The abundance of knowledge on the internet has made us really independent, with many people solving their issues with DIY solutions. In today’s age, we can find car spare parts and tools in any shop, with car owners experimenting to understand their vehicle better. Of course, as these DIY methods grow, it is essential to address the efficient way of doing the task. After all, your car is a piece of complicated machinery and needs to be handled that way!
In this article, we are presenting a small car jack guide that will help you understand the tool better, and at the same time, help you perform the task ideally.
One of the most obvious reasons people use a car jack is to change a tyre. But the truth is, if you want to access any car parts tucked underneath, you are going to need a car jack. Car jack lifts the vehicle so that you can have an unobstructed view of what is going on beneath the body. Having a Car Jack in your garage always comes in handy, no matter if you’re an ace mechanic, a novice with automobiles or simply a curious person who is interested in the world beneath the car body.
Before you understand how to use a car jack, you must know the different types of jacks available. Let’s take a look at the different kinds so that you can pick the right one.
The Mechanism of Car Jacks – How does Car jack work?
There are two basic types of car jacks – let’s take a look below.
Mechanical Jacks
Mechanical Jacks, as the name suggests, makes use of pure mechanical methods to lift the car. These kinds of car jacks may involve using a screw to raise or a ratcheting system to lift the vehicle slowly.
Mechanical Jack examples include the scissor jack and high lift jack – which we will be discussing in detail.
Hydraulic Jacks
Hydraulic Jack makes use of a horizontally or vertically positioned hydraulic cylinder to lift large objects. The hydraulic system makes use of the fact that liquids don’t compress easily. Hydraulic Jacks have a reservoir full of oil, where the pressure pushes the cylinder up. Once the oil flows back into the reservoir, the jack will compress.
Hydraulic Jacks include bottle jacks and floor jacks.
The Different Types of Car Jacks
Hydraulic Bottle Jack
Bottle Jacks are one of the most common and versatile kinds available on the market. To operate, you need to pump the handle up and down, and the hydraulic bottle jack lifts the heaviest vehicle without much effort.
These are fairly compact and available in various lift capacities ranging from 2-12 tons (ideal for vehicles) to jumbo sizes(20+ tons) and even 100 tons. Its modest size makes it very convenient for garage storage, and its simplicity of usage allows even the most novice car owners to use it.
For extra stability, you can opt for models that have a wide base.
Scissor Jack
Scissor Jack is probably what you have in your garage if you have never upgraded the tools. It is the most common and oldest style of car jacks and resembles the make of scissor arms. Hence, the name. They mostly come along with the cars and spare tyre. Make sure you check your trunk before going out to buy a new one.
Using the screw that connects the two sides, you can either open or close the joints that raise or lower the saddle. Apart from being extremely simple to use, scissor jacks take up a minor space in your garage and are incredibly lightweight and portable.
Unlike the hydraulic jacks, there is no worry of fluid leakage, replacement, and they demand minimal maintenance.
Floor Jack
You have probably seen a floor jack in car movies or shows, where they bring out a device with wheels and conveniently place it in position. It has long arms that make it easy to be moved around. Once placed underneath the vehicle, the long handle makes it easy to lift and lower swiftly.
Floor Jack and Trolley Jack are pretty similar, with the major difference being in their lifting capacities. Trolley Jacks are more suited for low-profile minimum height vehicles like sport and luxury cars. On the other hand, there might be some differences in the construction and internal components. For example, Floor jacks are more portable and lightweight, whereas a trolley jack is constructed with steel and release spring.
A Jack with wheels is probably one of the coolest devices you can have in the garage, and they make lifting the cars a handy task. No stooping down and breaking your back.
High Lift Jack
High Lift Jack is not designed for every vehicle and everyday use. It is only when you need the maximum lift, especially for off-roaders and trailer owners. They are not something you find in every garage.
A word of caution; high lift jacks have a tiny footplate that makes them very unsteady. To avoid any incidents, make sure you use the high lift jack with complete care and caution, or let someone professional handle it. To put it simply, you don’t need a high lift car jack if you are not an off-roader.
Before we move on to carjack use, let’s clear the confusion between Hi-Lift and High Lift Jacks. Hi-Lift is a brand of high-lift jack, not another type of car jack. All Hi-Lift jacks are high-lift jacks, but not all high-lift jacks are Hi-Lift ...[Continue reading]
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