Which jack stands

I need to swap transmissions on my Miata. I have two jack stands, of the typical chinese bent steel variety. I'll need two more, might as well buy something nice that I'll keep around for 40 years.

Any recommendations?

40 years?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/Porsche/catalog/shopcart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_ESCOJS_pg1.htm

I've got four of the HF aluminum stands I use regularly. Love them.

Escos or HF. Don't bother with in-between.

There's a vendor right now selling the Escos for about $40 each. Let me know if you're interested i'll dig up the link in the morning.

I have 3 sets of the ratcheting-type steel jackstands. One is an old Craftsman set that I got with a floor jack back in the 90s, and the other 2 are HF. All are fine, and I've trusted my life to them many times.

If I needed another set, I'd just go to HF and get some.

Bought the Torin Big Red jacks from TSC. 6 ton w/ 24" lift. Mainly for the lift, I likes 'em. They carry the 4 Ton also IIRC.

That Esco looks like it has a huge gap between pin holes ... 1-1/4"? I like the pads on the feet though.

These aluminum screw-type ones look light, simple, elegant design. And cheap. I guess the screw would be slower, but infinitely adjustable. Marketed as RV support stands not for supporting a car as an overhead load though. I wonder where the load ratings come from, some standard or just marketing?

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-44560-Olympian-Aluminum-Stack/dp/B000760FWU/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1433254253&sr=1-3&keywords=jack+stands

These torin look like they belong in a race shop, maybe a safer design with the large cylinder and the pin loaded in shear:

http://www.amazon.com/Torin-T43004-Aluminum-Jack-Stands/dp/B0007XTGCI/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1433254456&sr=1-2&keywords=jack+stands+torin

I can't think of many scenarios where I would be supporting more than half of a ~4500 car/SUV on a single stand.

Never seen this style before but its kinda neat, if big and cumbersome to store: http://jalopnik.com/these-awesome-jack-stands-will-transform-the-way-you-wo-1680463970

My neighbor has a much larger version of the same thing, where you drive the whole car up onto the ramps, then use a floor jack to raise a 4-bar mechanism that locks up about 18".

There's a thread somewhere that points out those RV stands aren't certified for the weight according to accepted standards.

I really couldn't figure out why those on Jalopnik are so "awesome." They aren't any good if you want to take off a tire and work on brakes, for example, so you've still got to have another set of stands and you've got to store those monsters somewhere...

I think the one your neighbor has is a Kwik Lift. You can get or fabricate bridges for that lift that would allow you to place jackstands under it and remove tires. So there is that...

Those Torins scare the E36 M3 out of me. Would not buy.

Here's the sale price on the Escos: http://www.usatoolwarehouse.com/usatoolwarehouse/ESC-10498.html

Axle top Esco: http://www.usatoolwarehouse.com/usatoolwarehouse/ESC-10497.html

Both: http://www.usatoolwarehouse.com/usatoolwarehouse/ESC-10498K.html

Swank Force One wrote: Those Torins scare the E36 M3 out of me. Would not buy.

Thanks for the links. You mean for tipping? That is the only thing I don't like about them. The base is about 7" diameter. I don't think I'd want a car on 4 of the Torin style, but two of these and two wide stands, or lifting one end of a car with the other blocked, don't see an issue. Structurally the cylinder style is superior as it doesn't put any welds into bending like the tripods do.

I haven't measured but I'd guess my current steel tripod stands are 8 or 9" to the feet and 6 or 7 to the flat between, so its anti-tip stability is dependent on which way it is facing.

I have no desire to own aluminum jackstands. That's an area where I don't mind a little extra weight. Nor do I need any fancy, garage-art things. I need something strong and stable, that's it.

I do believe this is the definitive review: http://revlimiter.net/blog/2010/07/mega-jack-stand-review-1/

Regarding the Torin: "It’s teeter-totter city. I have a hell of a time getting a car stable if supported by 4 of these stands. Add that to the extremely small base and you have a very nervous Miata mechanic."

Regarding the Esco: "Perfect. Could not be more stable. There is not one millimeter of shake in the car when held up by four of these stands. I can always feel at least a little bit of movement when I shake the car after lowering it onto a set of jack stands. Just a little bit. But not with these ESCO stands. It’s like the car is supported by solid metal beams."

Great read, thanks. Two of the Esco flat-pads on the way.