Jacking up the Yeti

[Dale_Stevens]

I think the confusion for me is whether the jack is supposed to be placed directly on the triangle, or if it's just indicating the general area for jacking?

Edited 18 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[Yety]

3 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

I think the confusion for me is whether the jack is supposed to be placed directly on the triangle, or if it's just indicating the general area for jacking?

 

Goodness me  

 

In my Owners manual: Yeti anglicky 11.2011. S905610.05.20. 5LO 012 003 FD - page 212, it says:

 

" Position the lifting jack by selecting the jacking point which is closest to the wheel to be removed - (fig 169). The jacking point is located directly below the marking on the plastic cover of the lower sill.

Position the lifting jack below the jacking point and move it up until it's claw is positioned directly below the vertical web of the lower sill.

Align the lifting jack so that the it's claw grasps the web (fig 170) at the right at the level of the marking on the plastic cover of the lower sill"  

 

I really can't see the problem. Most people probably just ram a jack anywhere they like on the welded seam which is fine - except for the damage to the seam sealer as mentioned several times before. Even Skoda dealers are pretty brutal in raising vehicles - time cost money.

[J.R.]

"I really cant see" is precisely the problem

 

I know that my eyesight is compromised but there were people on here telling me that the indicator triangles for the jacking points were easy to see.

 

In bright sunlight the other day I found them by feel and with a mirror, I thought the problem was me not being able to see close up being over 43 years old (and some!!) but unless you flatten your head first by having a lorry drive over it you have to jack the car up first to be able to lie flat and look upwards to see the indicator mark which is on the horizontal lower face of the cill moulding.

 

I suppose you could dig 4 holes in the ground and avoid having your head flattened

 

The markings are fine for MOT testers where the car is already on the lift before they use the jacking beam, a chocolate teapot for anyone else.

 

Maybe the pesron who wrote the handbook was an MOT tester.

Edited 19 December, 2020 by J.R.

[J.R.]

On 11/10/2020 at 23:28, Expatman said:

 

Well, if you don’t have your Yeti what does it matter? You will soon find out where the jacking points are when you get it and LOOK!!

 

Only if you have a pre-flattened head and the close vision of a 6 year old child.

[Dale_Stevens]

Part of the confusion is that there is so much misinformation about it on these threads.

 

Some folk say that it is the seam that takes the load, with the standard Yeti jack having a cut out so that it can press up against the seam to lift the car (which I don't believe), others say its where the flat horizontal underneath part of the car (floor, if you like) meets the seem, directly in line with the triangles, that takes the weight, which I agree with. Being specifically the area behind the sill that you can't see.

 

There are even pictures posted with the jacking points clearly marked with tape, which are in fact incorrect as they are the drain hole areas.

 

Even when I had my Yeti up on the garages lift and I was stood underneath looking at the triangles, they still weren't easy to see. I took photos but the triangles still couldn't be seen on them. Despite the initial confusion, it does now appear clear in my mind where the jacking points are (in line with the triangles with the floor area directly behind the sill taking the weight) but unless your the type to just place the jack anywhere along the sill with disregard to correct procedures, then you will end up searching for and reading these threads and becoming slightly confused with the contradicting information from people who clearly mean well by what they say.

 

Now it could be that anywhere along the sill will be suitable for lifting if your just changing a wheel, but personally i'd rather know for sure

Edited 19 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[Yety]

39 minutes ago, Dale_Stevens said:

Part of the confusion is that there is so much misinformation about it on these threads.

 

Some folk say that it is the seam that takes the load, with the standard Yeti jack having a cut out so that it can press up against the seam to lift the car (which I don't believe), others say its where the flat horizontal underneath part of the car (floor, if you like) meets the seem, directly in line with the triangles, that takes the weight, which I agree with. Being specifically the area behind the sill that you can't see.

 

There are even pictures posted with the jacking points clearly marked with tape, which are in fact incorrect as they are the drain hole areas.

 

Even when I had my Yeti up on the garages lift and I was stood underneath looking at the triangles, they still weren't easy to see. I took photos but the triangles still couldn't be seen on them. Despite the initial confusion, it does now appear clear in my mind where the jacking points are (in line with the triangles with the floor area directly behind the sill taking the weight) but unless your the type to just place the jack anywhere along the sill with disregard to correct procedures, then you will end up searching for and reading these threads and becoming slightly confused with the contradicting information from people who clearly mean well by what they say.

 

Now it could be that anywhere along the sill will be suitable for lifting if your just changing a wheel, but personally i'd rather know for sure

 

Absolutely right.

There is a lot of confused stuff out there, but when you get down and look along the line of the sill with the OEM jack in the correct position, you can clearly see that the welded sill seam does not take the weight, but does indeed take the weight on the corner of the floor as it meets the sill. The "claw" merely locates the position and takes no load on the welded seam. I must be lucky as at 76 I'm still able to wriggle about under a car out in the road 

Everyone to their own, but I prefer to preserve/maintain the seam sealer to protect the long term integrity of the three part welded seam frpm corrosion - you do what you think is best/ most practical.

 

 

[J.R.]

How I hanker after the days when my trolley jack lived in all my cars (plus the contents of a workshop!) because they were so likely to break down and there were only two jacking points in the same place on all vehicles, under the pressed tin sump at the front (the crossmember if you could be bothered) and the diff housing at the rear.

 

Then Issigonis screwed things up with flimsy subframes at the rear which would happily buckle!

 

You would not dare lift any vehicle from under the cills or anywhere near, even one that had not reached the point of needing its first MOT, even when I had welded in new cills, inner cills vertical membrane floor panels, wheel arches & closing panels I would not dare jack up under my work

[Yety]

My MG TF is the opposite. The OEM jack takes the load on the three part welded sill seam as other cars. On the MG there is a central thicker web, the two outer parts are the floor pressing and the outer sill of thinner material. I don't jack on the sill, but on both front and rear subframes which are comparatively sturdy and have nice flat jacking surfaces.

For the Skoda I use the front subframe, and a flat patch just in front of the rear trailing arm location, leaving the sill seams to the mercy of tyre fitters and my local Skoda agent. In the summer months I renew the seam sealer where destroyed to preserve them.

 

[Rustynuts]

20 hours ago, Yety said:

 

For the Skoda I use the front subframe, and a flat patch just in front of the rear trailing arm location, leaving the sill seams to the mercy of tyre fitters and my local Skoda agent. In the summer months I renew the seam sealer where destroyed to preserve them.

 

The end...

[Dale_Stevens]

10 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:

The end...

 

Assuming someone knows what (and where) a front subframe and rear trailing arm is 

[Dale_Stevens]

Those using jack pads on their trolley jacks, do they sit within the saddle of your jack, or overhang?

My trolley jack saddle is quite small at 50mm diameter, and cup shaped, whereas most jack pads seem to be around 75mm diameter.

Im guessing ideally the saddle needs to be a similar diameter to the jack pad, or the pad needs to sit within a cup shaped saddle for stability?

 

Edited 24 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[J.R.]

There is a guy on Ebay selling custom made jack pads machined from ice hockey pucks, he will have one with a turned diameter to suit your toy trolley jack.

 

Sorry for the facetious "toy" comment but the problem I have is finding jack pads large enough to fill the inside of the cups on my proper garage type jacks, a 1976 Sealey (bought in my first year as an apprentice) and a circa 1965 Bradbury Jackette passed down to my friend from his father & then on to me, - recently refurbished.

 

I could only find one pad large enough on E-bay and that has no slots milled in it.

[Dale_Stevens]

5 minutes ago, J.R. said:

the problem I have is finding jack pads large enough to fill the inside of the cups on my proper garage type jacks,

 

I could only find one pad large enough on E-bay and that has no slots milled in it.

 

How wide is your jack saddle? This pad is 75mm diameter...

 

Edited 23 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[J.R.]

I am 750km away from the jacks & dont even have a tape or ruler to hand to guesstimate the size but I would say around 4.5" 110-120mm, I will have a look at the Ebay purchase history to see what I bought, they are smaller but fit snugly inside the 4 raised lugs so probably 100mm.

 

Editted, it was larger than that, they were 13cm dia & like this,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13cm-Rubber-Pad-Rubber-Block-Hydraulic-Ramp-Jacking-Pads-Trolley-Jack-Adapter-/392959311295?hash=item5b7e333dbf

 

perhaps they do have the slots in them, you can see from the reduced diameter that they are supposed to overlap the jack pad but they fit snugly inside mine. One of them I have glued in place with PU foaming glue, the Jackette has probably absorbed too much oil over the years for it to stick to.

Edited 24 December, 2020 by J.R.

[Dale_Stevens]

Thanks J.R.

 

Clearly there are a lot of forces ar work when jacking a car, which got my mind wandering....

As the photos below show, some trolley jack saddles are flat, others have a raised ridge around them. Is there a likelihood of a pad slipping off a flat saddle as there's no ridge to hold it in place? Or, would the forces involved mean the pad is kept in place?

With a saddle with raised ridges, If the pad is wider then surely its flat base wouldn't balance well sat on top of the raised ridges?

With a flat saddle, would a pad stay in place just sat on (or even overhanging) or would it need to be small enough to fit inside a raised ridge saddle?

 

(And the starving children of Ethiopia thought they had problems!!!!!)

 

 

   

Edited 24 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[Yety]

On 12/10/2020 at 14:45, Paul52 said:

Just taken a look at the puck for jacking  (There is a specific polyurethane "puck" made by Powerflex: VAG JACK PAD PF3-1661 https://www.powerflex.co.uk/product-details/VAG+Jack+Pad+Adpator/13324.html  which is exactly the right profile if you want to try and protect the seamsealer) and the Yeti isn't listed (or I'm going more senile than I thought). 

 

Regarding the jacking points, I would agree those little raised triangles can be a devil to see even on a dry day in daylight. For something so important you would expect them to be very obvious. From memory on my Volvo there were similar marking but on the edges facing outwards so you could see them when you crouched down to fit the jack, which seems to make sense. In this case  "Skoda - Simply (Not) Clever.

 

Paul52 got it right back in October 

 

Yes, it's not listed, but it's a VAG common platform, and it fits perfectly.

The only downside is, if fitted, the floor protection plastic panels get in the way. Either make cut-outs in the panels, or remove a couple of fastenings and wiggle into position.

Yes, the base is 85 mm O/D, so you have to have a suitably sized jack platform with retaining ridges, as urethane is quiet "slippy". Even Powerflex make a point of protecting the seam sealer, which may not sound very exciting, but when the metal is exposed, water can wick between the welded layers of steel by capillary action and start rot in the sill seam - not good.

As you say, what do you believe on the internet, good luck in jacking your Yeti up    

[Dale_Stevens]

2 hours ago, Yety said:

Yes, the base is 85 mm O/D, so you have to have a suitably sized jack platform with retaining ridges, as urethane is quiet "slippy".

 

Yes, I'd definitely feel safer using a jack with ridges to hold the pad

 

There can't be many trolley jacks around with ridges that can accommodate an 85mm pad within. One of my Halfords trolley jacks has a saddle of only 50mm. There are jacks that have wide saddles but these often don't have the ridges and are just flat.

Edited 24 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[muddyjim]

4 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

 

With a saddle with raised ridges, If the pad is wider then surely its flat base wouldn't balance well sat on top of the raised ridges?

 

I guess you could cut a disc of suitable thickness plywood and glue/screw it to the underside of the puck,  it would then safely locate in the jack's saddle.

 

[Dale_Stevens]

25 minutes ago, muddyjim said:

I guess you could cut a disc of suitable thickness plywood and glue/screw it to the underside of the puck,  it would then safely locate in the jack's saddle.

 

Thats an option I guess.

Websites seldom quote the saddle diameter of their trolley jacks, making choosing one difficult.

With the Powerflex pad being 80mm diameter, they clearly made it to fit certain jacks. Their website shows it being used with a Facom DL200LP jack but thats over £500 and not easy to find anywhere. 

[Dale_Stevens]

Waiting to see if Halfords have a New Year sale as their Advanced series trolley jacks look decent.

[Yety]

18 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

Waiting to see if Halfords have a New Year sale as their Advanced series trolley jacks look decent.

 Try Machine Mart. I use their low entry Clarke CTJ1250AB 1.25 Tonne Aluminium Trolley Jack for use on my MG TF. I can get under the front spoiler and under the front subframe for a good lift on the flat face of the subframe. I also use a marine ply board for the jack wheels to move around when lifting.

It has room for the 80 mm Powerflex VAG jack pad, PF3-1661, as it has a raised ridge around the circumference. I've also got another plain Powerflex pad with a flat top side for for this and general lifting. I don't use the sills for jacking on both the Yeti and MG to protect the seam sealer and underseal - but not many care/ are interested/ can be bothered about this, but that's fine as I must be old school in the literal sense 

I would only use the sills in an emergency to change a wheel away from home. 

[Dale_Stevens]

34 minutes ago, Yety said:

 Try Machine Mart. I use their low entry Clarke CTJ1250AB 1.25 Tonne Aluminium Trolley Jack

 

Thanks, I'll have a look at their jacks. There can't be many factories making these things, I wonder how many of them are rebranded?

I like the idea of those that also have a foot pedal for lifting the jack, though I can't be certain thats a feature I would actually use?

[Dale_Stevens]

Swapped my alloys over with a spare set fitted with Goodyear Vector 4Seasons today.

 

On one side of the car I'd already marked the jacking triangle points with chalk the other day...

 

 

 

The rear triangle marker happens is to be about the same distance from the rear wheel arch as the standard Skoda wheel brace..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 29 December, 2020 by Dale_Stevens

[Dale_Stevens]

Rubber jacking pad from eBay..

 

[Dale_Stevens]

I bought the Halfords 2 Tonne Trolley Jack which Im pleaded with. It has a foot pedal for quick lifting, which I found useful when laying on the ground lining the jack pad up to the jacking points, I could press the pedal with my hand to inch the jack up into position, then stand up and operate the handle/lever for the main lift.