You should look up the facts of that case. It's not as trivial as you and the rest of the internet make it out to be. I'm not trying to start an argument with you, I used to think the same thing. I just dislike misinformation.
Anyway, many of you have mentioned that ability checks should be ruled out when there's a "impossible" task, and then that will get rid of this problem. Well, that kind of thing is easy to adjudicate in the 8000lbs scenario you are offering because there are direct rules in the book when it comes to strength and what a person can lift. It's easy to tell a PC no when you can flat out point to a black and white answer. But what about things tied to other ability scores? Then it becomes a judgment call. I have no problem with making judgment calls as a DM, but if a player happens to disagree with you, that can upset them and ruin some of their fun.
It appears that the people in this thread are firmly set in their camps anyway. I'm not sure that anyone is going to sway anyone else. To some people the fact that PCs can get better at EVERYTHING no matter what they spend their time doing is irksome. Others are perfectly fine with that. I'm not sure there is a quick fix for the first group other than DM fiat, and then, as I said, that can run into disagreements with players.