Jacks

The device needed to lift and hold your car at a certain height is called a jack. If there is no possibility to use an elevator or a special pit to diagnose your car, to do its repair or to change the tires, the best solution - the jack. 

How to determine the lifting capacity and lifting height

Choosing a device for lifting the car, you need to consider the jack's lifting capacity. For example, the vehicle weighs 1200 kg, so the lifting device should have a lifting capacity of more than 1500 kg. Otherwise, it may happen that the equipment simply will not withstand the weight of the car, and the car will fall.

Lifting devices with greater lifting capacity cost more, but the motorist will be confident in their reliability.

The lifting height is the minimum value needed for the jack to work properly. If the clearance of your car, for example, 17 cm, the lifting device, which has a lifting height of 150 mm, will not work. You should measure the distance from the road to the threshold of the car, and at a value of 15 cm choose a jack with a lifting height of 7-10 cm.

Types of jacks

Lifting mechanisms are divided into several groups depending on the principle of operation:

1. Working as a result of mechanical action. These are the very first devices for lifting objects, which have not lost their relevance today. They work thanks to the interacting mechanical elements that are the basis of their design.

2. Hydraulically operated. Mechanisms for lifting, different in their power and reliability. Operating principle: Liquids are pumped from an oil reservoir to the cylinder block, driving a piston. The pump plays the main role here. There are also hydraulic mechanisms for lifting, which work thanks to special valves, responsible for pumping the liquid.

3. Working on the basis of pneumatics. To use them, you will need a compressor, but sometimes you can also get by with air from the exhaust pipe of the car. These devices are said to be smooth in lifting, but the descent can be abrupt, which is unsafe. And the lifting capacity is small.

How to choose the right lifting device

Recommendations in choosing:

1. How much the car weighs. Add 300 kilograms to this value to be sure that the device can support the weight of the vehicle.

2. Lifting height. This figure should not be more than 50 cm, if you plan to repair work on a level plane.

3. Height of lift. This criterion should be 30-50% less than the clearance.

4. The necessary support area. For car service centers it will be larger, and for personal use the jack and with a small support area will do.

5. It is better to give preference to either mechanics or hydraulics, as pneumatics is more suitable for service stations. 

Choose jacks on top1 autovaruosad at reasonable prices: quality service and individual approach to each customer!