Finally got it? Lol.
It's not for lack of trying.

Now you know how they vote too.

 

To some degree, yes. But in actuality there would be some force on it because the point where the springs put the weight of the car on top of the axle is not exactly directly on top of the point were the axle bearings are holding that force via the tires on the ground.

To explain, consider a long tube (representing just the axle tube) with a jack stand under it (representing the tires on the ground holding the axle up at the outer end via the axle bearing). Now put a weight on top of the tube directly above the point at thejack stand (representing the weight of the car on the axle transmitted through the springs). So now you have a long tube with nothing on one end (the "pumpkin" end), a heavy weight on top at the other outer end, and at the point directly under that weight is a jack stand. The tube will stay horizontal even though the "pumpkin" end is not supported.

 

Just to add, I don't personally think there would be a problem lifting under the pumpkin (I wouldn't do it though). I'm sure there is enough over-design built into it that the Engineers know full well that this is often done.

 

I'm probably not the only one here who expected this. Argument from faith. When challenged on facts, it's "You must not understand; take my word for it." If that doesn't do the job, "You are of inferior stuff; I'm not here to help you decide, I'm here to tell you, and if you aren't buying it, I'm out of here". Self-deceit or megalomania, makes no difference; appearance and result are the same.

Toodles.

EDIT: To add appropriate quotation ...

"In this universe there are things
that just don't yield to thinking
—plain or fancy—Dude".
—J. Spicoli, PolyPartyPerson



On a more interesting level, read up on the mid-1960s Adams Trans-Am effort in a (shudder) Pontiac. The team was in a bit of a hurry getting their machine ready, and rather than miss an event they needed a quick way to improve the rear suspension of their car. They reckoned it needed negative camber to accommodate capabilities of the new wide tires, but since it was a solid axle arrangement, it would have taken some pretty sophisticated and time-consuming work. So, they strapped down the differential and jacked up the ends of the axle. The resulting degree or more on each side made a difference, and the tolerances (slack) in operating parameters allowed the thing to actually work!

For my part, I've been a differential-housing jacker since I can remember, but always with some kind of compressable material between the platen and the pumpkin. Usually it's a custom-cut piece of semi-hard wood that spreads the load a bit. Lately it's the rubber pad built-in to the platen on my new-from-Costco jack (they call that light? Wow. But it is lighter by a few pounds than the Sears item it replaced).

As soon as the car is up in the air the jackstands go in, right where they should at the ends of the housing as near the suspension mounts as possible.

I've pumpkin-jacked virtually every one of the 25 or so cars I've had, many times each for some, and never had a bearing problem in any. Just lucky, I guess.

 

How do you know?

Who are they?

 

I'm a pumpkin jacker...

and I have years of experience in the automotive field. Get in in the air with a block of wood on the jack, then get some jackstands under the axles and lower the jack. You'll be fine.

 

<- Pumpkin Jacker. Hmmmm perhaps that should go in the sig.

 

Sorry .. I Trademarked the term "Pumpkin Jacker" in Post #30 ...

 

Well, I should have listened to the amateurs.
I went to check my rear axle assembly on the Mustang today, and it's bent all to hell...
Years of jacking up the pumpkin, finally caught up with me[8D].
It looks like this...

 

In a way, I think it might be better to be an Amateur and take the time to read the warnings and do it the recommended way than to behave likesome arrogant, "I know it's all BS because I'm a proffessional and I know all there is to know and the car manufactures are dummies and can't possible match my brilliance".

Hook, line and sinker!