Swapping wheels: 1 or 2 jack stands?

[linkster]

What type of torque wrench are you guys/gals using to put on the lug nuts?

I have been using one of these for quite a while, but I don't recommend it. I only use a torque wrench for mains, flywheels, flex plates, harmonic balancers, rods, and head bolts.

 

[HankLloydRight]

It's not always to "have fun with the tools"...

In my case, I doubt I will find anyone who can do it for $20 around my area (welcome to Silicon Valley), but even if they were, I'd be worried about them doing a good job. For that price, how careful are they about not overlapping the lift point with the battery (it's close)? Do they use anti-seize for the next time around? Do they use the proper lifts? Do they know how to use jack mode? Do they use a torque wrench to make sure it's not under/over-tightened? Are they careful with the rims? With the rest of the car? If I have to set up the car in cargo mode to take 4 wheels+tires, go there, wait, get it done, and come back, then put the car back to "normal", is it really saving me time vs doing it in my garage?

I find that people who "work on your stuff" (house, car, or anything really) aren't generally as careful and diligent as you are yourself. When **** happens, all you have out of the transaction is "oh sorry", or more aggravation if you decide to escalate it (and there goes your time).

It's not just the $$...

I tend to agree. It's about half the work to load up four wheels+tires into the car, and then unload them, than it is to just jack up the car and do it myself, and save the cash (at least $50 around here). I have a shop that I know and trust, but it's always a hassle to load up the car, drive there, wait 2 hours, direct them how to do it, make sure the torque is correct, yadda, yadda, yadda. It takes me about an hour to do it myself with one floor jack and taking my time in a garage without a lot of extra space on each side (in fact I need to turn the car around to do each side).

Also, for torque wrenches, I love this little guy for $52: Powerbuilt 940962 1/2 Drive Digital Torque Adapter, 29 to 147 ft-lbs - Torque Wrenches - Amazon.com

Fits on the end of my breaker bar, and I can torque down the bolts to whateve setting I want.

 

[redi]

I feel the same way. I do as much of my own work as I can, because I've only found one mechanic that does the quality of work I do myself and that's even sometimes questionable. I just simply don't trust other people to take as good car of my stuff as I do myself.

When you take care of your cars (and other things) with care and do quality work yourself, and enjoy doing it, it shows. I've found that when I go to sell, the next owner down the line will often appreciate your work and effort that results in something as good as new if not better. Each to his or her own, but this is my approach.

In my case, the first set of mangled Tesla lug nuts did was not my doing, and obvious when I swapped wheels in my garage.

I've picked up a few nails over the years and it's a lot easier to pull the wheel and take it in to the shop for a patch in the back of my old SUV. I have to clean it anyway when it is finished and then there's no possibility of damage to the rest of the MS, the battery, nuts, etc. in a tire shop that has never seen or jacked one.

 

[jaguar36]

I know all you DIY'ers are having fun with the tools but, seriously, my local tire guy charges me $20 to swap the wheels. No tools, no mess, and they never touch anything but the wheels. Been doing rotations and summer/winter tire swaps for 2 years with no issues. Why not keep a local in business and avoid the tools/mess? This is really low money.

Time is money. By the time I got the car loaded and got to the tire shop I could already be done with it. Not to mention the time it would take for them to doing it even if they started as soon as I got there.

 

[mknox]

Hydraulics can leak and even if you are not under the car, coming down fast on the rotor while the wheel is off can do damage to the car or your fingers or head if you are too close.

My hydraulic floor jack has a kind of mechanical ratchet mechanism that clicks in as the car is raised. If the hydraulic system fails, the mechanical system will hold. The only inconvenience is that you have to remember to disengage it before lowering the car. If you forget, you have to raise it a bit (to relieve the weight on the mechanical system) then pull a lever to disable it so the car can be lowered. I figure the extra step is worth the safety.

 

[redox]

My hydraulic floor jack has a kind of mechanical ratchet mechanism that clicks in as the car is raised.

What brand/model is it?

 

[jerry33]

I know all you DIY'ers are having fun with the tools but, seriously, my local tire guy charges me $20 to swap the wheels. No tools, no mess, and they never touch anything but the wheels. Been doing rotations and summer/winter tire swaps for 2 years with no issues. Why not keep a local in business and avoid the tools/mess? This is really low money.

It's not the $20 for swap, it's the $100 for new lug nuts when they wreck your old ones.

 

[mknox]

What brand/model is it?

I got it at Canadian Tire in Canada (store branded item) a couple of years ago, and I think this is the current iteration. You can see the mechanical locking mechanism here:

 

[redox]

I got it at Canadian Tire in Canada (store branded item) a couple of years ago, and I think this is the current iteration. You can see the mechanical locking mechanism here:

View attachment 109328

Thanks, that looks good!

 

[Electricfan]

Toying with the idea of getting this.

Its not big enough is it? I thought the S gross weight was 5700 lbs?

This one looks big enough though:

BendPak Portable Mid-Rise Scissor Lift — 6000-Lb. Capacity, Model# MD-6XP

 

[Amped-Up]

Its not big enough is it? I thought the S gross weight was 5700 lbs?

This one looks big enough though:

BendPak Portable Mid-Rise Scissor Lift — 6000-Lb. Capacity, Model# MD-6XP

That is the weight of the vehicle fully loaded. The curb weight is around 4,760 lbs. Remember the jack is lifting half the weight if you are doing a two wheels lift, however a 3 to 3-1/2 ton jack is plenty, provided it is low-profile.