Thread: Anyone ever see these things

Anyone see these things before. They are made of PLASTIC. Would love to know what their load bearing capacity is. They are holding up a two story 140 year old farmhouse when the stone and cedar log pilasters started failing.

I searched for ones like those but could not find them.

I used to have some 90 ton ball screw jacks, can't find any with that lifting capacity on an internet search now ... at the time I would have sworn that the 90 ton rating was their weight ... man those things were h-e-a-v-y to move around, yet each would lift a section of a two story house without struggling - much - trying to turn the screw with the bar.

Are you sure they were plastic through and through and not plastic coated steel?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

I searched for ones like those but could not find them.

I used to have some 90 ton ball screw jacks, can't find any with that lifting capacity on an internet search now ... at the time I would have sworn that the 90 ton rating was their weight ... man those things were h-e-a-v-y to move around, yet each would lift a section of a two story house without struggling - much - trying to turn the screw with the bar.

Are you sure they were plastic through and through and not plastic coated steel?

I scratched the surface with my probe and knocked on them. They seemed to be made of a polymer rather than coated steel. They look to me to be temporary anyway and not something permanent you want holding up the whole front of the house with two floors and a roof and no foundation under them.

Plastic Jack Stand | Kampa UK

Capacity 750 kilograms. A kilo is 2.2 lbs, do the math.

They are designed to keep the motorhome from rocking, not to keep the two-storey house from collapsing.

• Ideal to stop motor homes and caravans rocking
• Strong but lightweight
• Set of 4
• Max payload per stand: 750 kg
• Wide base for stability
• Also suitable for other wheeled units
• Adjustable height, from to 25cm to 42.5cm
• Can be stacked for easy storage and transport
• Dimensions: Base 17.5 x 17.5cm, Minimum Height 25cm

DO NOT USE AS THE SOLE MEANS OF SUPPORTING A VEHICLE

OMG I think I found them. I think they are rv jacks from walmart.

Originally Posted by ren ramsey

I scratched the surface with my probe and knocked on them. They seemed to be made of a polymer rather than coated steel. They look to me to be temporary anyway and not something permanent you want holding up the whole front of the house with two floors and a roof and no foundation under them.

I'm not even sure I would want plastic (polymer) bases on even a temporary floor jack.

Like you, I wonder what the rating is ... and what the maximum load duration limit is. With plastic, the maximum load duration may be as important as the maximum load is - and the rusty screw indicates they have been there a while, thus the load duration has been quite long to, but is it lightly loaded or heavily loaded - with plastic, it can make a big difference in its ability to withstand long term load duration.

Originally Posted by ren ramsey

OMG I think I found them. I think they are rv jacks from walmart.

Those are aluminum, not plastic.

Yes, those plastic ones could be RV stabilizer jacks.

If you are an RVer ... you've probably seen the signs " If it's a rockin' don't come a knockin' ".

And Gomer is probably a hero in Bertha's eyes, "cuz he fixed the whole house from collapsin' by putting in those cute little doozy-flop things he found at a garage sale."

I'll never forget doing a favor for my then-girlfriend, looking into why an exterior porch light her uncle had recently installed frequently flickered when used. I had reasons not to trust her proclamation that "Unc was the chief maintenance man at a local hospital" when I opened up the junction box to find he had used cellophane tape instead of wire nuts to wrap the loosely-twisted wiring connections in the box.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Those are aluminum, not plastic.

Yes, those plastic ones could be RV stabilizer jacks.

If you are an RVer ... you've probably seen the signs " If it's a rockin' don't come a knockin' ".

Oh well I see your point, if they were aluminium they would be perfectly acceptable ( spoken in my best Monty Python acent)

Originally Posted by ren ramsey

Oh well I see your point, if they were aluminium they would be perfectly acceptable ( spoken in my best Monty Python acent)

Oh, dear me, you must have been inspecting Fawlty Towers ... was Basil yelling at Manuel again?

Oohhh, I knoooooow ... Oohhh, I knoooooow ... Oohhh, I knoooooow ...