If you ever find yourself in a pickle with a flat tyre, or you\u2019ve seen a car jack lurking around in your car boot but are unsure exactly what it\u2019s for, or what to do with it, know that you\u2019re not the first (nor will you be the last) in either of these situations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or you may just have a fascination with car jacks. And fair enough, there are actually many different car jacks to choose from, and if you\u2019re in the automotive industry, it\u2019s important you know your stuff when it comes to equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basically, there are three varieties of car jacks. You have mechanical, hydraulic and electric ones available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These jacks use mechanically operated screw arrangement to lift and lower the vehicle, also known as a ratcheting system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scissor jacks are the most common jacks that you\u2019ll find these days. They use a central threaded screw to adjust two connection scissor-action arms. They\u2019re not too bulky and are super easy to operate, making them a favourite for everyday drivers. They only downside is they do require a bit of elbow grease to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
High lift jacks are essential for off road vehicles, or basically any vehicle that needs be significantly higher off the ground. The jack is constructed with a long beam and a series of holes along its length, with a plate and ratchet system. The only downside with these jacks is that they can be quite heavy and unstable, so take extra care if you\u2019re using a high lift jack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These use an oil-filled hydraulic cylinder to lift. Oil is forced inside a compartment and the pressure causes the cylinder to rise \u2013 magic! When the jack is released, oil disperses back into the reservoir, ready for the next pump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bottle jacks are very popular owing to their versatility. It\u2019s easy to use with a straight up and down pump action. The downside here though, is that bottle jacks are often too tall to fit under small vehicles \u2013 so choose wisely! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the jacks you often see in a mechanic\u2019s workshop or garage, rolling around on wheels. Floor jacks come with a large bar to pump the oil and are quite often an absolute pleasure to use (depending on who you ask, but we\u2019ll point out that you\u2019re the one reading an article about car jacks). You can get them in different sizes, although it’s fairly rare to find an everyday driver who\u2019s carrying a floor jack in their car breakdown toolkit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A scissor jack has an electric motor (yes, we saved the best \u2018til last!) which plugs into the cigarette lighter port. You plug it in, then kick back as your car jacks up, basically on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hopefully this is a helpful bit of information for someone out there, because we\u2019ve seen some absolute shockers over the years!<\/p>\n\n\n\n