Are you stuck on the road with a flat tire? This is the worst feeling that most drivers face. Probably you might search for a floor jack. But don’t know how to use a floor jack? Then this article is for you.
Floor jacks are very important to lift heavyweights. However, there are different types of floor jacks that you can use. So which one to use and how? Let’s know in the following part of this writing.
In this article, you will find all about mechanical and hydraulic floor jacks. So, stay tuned to learn more!
What is a Floor Jack?
Floor jack are simple tools, commonly used to lift automobiles. A hydraulic jack is a piece of machinery that uses the power of fluids to move things.
You can use a floor jack to lift heavy weights from the ground. However, the device is very important while you’re repairing or maintaining something heavy.
In the most automotive industry, you will see floor jacks to lift vehicles or part of a vehicle.
There are different sizes and kind of floor jacks. However, the three ton floor jacks are most popular in USA.
However, it is important to know how the different types of floor jacks work.
What Are the Types of Floor Jacks?
You will get two types of floor jacks in the market, which are:
- Mechanical floor jack
- Hydraulic floor jack
However, both the floor jacks are very different from each other. Let’s see how they differ!
Mechanical floor jack
You can call mechanical floor jack “jacks screws.”
However, it would help if you operated mechanical floor jacks manually. This means that people need to apply force while they use mechanical floor jacks.
Additionally, you can lift around 1.5-3 tons with 13-25 inches height through most jacks. But industrial jacks can lift 25 tons with a height of 6 feet.
There are 7 different types of mechanical jacks:
- House jack
- Car jack
- Lead screw jack
- Scissor floor jack
- Garage jack
- Screw jack
- Worm screw jack
How do Mechanical Floor Jacks Work?
It would be best if you used mechanical floor jacks manually. Nevertheless, these floor jacks come with a stand and base to give proper support.
However, you can utilize these jacks in different ways, which are:
- You can use them to amplify a force
- These can provide mechanical advantages.
How to Use a Mechanical Floor Jack
You will find it very easy to use a mechanical floor jack. However, there are 6 steps to use a mechanical floor jack, which are:
Step One: Park your car
First, you need to get out of the traffic and park your car. However, in an automatic vehicle, you can set your car in parking mode.
Step Two: Place something under the wheel
Next, you need to place something under the wheel. It would be best to have extra blocks as you need to put something on the other side. This will stop your vehicle from rollback.
Step Three: Locate your jack
Later, it would help if you started to locate your jack. By using the handle, you can raise the vehicle and assemble it.
Step Four: Locate your point
After you find your jack, you need to place the floor jack properly. However, most people find it tough to locate the perfect point. After you get the point, you can move on to place the floor jack.
Step Five: Fix your handles
Next, you can move to fix your handles. So, use the floor jack and turn it clockwise to uplift your vehicle.
However, make sure you are taking the vehicle at least six inches above. When you take the vehicle to a good height, you can start changing the tire.
Step Six: Lower your car
After you change the tire, slowly lower your vehicle until it touches the ground. Finally, remove the floor jack and place it with the handle to make it easier to use them.
Mechanical floor jack: Pros vs. Cons
The list below shows the pros and cons of mechanical floor jacks.
Pros
- Easy to operate
- Reduces time and cost
- Easily portable
- Comes in different shapes and sizes
Cons
- Operated manually
- Requires extra energy
- Exposes many risks with improper points
- Limited capacity
Mechanical Floor Jacks: Safety measures
While using floor jacks, there are a few safety measures that you need to keep in mind. However, some of them are listed below:
- Set your car on parking mode
- Park your car in a flat space
- Ask everyone to leave the car
- Put a block behind the wheels
- Don’t lie down under the vehicle
Hydraulic floor jacks
One of the oldest jacks is the hydraulic floor jack. However, you will find hydraulic lift systems in hydraulic floor jacks to lift heavy things.
Most hydraulic floor jacks follow the same pascal’s principle. This principle helps to determine the pressure of fluid with energy to find the total area.
Nevertheless, there are two types of hydraulic floor jacks, which are:
- Floor jacks
- Hydraulic bottle jack
How do Hydraulic Floor Jacks Work?
By using fluid compression, hydraulic floor jacks can easily generate power. However, these jacks use oil to work.
In the hydraulic cylinder, the hydrostatic pump uses push oil to convert to mechanical energy. Nevertheless, this oil is very important; it helps to start the machine to start lifting.
How to Use a Hydraulic Floor Jack
Hydraulic floor jacks are complicated to use. However, it makes your work much faster with proper support.
However, the 4 steps to use hydraulic floor jacks are:
Step One: Park your car
First, move out of the traffic and park your car. You will get parking mode if you have an automatic car. So, use it and pull up the hand brake. In manual cars, you need to use the first gear and then use the hand brake.
Step Two: Place something under the wheel
After you park your car, you need to place something, like blocks, under your wheels. It will stop the wheels from moving. However, you can also use extra blocks to put under other wheels for safety.
Step Three: Roll your jacks
Later, it would help if you rolled the jack to position them properly. However, you can make sure everything is in place when the saddle is positioned.
Step Four: Lift your vehicle
Finally, the vehicle goes up by lowering the handles. Nevertheless, through the valves, the compressed oil flows out in the hydraulic cylinder. However, the fuel turns into mechanical energy, which helps to lift your vehicle.
Hydraulic floor jack: Pros vs. Cons
The list below shows the pros and cons of hydraulic floor jacks.
Pros
- Has closed system which stops leaking
- Operates through less physical energy
- More convenient
- Lifts heavy loads through automated power
- Requires well-stocked garage
Cons
- Oil leakage creates a hindrance
- Operates technically
- Requires professional training
- Expensive jacks
- Not portable
- Requires more space
Hydraulic Floor Jacks: Safety measures
Like mechanical floor jacks, you need to follow a few safety measures while using hydraulic floor jacks.
Some of them are:
- Take help of professional mechanics
- Maintain the hydraulic cylinder regularly
- Ensures the standard fluid level
- Assemble the jacks professionally
- Provides the average weight to lift
- Check for leakages
Mechanical Floor Jacks vs. Hydraulic floor jack
Both the floor jacks are different from each other. Let’s see the basic differences between mechanical floor jacks vs. hydraulic floor jacks.
Mechanical floor jacks | Hydraulic floor jacks |
Uses mechanical theories | Uses pascal’s theory |
Requires physical energy | Requires oil |
Portable | Not portable |
Requires jack stands to support | Requires swivel casters to support |
Costs less | Expensive |
How to Maintain Floor Jacks?
If you maintain floor jacks, they will provide service for a longer time. However, it is very important to inspect them once a week. Additionally, it would help if you kept them clean.
Based on professional comments, the list below provides 5 tips to maintain floor jacks:
1. Check the hydraulic fluids
Once you lower your jacks, you can remove the screws. However, it is important to fill the fluid on a level. Once the fluid moves below the holes, make sure you add the hydraulic fluids again.
2. Use fluids properly
There are specific hydraulic fluids for vehicles. So, it would be best if you avoid using any other type of fluids. If you use other fluids, the hydraulics can get damaged in a short time.
3. Use lubricates
Any moving joint needs lubricate. So, it is very important to grease the saddles and the handles. In addition, you can find many grease guns for hydraulic jacks.
4. Store the jacks properly
While maintaining floor jacks, it is very important to store the jacks properly. So, it would be best if you wiped the storage place. In addition, you need to release pressure on cylinders.
5. Bleed hydraulic cylinder
Sometimes, you will find that there is straining on the loads. So, in such cases, you need to bleed the hydraulic cylinders. The bleeding process helps the floor jacks to have better performance.
Conclusion
To sum up, the processes are different from using the different floor jacks. While the mechanical floor jacks are very easy to operate, the hydraulic ones tend to be critical.
However, as the floor jacks are risky equipment, it would be best to follow the safety measures. By following the precautions, your tasks will get easier to improvise.
On the other side, the floor jacks help you through difficult times. But it is very necessary to maintain them properly. While you keep them clean, they would provide you with a service for a longer time.