9 Lives!!

[dantd5]

I must admit I have dreaded the thought of being mashed and sandwiched under the defender everytime I work underneath it. I follow the safety procedures of chocking the back tyres when the front is jacked up on axles. I have 4 jacks in my little garage but still sweat when I am under the truck. Thoughts goes to the day when the uncertain occurs. And the reporters are quick to draw conclutions. In the news and tele,,,

"We warn you of the scenery as it is real bloody; A young man was found under his landrover in a pool of blood after the lift gave away. Neighbours complain of constant noise in that garage. Many (empty) beer bottles where found in the garage and there is a suspicion of alchohol in the picture."

I use 2 axle stands 1 bottle jack, a 3 tonne lift/jack removes tyres and placed underneath and the cell phone is always at hand.

My question is what is the utmost safe way of working under the car? And are there people here with that phobia?

[Cat_J]

I use ramps unless the wheels need to come off.

[Les Henson]

If you park on level ground and use axle stands, then there's minimal risk. If the wheels are still on it, then you'll only likely bang your head. I've had an Austin 1100 fall off the jack onto my right arm (bluddy painful). It's just a risk you take - you can only do so much after all - there's always the unknown/ignorance/stupidity/someone else. As soon as one rear wheel is off the ground, then you have no handbrake. Two wheels up on one side and no hand brake and being in gear has no effect. Not many people chock wheels (I don't unless there's an obvious slope).

Les.

[Lars L]

I usually flip the Land Rover on its side when it's time to do anything underneath. If the ground is soft, there will be a minimum of scratches.

Sorry... Working under the 110 is no problem, I'm not really fat (just a little...), so there's plenty of room if I lay on my back. The Disco is another matter. Maybe that's why I don't really bother to fix what I ought to fix?

[freeagent]

I don't actually jack the disco up unless i need to remove a wheel, I usually either drive it onto my waffles (lifts it just enough to crawl under the lower bits ok) or up onto ramps if i need to lift one end a bit higher.

If i need to remove a wheel, I use small but decent axle stands and always throw the wheel i've removed under the chassis rail...

[Orange]

If I have to remove wheels and work underneath, I normally lie the wheels under the sills/rock sliders. That way the vehicle can only fall so far if the worst were to happen and if it does, then I may have to replace a wheel/tyre and not a wing/hub/brake disc/caliper etc...

I must admit that the 90 is no problem to get under, but the Disco involves quite a bit of breathing in as it still wears it's front valence and side steps...

[dantd5]

I usually flip the Land Rover on its side when it's time to do anything underneath. If the ground is soft, there will be a minimum of scratches

Is that in the manual?

[Astro_Al]

I have some chunks of railway sleeper that I slide under the lowest points (diffs / chassis etc), so that if it falls off the axles stands / jack, it'll just land on those and not me.

Since they are a couple of feet long, it can't realistically fall off the lumps of wood, even if it falls 'diagonally' off the jack / stands first.

Al.

[FridgeFreezer]

If my car falls off a jack or axle stand I still have at least half a metre of space

Being sensible though I use a good 3-ton trolley jack or 20-ton bottle jack, and have a set of four truck axle stands ('cos normal ones don't reach my axles )

[Lara]

By far the easiest and safest way to repair your vehicle is to get someone else to do it!

I have never had an accident or even near miss using this method

Lara

[Mo Murphy]

I have a pair of home made ramps bought from a friend for a tenner that are a foot tall They were to steep for his normal car so I was happy to help him out and make space in his garage

Mo

[Night Train]

I used to drive up the kerb so that one side of the Land Rover was on the kerb stones. I would then lie in the gutter.

If wheels need to be removed then I am either not under it and support it on a 3 ton trolley jack or I use axle stands and wheel chocks.

Even on ramps I will wedge a block through the ramp so the wheel can't roll back off it.

I was once working on a MGB GT track racer, with only 2" ground clearance, servicing the back brakes. I only had the back axle on that side on a trolley jack and forgot to chock the front wheels. While trying to lever the brake springs back in place I managed to roll the car off the jack while my legs were under the sill. Fortunately the axle rolled off onto the body of the trolley jack saving my legs from being crushed but leaving me trapped and alone.

It took a long stretch to reach the jack handle and with short strokes I managed to raise the jack a bit further against the battery tray to let me escape.