Harbor Freight jackstands recalled!, Could collapse under weight! Options

[oakdalecurtis]

Here’s a link to the Harbor Freight jackstands that are being recalled. Apparently the catch pawl can slip and allow collapse of the stands under load.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/bu...-of-collapsing/

[PlaysWithCars]

Who needs expensive Harbor Freight jack stands anyways. These fine fellows surely don’t.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/2782174363052...e&ref=share

, I've made some sketchy decisions in the past, but this one goes WAY beyond my ability to rationalize the risk.

I use the ratchet jacks, and will continue to when needed (although the 2-post I installed this weekend should minimize the need (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) ). I have had zero problems with the ratchet style for 20yrs until about 6 months ago when I discovered one of the stands I was getting ready to set the car onto wasn't fully engaged. Had never experienced this before but am very aware of it now and I suspect that what I experienced is the root of the problems others have had. When I raise the post on the stand the pawl ratcheted just as it always had, but it didn't drop all of the way back into the catch on the post. As I was setting the car down I noticed that the release lever on one stand was not in the same position as the other 3. Further inspection revealed that it wasn't fully seated. This was an older stand and some foreign material was creating drag on the release pivot so that gravity was not enough to return it to the fully engaged position. All of my stands received a thorough cleaning and lube following that. They are all now functioning as new, but I'll always check the position of the release lever before putting a load on them.

For what its worth, I've had similar experiences with pin type stands. After setting the height then moving them, the pin worked its way part way out and was only engaging one half of the stand. Same procedure with them now: make sure the protrusion of the pin is as expected before setting a load on them.

As Superhawk said, working under a load is dangerous and its up to the user to be aware of the proper operation of the equipment and check it before putting yourself in danger.