is using a floor jack at an angle safe?

[Interleukin6]

Hi, I plan to buy a 3-ton floor jack and 6-ton jack stands to rotate 1500 LT tires at home but my garage is so tight. My driveway is also sloped. I don't think I can put the floor jack perpendicular to one side of the truck. The floor jack must be positioned perpendicular or is it ok to put it at an angle to the side of the truck frame and use the bottom half of the handle? I've read it will be tipped over if it is placed at an angle because it cannot be floated to balance the load. I've also read some use this way in the tight garages without problems... Should I go for unijacks in my case? We all know a floor jack is the way to go... but... Thank you.

[redwngr]

As long as the wheels are on the floor and the lift pad is on a surface of the vehicle that is parallel to the floor it it won't matter about the angle to the vehicle. 

 

Problems can occur if the jack is lifting using just an edge of the lift pad -- which can happen if trying to lift on a part of the vehicle that is not level with the floor (wheels of the lift). 

 

Jack is will be easier to manage with the full length of the handle. 

 

 

6 ton stands seems excessive (and will be heavier to handle than necessary) unless they are also being used for anyother purpose besides rotating tires on a pickup

[Interleukin6]

Thank you for your expertise. I had never had this kind of heavy vehicle before. Ok, I plan to buy Daytona 3 ton jack stands and $150s Pittsburgh floor jack. It seems that over $200 things are nice to have especially the one with a foot pedal to pump in the tight space but I think they are overkill for tire rotations only. I am using homemade wooden ramp for oil changes. I will also use the 3 ton jack stands together with the wooden ramp for just in case. Can you recommend appropriate jack stands and floor jack for my needs? Daytona… Husky…. Pittsburgh… thank you.

[repairman54]

Wheel chocks are a must on a slope. All four off the ground is risky though, even on stands. 

[swathdiver]

Got caught in a tropical storm once with all the wheels off and the truck up on 4 jackstands.  Figured she would get blown off but did not.

[Gangly]

1 hour ago, swathdiver said:

Got caught in a tropical storm once with all the wheels off and the truck up on 4 jackstands.  Figured she would get blown off but did not.

I would not have expected that, that's awesome!  I would have been worried for sure, but it's really pretty cool how it stayed on the stands.

[Interleukin6]

Are you guys using which jack stands 3-ton or 6-ton? It looks like the minimum height of the 6-ton is almost the same as the maximum height of the 3-ton, which means using the 6-ton has more stability, right? I think the 3-ton is just enough for tire rotations but the 6-ton should be better for safety? Will the 6-ton be too high, even though I will use them at the minimum height? Thanks.

[swathdiver]

I was using 3-ton stands but switched over to 6-ton stands.  Also ditching the 3-ton floor jack for a 4-ton.

[swathdiver]

On 9/19/2023 at 2:31 PM, Gangly said:

I would not have expected that, that's awesome!  I would have been worried for sure, but it's really pretty cool how it stayed on the stands.

You know it!  I was looking out the window and she didn't budge.  The winds peaked in the 40s, I would have been in trouble with a hurricane!

[Naughty Donkey Performance]

I just jack up one side of the vehicle at a time with my floor jack and two jack stands, seems safe and quick enough no need to have all 4 off the ground at once just to swap tires etc.IMO but as stated above the 6k ones will be heavier and not needed for this size truck.

Perhaps we should know more about the wooden ramps ????

[DHBWA]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:18 PM, swathdiver said:

You know it!  I was looking out the window and she didn't budge.  The winds peaked in the 40s, I would have been in trouble with a hurricane!

40mph winds isn’t blowing….

[swathdiver]

24 minutes ago, DHBWA said:

40mph winds isn’t blowing….

A subjective statement for sure!