FYI Harbor Freight jack stands recalled

[Gatorblue92]

FYI for all the folks who might use these like I did over the weekend...

Harbor Freight Jack Stands Recalled for Risk of Collapsing

Check yours immediately.

www.roadandtrack.com

Harbor Freight Jack Stands Recalled for Risk of Collapsing


HARBOR FREIGHT
The Harbor Freight jack stands that we've all bought, borrowed or seen in our friends' garages are being recalled due to a risk of collapsing under load. Go check yours immediately.

In a recall filed with the NHTSA on March 20 of this year, Harbor Freight explains that certain 3-ton and 6-ton jack stands have the potential to disengage their support pawl under shifting weight, causing the stand to drop suddenly. The defect is attributed to aging tooling at the factory that produced the jack stands.


HARBOR FREIGHT

The recall document says that the problem could affect more than 450,000 jack stands produced between 2013 and 2019. These jack stands were sold under the Pittsburg brand name, and can be identified by item numbers 56371 on 3-ton models, and 61196 or 61197 on 6-ton models.

Harbor Freight urges anybody in possession of affected jack stands to return them to the store in exchange for a gift card equal to the price of the stands. Any unsold jack stands covered by the recall have been removed from stores. Check on your buddies and spread the word around—these jack stands are ubiquitous, and a failure like this could be fatal.

 

[nocfn]

I have these but never ise them without primAry sullirt with a jack. I also have these old classic ones from the 1970’s.

 

[Kyiv]

Amazon basics brand sells identical looking stands. Wonder if they fall under recall too, since they are probably from the same factory as "Pittsburg"...

 

[JC220]

Incredible that this BW subject didn't escape "Eco Junk" either

 

[ace10]

A brief, snarky Canadian take on the subject

I binned an old set of those stands many moons ago. Replaced by a set of aluminum Big Reds from Turin. They're the pin-through-the-post style. The only issue I have with them is that the saddle is kinda flat.

 

[alabbasi]

That's going to be the mother of all recalls given how many people own these. Even though most pretend not to shop at Harbor Freight

 

[ace10]

That's going to be the mother of all recalls given how many people own these. Even though most pretend not to shop at Harbor Freight

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I agree. My old ones weren't actually from HF (and seriously... never been a store, never bought anything from them) but it's the same shitty design. If you so much as breathed on the handle, they would drop. But that wasn't what pushed me over the edge.... it was using them to hold up the back end of a truck for a couple of days in my driveway while I got some wheel/tire work done. The damn things sunk into the asphalt. Embedded. Still can see the scars.

The flat base of the Torin's don't do that.

 

[alabbasi]

Those look good, but might be challenging unless you have a perfectly level surface.

 

[ace10]

I'm working on concrete or pavement. They might be sketchy on uneven surface or gravel.

I bought them primarily for the Lotus, where I have to use a hockey puck on the saddle against the aluminum chassis. I don't think they're perfect for all use cases, but there's some substance to them, and the pin even has a detent ball to lock it in a bit more.

Not perfect, but they don't scare me as much.

 

[daantjie]

A brief, snarky Canadian take on the subject

This guy sounds like a drunk Larry David

 

[Gatorblue92]

Has anyone tried these ESCO stands? Look much more robust than the defective Harbor Freight ones.

https://www.amazon.com/ESCO-10498-Jack-Stand-Capacity/dp/B0019JVIPM?ref_=s9_apbd_otopr_hd_bw_b13uNV&pf_rd_r=ZV71RDHXK3Y35DF2Z25X&pf_rd_p=b0e93c2d-8b75-51c8-a13a-4c30640f47cc&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=15708041

 

[Jlaa]

I use these. Ultra strong, super stable, American made, and goes under the same jacking point that you use to jack the car up. They are a bit costly, but for a critical safety item, I don’t mind spending the dough.

http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

 

[alabbasi]

The HF design (aside from the fault caused by a worn out dye) is a pretty stout design and I'm a little leery of the ones with the hollow pipe for the stand. Just take them back and have them swapped out for updated stands if you have jack with the suspect part #.

 

[TerryA]

I agree. My old ones weren't actually from HF (and seriously... never been a store, never bought anything from them) but it's the same shitty design. If you so much as breathed on the handle, they would drop. But that wasn't what pushed me over the edge.... it was using them to hold up the back end of a truck for a couple of days in my driveway while I got some wheel/tire work done. The damn things sunk into the asphalt. Embedded. Still can see the scars.

The flat base of the Torin's don't do that.

View attachment 103997

The base on this Torin jack looks to small to me. Also the top part looks to small or flat. I would be nervous being under the car with this stand.

I have to admit I thought that the HF jacks sure looked sturdy and I thought the base gave it more stability. Apparently this was just a dream and not reality but they were way better than the ones that they replaced.

I'm sure I have two harbor freight style stands in the garage. I don't recall where I bought them or how long ago. I will have to check them out as to having a part number. I always thought that they were sturdy and safe until now. I guess I will be looking for some other jack stands before I crawl under any of my cars again. Just to be safe I always leave the hydraulic jack under the car also. It's a scary feeling when a car moves while you are under it. DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.

You hear about people being crushed under cars but it's usually just hearsay but for me it was more that that. Although I didn't know him, my neighbor's brother was killed when a jack stand collapsed under a trailer he was working on.

 

[Gatorblue92]

The HF design (aside from the fault caused by a worn out dye) is a pretty stout design and I'm a little leery of the ones with the hollow pipe for the stand. Just take them back and have them swapped out for updated stands if you have jack with the suspect part #.

I have a couple sets of their older orange stands in the 12 ton variety which have been holding up a friend's 87 300D for a few years now and I always thought their design looked pretty robust. Oddly enough its my newest set which is the recalled part number.

 

[alabbasi]

I have a couple sets of their older orange stands in the 12 ton variety which have been holding up a friend's 87 300D for a few years now and I always thought their design looked pretty robust. Oddly enough its my newest set which is the recalled part number.

Yep, most of those that I have are Orange, but there are a couple of red ones. The design has been around since Fred Flintstone. It's a good design, especially for driveway use where the ground is not perfectly smooth and these narrower jacks are likely to tip over. I have bunch of these at the house and at the shop. I've never had a problem so they might not be in the part # range. I don't think that I've bought any in the last 5 years.

One thing to consider when buying replacements is where you're getting them from. There's a recall on HF stands because it's a big enough store to get peoples attention and they will be around to honor replacements. A lot of this stuff is sourced and not made so I expect that there's other branded jacks with the same problem that have not been identified. I'd rather buy something like this from HF instead of Amazon which will only honor the product for 30 days before leaving you to deal directly with the manufacturer.

 

[TerryA]

I use these. Ultra strong, super stable, American made, and goes under the same jacking point that you use to jack the car up. They are a bit costly, but for a critical safety item, I don’t mind spending the dough.

http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

That's pretty fancy for changing a tire on a Corvette but it to low to you get under the car and do any work and for me I would say worthless unless they have models that would allow you to raise the car higher. It is definitely sturdy and stable.

 

[LWB250]

That's pretty fancy for changing a tire on a Corvette but it to low to you get under the car and do any work and for me I would say worthless unless they have models that would allow you to raise the car higher. It is definitely sturdy and stable.

Agreed. The height isn't conducive to being able to work under the car. Nor is the cost conducive to my financial well-being.

Dan

 

[TerryA]

Has anyone tried these ESCO stands? Look much more robust than the defective Harbor Freight ones.

https://www.amazon.com/ESCO-10498-Jack-Stand-Capacity/dp/B0019JVIPM?ref_=s9_apbd_otopr_hd_bw_b13uNV&pf_rd_r=ZV71RDHXK3Y35DF2Z25X&pf_rd_p=b0e93c2d-8b75-51c8-a13a-4c30640f47cc&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=15708041

The ESCO stand looks pretty good the top pad looks great but it only extends to 21". I also like the EAZ LIFT jack stand which extends to 30" except for the top part which looks kinda flimsy. I also spotted the Torin jack that looks like the Harbor Freight jack but has a secondary safety pin that jambs in the ratchet. Looks like there are plenty of jacks to choose from.

 

[Jlaa]

That's pretty fancy for changing a tire on a Corvette but it to low to you get under the car and do any work and for me I would say worthless unless they have models that would allow you to raise the car higher. It is definitely sturdy and stable.

Agreed. The height isn't conducive to being able to work under the car. Nor is the cost conducive to my financial well-being.

Yeah - I use the jack stands for light work somewhat-under-the-car like brake work, suspension work, etc. I don't do anything that requires my entire body being under the car for more than single digit minutes - I'm very (perhaps excessively) conservative. If its something that requires lots of entire-body-under-car activity, I just take the car to a place with a rental lift or have my favorite indy mechanic (with a lift) do it.

 

[Jlaa]

Oddly enough its my newest set which is the recalled part number.

Reading through the recall details, the recall is a result of worn tooling used in the production of those jackstands - newer ones have reduced surface area for the mechanism to engage the "lock", thus increasing the propensity to "slip."

 

[LWB250]

Yeah - I use the jack stands for light work somewhat-under-the-car like brake work, suspension work, etc. I don't do anything that requires my entire body being under the car for more than single digit minutes - I'm very (perhaps excessively) conservative. If its something that requires lots of entire-body-under-car activity, I just take the car to a place with a rental lift or have my favorite indy mechanic (with a lift) do it.

That's why I like ramps for working under the car for extended periods. While that's not always possible, say with brake work, in those cases I rarely need to be underneath. Also, from a "suspenders and a belt" angle, I always leave my jack in place when the car is on jack stands. Might not prevent a complete collapse should it occur, but at lease one side will remain up.

Dan

 

[gsxr]

If you need more lift height and have a low ceiling, get one of these QuickJack portable lifts like @nocfn did.

 

[gerryvz]

I always leave the jack in place when I have stands under my car. Like right now, as I'm working on completing the lower harness. One jack stand + the jack in a raised position as a safety measure.

I prefer ramps, though, for anything that doesn't require wheel or brake work.

 

[ace10]

Let me take back my earlier comment about the jack stands I use and any other safety-related suggestions and/or commentary I may have made.

-------------------------------------

Having said that:

It's obvious that we all have different tolerances for risk and we all have different ways to approach a task.
Me... I'm not going under a vehicle to do any serious work while it's on jack stands. Inspections? sure. Heavy torquing? NFW.
Along those same lines... I won't climb an extension ladder that I didn't put in place. I won't go up on scaffold or pump jacks that I didn't put up or witness being put up.
That's just how I am.
What I may think is likely safe or reasonable might not be to the next person. And certainly vice versa.

✌

 

[Kyiv]

Has anyone tried these ESCO stands? Look much more robust than the defective Harbor Freight ones.

https://www.amazon.com/ESCO-10498-Jack-Stand-Capacity/dp/B0019JVIPM?ref_=s9_apbd_otopr_hd_bw_b13uNV&pf_rd_r=ZV71RDHXK3Y35DF2Z25X&pf_rd_p=b0e93c2d-8b75-51c8-a13a-4c30640f47cc&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=15708041

This is exactly what I have. Purchased two 9 months ago. Once I had the car sitting on them for two weeks and on multiple occasions 24+ hours at a time. And my driveway is not perfectly flat. No signs of fatigue or bending. Very robust and trustworthy feeling stands. At this point, I have no quibbles sliding under the car with just one of these propping it up.

 

[ace10]

Because quality.

 

[alabbasi]

I have had several HF jacks and they've been stout (except the 1.5 ton aluminum ones which don't seem to last under the weight of an S Class Mercedes). I've only had to replace one of the 3 ton jacks and that's because i used it on an uneven surface to lift a Ford F250 Super duty that i was trying to steer with the wheel locked as I did not have keys for it. Obviously it was my fault.

As far as the jacks go. It's not good but defect can happen. They're standing by their product. You might have bought the same jack Amazon from the same factory with a different sticker and you'd never know about it.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Those responsible for sacking the people that have been sacked, have been sacked.

Because quality.

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[ace10]