[Ajchien]

Awesome, thanks for that. I just tried it and it seems my jack can lift it high enough so I should be good on that front. With regards to the rear, what kind of safety protocol is recommended to prevent any potential rolling? I assume the E-Brake and driveshaft/transmission resistance only exist in the rear, right? I'll be chocking the front wheels for sure but is there enough suspension travel on each of the rear wheels to keep the opposing rear wheel firmly planted on the ground?

I think Ford recommends parking brake plus chocking the wheel diagonally opposite to the wheel you’re lifting. I personally use the parking brake and chock both front wheels when lifting the rear for service. most of the time, if I’m doing something to one rear wheel, I’m doing the other side shortly afterwards.

One thing to note is the parking brake and abs lines when you’re lifting from the rear; they kind of get in the way if you’re using a floor jack and trying to lift near the u bolts. One forum member needed an Abs sensor replaced because the wiring was apparently pinched off. Bottle jacks work great at the u bolt location due to the small saddle, floor jacks with larger saddles ... after trying a floor jack a few times near the u bolts, I gave up and used alternative locations along the rear axle.

 

[Ajchien]

So where is the proper place to lift the van using a shop lift? I think I understand correctly from this thread that the jack points for a floor jack are the short round bars inboard and behind the front wheels (aka “protrusions” according to the owners manual), and under the rear axle… but are those also the points that the mechanics would need to use if they’re using a shop lift? Or are there other places that one should use for the lift pads?

see post #10 by kazuo

 

[Ajchien]

So ... when I use a floor jack on the lift point, where do the jack stand(s) go.

IMHO, if you’re lifting a vehicle for a job, you should be using the manufacturers listed tools and their documented lift points, using their documented procedures.

If you’re lifting your personal vehicle, then I’m not going to tell you how should lift your car. I can only tell you how I do it, and what I have read from others.

I use a Hein Werner 93652 jack and US Jack 6 ton jackstands. Of note, the saddle on the jackstands is flat rather than V or U shaped seen on most stands (see: https://www.usjack.com/products/garage-jack-stands)
I think the tools you use should influence how you decide to do things,

For the front I have lifted from the round bar jackpoint as well as the adjacent vertical tow hook area, and I’ve placed my jackstands on the body-frame rail just behind the transmission crossmember similar to where the shop lift would go. For the rear, I lift from the shock mounts and put my jackstands on the body-frame rail just in front of the front leaf spring mount. I have used the these points numerous times for rotating tires, changing brakes, flushing brake fluid without problems.

I have not tried these jackpoints, but I have read/seen reports from others on the internet that have successfully used the front lower control arm, front subframe, front subframe mount, rear differential, and rear axle where the U bolts are located as alternative lift points. Of the front points, if I were not able to use my preferred lift points, I would try the front subframe mount. In the rear, I would probably not consider using the rear differential if the van was heavily loaded, or converted such as a campervan etc. as I think the weight limit on that rear axle is somewhere around 2.5T. (obviously also be careful not to screw up the rear differential cover). I‘d be extra careful of the outer portions of the rear axle, where the U bolts are located - mostly because the ABS sensor wiring and the parking brake wire are in the area that could be pinched between the jack saddle and the axle.

On the other hand, I’ve seen a handful of internet reports that have lifted from the pinch welds, resulting in bent or crushed the pinch welds. IMHO, Im not going to lift the transit from a pinch weld.