Somebody previously mentioned the jack stands from Harbor Freight- I have
four of the '6 ton' stands and they've worked beautifully for me on all my
vehicles. They cost about 25 for a pair (sometimes 20 on sale) and you can
order them from the web site if you don't have a store nearby (which would
be most people, I imagine). They're quite heavy and solid, cast, with a
moderate footprint, about 9.5"x10.5" (if you place them properly under they
van there will be little interference with you and your floor jack, engine,
tranny, whatever). The bar is a solid piece, about 2" x 1.5" with about a 4"
head with a slight 'v' and a rounded groove in the middle bottom (this
actually helps lock it in place pretty well). The bar is notched for the
ratchet in the stand, which is a heavy duty one-piece (no springs or pins)
mechanism with a large, solid handle. The stand goes from a minimum of 15.5"
to a max of 24.5".

In the last year, I've had the engine in my '87 out once (man I wish I'd
known about this list then) and the tranny out twice. I put the stands all
the way up and the van was still rock solid; didn't move at all no matter
how hard I pushed. There's enough room underneath when it's set up like that
for me to roll over, which is saying something. If I'm going to be working
on or inspecting just about anything under the van, I go ahead and put it up
on four points. Only takes a couple of minutes and makes life much easier.

I know that's a lot of info but I want to be thorough, and no, I'm not out
shilling for Harbor Freight (although they have been a useful, if not a
little irritating, resource for me over the years)- but these were the
heaviest jack stands I could find that didn't cost a fortune. I was prepared
to pay, since you are literally entrusting your life to your jack stands
when you're laying out under your vehicle, but I'm well satisfied with the
construction and quality of these stands.

Cya,
Robert
'87 GL

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Brodbeck" <gull@GULL.US>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: Vanagaon axle stand height?

> On Wed, 26 May 2004, Bruce Nadig wrote:
>
> > I don't trust ramps. True the van is standing on its own wheels.
However,
> > most ramps are simple stamped sheet steel and there is no mechanism that
> > really prevents them from collapsing. I have seen ramps change shape
over
> > time.
>
> Most jackstands I've seen also use stamped steel for their bases, except
> for some really old ones that belong to my grandfather.
>
>
> David Brodbeck, N8SRE
> '86 Volvo 240DL wagon
> '82 VW Vanagon Westfalia Diesel