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General => General discussion => Topic started by: Jimbop on 09 April 2011, 10:31

Title: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Jimbop on 09 April 2011, 10:31
I put new alloys on my golf the other night in the dark, in my haste I forgot to check treads were right way round on the tyres, so I now need to change the front two wheels over.

Is using a jack on each side and quickly swapping them over gonna be ok or should I just take the time of doing one wheel at a time and putting my old wheels on in between swapping?

Thanks
Jim
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: lewis1641 on 09 April 2011, 10:34
do one side at a time. or spend £20 on a trolley jack. they are much safer plus lifting the front usually gets the rear off the ground too
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: dom on 09 April 2011, 11:55
do one side at a time. or spend £20 on a trolley jack. they are much safer plus lifting the front usually gets the rear off the ground too

This for sure   :smiley:
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Jimmy Filth on 09 April 2011, 12:01
do one side at a time. or spend £20 on a trolley jack. they are much safer plus lifting the front usually gets the rear off the ground too

Not if you lift both sides of the front...  :grin:
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Thom89 on 09 April 2011, 15:11
Jack one side up, remove wheel. put spare on, jack other side, and swap wheels over, back to other side, remove the spare, and replace with wheel to swap :laugh:

Thom
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: tech1889 on 09 April 2011, 18:21
buy a decent trolley jack.. i personally have the clarke racing one and love it  :smiley:
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: cняis on 09 April 2011, 21:11
someone needs to produce a low entry 2 ton trolley jack for sensible money! im fed up of double-jacking!
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: boneybradley on 09 April 2011, 21:16
whack an old wheel under the subframe etc when it's jacked at least when the widow maker fails you'll have some protection


I had a friend killed when a decent trolley jack failed while he was under a car without anything else and a wheel may of saved him?
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Adam on 09 April 2011, 21:19
Heres another story, flat surface, MK2, widow maker jack and a mate trying to adjust his coilovers with the wheels on. 4 Hours at hospital and a few crushed bits later. His forearm was crushed between the arch and the wheel.

(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/Adam135/86c93f4a.jpg)

It got worse after that! Bruising to hell.
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Dan_GTi8v on 09 April 2011, 22:30
get a trolley jack, I use the one from halfords
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: Bellend on 10 April 2011, 00:41
This is why something should ALWAYS be supporting the vehicle.

Like if your doing coils with the wheels on, make sure something, anything solid is under the chassis.

If you are working under the car, you can stick a couple of wheels or blocks under the wheels even, but just change to suit.

I just chuck an axle stand straight under, easy to do.

As for double jacking, I use three bricks, one on top of the other then one next to that for like a step up.

Only trouble is driving on off the bumper catches. :/
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: thai-wronghorse on 10 April 2011, 01:02
I always use a trolley jack with at least one axle stand beneath the car and any wheels that are removed stuck under the sills for added safety. Falling cars fvcking hurt!
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: bulk66 on 10 April 2011, 10:28
Ya cant f**k about with stuff like this mate, wheel under, axel stands, jacks the lot thats me coz its only going to go two ways, dead  :shocked: or a sh!t load of pain. My mate got his head pined to the floor buy a Audi A8 he did come out of it ok but ya could of used his ear as a satilite dish for a month.

Take ya time  :smiley:
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: thatwillis on 10 April 2011, 12:11
Ive tried it but i had some big logs under the car its sketchy as hell don't do it. As you lift one side it pulls the car that direction rather than straight up. So when you do the other it trys to pull the other one off balance!
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: mwep201081 on 10 April 2011, 12:42
if you fancy a disc brake through your chest don't use axle stands
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: emery1990 on 10 April 2011, 19:35
I'd never just have it jacked up working underneath! I had it jacked up with 2 axle stands, need to get some old rubbers aswell for when I take off exhaust
Title: Re: 2 widow makers, bad life choice?
Post by: antogoof on 17 April 2011, 20:06
i got a 4x4 trollley jack from halfrauds on sale for 26 quid, fantastic i thought until i tried to slide it under the bottom arms of the mk2 and realised the cars too low! still when you do get it under its mint!

go to a boot sale and look for axle stands and a trolley/bottle jack think there is one in halfords at the mo consists of 2 axle stands and  a trolley jack. think its about 40 quid.

at a boot sale you can get either for under a tenner, i bought some ramps for £6.

whatever you do dont get under it while its on a jack or put your hands, feet of any part of your body you value under it without.

make sure if you use a normal scissor jack you use it the correct way and at the correct point on the car.

also check where you are jacking is soild, you never know how its been jacked before!

finally make sure the car is on a level with the handbrake on, i also always leave it in gear. :smiley: