How to Use a Car Lifting Jack?

Car lifting jacks now is already a common tool for those people working in vehicle garages. and also those drivers, who use it a lot in various applications, such as for tire change, car repair, or maintenance, in some cases, unfortunately, usage of a car lifting jack will lead to very dangerous accidents. Including vehicle slippage or even worse personal injury. But do you know how to use the lifting jack safely? So in this article, we will get all these covered, including those common types of car jacks, safety precautions, and a step-by-step guide to using car jacks, Let’s just dive deeply into it right now!

 What are the main types of Car Jacks?

First of all, we have to know that car jacks are usually designed differently to be suited to different vehicle types and needs. We are going to talk about three main types of car jacks together with their cons and pros.

1. Scissor jack 

A  scissor jack is usually compact and lightweight engineered. it has a simple screw mechanism that widens or compresses two crossed metal arms to lift or lower a vehicle,

Pros:

• Lightweight, easy to carry and take 
• Less cost , economically save
• Compact and easy to store in your vehicle

Cons:

• Not suitable for heavy vehicles with high lifting requirements.
• Provide less stability than heavier-duty jacks, only suitable for emergency use
• Manual effort is needed to turn the screw, which will take more time for operation.

Recommendations:

Ideal for light-duty use such as emergency tire changes for regular passenger cars

2. Hydraulic Floor Jack

The hydraulic floor jack provides lifting force by using a hydraulic mechanism. It consists of a horizontal body with a pumping mechanism, and a low profile, which make it ideal for use in garages and shops.

Pros:

• Faster and easier to use than mechanical jacks, with less physical effort required
• Wider base and robust construction provide better stability
• High lifting capacity available, suitable for heavier vehicles

Cons:

• Higher cost expense than simple mechanical jacks
• Hard to carry with more weight which gives a limitation for roadside emergencies.
• Regular maintenance of hydraulic fluid is needed

Recommendations: suitable for regular use in home garage or professional settings, especially for heavy vehicles and frequent maintenance needs

3. Bottle jack

As the name shows, this jack is shaped like a bottle, which also operates on a hydraulic mechanism, the bottle jack is smaller in profile than floor jacks. but it’s also capable of lifting heavy loads.

Pros:

• Compact in profile though taller than floor jacks
• Provide with higher lifting capacity than scissor jacks, which can satisfy heavy-duty needs such as trucks or SUVs

Cons:

• The solid, flat surface is required to ensure stability, in the case of a roadside condition that will be a change.
• Have a taller minimum height than other jacks, which is not suitable for low clearance.
• The maintenance of hydraulic fluid is required like floor jack.,
  Recommendations:  ideal for users who need to lift heavy vehicles and have enough clearance to accommodate the height of the jack.

Choosing the Right Jack

The choice of jack depends largely on your specific needs:

For emergency tire changes, a scissor jack is sufficient.
For garage use with frequent access to various parts of a vehicle, a hydraulic floor jack is more suitable.
For lifting heavy vehicles with sufficient ground clearance, a bottle jack would be the better choice.
Each type of jack has its niche, ensuring that there’s a tool available for the specific requirements of different users and scenarios.

Step-by-step guide to using jacks

It is very important to know correctly how to use jacks in the right way when doing maintenance or changing tires, below is a detailed step-by-step guide about how to correctly use car jacks:

Prepare Your Vehicle

Make sure it’s parked on a flat, stable surface to avoid any movement before lifting your vehicle. then check if the parking brake is engaged well. place wheel chocks behind the wheels at the opposite end of where you’ll be lifting the vehicle to stop it from rolling.

Locate the Jack Points

Check the vehicle’s manual to find designated jack points, as the designated jack points are the safest places to position the jack and handle the weight.

Position the Jack

Slide the jack under the vehicle and align it directly beneath the jack point.
Ensure the jack head (the part that makes contact with the car)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Before using a car jack, first, we have to avoid some common mistakes that may lead to accidents or damage to our vehicle.  Always Remember to lift from designated jackpots specified in your vehicle’s manual, and never to leave from any other spot that may cause structural damage to the vehicle. Additionally, be mindful not to overload the jack beyond its specified capacity, as doing so can result in jack failure and pose serious safety risks. Lastly, it is important to routinely inspect your jack for any signs of wear or damage, such as hydraulic fluid leaks or difficulty in lifting. These could be indicators of a faulty jack, which should not be used until properly serviced or replaced. Avoiding these common errors not only ensures your safety but also extends the life of your car jack and vehicle.

Maintenance Tip for your car jack

Just like other mechanical equipment, the car jack is a kind of mechanism product, which require also maintenance, so knowing the maintenance tips for the car jack is crucial for any user. Firstly we have to check the jack for any signs of wear or damage. Then we need to check if exist any corrosion, cracks, or deformities on the body or mechanical parts. Then it comes with the lubrication and applies grease to moving parts to keep the jack operating smoothly and prevent rust. Remember always to store your jack in a clean and dry place to avoid any environmental damage,  with these mentioned maintenance tips we can significantly extend our car jack life.

What Do We Pay Attention to When Using Jacks?

The use of the jack is not as difficult as imagined, just needs a bit of effort. Although the jack can easily lift the car, we must adopt the following measures to ensure safety. Before we lift the car with a jack, we need to secure it in place so that it doesn't fall out of place and injure people. After stopping the vehicle, we can not ignore the necessary safety warning, quickly put the warning sign to a safe distance behind the car! When we use the jack, we must pay attention to the ground condition and should try to choose the ground suitable for the jack fixed for operation. If the car is on soft ground, and we have no way to find a solid and smooth road surface to fix the jack, then we can place large and hard support under the jack, such as wood, floor tiles, and iron plates, to help fix the jack on the ground. Each jack has its working limit, and this limit is indicated on the jack's label. Before we use the jack, we must know the maximum bearing weight and the working limit of the jack.

Conclusion 

The usage of a car lifting jack is a comprehensive task, we do need to consider the types of car lifting jack and also our real application. In addition, mastering the right way of maintaining to car lift jack is also more than important. After reading this article, we hope you have already clear knowledge of how to use the car lifting jack, if you have any questions, or want to purchase the car lifting jack from China, don’t forget to contact us.