Underhoist Support Stand, 3/4 Ton Capacity Under Hoist Jack Stand, Lifting from 52.8 to 76 in, Self-Locking Threaded Screw, Bearing Mounted Spin Handle Pole Jack, Support Vehicle Components

Dropping a gearbox is the easy part. Holding it, a radiator, or a length of exhaust exactly where it needs to sit while you line up bolts is the part that usually involves a trolley jack, a block of wood and a spare pair of hands you do not have. An underhoist stand does that job properly.

A screw thread that stays where you set it

Height is set by a threaded screw rod, and the thread is self-locking — it will not wind itself back down when you take your hand off. That is the difference between a screw stand and a hydraulic jack, which relies on a seal holding pressure. The spin handle runs on a thrust bearing, so the last few millimetres of adjustment, where the load is already pressing hard on the tray, still turn by hand rather than by hammer. Adjustment covers 1340 to 1930 mm (52.8 to 76 in), which reaches from a low workshop floor to a vehicle up on a two-post hoist.

Base, tray and the way it holds

The base is a 5 mm circular steel plate — thick enough not to dish under load and shaped to spread the weight across a concrete floor rather than concentrate it on three small feet. On top, a U-shaped tray with rubber padding cradles whatever you are supporting: the rubber grips a painted sump or an alloy gearbox case without marking it, and the U shape stops a round component rolling off sideways. The column is tubular steel, which the supplier describes as resisting deformation and twisting under load.

The jobs it earns its keep on

Most of its life will be spent under a car that is already up on a hoist, taking the weight of something being unbolted. Gearboxes and transfer cases are the obvious ones. Beyond that: holding a tailshaft while the centre bearing comes out, steadying a radiator during a hose change, supporting an exhaust section or a catalytic converter so the remaining bolts are not carrying the lot, or nudging a CV shaft up into line. The supplier is explicit that this is partial support for positioning components.

Key features

• Self-locking screw thread: holds its height without a hydraulic seal to fail or bleed down.
• Thrust-bearing spin handle: still turns by hand when the tray is already loaded up.
• 1340-1930 mm range: covers work on the floor and work under a raised hoist.
• 5 mm steel base plate: spreads the load across the floor instead of point-loading it.
• Rubber-padded U-tray: grips a component without marking it, and stops round parts rolling off.
• Tubular steel column: described by the supplier as resisting deformation and twisting.

Specifications

• Rated capacity (product title): 3/4 Ton
• Rated capacity (supplier feature text): 1653.5 lbs / 0.75 tons
• Basis of rating: the supplier's figure is for a single stand, and the supplier states that at least two stands are required in use
• Height range: 52.8 in - 76.0 in / 1340 - 1930 mm
• Base: circular steel plate, 0.2 in / 5 mm thick
• Saddle: U-shaped tray with rubber padding
• Column: tubular steel
• Adjustment: self-locking threaded screw rod with bearing-mounted spin handle and rubber grip
• Supplied as: one stand — this listing has a single variant and no multi-pack option

Before it goes under a vehicle

• This is not a jack and not a vehicle stand. It supports a component while you position or remove it. Raise the vehicle with a rated jack or a hoist and lower it onto rated vehicle stands before any part of you goes underneath. A lifting device on its own is never what you trust with your body.
• The capacity is quoted above exactly as the supplier gives it, for a single stand. It has not been converted, doubled or combined. The supplier states that at least two stands are required in use, and this listing supplies one.
• The supplier's feature text also says the stand "can support most small cars and similar vehicles", which sits awkwardly beside its own description of the product as partial support for positioning components. Treat it as component support only.
• No standard, certification or test rating is named by the supplier for this stand, so none is stated here.
• Use it on level concrete, keep the load centred in the U-tray, and take the load off it as soon as the job allows rather than leaving something parked on it.

A useful addition to a home workshop that has a hoist or a pit, and a standard bit of kit anywhere gearboxes and exhausts come out regularly.