Watch Some Axle Stands Get Tested To Destruction Using A Hydraulic Press

Have you ever wondered what might happen if an axle stand held up much more weight than it’s rated for? Testing this yourself IRL is - for reasons that should be abundantly clear without us spelling it out - a terrible idea. But happily, the people behind the Hydraulic Press Channel have a 150-tonne press to help answer this question in a safe environment.

Two different designs are tested, with a scissor jack put into the mix for good measure. Pleasingly, all three took far more weight than rated for. This absolutely shouldn’t be taken as a license to go and use a stand beyond its rating - it’s just nice to know how strong these things are.

This isn’t the first time THPC has crushed axle stands and jacks - a couple of years ago the channel ran a similar test (above), albeit with some much more vague pressure readings. And some arguably more satisfying scenes of destruction.

Axle stands have been in and out of the motoring news lately, thanks to the Harbor Freight’s multiple recalls of Pittsburgh stands. This lead to the retailer offering to refund customers of any thusly-branded stands, whether covered by the recalls or not.