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[Exile]

 and my old lake and elliot hydraulics. 

Ah Lake & Elliot.

A famous Braintree firm, just close to me.

I still have the trolley jack bought for my 21st birthday by friends who were apprentices at Lakes. (The seals went a long time ago!)

Sadly, gone the way of much of British manufacturing.
Other famous Braintree Firms: Bradburys 4-post lifts, and Crittall Windows - still going in some form or another, somewhere....?)

[w3526602]

I believe inflatable bags can be used to lift a crashed aircraft.

... and an aircraft (aluminium) cannot be chopped up with a "GAS AX" (oxy-acetylene torch) ... only ferrous metal will burn.

You should not stuff a punctured tyre with grass ... grass will not hold 25psi.

602

[Alan Drover]

What happened to the bags that were put under vehicles and inflated by connecting them to the exhaust then with the engine running obviously were inflated and raised the vehicle?

[Davidss]

What happened to the bags that were put under vehicles and inflated by connecting them to the exhaust then with the engine running obviously were inflated and raised the vehicle?

They are still available, but tend to be too expensive for most. Those intended for the domestic after-market tend to be cylindrical, and the lifted vehicle can be quite unstable. They work best when under a flat area, so don't work well under a chassis rail, outrigger, or axle / spring.

The ones used in the commercial world (Fire and Rescue) are square in plan and multilayer bellows in format.
I suspect these give a much more stable lift.

Yes, I have used the cylindrical ones on different private vehicles, so I've seen the 'characteristics' at first hand, but in one case it was the only available solution as, when lifted, the flat bottomed vehicle could be pushed sideways so the wheels found firm ground. The bag rolled over as the vehicle was pushed.

Regards.

[Clifford Pope]

A bit like trying to stand on a large inflated sausage-shaped toy in a swimming pool. It sounds easy, actually impossible.  :)

[The Shed]

Funnily enough I recently found mine during a garage clear up.
I would use it under my SD1 Vitesse which was very low. Inflated very quick if it was secured on the exhaust correctly.
Of course a proper jack was then used, then stands if working under.
Reminded me of helping a friend who was having his SD1 taken away by the 'scrapman'.
LHR wheel had a good tyre which he wanted swapping. He did not have the Rover jack so we puts a scissor jack under and starts lifting away.
The car starts to lift then stops, but the jack kept going up ! Open the rear door, and there is the jack 
Couldn't get the jack out or the car up. Luckily I was able to use my high lift in the rear jacking tube.

[w3526602]

602 'cherry pipping' thats a new one to me, you live and learn.

Hi,

English is a living language!

Hold a "still slippery" cherry pip between you finger and thumb, and squeeze. With practice, you can become fairly accurate.

Alan, I agree that your "man-size" axle stands should be stable. In theory, tripods are inherently stable, but a big square block is probably "stabler" (living language) if the floor is flat.

I once slid a similar heavy stand across the garage floor, forgetting about momentum. The leg of a workbench got involved ... and I lost a finger nail.

Me? I would like a small axle stand, with a  WIDE VEE, welded to a car wheel, preferably with a tyre. I would not intend to use that wheel as a spare, unless no other option .... shades of Bodecea (sp?)

602

[gromet]

Either braver than me or absolutely 💯 percent stupid

[gromet]

Another angle

[Alan Drover]

Is that a body underneath?

[Wittsend]

This is quite an infamous picture off the internet - a Darwin Awards contender.

[gromet]

Is that a body underneath?

  Yes it's a screen shot taken from a video 

[Clifford Pope]

This is quite an infamous picture off the internet - a Darwin Awards contender.

It is in fact a standard way of propping up a boat that has been hauled out of the water for winter storage.
Amazingly, boats never do fall over doing this, and stay stable for months on end over winter while they are repainted or repaired.
In fact, worse than that, you have to move the prop slightly otherwise a patch is left unpainted, so you just put your back against it for a few seconds and slide the piece of wood along  :)

Of course you can play it safer by knocking up a pair of V-shaped wedges from old boards, but they are really just the first method with a few nails.

[The Shed]

I believe inflatable bags can be used to lift a crashed aircraft.

... and an aircraft (aluminium) cannot be chopped up with a "GAS AX" (oxy-acetylene torch) ... only ferrous metal will burn.

You should not stuff a punctured tyre with grass ... grass will not hold 25psi.

602

Apparently, stuffing grass into a punctured tyre is a 'proven' way to get you out of trouble in an emergency.
Proven by whom I do not know ? 

[diffwhine]

Apparently, stuffing grass into a punctured tyre is a 'proven' way to get you out of trouble in an emergency.
Proven by whom I do not know ? 

Actually it works - I've done it using very dry hay once. the biggest problem was breaking the bead and the getting the tyre back on the rim afterwards. Did 35kms like that, but the wheel felt horrible. Tyre overheated anyway and had to be scrapped, but it got us to the next stop and that's all that mattered. All you are really trying to replicate is a Runflat rim inside a tyre.