<VV> Re: Creeper, Lift

[RoboMan91324@aol.com]

Yes, Bob.  The pad type lifts make it easier to get at things underneath but 
can be dangerous in the situation you describe where all four pads are not in 
contact. However, the another big issue is weight distribution.  I worked as a 
mechanic and saw a coworker nearly killed by a pickup truck.  He placed the 
front lift pads on the frame behind the front wheels.  Enough of the weight was 
behind these pads to allow the truck to go up but once he started hanging off 
of a breaker bar up front, the back went up.  The truck would have come off 
if the back hadn't hit a tire rack that was hung from the roof.  The boss sent 
the guy home to change his shorts.  Another time I saw a near accident in a 
Ford dealership's shop.  They had a strange lift that had two cylinders in the 
floor which were controlled by two levers.  The mechanic set the pads and was 
pushing both levers to lift the car and started yacking with another guy.  
Apparently he was pushing one lever more than the other because the rear of the 
car was rising faster than the front.  I yelled across the shop at him and he 
corrected the situation before it came off.  I am surprised it didn't.  Oddly, 
he gave me a really dirty look.  How could a mere customer have the nerve to 
embarrass him in front of his coworkers?  Anyway, with so much weight in the 
rear of our Corvairs, is it possible to have a similar problem if the pads are 
poorly placed?  Keep in mind that it may seem stable until you start torquing on 
something and disturbing the balance.

Doc
~~~~~~~~~~~
In a message dated 12/2/2004 6:21:29 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
virtualvairs-request@corvair.org writes:

> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 08:50:36 -0500
> From: "Robert Marlow, Vairtec Corp." <vairtec@optonline.net>
> To: Virtual Vairs <virtualvairs@corvair.org>
> Subject: <VV> Re: Creeper, Lift
> 
> <snip>
> 
> Lifts are not without their perils.  While my '66 500 was being re-done last 
> winter, a '68 Corvette in the shop at the same time fell off the lift!  (See 
> photo of Corvair and lift at 
> http://www.corvair.org/chapters/njace/cleanup_reassembly.html ) As you can see it is the perfect Corvair lift, two posts, 
> four adjustable arms.  With the Corvette, apparently the car and the four lift 
> pads did not match, and briefly the car was not in contact with one of the 
> rearmost pads.  The loose pad's arm swung out from under the car, and when the 
> mechanic stopped working on the front of the car, the car tried to settle 
> back onto the pad 
> that was no longer in place!  Crash!
> 
> The damage to the Corvette was immense, radiating all the way through to the 
> front of the car.  Happily, no one was under the car when it fell, or I'd be 
> telling you about the mechanic's funeral...