garage (even in a sealed plastic bag). I threw them away and bought a urethane pad: https://m.ebay.com/itm/1-ea-Universal-Orange-Floor-Jack-Pad-Adapter-for-Pinch-Weld-Side-JACKPAD-disk-/332299053307?hash=item4d5e9128fb%3Ag%3A8XYAAOSwmrlUrvgD&_trkparms=pageci%3Aeaf38ca3-adcd-11e7-a8b9-74dbd180225d%7Cparentrq%3A06db537f15f0a990a8237afcfffcd06a%7Ciid%3A19 The urethane was much better.The black rubber would crease and disform if not perfectly aligned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Yes, you can jack almost any unibody car using the pinch weld under the door sills, but only if you put the jack in the correct location - Every vehicle I've seen has some sort of built in indication for the proper location for the jack. The sill pinch weld is internally reinforced to withstand the load, but only in the correct jacking locations. (There is an internal vertical piece of steel inside the sill at the correct locations - If you don't use the proper spot, you can crush the sill) On most Japanese cars, there's a little notch in the pinch weld the length of the saddle in the OEM jack, but my 2014 TC does it differently We have a notch (half oval) cut out of the plastic sill trim where the jack is supposed to go - If you look underneath the van, you cannot miss the jacking locations. I'm not aware of any other location . . . . cross members or anything centrally located, which should be used. The trailer hitch is rated for a tongue load of only a few hundred pounds, so definitely not there! The 4 factory designed jack points are the only ones you should use . . . . they were designed just for the purpose For years, I used an old hockey puck in the center of my hydraulic jack pad and sat the pinch weld in the center of it, but after I lost track of the puck, I made me a small block of oak with a kerf cut across it for the pinch weld to fit in - Works even better than the hockey puck and didn't have me sending $10 to China Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVguy2 Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 So if you jack the TC at those points where do you put a jack stand if the jack is in the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalienz Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Use these jack stands. http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 $300 a pair?? You are way, way richer than I am! I guess if I ran an auto service shop where they would get used everyday, they might make sense, even at that price, but for the average guy who *might* use them once a year . . . . . ?? I suppose someone, somewhere is making a $500 paperclip too . . . . but why? Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Ridley Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 (edited) Avguy2, I jacked the TC just ahead of the spot marked by an arrow on the pinch weld. Then I put a jack stand next to the jack. Both used the urethane hockey puck type pads. Edited October 12, 2017 by Don Ridley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSUPC Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 I like my jack personally. It has the stands built in. mrtn and satkins93 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 That is an old picture, how full is the shop now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSUPC Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Not much more. Still working on it and a few other projects at the same time. Slow going right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalienz Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 On 10/12/2017 at 8:44 AM, Beta Don said: $300 a pair?? You are way, way richer than I am! I guess if I ran an auto service shop where they would get used everyday, they might make sense, even at that price, but for the average guy who *might* use them once a year . . . . . ?? I suppose someone, somewhere is making a $500 paperclip too . . . . but why? Don I believe the question was " where do you put a jack stand if the jack is in the way?" And I responded with a solution that answered the question. There was no question about how much the cost was. Sincerely, the price is high, but the solution is excellent, and the excellent often has a high cost. I'm a middle class dude, so I'm pretty sure I'm not richer than you. But if you want the best, that answers the question, Jackpoint does it right. Peace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVguy2 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 @zalienz, that is an elegant solution and I have seen those mentioned before on another auto forum. I just forgot they existed. They are certainly a bit pricey though. @BSUPC, Someday I would like a setup like yours. Hell, I'd be happy with a portable lift like this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200386167_200386167?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive > Automotive Lifts > Two-Post Lifts&utm_campaign=Dannmar&utm_content=790007&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0oWOxIHz1gIVQR6GCh3lsAuXEAQYAyABEgKRaPD_BwE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williaty Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 AVGuy, it's not entirely clear that the MaxJacks will work with the Connect. The Connect's jacking points are a whopping 75.2" apart. With the arms on the MJ only extending to 40", you may have to spread the arms so far away from each other that they don't angle towards the center enough to actually get safely under the van. I've got an email in to the people who make the MJ about this issue right now. The QuickJack BL-6000XLT will just barely get long enough to do it. Later today, I'm going to measure to confirm that the collapsed jack will actually fit under the van. I owned a race shop (that also started doing repairs after the recession) for years and I have never before seen a single car where there wasn't an easy answer for how to jack it up. The Connect is the first car I've ever seen where it really looks like Ford designed it to only be able to be lifted by a full-sized 2-post lift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 The Floor Jack under the Lower control arm placed carefully will work the same as it always has leaving the Pinch weld area for the Jack stand. The rear lower spring mount will provide an easy point to raise the TC . This leave the Rear jacking point free for the Jack stand. The Max Jack is a shorter version of a two post lift. The shop floor is drilled for Expansion bolt sockets that allow the lift to be easily removed to be rolled into the corner for storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williaty Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 The MJ is a smaller in every dimension version of a normal 2-post lift. That's a critical detail because the arm spread isn't as large as on a normal 2-post. That definitely becomes and issue with the Connect. Like I said, I've got an email in to the company to find out if they think it's safe or not. Generally speaking, trying to jack from any part of the moving suspension is a bad idea. It's unstable at best and easily causes damage at worst. Functionally, there's also the point that having to jack the car one corner at a time to get all 4 corners in the air is a real pain in the butt and somewhat dangerous as it's VERY easy to get the car teetering on 2 stands without warning. It also means that you REALLY should have jackstands each rated to support the entire weight of the car since you can transfer extreme loads to one stand given the weird angles the car will transit through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I will Agree with you that getting all 4 corners one at a time is a pain. The Standard way of checking Ball Joints is a Jack under the control arm , If the lower joint is the loaded joint. The distance between the columns for the Max Jack is adjustable so you should be able to make the span between the Jack points. Here's a link http://www.maxjaxusa.com/# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williaty Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 The distance between columns only adjusts for the width of the van, which is no problem at all. The spread of the arms adjusts for the distance between the front and rear jacking points on each side and that IS a potential problem. With the arms parallel, you'd get 80" of spread. Obviously, with the arms parallel, they won't actually get under the van. The van needs 75.2" of spread, which might mean the arms have to be close enough to parallel that they won't reach under the van or would require the posts to be so close together that you could barely drive the van between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 The lift is not that expensive. Think of the use you'll get out of it within your lifetime of vehicle ownership. What is really expensive is the real estate and building that you will need to set up the lift in. I don't know about you guys. But I find it very difficult to have any sort of workshop when you live in a walk-up apartment. Hard to get anything done on the 3rd floor of a brownstone. Your landlord and neighbors just don't get it when one room of your rental unit has a work bench, power tools, and lots of noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Acording to the engineering drawing of the lift the arms are 40" long plus the 10" or 12" column spread between the arms it should be enough distance for the lift to work on the TC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSUPC Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 I can say this. I am very lucky to have what I do and how I came to have it. But I will say this. The lift was the least expensive part of the process. The building and the concrete floor were the most expensive. The lift itself was only around $3k for a 10,000 lb. Me and Dad waited a long time to be able to have that thing. Spent many years crawling under our cars with Dad in the wet mud and snow to fix a problem. (it sucks) But no matter what equipment or how much it costs, if you do not use it properly and continually, then what is the point in having it. Be safe my friends, and stay greasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chong Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 On 10/15/2017 at 2:18 PM, G B L said: The Floor Jack under the Lower control arm placed carefully will work the same as it always has leaving the Pinch weld area for the Jack stand. The rear lower spring mount will provide an easy point to raise the TC . This leave the Rear jacking point free for the Jack stand. This is exactly how I do it. satkins93 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 Do not buy those jack pads in pairs, or sets of 4. You will only be using 1 jack. Your jackstands cannot ust pads. There are pads for jack stands. I picked up my floor jack pad from Amazon for about a Lincoln. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GXPIHY6/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 mrtn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.