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Vehicle Lifting Points

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165K views 49 replies 32 participants last post by  hurk  
#1 ·
(click on thumbnails to enlarge)

JACKING
WARNING:
^ DO NOT RUN THE ENGINE WHEN JACKING THE VEHICLE. THE WHEELS CONTACTING THE GROUND COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO MOVE. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY.

^ MAKE SURE THE JACK AND JACK STANDS ARE CORRECTLY LOCATED TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM FALLING. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY.

^ WHEEL CHOCKS SHOULD BE USED TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING AND FALLING OFF THE JACK. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY.

CAUTION: The service jack provided with the vehicle is only intended to be used in an emergency for changing a deflated tire. Never use the service jack to hoist the vehicle for any other service. Refer to the Owner Guide when using the jack supplied with the vehicle.

Jacking Points - Front
1. The front jacking point is at the bolt head of the lower control arm.


Jacking Points - Rear
1. The rear jacking points are located on the rear trailing arms.


LIFTING

Lifting Points
1. The lifting points are part of the uni-body structure. (Ed. note: use this only if you have a "professional" floor jack with a large lifting head)


CAUTION: Damage to the suspension, exhaust or steering linkage components may occur if care is not exercised when positioning the hoist adapters prior to lifting the vehicle.
 
#3 ·
put your jack stands under the lower control arms.
 
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#4 ·
I have no differential so I lift by the big metal frame where the differential would go. Otherwise, I would put the floor jack under the unibody "lifting point" and jack stands under the "jacking point" on the control arm.
 
#5 ·
That's one thing I always liked about the Escape. The jacking points are under the control arms, so you don't need to lift the side of the car 100' in the air so the suspension drops enough to raise the tire.

Rotating tires is sooo easy on an Escape.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ok... pictures.

If I jack it up by the proper jacking point, that button thing on the trailing arm, there's no room to put the jackstands. The floor jack takes up all the space.


I tried putting the jackstand at the bottom of the shock absorber but the tire is in the way.


Squishy, do you mean the U-shaped piece in the middle? I tried that but my floor jack won't go high enough to lift the tires high enough for jackstands. Even if it did, wouldn't the tires would move outward as I lower the truck and become unstable?
 
#7 ·
Yes, I mean the U-shaped piece in the middle. Do you have one of those little portable floor jacks? You can try using a block of 4 x 4 to give you a bit of extra clearance, but do not go under the car in that circumstance. The better alternative is to get at least a 3-ton jack. The larger lifting head makes it safer overall.

After looking at the pictures, I don't know if a floor jack would fit on the trailing arm nub with the tires on. I use the lower control arm which attaches to the "U-shaped piece in the middle", placing the jack stands as close to the tire as I can. What are your jack stands rated at? When trying to get the entire car up in the air, you want something with a very wide base like a 6-ton stand. I get away with a cheaper 3-ton set that has a one-piece base that is wider than usual.
 
#10 ·
Help me out with the nomenclature. Which ones are the control arms? Which ones are the trailing arms? Are they the same? What are the arms that go from the center out to the wheels? Which ones go from the frame to the wheels and run parallel to the vehicle?

I have a few short pieces of 4x4s I can use. I'll try lifting it from the center next time. I'm still worried that the wheels will not be in the same place vertically when I start lowering the jack.

My floor jack is a basic Craftsman one.



 
#11 ·
The control arms are shaped like _/''\_ and run from the center out to the wheels (they're the lowest suspension component you see when you look at the car from the rear) parallel to the width of the car. The trailing arms are what you are jacking up in the first picture you posted - the ones that run parallel to the length of the vehicle and have the little nub for the factory scissor jack. The control arms aren't an "approved" support point, so make sure they fit properly in the cradle of your jackstand so that no twisting force is being applied.

Your jack looks like one of the fancy aluminium low-profile ones, which may be why it can't lift high enough. The lifting head is one of the big ones so you should be safe lifting with a block of wood. I was worried that you had one of the cheap ones where the lifting head is only 1.5-2" in diameter.
 
D
#12 ·
Thanks for the underbody garage-lift points. I'm gonna print it out and give it to the service writer for the few times that I have to bring in the Tribby for tires etc.

I had a '91 Explorer where the bozo's in one garage lifted it by the rocker panel pinch-welds, crushing them. It's a frickin' body-on-frame truck! How lazy/stupid can 'ya get?
 
C
#13 ·
This is the most useful post I've been able to find, but I'm still kind of in the dark on where to put jack stands for the front (of a 2001 Tribute).

If I think I have digested my information correctly, the following picture shows my jack positioned at the unibody lift point, and the jack stand just under the normal/emergency jack point. Confirm/deny? It doesn't seem like a good place to put a jack stand...
Image
 
#15 ·
I have no problems lifting my other car on jackstands. However, I was never able to lift my Tribby.
I know it sounds trivial, but can someone post a step-by-step DIY (with pics) on how to place this particular car (SUV) on jackstands?
Like the whole 4 corners on jackstands.
It seems I am not the only one having difficulties with this.
 
D
#16 ·
doru said:
I have no problems lifting my other car on jackstands. However, I was never able to lift my Tribby.
I know it sounds trivial, but can someone post a step-by-step DIY (with pics) on how to place this particular car (SUV) on jackstands?
Like the whole 4 corners on jackstands.
It seems I am not the only one having difficulties with this.
Click to expand...
+1
 
T
#17 ·
When I had to switch out a tire, I found the mounting point to be well under the vehicle and with a bolt, but the emergency hand-jack that comes with the car is better suited for the mounting point as it comes with a little rut for the exposed bolt.

I suppose if you're doing it with a legitimate floor jack, there are better places to lift. I think I used part of the lower control arm with my ex-girlfriend's old Chev Malibu...
 
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#23 ·
doru said:
I have no problems lifting my other car on jackstands. However, I was never able to lift my Tribby.
I know it sounds trivial, but can someone post a step-by-step DIY (with pics) on how to place this particular car (SUV) on jackstands?
Like the whole 4 corners on jackstands.
It seems I am not the only one having difficulties with this.
Click to expand...
This. :?

I'm going to replace the front brakes and need a picture of where/how to place a jack stand if I'm using designated jacking location with the supplied emergency jack. Thanks.
 
C
#25 ·
I have a question about raising the front end of the vehicle. There is a short, fairly beefy looking piece of U beam that is located rearward of the engine/transaxle (4 cylinder 2005 Escape) that looks sturdy enough to place the cradle of a floor jack underneath and raise up the vehicle. Does anyone know if this angle iron is structurally sound enough to use as a jacking point? I have included a photo of the prospective lift point.



http://s8.postimage.org/6nwf0uy05/Jackpoint.jpg
 
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