What are Axle Stands?

Axle stands are a workshop tool that allow a user access to the underside of a vehicle, this allows the user to carry out maintenance or repair to the vehicle. They are made out of heavy duty materials to ensure they are not compromised when under load. Typically this consists of aluminium, steel or cast iron.  Ensuring you have good quality axle stands is incredibly important as a user is usually underneath the car whilst in use.

Are Axle Stands safe?

Assuming you have good quality axle stands and use them properly, axle stands are safe. In order for them to be used in a safe working practice you must ensure they sit flat on the ground, all legs must be sat flat on the ground. It’s incredibly difficult to remove the axle stands by accident, JHM Butt can provide advice on the right quality axle stands for your budget.

How much weight can Axle Stands hold?

Axle stands have varying capacities from 2 tonne – 20 tonne even some going up to 44 tonne, it’s important to understand the vehicles you will be working on in order to determine what is correct for you. With car axle stands you can get away with 2T, but to be on the safe side (heavier cars), 3T is the best idea. Please always refer to your vehicle’s manual for this. Alternatively, weight per axle can often by found on a sticker/metal plate on the side of your vehicle. It is usually found between the sill of the car and the top of the door, please note you may have to open the door for this.

How to use Axle Stands?

Firstly, you’ll need;

• A flat/level surface, concrete is the best surface to do this on
• To identify the jacking points for your vehicle (usually found in the vehicle’s manual)
• A trolley jack or an alternative safe means of jacking the vehicle (a low profile trolley jack may be needed depending on your sill height).
• Place the vehicle in gear and turn off the ignition
• Ensure the handbrake is applied or you are in park (automatic transmission)

1. After identifying your jacking points, place the trolley jack underneath the jacking point and begin to jack the vehicle up.
2. Once you have achieved a suitable height, place your axle stand in position (adjusting the saddle if required) and use the locking pin to secure the height of the axle stands. The position of your axle stands should be located underneath a solid steel part of the chassis.
3. Lower the jack slowly on to the stand and ensure you are watching from a safe distance
4. Repeat this process on the opposite side.
5. When it comes to removing the axle stands you’ll need to jack the vehicle up to the point where the weight is off the axle stands. Be careful not to over jack these to the point where the opposite side could slip off.
6. Remove the axle stand and repeat on all other sides.

What Vehicles Types Can Axle Stands Be Used For?

• Cars
• Vans (short, medium and long wheel based)
• Buses
• Lorrys, Trucks and other HGVs
• Tractors

11 Top Tips for Axle Stands Safety

1. Have them checked over by a professional, government guidelines for HSE recommend that they should be inspected by a competent person every 12 months.
2. If possible, you should always try and work with another person to avoid accidents. Ensure that the other person is within hearing distance.
3. Store axle stands in a suitable place to avoid damage
4. Every time you use your axle stands, check for cracks and any visual signs of wear and tear. Check for wobbles and ensure they are steady.
5. Apply some force to your axle stands to ensure they are safely secured, this can be done by pushing them firmly. Of course, common sense must be used when doing this. Ensure there is no possibility of any body part being trapped underneath.
6. NEVER raise a vehicle on a sloping surface.
7. Place wheel chocks at the front and rear of the wheels at the opposite side or end to the one that is being lifted.
8. Position in the axle stand in a strong area, this could be an area that consists of thick steel.
9. Do not raise one side of the vehicle more than the other when it is raised.
10. If you’re working underneath the vehicle, once jacked up, take the wheels off and place them underneath the car. This will give you an extra layer of safety in the event of an emergency.
11. Purchase axle stands with special angled teeth for greater protection. This will prevent an accidental release of any load

What Are the Different Axle Stand Types?

• Ratchet Axle Stands

These are easy to adjust, flexible and cause less obstruction. An example of this would be the heavy duty axle stands JHM Butt offer. Our 3 Ton Ratchet type axle stands, the BXS0003 have an incredibly large welded base and feet area to prevent any type of sinking.

• Pin Type Axle Stands

Allows the user to secure the axle stands using a pin which prevents slipping off.

JHM Butt combine both of these methods to produce extra safe axle stands that are a ratchet type but also have back up pin to prevent any release of load. See further down for which products include this…

How do Jack Stands Fail?

There are multiple ways that jacks stands fail however these are the most common;

• Incorrect placement under vehicle, failure to place the axle stands at the appropriate points outlined by the vehicle manufacturer could result in damage to the vehicle and potentially failure of the axle stands.
• poorly made axle stands may have poorly designed teeth so if any minor/major force were applied, it could push the lifting points off the teeth resulting in axle stand failure.
• Low quality raw materials, if the jacks stands were manufactured out of poor steel, aluminium or iron it’s likely that the rigidity of the products will be compromised under load.

Heavy Duty Axle Stand Options from JHM Butt (2 tonne – 3 tonne range)

JHM Butt offer a range of axle stands at different capacities from brands such as Sealey, Omega and our very own range. The BXS0002 & BXS0003 combines a ratchet type with pin safety ensuring extra layers of health & safety. They are good quality axle stands at a competitive price. These are suitable for cars and small vans however please refer to vehicle handbook to understand the correct capacity.

Heavy Duty Axle Stand Options from JHM Butt (4 Tonne and above)

Those users working on bigger vehicles such as long wheel-based vans, trucks and other HGVs will need something more heavy duty. With these axle stands, please consider the required lifting height.

Please consider lifting height when working with HGVs, you may find cheaper axle stands however it’s unlikely that they will have suitable lifting heights. JHM Butt prefers to offer the RAV axle stands for HGVs as they are one of the highest quality and heavy-duty axle stands on the UK market, offering 2040mm of height at a 10 tonne capacity.