PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-579
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 579
FEBRUARY 2001
☞
Always use jack stands in pairs.
☞
Lower the jack slowly to ease the
load onto the jack stands. Dropping a
load onto jack stands can ruin them.
☞
Center the load on the stand’s sad-
dle. Make sure the rack and pawl are
engaged before and after the load is
applied.
Jack Stands.
..
Y
ou may be able to overlook a lot of
things in your daily motor pool life, but
one thing you better not overlook is
each and every jack stand you use.
When you put a jack stand under a
vehicle, you’re betting that it will hold
up under whatever pressure is applied to
it.
If it doesn’t hold up, you can lose the
stand, a vehicle (at least temporarily) or
your life (or limb).
Think you should look a little closer
next time you use a jack stand?
Preparation for Use
☞
Follow the instructions in your
vehicle’s TM for size and placement of
jack stands.
☞
Park the vehicle on a level, hard
surface.
☞
Shut off the engine, set the hand
brake and chock the wheels that won’t
be raised.
☞
Inspect the stands before use.
Look for bends, separated welds, cracks
and corrosion. If you have any doubt
about the stability of a stand, don’t use
it! Have it tested by support. TB 43-
0142 has the word on load testing and
stenciling.
☞
Make sure the stands are standing
straight and that the pawl seats fully in
the column teeth.
Using
Trailers, Semitrailers…
railers here, trailers there, trailers every-
where– but no power source to test the lights?
Plans are available to build your own portable
tester for trailer or semitrailer lights. It comes in
real handy when there is no truck on-hand to
power the lights.
To get a set of the plans and instructions for
building the tester, which works both 12-volt
and 24-volt light systems, let Half-Mast hear
about it.
You can write to:
MSG Half-Mast
The Preventive Maintenance Monthly
LOGSA, Bldg 5307
Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-7466
Or send e-mail to
psmag@logsa.army.mil
.
Please provide a mailing address for the plans.
☞
Make sure all jack stand legs are
firmly on the ground.
☞
Leave as many tires as possible on
the vehicle and on the ground.
Use dolly jack
to raise vehicle
☞
Raise the vehicle only as high as
necessary to do your work.
☞
Do not shake or bump the vehicle
after it has been placed on jack stands.
The stability of vehicles left unattended
should be rechecked before resuming
work.
☞
Use secondary supports—railroad
ties, A-frames, floor jacks or cranes—if
there’s any doubt about the vehicle’s
stability during a maintenance procedure.
PS 579
FEB 01
10
Don’t bump a
vehicle on jack
stands
You can build
this light tester
☞
Use a proper size dolly jack to
raise the vehicle.
If you’re raising the
entire axle, lift it at the middle of the
axle, then place a jack stand at each end.
579. 10- 11 (C)
1/11/01
4:27 PM
Page 1
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