Types of Hydraulic Jacks and How They Work

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Across many different types of trades, including those such as engineering, manufacturing, and vehicle repair, the trusty jack is one of the essential tools keeping a business moving. 

A jack is a multipurpose tool that can be used for positioning and lifting heavy equipment, which is particularly useful during vehicle repair or construction.

Most jacks are either mechanical or hydraulic, and, although they are by nature a supporting mechanism, they can hold surprisingly complex and intricate designs in their own right. 

So without further ado, here is our handy guide to 14+ types of jacks and their uses. 

14 types of jacks you need to know

Trolley Jack

First on our list of different types of jacks is the trolley jack. A trolley jack is designed to lift a vehicle up by its chassis, and hoist it upwards via its hydraulic cylinders.

A popular choice in automotive repair and mechanic maintenance, trolley jacks are versatile and mobile, meaning they can be used for a wide variety of lifting jobs. It usually comes with a steering wheel, as well as its own braking system. 

Advantages of trolley jacks:

• Perfect for light vehicles, and vehicles close to the ground

• Easy to move and position

• Reliable with special safety measures

Disadvantages of trolley jacks:

• Heavier or larger vehicles are likely not suitable 

• Not as portable or light as bottle jacks

Pallet Jack

Perhaps the most common type of jack on this list, the pallet jack, sometimes called a forklift jack, can be found in warehouses around the world. 

With a simple wheeled trolley design featuring a hydraulic lever, a pallet jack, as the name suggests, is used to lift and move pallets as well as smaller compatible goods. Its versatility and simplicity make it a staple of small goods transportation.

Advantages of pallet jacks:

• Versatile and can be used with a range of goods

• Easy to use and manoeuvre

• Can handle up to lbs

Disadvantages of pallet jacks:

• Heavy or large machinery are not suitable 

• Needs good terrain in order to move around

Pneumatic Jack

Another commonly used type of jack is the pneumatic jack. These work by using compressed air to convert electrical power into mechanical power. 

Otherwise known as the telescope jack, pneumatic jacks are used to position heavy machinery, and are cost effective due to their relatively low running costs in comparison with some other jacks available.

Advantages of pneumatic jacks:

• Great for larger vehicles like trucks or buses

• Convenient and quick to set up

• No manpower required

Disadvantages of pallet jacks:

• Large dimensions means it takes up a lot of space

• Sensitive to damage from water or extreme temperatures

Floor Jacks

When dealing with low-profile or heavy vehicles, the floor jack is a very handy tool in lifting and supporting the weight of the vehicle in a safe manner.

A floor jack works as a manually operated hydraulic jack and makes use of a horizontally-mounted cylinder. The front wheels of the jack only move forwards and backwards, whereas the back wheels pivot, allowing for easy transportation.  

Due to their weight, floor jacks are usually used in only one place.

Advantages of floor jacks:

• Reliable and good safety features

• Great for hard to reach places

• Large lifting pad

Disadvantages of floor jacks:

• Large weight means that it is only really suitable in one place

• Reach isn&#;t particularly high in comparison with other jacks

Transmission Jacks

Car mechanics rely on a range of specialist lifting jacks to get their job done. When working on the transmission of a car, there&#;s only one jack that will really do the trick, and that is a transmission jack.

Transmission jacks are designed with a large cradle to position a car so that the transmission can be installed, repaired or taken out. There are numerous adaptations to this jack that can be made in order to cater the work to different engines. 

Advantages of transmission jacks:

• Essential for transmission work

• Easily adaptable for different engines and vehicle types

• Foot pedal operation for easy practical use

Disadvantages of transmission jacks:

• Only suitable for transmission work

• Tend to be more expensive than less specialist jack types

Screw Jacks

Next up on our selection of lifting jacks is the screw jack. These jacks come in a variety of different sizes, depending on the job at hand, but all are designed to lift an object either partially or fully off the ground. 

Unlike some other jacks, screw jacks are particularly handy for lifting one corner of a vehicle off the ground. As such, they are often used when replacing tyres or working on wheel alignment. Large screw jacks can even be employed to lift up houses.

Advantages of screw jacks:

• Generally very safe as has a self-locking system

• Relatively small size makes it easy to store

• Doesn&#;t need much maintenance

Disadvantages of screw jacks:

• Comparatively low lifting capacity

• Can be less efficient than other lifting jacks

Ratchet Jacks

Ratchet jacks are so-named because the lifted object in question is raised or lowered with a pawl and ratchet along a linear track. 

This jack type can usually hold a lot of weight, sometimes as much as 20 tonnes and beyond, and as such are used regularly in farming, mining and shipping. For cars, though, scissor lifts have largely replaced ratchet jacks in popularity. 

Advantages of ratchet jacks:

• Capable of lifting large loads

• Versatile and can be used in different industries

Disadvantages of ratchet jacks:

• They are usually very heavy so require careful transportation

• Not generally as safe as some other types of jack, for instance the scissor jack

Scissor Jacks

A scissor jack is designed to gradually raise a heavy object off the ground. It is called a scissor jack as its metal components look like a scissor that contracts and expands. One plus of this design is that scissor jacks can be stored away easily when they are in the contracted position. 

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Scissor jacks are popular in vehicle repair shops and garages due to their reliability and space-saving profile. Scissor jacks usually have adjustable handles which act as the lever to move the jack upwards. 

Advantages of scissor jacks:

• Portability and easy storage

• Easy to use with adjustable handles

• Perfect for changing tyres on a car

Disadvantages of scissor jacks:

• Not as long-lasting as a floor jack

• Only suitable with vehicles that weigh below 3 tonnes

• Only used with compatible vehicles or objects, unlike a floor jack

Inflatable Jacks

Inflatable jacks are especially useful when you want to lift something particularly high, or at least to any height that is required within the jack&#;s range. Good for a range of purposes, inflatable jacks can be used for pushing, lifting or clamping, making them ideal for use in a range of industries, including mechanics, construction and packaging.

These jacks work by inflating a flexible cylinder, either with water, air or oil, and then applying an inflation pressure directed by the user. An example of an inflatable jack is an exhaust air jack.

Advantages of inflatable jacks:

• Versatile use in big or small spaces

• High lifting force, up to a predefined height

• Fast-acting and professional

Disadvantages of inflatable jacks:

• Large footprint which means lots of storage space required

• Pipe attachments can easily slip off if not secured properly

• Higher risk of failure than manual jacks

High-lift Jacks

As its name may suggest, high-lift jacks do exactly that: give vehicles a high lift. These are particularly useful when dealing with off-road vehicles and trailers that are stuck in mud or in other environmental difficulties. It&#;s for this reason that they are mainly used only in emergency situations. 

High-lift jacks are long and require a lot of storage space compared to other types of garage-stored vehicle jacks. However, they can be temperamental and require a lot of strength to operate.

Advantages of high-lift jacks:

• Perfect for emergency off-road situations 

• Can lift a vehicle higher than any other jack

• Efficient ratchet system

Disadvantages of high-lift jacks:

• Requires a lot of strength from the user

• Hard to store due to its height

• More unstable than other types of vehicle jack

Bottle Jacks

Next up in our types of jacks guide, bottle jacks are hydraulic and must always be placed vertically when lifting an object. These jacks work by utilising a hydraulic lever that exerts intense pressure from a small diameter piston through a large diameter piston chamber.

This type of jack is a common choice in garages and auto repair shops due to its weight adaptability and ease of use. However, it is versatile and has uses in other industries.

Advantages of bottle jacks:

• Easy to manoeuvre and store 

• Come in different sizes for different vehicle weights

• Significantly cheaper than floor jacks

Disadvantages of bottle jacks:

• Can&#;t be used as supports, only for the lifting of vehicles

• Minimum lift heights unlike some other jacks

• More unstable than other types of vehicle jack

Wheel Bumper Jacks

A wheel bumper jack is a type of jack that is designed to catch under the bumper of a car and hoist the vehicle upwards.

Wheel bumper jacks are commonly attached to trailers, which can be deployed when needing to attach and remove a trailer. They are also popular in garages ahead of vehicle repair or maintenance.

Advantages of wheel bumper jacks:

• Easy to use and put in position

• You don&#;t have to crawl under the vehicle

Disadvantages of wheel bumper jacks:

• Often have large dimensions and are heavy

• More risk of instability than many other types of jack

• Not compatible with many types of modern bumper

Motorcycle Jacks

Motorcycles are not the easiest machines to repair or work on, owing to their relatively slender frame and heavy weight in comparison with other vehicles. In order to perform this work, a special jack is needed to not only lift a motorcycle but to stabilise it safely. 

Luckily, a motorcycle jack performs this task, using connecting screws to hoist the vehicle up on a rising lift table. 

Advantages of motorcycle jacks:

• Adaptable for motorcycles of different sizes and weights

• Allows the ability to work on both front and rear wheels

• Good stability and reliability

Disadvantages of motorcycle jacks:

• Limited operating range

• Not always worth the cost for simple repairs

Strand Jacks

We&#;ve left the biggest for last on our list of different types of jacks. Invented in to aid with construction and tensioning works, the strand jack is a linear winch system that can pull weights bearing thousands of tonnes upwards. Often, multiple strand jacks are used in conjunction with one another when working on bigger projects, such as bridge erections and port maintenance. 

Strand jacks consist of a hollow hydraulic cylinder with steel cables running through the centre. These cables can be operated to move at any speed and paused to ensure failsafe manoeuvres. 

Advantages of strand jacks:

• A great alternative to cranes when working in tight-spaced environments

• Extremely high lift forces of over tonnes per jack 

• Ability for numerous jacks to work in tandem

Disadvantages of strand jacks:

• Highly difficult operation to move multiple jacks correctly at the same time

• A lot of maintenance is needed for upkeep

Closing thoughts

We hope you have enjoyed reading our definitive guide to 14+ different types of jacks. 

Whether you&#;re working in a garage repairing a vehicle, hoisting a truck out of a muddy hole, or interested in the workings of massive construction projects, there&#;s a jack out there that is perfect for every purpose. 

Be sure to browse through Hawk Lifting&#;s fantastic range of lifting jacks to help you pick out the right jack for you. 

Alternatively, get in touch with us to discuss your individual requirements.

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