Thankful to be alive

L

Lt.Col.Vortex

Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
752
My brother and I were working on our truck ( replacing the entire front end basically ) and making a video of it to post a how-to on the matter (because you cant find anything on a 98.5 dodge 3500 2WD). Well about half way through the day dad notices one of the 2 jack stands holding this 4,000 pound vehicle up is BARLEY on the edge of the frame. The stand had been there for about 15 hours and tools have been thrown in and taken out of the truck several times as well as the doors being opened and slammed (I know, not wise). When we noticed the stands misplacement, the jack was under the truck and had taking weight off that stand ( so we could align new parts). But after reviewing the video we learned that the stand had been that way ALL YESTERDAY and ALL TODAY.

We later learn that it was operator error (its all our fault for not checking). So thankfully my brother and I are still alive. The stand is suppose to be 4 inches to the right. Heres some pics.
 
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I knew a guy in high school whose brother died exactly like that. I've never forgotten that, and even earlier today - some 32 years later - I thought about it when I was considering whether to change my oil or have it done. What a scary thing to think about. I hope this impresses on you the need to be overly cautious under a vehicle. Wow.
 
I'm still rather uneasy about it. I've got over 3 hours of footage to go through and edit for a tutorial, and its kind of hard to do that now with an easy mind.
 
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Dads are great, aren't they? :D

Any memory of surviving without a scratch is a good memory. In the end, it's all just one learning experience after another, and this one you've got documented to save someone else a bad time.
 
It never hurts to keep some pieces of 8x8 timbers around for extra insurance. Bottle jacks and floor jacks are great to lift it up and jackstands to set it on but if there is room to set in some blocks along with the jackstands then I do.
 
We've all done something like that. After it was over all we could do was shake our head at the stupidity.
 
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