What are Jacks?
Jacks are a type of heavy equipment lifting tool that, as the name suggests, enables the loading, lifting, suspension, and lowering of heavy loads like equipment, vehicles, and others. They can be of many different types based on different methods of lifting operation or the purpose they solve.
By the former classification, jacks can be hydraulic or fluid powered, pneumatic or air powered, electric, mechanical, IoT (Internet of Things) enabled, or hybrid, among yet more types. By the latter classification, they can be typified as floor jacks, pit jacks, rolling jacks, bridge jacks, bottle jacks, fast lube jacks, scissor jacks, etc.
What are Heavy-duty Hydraulic Jacks?
Heavy-duty hydraulic jacks are used in a variety of industries, the most common of which is, as you might have guessed, the automotive industry, and others like aircraft, automotive, bridges, cable tensioning, house moving, construction, general industrial, laboratory, locomotive, marine, mobile home, railroad, shipbuilding, shoring and stabilizing such as for tunnels and mines, tractors and trailers, to name a few.
Heavy-duty hydraulic jacks work according to the principle of Pascal’s law of fluid mechanics. Broken down, it means that when there’s an increase in pressure at any point in a confined incompressible fluid, that pressure change is transmitted throughout the entire fluid. This reduces the exhaustion of manual effort by switching traditional hand pumping methods to labor-intensive ways like Stan Design Inc.’s one button push.
How Do Heavy-duty Hydraulic Jacks Work?
To understand the essential safety tips for using heavy-duty hydraulic jacks, or performing heavy-duty jack maintenance or hydraulic jack inspection, let us first understand its components, which are as follows:
- hydraulic oil,
- reservoir or buffer or oil tank,
- main cylinder or ram,
- release valve,
- control valve,
- check valve,
- lifting arm or pad,
- hydraulic pump with piston or plunger, and
- pump lever or handle.
The reservoir, or buffer or oil tank is the physical compartment of the hydraulic jack that holds the hydraulic liquid or pump oil together when it is not in use. The control valve stays in a closed position when the hydraulic jack is not in use to prevent the accidental flow of oil.
The piston is responsible for lifting the heavy load or weight. It is usually mechanically activated by shifting the positions of the handle or pump lever attached to it. This movement builds up pressure in the hydraulic fluid contained inside the reservoir or buffer tank of the hydraulic jacks.
When the handle or lever of the hydraulic pump with piston or plunger is mechanically lowered or raised, it activates force and builds up pressure in the adjoining compartment, i.e., the reservoir or buffer tank containing the hydraulic fluid or pump’s oil, inside hydraulic jacks.
The pressure created allows the fluid to move through a check valve into the ram or main cylinder, which then pops out of the main body of the hydraulic jack creating the force required to lift the load.
This applied pressure is what transfers the oil from the pump through the check valve and into the main cylinder or the ram, which extends out of the hydraulic jack body. Finally, the release valve relieves the built pressure for easy retraction and lowering of the ram with the load on it, creating the required lifting force and lifting the load.
Safety Tips for Using Heavy-Duty Hydraulic Jacks 350
Now that we have discussed the step-by-step workings of a heavy-duty hydraulic jack, let us dive right into the 5 essential safety tips for using heavy-duty hydraulic jacks, or performing heavy-duty jack maintenance or hydraulic jack inspection.
- Selecting the Right Jack
First and foremost, before you set out on your lifting journey, it is essential to check whether the load you want to lift with your heavy-duty hydraulic jack matches its load lifting capacity. This step also goes a long way in ensuring that you are performing your heavy-duty jack maintenance the right way.
- Inspect and Address Jack Issues
The next essential step in your heavy-duty jack maintenance is inspecting it for wear and tear before using it. Regular check-ins with your heavy equipment lifting tools should still be coupled with this step to ensure that your lifting process is safe for both the personnel involved and the valuable load being lifted. Inspection should immediately be followed up by addressing the issue to hinder further neglect of the heavy-duty hydraulic jack.
- Position the Jack Correctly
Next, place the jack on a flat, stable surface, and ensure it is positioned right under the vehicle’s chassis. Then, connect it to the designated lifting points. Be careful to note it is those points and not others on the undercarriage as this can extend injury to the jack or the vehicle or both. Connecting them correctly prevents slipping or shifting during the lifting process.
- Use Jack Stands
This is a pretty straightforward step to follow if you are using outdated or traditional jack models. In Stan Design Inc., we have come up with jack designs that allow you to eliminate this step completely and save money in expensive jack stands. It also aids you in conserving your energy and time trying to find the correct jack stands for your heavy-duty hydraulic jacks.
- Lower the Vehicle Slowly
Finally, once your vehicle servicing is over, stabilize the jack and recheck it for any wear and tear. Remove the jack handles and the jack stands (if you used any) and lower the vehicle steadily to prevent any mishaps.
Stan Design Inc. Heavy-duty Hydraulic Jacks
Stan Design Inc. is a leading heavy-duty hydraulic jack manufacturer in Canada and North America, which also produces air bag variants of the same. With over two decades of experience in the industry, their team consists of expert engineers and skilled mechanics who are trained in state-of-the-art design and manufacturing.
Therefore, their products are both durable and reliable along with being aesthetically pleasing. It is thanks to their functional and usable design integration that the Scorpion line of floor and pit jack models along with their StanJack bridge jacks and fast lube jack offerings are some of the most highly sought-after in the market.