Jeep Cherokee XJ Falls from Shop Lift in Anger-inducing Video
Perfectly-good Jeep Cherokee XJ becomes victim to very bad decision making.
All of us have made our fair share of mistakes while wrenching on our cars. Maybe a bolt was accidentally stripped or broken, or an essential part ended up missing. Some of hate to admit it, but maybe something was left loose. Though, how many of us can say we’ve had an entire car fall from a lift?
After watching the video (and thus cringing) by ViralHog several times, it looks as though there are two factors that caused this Jeep to slide from the lift. First, the placement of the lift’s arms. And secondly, there looks to be little to no weight in the back of the Jeep. As soon as the wheel was removed, the little weight keeping the Jeep balanced was removed. Therefore, the engine and heavy tires in the front decided succumb to gravity. Because, you know, physics. And then, out of instinct rather than intelligent thinking, the technician tries to save the Jeep by leaping up and grabbing onto the back.
No one blames the man for wanting to save the XJ from the inevitable fall. He ended up being perfectly fine, but he could have ended up in way worse shape. Because the engine and heavy suspension upfront weighs a lot more than the average man and it was already in the process of falling, it becomes an easy equation to solve: there’s absolutely nothing he could have done. The Jeep ends up falling from the rack despite his earnest effort, though it appears that the large front tires were the XJ’s saving graces. Because of the lift and tall tires, the front end did not hit the ground.
There are a few lessons to be learned here, folks. First, pay attention to weight distribution, especially when lifting any car off of the ground. If the front and rear lift arm were in their proper places (more in the middle instead of focused on the front), the XJ would not have fallen. Second, do not ever try and save a falling car if it does fall. A car weighs literally thousands more pounds than you do, even without anything in the rear – and you will do nothing to save it. If anything, you’re putting yourself in much greater danger. Finally, this guy should thank the heavens he was nowhere near the front as the Jeep was falling. He ended up lucky, but this mistake could have easily cost him dearly. Third, lift your XJ. It’s what ended up saving it from too much damage. Hopefully the frame didn’t end up taking any damage.
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