Jacking Question

[chemist]

So, this is just a dumb question related to jacking the rear of the van up. I have a tow hitch with one ball mounted upside down to increase height. It occured to me today when rotating my tires to flip that so the ball faced that ground, and place a hydraulic jack right on the ball of the tow hitch. This gave a place on each side for the jack stands and got both rear wheels off the ground nicely. Is this dangerous or a neat jacking trick?

[lockdoc]

I use my hitch all the time for jacking. Is it safe? Prolly not. Raising both wheels at once gives the van a better chance to fall to the side. I carefully jack it up and then install jackstands. If I am just taking a tire off and I don't need the rear to hang down I jack under the axle where I am working. Hell, I use my engine hoist to jack up the rear of the SPB.

[Fire Cakes]

Why do you need to jack the SPB? For cripes sake you can almost sit under that thing without your head touching the undercarriage.

[Smiliesafari]

Getting a 4000 pound vehicle off of the ground can be dangerous regardless of the method. I think the hitch is as good a place as any. Just don't put yourself in the way of anything that can hurt you. A good quality set of jackstands are a must.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I personally wouldn't jack under the ball itself. I do use the underside of the hitch though. I normally slide a 4x4 or 6x6 between the jack and hitch first though. I even do my Ram 2500 that way sometimes. It is easier to get to than sliding the jack all the way under the diff.