Good day. I have a 89 102c3 mci. I want to put jack stands under to hold the body up in the rear so i can do some repairs. Until i find a service manual. Where is the best place to put my jack stands
Thanks from petar
Personally, I would use timbers, as you are going to need some pretty stout Jack stands, which would be costly.
If the bus runs, make ramps out of 2x12's to drive up onto.
I use jack stands (good ones) don't buy the cheap stands with the racket buy the pin type like the Sunex and remember the stands are rated in pairs not individually good stands you are fine,stands under the engine cradle close to the bulk head are ok
Are we just getting the bus uphigher to get underneath, or are we taking the wheels off?
Building wood ramps like Tom suggests is good for tires on.
Wheels off,depends what you are doing, whether you block under body or block under axle?
A collection of good quality 2x lumber and some 4x to crib with comes in handy around the campsite, as well as coach maintenance purposes.
Larger pieces at home, like good railway ties, speedthe process, and can just stay there.
Crib the wood piles,no teetering pilesready to drop the coach on you!!!
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
I'll bet you have a need for jackstands more than he'll ever need them. They are fine on concrete.
Thanks. My stands are of the screw type good for 5 tons each. And i will locate them to the cradle by bulk head. My trailer hitch assembly doesnt give me a good flat area to put the stands. I may weld flat area in place to give better support. My goal is to locate a good spot to install hydralic jacks. Now that being said, are hydraulic jacks better when long term camping or is it better to just drive it up on blocks. And is there a way to stop the rear from dumping air when i do get it level
Caution if you live in Ca. and buy the Sunex jack stands.lol
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=dp_prop65_warn?ie=UTF8&nodeId=3234041
So jack stands can give you cancer in CA. Are they safe in other states and provinces?
JC
Sounds like living in california could make you sick. ;D
Just barely in Arizona, but they'll turn your hair white.
Quote from: petarm1 on September 03, 2018, 07:20:57 AM
Thanks. My stands are of the screw type good for 5 tons each. And i will locate them to the cradle by bulk head. My trailer hitch assembly doesnt give me a good flat area to put the stands. I may weld flat area in place to give better support. My goal is to locate a good spot to install hydralic jacks. Now that being said, are hydraulic jacks better when long term camping or is it better to just drive it up on blocks. And is there a way to stop the rear from dumping air when i do get it level
I wouldn't use anything under 12 ton and do prefer 20 ton air over manual jacks and then wood cribs under Jacking points only unless taking off the wheels then its under axles. I drive up on ramps first and then start cribbing, jack some more and crib some more. I never block under body because it will bend. Do not jack under body on an MCI anyway it will bend. again only under the jacking points.
Just remember that a tire leak, blowout or bad airbag or even a leaky air valve may allow the bus to make a very bad Impression on you fast and last forever.
is there a way to stop the rear from dumping air when i do get it level...
no. you must block the suspension, even if it didn't leak.
having said that, fix the leaks first.
You can disconnect the leveling valve link where it is attached to axle. Secure it from moving then so it doesn't bleed out the air. On GM, it says you can unhook link, inflate air bags enough to place a 10 inch piece of pipe that has sufficient inside diameter to sit over bump stop, about 4 inches more or less in diameter. Be sure your air bags are in good condition first. Then lower coach by lever to allow body to rest on pipe spacers.
Re: blocking suspension at bump stops.
Big Transit used a piece of 4x4, painted yellow with an eye and a short rope to pull it out/carry it.
Slip it in, suspension can't go any lower once contact is made
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
BW - I was reminded the other day when I said something similar. The response was hope you are in a place where that 4" is enough clearance. Point being the buses get so low that 4 extra inches can still get you crushed. Dave put the fear of god in me too.
When I changed the filters yesterday, the bus was supported three ways. First driven onto wood ramps, then a 20 ton jack on the jacking pad with a few more inches and finally a 4x8 block on end under the axle just in case. Seems like overkill but safe.
Can't you put the blocking under the air beams? (The strong beam looking things near the wheels.)
Like others have said, wood blocking is critical. Always have a backup in place if you like living. A tire could blow, an air bag could blow / leak suddenly, a jack stand could fail. A block has no moving parts, it can still fail, and if it does and everything else failed at the same time. Well, I think you had an appointment with the final destination that is unavoidable at that point.
On our 4104, we had about 3/8" x 6 inch or so square plates with small tabs on both sides. These tabs had 1 /4" bolts threaded into the tabs. The tabs wrapped around the bottom flange of air beam loosely so you could move fore and aft as necessary if you loosened the bolts. We always jacked on them. You had to use the low profile jack though. An air over hydraulic would work much better, since reach on jack handle and throw was limited.
Damn,just block between the body and axle and jack it up ,no need for 1/2 the forest to block a bus up ,good jack stands are not going to break the H/F s*** might
Oh no another tree hugger. ::) OR install a pit.
Quote from: chessie4905 on September 04, 2018, 07:39:41 AM
Oh no another tree hugger. ::) OR install a pit.
It's not that most people will go buy cheap pine instead of oak because of price and the pine will kill you soon or later.I'll stick with the jack stands and burn the wood in the fire place
Quote from: luvrbus on September 04, 2018, 07:57:02 AM
It's not that most people will go buy cheap pine instead of oak because of price and the pine will kill you soon or later.I'll stick with the jack stands and burn the wood in the fire place
Guess that's sorta fair... somebody already killed the pine, right?
Thanks for all the suggestion. I live were trees are plentiful so blocking is not a issue.
Again thanks from petar and my 89 mci 102c3
Sunex was mentioned but a bit pricey. How about these - ESCO 22 ton pin style stands, look very similar to the Sunex?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ESCO-22-Ton-Pin-Style-Jack-Stand-10455/306368901
Quote from: windtrader on September 18, 2018, 10:39:57 AM
Sunex was mentioned but a bit pricey. How about these - ESCO 22 ton pin style stands, look very similar to the Sunex?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ESCO-22-Ton-Pin-Style-Jack-Stand-10455/306368901
The ESCO is probably good enough, but I got the OTC Tools 1780 22 Ton Pair. They have continuous welds instead of stitch welds, a heavier collar, and 1" thick pin. They actually cost less at the moment, $166.99 shipped on eBay, $194.01 on Amazon shipped, for a pair. They are noticeably beefier, and they weigh more than the ESCO, and others.
Those are the short stands with only 3 adjustments and a 10x10 bottom flat plate,my Sunex are a little better than those it's 11x11 bottom plate with rolled edges so they don't dig in sliding and no stitch welding,with a larger pin and more adjustment holes all around made better.Those will work you the price is high for what you get IMO
thanks clifford, same old story - mostly get what you pay for. I did notice they are low but with so little clearance underneath I figured that is what is needed but I guess if you consider jacking the full jacked up height then the taller ones are better.
What other jack stands are nuts using?
Quote from: windtrader on September 18, 2018, 08:16:36 PM
thanks clifford, same old story - mostly get what you pay for. I did notice they are low but with so little clearance underneath I figured that is what is needed but I guess if you consider jacking the full jacked up height then the taller ones are better.
What other jack stands are nuts using?
Don use good stands don't go cheap the money saved is not worth the risk
Jack stands are great on concrete. I would not use them on ground or gravel. Rain could make them settle unevenly. Timbers would be better there.
Quote from: luvrbus on September 18, 2018, 07:02:00 PM
Those are the short stands with only 3 adjustments and a 10x10 bottom flat plate,my Sunex are a little better than those it's 11x11 bottom plate with rolled edges so they don't dig in sliding and no stitch welding,with a larger pin and more adjustment holes all around made better.Those will work you the price is high for what you get IMO
Cliff, which model of Sunex do you have? I looked at the Sunex 1522 which did not look as beefy as the OTC 1780 (which has a 11 X 11" base), but I did not see a Sunex with rolled edges. That would be a handy feature when moving around on gravel.
I need to find the model number I bought a set of the 1552 and I am not happy they have 10x10 flat plate with no edges but I only paid $129.00 for the set with shipping
Take your pick:
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=22+ton+jack+stands&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=177598727503&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2392547292152132136&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9006537&hvtargid=kwd-11743286798&ref=pd_sl_4yy4wdmy0c_b
Just bought the Sunnex 22 ton stands from Summit Racing for $141 delivered. They are on sale for a while at about $15 off regular price.
I always strive for the greatest value option. Some of the jacks are clearly designed for daily shop service, rather than my expected use of a few times a year. As long as the jacks support the state weight for occasional use, it meets my need. If a jack fail to support stated capacity, that is an entirely different discussion.