We remember seeing people working under their cars and constantly worrying that the car might fall on them any minute and leave them into a bloody pulp. Most of them used flimsy trolleys or other makeshift supports, which is very dumb if you ask me.
You need to have a potent jack underneath your vehicle while working on the underside. Many tools carry out the purpose, but most commonly used are axle stand and jack stand.
Here is our axle stands Vs jack stands comparison will guide you which one is ideal for lifting your vehicles.
Jump To Contents
Axle Stand or Jack Stand – Which One to Choose?
Although these terms are used interchangeably, there are tiny differences that set them apart. Here are some of them:
1. Location of Placement
The axle stand and jack stand are both used to hold an elevated vehicle that has been lifted by a floor jack.
You will need to place a stand under the car and then slowly lower the car until it rests on the jack stable enough.
Exactly where you place the stand differs. An axle stand usually goes under the axle of the car, as the name suggests. You can place it someplace else, but remember, it alters the stability depending on your vehicle type.
Axle Stands
Jack Stands
Meanwhile, a jack stand goes under the pinch point of a car. If your car doesn’t have a pinch point, you can easily place it under any point of the frame.
More specifically, the subframe near the front and factory jack point near the back are points of stability. Jack stand can only be put under axle if the stand is solid enough.
2. Material
The axle stand is an upgrade of the jack stand having been made from modernized materials. This is usually made from an alloy of steel, aluminum, cast iron, and so on.
The alloy makes them more resistant to rusting and increases their longevity. And no rust equals no risk. Jack stand might be regular-duty ones made from aluminum and heavy-duty ones from cast iron or steel. These might be susceptible to rust.
A worrisome thing is that the rust might have gathered somewhere inside, and bolts and screws only start coming apart as the stand tries to hold up a vehicle.
3. Weight Capacity
Stands come with a variety of weight-bearing capacities. You need to double-check the weight capacity of your stand before you let them prop up your car. Axle stands have weight capacities of 2,3, and 4 tons that are used most of the time.
But in case you own a caravan or another enormous motor, you might want to use the 44-ton axle stand by Euro. On the other hand, jack stands have a maximum weight-bearing capacity of 3 tons at most. Other categories of jack stands do not hold more weight.
Caution: It is very important to note that, often the weight-bearing capacity in the product description belongs to a pair, not a piece of a stand. So, when you see six tons weight capacity for a jack stand, it means (6/2) three tons on each stand.
3. Safety Issues
Although both these choices are safe, the axle stand remains a step ahead. The Jack stand has hydraulic parts that can release air (which only happens in very old stands). That will cause the jack stand to shrink like a telescope and cause the vehicle to fall on you.
The axle stand isn’t dependent on such a hydraulic release valve, and hence, there is not much chance of a drop and crush.
Moreover, the jack stand comes with more mechanical parts while the axle stand doesn’t. Mechanical bolts and rams have more chances of erosion, which makes a jack stand a little less safe bit by bit.
In this context, an axle stand is safer. Remember we said that the axle stand doesn’t rust?
4. Positioning
The axle stand being sturdier than the jack stand, can take up so much more stress. Once an axle stand has been positioned, it will make sure that the car remains in the exact position and will prevent any undue movement.
So, not only is it supporting the car on a vertical plane but also on a horizontal plane.
Jack stand is not a master at maintaining position under stress as much as the axle stand, but it still does a good job.
5. Tilt
Remember making pillow forts when we were kids? We would always use the wider pillows to make the walls that can hold up a large pillow.
Similarly, the jack stand has a wide base that can hold up a larger area of the chassis and prevents tilting.
The axle stand has a comparatively narrow stance, but it only causes tilting due to human error since the narrow stance is compensated by increased strength.
So, it turns out that both stands prevent tilting, but due to different features.
Caution: Whatever stand you use, the car should always be on a flat level surface and not on an inclined slope. If you need to use a jack and a stand on a hilly area, always use a wheel block.
Jack Stands Vs Axle Stands – Who Is the Winner?
Axle stand seems to have more pros than jack stand does. It’s as if the jack stand went through a play store upgrade and became an axle stand.
Everything that the jack stand lacked has been fixed and modified in an axle stand. So it is fair to say that an axle stand is what you should choose.
Bottom Line
A good quality stand is necessary to ensure that you don’t get injured by a falling vehicle. A jack stand is decent, we agree. But an axle stand is safer and more efficient.
From our axle stands vs jack stands comparison guide, we have concluded that an axle stand is a better choice for any vehicular support purposes.
Related Comparison You May Read: