I've seen some discussion about using various devices to jack from the body lift points, mostly "bolts" but also some specialty tools as well. Don't know about the specialty tools. I assume they're fine. They are kind of pricey.

Here's a path less travelled (and less expensive)

Jacking your R230 or similar from the body jack points

Some folks have proposed using a long bolt stuck in the lift point - but this is a bad idea for several reasons. Main reason is that many folks are trying to use Grade 2 bolts they got from a big box hardware store. This is a bad idea. A grade 2 bolt is just way way insufficient. They will bend and fail, probably spectactularly.

What about Grade 8 bolts? Yes, a Grade 8 x 3/4" bolt could work. Unfortunately, you will need a bolt at least 8" and preferably 10" long. Sadly, grade 8 x 3/4" bolts top out at 6" max length, which is really 5 3/4" shaft length, which leaves you short by 2-4 inches. In this case, length matters. Most people won't be able to find a grade 8 bolt in a length that is sufficient.

My advice is simple. Don’t use a big box bolt or any kind of bolt for lifting at your MB R230 lift points. What you need is something that is high strength tempered steel. For example, look at the MB Widowmaker jack. Most of it is stamped steel, cheaply spot-welded together. Really MB? Yup, really. All except the lift nose and the worm gear assembly. The lift nose is a modified I-beam (but this doesn't particularly matter) What matters is the grade and hardening of the steel, and THIS ONE PART of the Widowmaker is high quality high grade steel with correct hardening and tempering. The rest of the jack is stamped steel. The LIFT POINT is what matters first and foremost. Good design can take care of the stamped steel issue by other means.

Observations:
a.) The R230 lift point opening will accept something round and up to .70 inches in diameter.
b.) If you bottom your "whatever" lifting shaft in the hole, something 8" - 10" long will work, with 8" the minimum.

Question: What suitably high-strength low-yield hardened and tempered solid steel shaft 8-10" long is easily available and not too expensive for average people?

Answer: You may already have one in your tool box. It is called a 1/2" x 10" IMPACT RATED extension. If you don't have such a tool, be aware that two can be bought for less than 25 bucks in a decent brand. Amazon is your friend.

EXAMPLE: The Tekton 10" x 1/2" drive impact extension is perfect for this, and affordable. (for example, no connection) Tekton are made in Taiwan or Mexico or (sometimes) the U.S.

1.) The lack of a socket flare at the male end of this device means there's nothing to catch or stick or deform inside the lift point. The flared socket head receptacle on the other end provides a convenient catch point so that the jackpad won't "creep in" towards the car at low angles when you first jack.
2.) The type of steel used in this tool has a yield point of 130,000 p.s.i. It is specifically hardened in ways that resist bending and tolerate high shock-loads without sudden failure.
3.) A .65" shaft has an area cross section of .33", which is plenty of meat to exceed the required lift point loading of this car by way more than a factor of 6, a typical engineering margin of safety.
4.) The diameter is .65", a perfect fit for your R230 lift point. The length is 9.9", perfect to bottom out in the hole and leave plenty of room for a floor jack pad to engage.

Is this tested? Caveat Emptor - but I have no qualms about using them this way in my DIY situation.

I won’t call it a qualified engineering study, but I personally tested two of these Tekton extensions for this purpose in the real world. To do that, I lifted the front end of my ’05 R230 using two floor jacks and two 1/2” x 10” Tekton impact rated extension bars. Both were brand new. In my application it was obvious that they easily handled the load. I checked them for any sign of deformation before and after the lift using a precision flat table that is good to .005 inch. I could find zero evidence of even the slightest deformation due to the loads exerted by this jacking process. This is not surprising given that the yield strength of this tool exceeds the lift point load by a factor of at least 20x, maybe more.

FINAL TIP: When using your lift point to jack with a floor jack and a 10” impact rated extension as your connecting link, position the jack centerline of your floor jack at about a 30º angle to the centerline of the car. Do NOT place the jack centerline perpendicular to the car centerline. If you do, the jack-pad will “craw into” the car as you jack it, severely damaging your bodywork. With it at an angle, this will not happen.

Lift end to end, not side to side. Use quality jack stands once the car is elevated. Use common sense, if available.

Hope this helps someone wrestling with how to use their body lift points with some degree of safety and without having to drop hundreds on special tools.

cbg

 

The four slots on the side are for only the emergency jack, which is for just that: changing a wheel on the side of the road. It has no place in your workshop, nor should anything be slotted into that orifice (even it it's strong enough to handle a trolley jack).

If you have a trolley jack then the jack point for the front is where the two cross beams under the engine meet at the puck (is yours missing?)

The jack point for the rear is under the diff. Then axle stands should be used at the four jack points AKA the 'hockey pucks'. There are adaptors available to fit the axle stands into the pucks, but if you don't mind them getting a little deformed the axle stands on their own are fine.

 

Hi Tom,

Deferring to your Super Member status, yes, of course routine jacking can and generally should be accomplished just as you suggest, and those would be the best and likely most common methods. They are certainly the ones I use in most situations.

However, I can think of several reasonable scenarios where using the side lift points in a shop situation would be advantageous or even a necessity, so I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

As I said in the original post Common sense/Caveat Emptor

Cheers,
cbg