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Floor jacks Hydraulic Jacks

How to Use Auto Hydraulic Jacks?

Auto hydraulic floor jacks are perhaps the biggest asset you can own for the service, maintenance and repairs of your vehicles. There are following reasons for that:

  • Size and Portability- Most floor jacks are designed to occupy less space, and are therefore lighter than other jacks, making them portable enough to be carried around.
  • Does Not Jam- Since these jacks use hydraulic power to work, they are less likely to jam due to rust in the screw thread as unlike mechanical jacks which work by using them.
  • Weight Capacity- As hydraulics generate greater lifting force, these floor jacks can lift heavier loads compared to other jacks with minimum effort using fluid mechanics.
  • Lift Range- This increased lifting force allows them to lift loads to greater heights, giving them a higher lift range.
  • Simple to Use- It is easier to use as its working mechanism is simple, making it a convenient choice for a range of clientele, especially do it yourself-ers (DIY-ers).
  • Durability and Reliability- Because of hydraulic jacks’ fewer moving parts, and fine quality build materials like high-grade steel, they can stand the corrosion, rust, oxidation, deterioration, and wear and tear of lifting for decades to come.
  • Low Profile- Hydraulic floor jacks usually have an extended and elevated reach while offering sustained and stable lift and minimal upkeep needs.
  • Safety- Auto floor jacks engage automatically at different heights, lifting the entire front or rear of your vehicles without any danger.
  • Maneuverability- Hydraulic floor jacks often come with roller wheels that guarantee ease and impressive mobility, while making them highly adjustable.
  • Versatility and Flexibility- Some hydraulic floor jacks fit virtually any pit or ramp application due to their compact design.

How Do Auto Hydraulic Floor Jacks Work?

To understand the benefits of auto hydraulic jack, let us understand how hydraulics in jacks work. Where conventional jacks wear out easily, hydraulic floor jacks are commonly used to lift loads high and heavy with ease, safety and speed for any maintenance purpose.

Its components work in accordance with Pascal’s law (also known as Pascal’s principle, or the principle of transmission of fluid-pressure), to produce applications in a range of fields beyond the automotive industry.

But for the sake of this blog, we will only explore its mechanism in helping lift heavy duty military grade trucks and buses to smaller and lighter family cars off the ground for repairs and maintenance.

Hydraulic floor jacks are mechanical devices used to lift heavy loads and forces like trucks, sports utility vehicles, or other types of cars, among other heavyweight items. The anatomy of any auto hydraulic jack can be broken down into these main parts, namely:

  • Reservoir or buffer tank
  • Pump with piston or plunger
  • Pump lever or handle
  • Check valve
  • Main cylinder or ram
  • Release valve
  • Handle

The reservoir or buffer tank is the physical compartment of the floor jack which holds the hydraulic fluid or pump oil. When the handle or lever of the pump with piston or plunger is mechanically lowered or raised, it builds up pressure in the adjoining compartment, i.e., the reservoir or buffer tank containing the hydraulic fluid or pump’s oil.

This applied pressure is transferred from the pump through a check valve and into the main cylinder or the ram, which extends out of the jack body creating the required lifting force and lifting the load.

How to Use Auto Hydraulic Floor Jacks?

It is relatively simple to use hydraulic floor jacks. But we must warn you that before you proceed with anything technical, please take the necessary precautions (which must come along with your product usually in the form of a manual) as dealing with these devices are quite dangerous and can be life-threatening if not used with caution.

Do not allow children to come into contact with these devices and tools, and for the safety of your car and other property, follow the instructions diligently. Now, without further ado, let us get started, shall we?

1. Make sure your car is in gear and you have got your parking brakes engaged.

2. For safety reasons, unless you are in a state of emergency, get your park parked on a flat, levelled, solid surface like concrete and not grass and dirt.

3. Check out the jack points- a point on the chassis which contains the frame carrying all suspension and power components, in the undercarriage of your vehicle that is underneath the main cabin of your car- and distinguish between good and bad points.

4. For distinguishing between good and bad jack points, a preliminary inspection of your car’s undercarriage (and in case you are still confused, a quick Google Search) is sufficient- this will allow you to fix your auto hydraulic jack to a point that is designed to handle a lot of weight.

5. Once you have settled on your jack point that can jack up your whole car (or parts- rear or back) at once safely and easily, move the jack into place and lift your car steadily.

6. Once this is accomplished you can repeat the process for all the four corners of your car (or particular portions, like tires for replacement) to suspend it at the same level and work on its repairs and maintenance with ease.

Best Auto Hydraulic Floor Jacks to Use in 2024

You will realize that while using hydraulic floor jack stands become a necessity for their reliable and safe suspension. But it is an expensive investment. That is why Stan Design Inc. came up with hydraulic floor jacks that do not need stands. Check out our selection of their top auto hydraulic floor jacks.

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Bridge Jacks Floor jacks Hydraulic Jacks Jacks Truck Jacks

How to Choose the Right Truck Jack for Efficient Lifting?

Working in commercial garages or automotive workshops can become a nightmare without the right collection of equipment at your disposal. One such tool in your arsenal is truck jacks. These heavy-duty jacks for trucks are capable enough to make the lifting process of big vehicles smooth and effortless while ensuring safety and stability.

By saving time in lifting heavy loads, suspending them securely to service them efficiently, and lowering them without technical hiccups, truck jacks enable workers to maintain and repair bigger vehicles like heavy-duty military or commercial trucks, buses, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and all sorts of big automobiles.

Having many different operational mechanisms- mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, hybrid, etc., these jacks deliver high value to professionals wielding them. By lifting and transporting all types of heavy weights, industrial loads, vehicles, and machinery equipment for clamping, jacks aid customers in varying industries, 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 & trailers

To understand simply the workings of a truck jack like the Stan Design pit jack, let us consider the example of a hydraulic system of operation, consisting of the following broad components:

  • 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 heavy-duty jack for trucks 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 jack is not in use to prevent the accidental flow of oil.

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.

This applied pressure transfers the oil from the pump through a check valve and into the main cylinder or the ram, which extends out of the hydraulic jack body creating the required lifting force and lifting the load.


What are Factors to Consider for Choosing the Right Truck Jack for Efficient Lifting?


1. Compatibility with Your Vehicle:
 Before choosing the right jack for lifting heavy vehicles, it is essential to check its specifications to verify its compatibility with your vehicle. This step is important and must not be avoided under any circumstances or considerations because doing so can impose great harm on not only the vehicle being lifted and serviced using the jack, but to the safety and even life of the personnel engaged in the process of lifting and maintaining the vehicle. To ensure compatibility, checking the jack’s weight capacity, size, portability, clearance or lift range, quality, build materials, brand reputation and user testimonials can be a starting point.

2. Weight Capacity: Usually expressed in tonnage, the weight capacity of a jack shows its capability of clamping, lifting, suspending, lowering, transporting, etc. loads of particular weights. The load or weight capacity of a jack is distinctly different from its lift range or size and is not indicative of either. Neither do the jack’s lift range nor its size in any way denote its load capacity. So, if you have a bigger or heavier vehicle to be repaired, going for heavy-duty pit jacks would be a wise choice, while for smaller cars investing in small and more portable repair and maintenance jacks would be sufficient.

3. Size and Portability: The size of a jack directly affects its portability. Heavier jacks, usually made of steel, are more suited for use in commercial garages and automotive workshops where they may be fixed in places for more convenient use. Unlike that, smaller jacks using hydraulic systems to operate either made of lightweight steel or aluminum, can be stored in small storage compartments of cars to be unloaded and used for emergency purposes like fixing a flat tire, etc. However, it is wise to not rely on portability alone while determining the size of the jack being purchased and weigh its compatibility with your owned vehicle or the types of vehicles you commercially service.

4. Clearance: The clearance of a vehicle refers to the distance between the lowest part of its undercarriage (not including the tires) and the ground. Also referred to as ride height or ground clearance, this area is the best suited for car jacks to be implemented for repairs and maintenance. Usually, the higher the clearance, the higher the center of mass of the vehicle. Therefore, this can be translated to suit low lift ranges of car jacks to make it compatible with the clearance of the car being serviced.

5. Brand Reputation and User Testimonials: While making an automotive jack purchase, you should bear in mind its producer and manufacturer. Checking out the brand reputation diligently and doing a fair bit of research on its product description and features, while also reviewing user feedback and testimonials for both the product and producer can go a long way in ensuring that you make a wise investment. For example, our Stan Design pit jacks are highly trusted across the industry as we serve our customers not only before they make a purchase with us, but also long after they sale is closed.

6. Quality and Build Materials: Perhaps, the biggest component in selecting a jack is its safety features. Since it is such a basic consideration, we have not discussed it as a separate point and wish to highlight it through this concluding point about quality and build materials. The quality of a jack should never be compromised based on price points as it can severely constrain the safety of your vehicle and yourself. Checking its build materials, whether steel, aluminum, hybrid, etc. is imperative to determine not only its size and portability but also its quality and sustainability, that is directly proportional to the safety it offers.