# Forum Home Renovation Sub Flooring  Acro Props

## Dabbles71

A question about acro props. Can I use them to lift and if so how much?  
Cheers

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## Godzilla73

G'day, 
You could, but you'll have a fist full of blisters. Get yourself a 10+ ton bottle jack or 2 and suitable kd hardwood 100x100mm or steel posts to prop the underside of whatever you're lifting. A few solid pieces of wood stacked under the jack to build it upto the right height and give a solid base. You can get bottle jacks at any auto store, heaps easier on the hands and allows easy fine tuning of the lift. 
How high do you want to go?

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## stevoh741

:What he said:   I hire 20t bottle jacks from hire shop pretty cheaply if you dont want to buy one

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## Bloss

The answer is yes, but not by much. Placing a 'stick' under compression can be a dangerous activity even if the 'stick' is steel. Acros are designed to sit flat on a plate at the bottom and have a flat plate at the top with a pin or screw adjustor to take up the initial positioning load (such as formwork or simply tight enough to stay inn place) then carry any additional load such as concrete or a floor or ceiling load when other supports are removed. The risk when using a jack is that the load point is small (the top of the jack screw) so relatively low lateral forces, eg: an accidental knock with a wheelbarrow, can shift the prop with a catastrophic failure. 
With that little warning they can be used, but like all jacking in construction it should be in small increments, slowly and with loads as evenly spread as they can be. Under a house any lift greater than 8-10mm is likely to cause cracking to internal sheeting - plasterboard, tiles etc. 
So depends what you are trying to lift - provide more information, maybe pics, and get a better answer.

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## stevoh741

I'd be lifting with a jack, then shoving in the acro - especially if it will be there for some time or additional loads placed.

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## Bloss

Should always jack then prop, but I was assuming he is wanting to use the acros to extend the reach of the jack(s) which is why I gave the little warning lesson. 
But we don't know what he is trying to lift and why, where it is or by how much he wants to raise it or for how long - which is why I also said the OP should give more info if they want most useful advice.

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## Godzilla73

:What he said:   
Another tip, if you decide to go for it with the jacks, if the timber starts to crunch up like it's in a vice, or it starts to go then crunches up, stop. It ain't gonna move easily any further than that, get a pro to have a look.

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## stevoh741

> Should always jack then prop, but I was assuming he is wanting to use the acros to extend the reach of the jack(s) which is why I gave the little warning lesson. 
> But we don't know what he is trying to lift and why, where it is or by how much he wants to raise it or for how long - which is why I also said the OP should give more info if they want most useful advice.

  agree, sorry had the beer lenses on when replying the other night  :Biggrin:

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