How to Lift Your Car SAFELY (On Gravel/Dirt)

Learn how to safely lift your car on gravel or dirt, using basic tools and one simple trick!

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In this video I’ll show you how to get your car onto axle stands safely, using only a trolley jack and some plywood sheets! I’ll take you through every step along the way, and try to make it as easy to understand as possible.

Here’s the link to Engineering Explained’s video on lifting all 4 corners of your car:

Thanks for watching! Let me know what you thought of the video in the comment section below!

Video Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:42 Required Tools
03:14 The Big Secret
04:50 Lifting Your Car
07:12 Outro

If you've read this far through the description, you'll probably enjoy my first video!

[ashchbkv]

5:14 your floor jack wasn't sliding for some reason, that's not safe.

[fubar]

The trolley jack front wheels must be able to roll throughout the lift. Yours were rolling at first, but then got stuck and the car started moving towards you instead. This is bad!

The reason is that trolley jacks lift in an arc. The rolling of the jack front wheels counteracts this, making the lift essentially straight up. But when the wheels become stuck, as yours did, the car becomes unstable and moves.

[mattdathew]

you're literally a life saver, I got surprised last week when my hydraulic jack couldn't move in the gravel to lift my car, I gave up & was about to spend hundreds transporting it to a repair station

[John-Adams-Can]

Just as added safety, throw your wheels underneath the car laying horizontal. That way if the jacks break, you have a third safety.

[Sinfilled]

Thanks for the video! I've been learning to work on my own car but haven't been able to find a good place to do it at without being bothered. Now I can use my own dirty driveway with this method!

[socialkruption]

years later, just did this after moving 3 ft of snow and the car was completely safe, I always push hardcore on each side panel to make sure it dont fall. Left it on stands for weeks in the snow, no issues at all.

[SkyReviewsNet]

Been considering moving back to the countryside but the big problem is I can't work on my car because my driveway is a moat. Well, I used the tips on here and they work a treat! Cheers Sump Plug.

[NereidPL]

Holy shit man I really hope everyone watching is more careful than you are

As others have pointed out the jack has to be sliding, the fact that you saw the car move that much and didnt find it concerning makes me thing those 2 jackstands missing on the shelf saved your life ;)

Also, securing the car by placing the jack in the middle of the car? Mate, anything goes wrong that jack's arm goes straight through, or bends the floor in the best case

[Dallo]

Thank you for this! So much more confident working on my own car now

[The_journeyy]

Mate this video was brilliant loved the banter

[ianhortonplant]

Your handbrake will stop the rear wheels moving. You need to chock the front wheels to stop them moving. When you lifted the car it moved horizontally towards you. This is bad. The jack should move under the car. The chocks should have been on the front wheels to stop the car rotating. I suggest another set of chocks so the front wheels can't roll forward or backwards which will stop this rotation. Great idea about using ply, my drive is really rough so I'm going to get some ply for when I lift my car next.

[jchock]

If chocks are expensive, then just use bricks which are cheap. When I lift a car, I place bricks front and back on every tyre that stays on the ground. That way, all potential front and back movement due to the lifting are eliminated.

[lively]

Don’t the chocks technical need a piece of wood underneath them as well maybe not so much on an asphalt situation but here with loose gravel they could easily sink or move as well?

[ashchbkv]

"if you've enjoyed converting o2 to co2" this is deep

[Sodablood]

You’ve got some great videos, shame
you haven’t made more!

[jonhall]

Bro, amazing funny video. Definitely Subbed. You're funny dude.

[ryanrepairs]

Good video does the plywood hold up OK with trolley jack or have the wheels been cutting in

[LibertyLeslie]

I was using pavers for the jack stands, but I will now use plywood for the trolley jack. the whole process of not having a level drive is irritating. I may be wrong to feel safer on a flat gravel surface than on a sloped driveway...I don't know.

[OMgGirRaFe]

This is exactly this video I needed, thank you

[stevew]

Such a dry sense of humour but very funny 😆