I got a smoking deal on a lightweight floor jack. Never used, $25. Problem...I have an Outback...12.5 inches of ground clearance, so the jack really doesn't get the wheels off the ground. When I swaped out snow tires last spring I had a couple of concrete pavers stacked. They were hardly long enough and one corner cracked, but they did the job. Time to put the snows on again. Leery about using the cracked pavers again. Would longer pavers distribute weight better? Big wood pieces? Any cheap but safe suggestions? Yeah, I know $200 plus for a new jack, but the doggies need new collars... kris
That's how I've always solved it. Mind the grain pattern relative to the bit you're lifting, especially if you are lifting from or near the stock jack points below the rocker panels. You never want them aligned as it could split the wood.
I’ve done wood under the jack, plus shims in the cradle. Do be careful with both, especially the latter. In the attachment I’ll usually have the hockey puck atop the wood bits. The double layer of wood has the grain at right angles, and they’re doweled together.
I always just grabbed a bit of scrap lumber to put in the cradle. Do that to just protect the rail seem on the sides. No problem with a 4x4 piece at the rear diff of the Outback, though I use jack stands before taking off the wheels at that end.
