Anyone interes in a custom Prius Gen III (or"v") "pinch weld" jacking adapter for racing floor jack?

I made and tested a few of these late last Fall. I went through nearly eight prototypes, before I finally got it right. They are four inches long and are especially designed for the Harbor Freight aluminum flat top racing jack. I believe that they can be used on some other floor jacks with a small top plate.


The photos are shown with the pinch welds on my 2012 Prius"v"

PriusChat members; tell me what you think.

 

Enjoy the "hockey pucks."

 

Your opinion is welcomed, but it appears to be both arbitrary and capricious and without explanation.

The OEM scissors jack is designed to bear upon the sheet metal in this area. My adapter is spread the load to more three times the surface area of the scissors jack.

The adapter, while made of a thick age harden aluminum 6061-T6 alloy, is designed to bend, instead of the sheet metal. A heavy load would allow the two "wings" to bend until the pinch weld "bottoms" on the adaptor.

Basically, the supporting area and points will exceed the OEM supplied equipment by 3-5 fold.

 

No video needed. I've uploaded the photo of the official Toyota jacking diagram.

They recommend rubber blocks. Mine are aluminum.

 

I guess you don't ever use the scissors jack. Just look under your car.

 

Thank for your interest.

The first one will be $19.50 delivered, with $18 for each additional ordered and shipped at the same time.

I'll have to check how many I have. I have to keep the prototype and test article, if I want to make more in the future.

 

I have two jacks, which I use for rotating tires.

I'd jack up the car using the front or back jacking point and use this adapter between the top of the jack stand and the jacking point.

Anyway, I would got under the car under any jack. I prefer ramps and use stands only if I have to work on the suspension and have to remove the wheels.

 

Tried them, already. They were awkward. The fit was poor. The "pinch weld" sat teetered on the center bottom of the pad like a knife edge.

 

Jack stands have not been redesigned since the days of car frames and solid rear axles. I remember them to be the same as they had bees when I bought my first pair in 1969. I either place them under the rear axle, the front cross member on a rear wheel drive vehicle of the shock mount on a heavy A frame lower control arm.

A good jack stand might be one with a flat top and a 3/8 inch wide slot cut 7/8 inch deep down the middle.

These jack stands could be easily modified without weakening the top structure.



That way; it would accommodate a pinch weld and also a solid axle or a flat place on a frame.

In my design, I paid more attention with the "contact" of the jacking point on the car than that of the jack stand. Car has been taken that the adaptor maintains full contact with the inner and outer surfaces on each side of the pinch weld. The jack stand acts like a fulcrum or pivot point as the angle of contact changes with the car being raised.