A service jack is one of the most common types of floor jack. They typically feature wide wheels perfect for maneuvering on smooth surfaces like concrete driveways and garage floors, and offer a great deal of stability with the help of their wider stance and lifting platform. Many also feature a two-in-one handle design that can be used for lifting the jack, but when twisted counterclockwise, opens the release valve to lower the jack. They are available in a wide range of lifting capacities and designs to ensure safe and simple lifting for any repair.
Working on your own car not only saves money, but in many cases it can be extremely rewarding – or even fun – to maintain and repair your own vehicle. One of the most important factors that separates do-it-yourself mechanics from professional service centers is the space available to perform your repairs. Though you may not have a professional-grade lift in your garage, or possibly even a garage of your own, getting underneath your vehicle is important for a variety of repairs you might take on. That’s where having the right jack and lifting accessories comes in handy. Whether you’re just lifting your vehicle to change the oil, rotate the tires, or taking on a more advanced project, the appropriate type of jack with the right amount of lifting capacity is critical to ensuring a safe and successful project. In this article we’ll discuss the various types of jacks available and how to select the best one for your vehicle, repair environment, and more.
The answer to this question depends entirely on the place(s) you work on your vehicle and what types of repairs you plan to do. Most vehicles include an accessory jack from the factory that is stowed somewhere near the spare tire, in the trunk, or in the engine compartment. These jacks are typically a scissor jack, meaning that they are not hydraulic and require significantly more effort to use. Oftentimes these jacks have a notch that may align with a designated point on your frame, and are most often really only intended for changing a flat or blown tire. Though it’s not impossible to use a scissor jack for your regular repairs or maintenance, a hydraulic jack is significantly quicker and easier to use.
Hydraulic Jacks Versus Mechanical Jacks
A scissor jack is just one type of mechanical jack, which uses a thick threaded rod to draw two points of the jack together and push upward. Farm jacks are also commonly used for heavy lifting, spreading, and other jobs, and use a lever to ratchet the lifting platform safely into place and lower it as needed. The most common type of jacks used for automotive repair are not mechanical, but hydraulic. A hydraulic jack uses a small hydraulic fluid reservoir and a pump that moves the fluid in the reservoir through a check valve. The check valve prevents the fluid from flowing back to the reservoir, allowing pressure to build in the main hydraulic cylinder. At the opposite end of this cylinder is a ram piston that receives pressure and extends to lift the load. And finally, all hydraulic jacks include a release valve that releases the pressurized fluid in the main cylinder and allows it to flow back to the reservoir.
While this design may seem more complicated than a scissor jack, it allows a small amount of effort (the user pumping the jack handle) to be translated into a significant amount of safe lifting capacity. Some hydraulic jacks are even available that run off of power from an air compressor or electricity, making lifting even easier on the user. This means you can not only lift a vehicle more quickly, but can also lower it in a controlled way with very little effort. With hydraulic jacks being the standard of DIY automotive repair, the rest of this piece will focus on the types of hydraulic jacks available and their benefits for a variety of jobs.
There are a variety of hydraulic jack types available for different purposes, and each has its own specific benefits and lifting capacities that should be considered when shopping for the right jack. The two primary kinds of hydraulic jacks are bottle jacks and floor jacks, and each one has a few options that may make them better-suited for your specific vehicle or project type.
Hydraulic Floor Jacks
Hydraulic floor jacks are designed with wheels that allow them to be easily maneuverable under a vehicle, and feature a horizontal cylinder and ram that is connected to a lifting platform. These are the most common type of jack for automotive repair due to their ease of use and low profile that allows them to fit under cars with lower ground clearance than trucks or SUVs. There are also floor jacks with specific uses or specialized platforms designed for maneuvering larger parts like transmissions or lifting motorcycles.
Service Jack
Trolley Jack
Trolley jacks differ from service jacks in a few key areas – specifically, they utilize narrower wheels that allow for easier positioning on gravel and other rough or uneven surfaces. They also often feature a smaller lifting platform for more centralized power or smaller contact areas. Though they can often be used interchangeably with a service jack, they are also more compact and easier to transport, making them a great option to replace a mechanical jack in a vehicle. Trolley jacks usually also have a handle that can be easily separated from the jack, and may be used not only to lift the platform, but also keyed to fit a separate release valve for lowering.
Low-Profile Racing Jack
Though racing jacks are not fundamentally different from a service jack in their design, they are usually extremely low-profile to fit under even the lowest vehicles, including sports cars, customs, and more. They also often utilize lighter materials, such as aluminum, allowing these jacks to be more mobile and easier to move around than either service jacks and trolley jacks.
Transmission Jack
A transmission jack is a specialty floor jack that features a larger lifting platform and may also have chains, brackets, and more that allow a transmission to be safely lifted, lowered, and positioned. The platform may also have several adjusters near the jack arm that enable the user to tilt and angle it appropriately to line up the transmission during reinstallation. Not only can a transmission jack be used for installing and removing transmissions, but it is also useful for items like transfer cases, rear differential assemblies, and other heavy items that require more security and positioning ability.
Motorcycle Jack
A motorcycle jack is designed specifically to contact the smaller frame of a motorcycle, ATV, lawn mower, or other smaller vehicles to safely lift them for service. Motorcycle jacks also typically feature a padded lifting platform to prevent scratching painted motorcycle frames and a wide stance to keep the jack from tipping while working on your bike. These types of jacks are perfect for service, but can also be used to safely store or move motorcycles, and lifting a motorcycle before it is stored for the season can prevent flat spots on tires and limit the risk of other damage.
Bottle Jack
Though all bottle jacks are built very similarly, there are a few areas in which they differ that should be considered, depending on the type of project you’re taking on. All bottle jacks are designed to lift straight up, and feature a vertical cylinder and ram. They also typically use a lever handle to raise the platform, which is usually considerably narrower than that of a floor jack, and the handle is also used to activate the release valve to lower the jack. Many hydraulic bottle jacks also feature a telescoping platform that can be screwed out to increase the overall lifting range of the jack, and they are still usually taller when fully collapsed than a typical floor jack.
Because of their design, bottle jacks often also have a higher lifting capacity in a more compact package. They can also be used on their sides or even upside down if needed to press, separate, and perform other tasks that require portable power. Though they are considerably more compact and easier to transport than most floor jacks, bottle jacks do lack some of the stability found in floor jacks due to their relatively small footprint. They may also prove somewhat difficult to position when compared to a floor jack, and their relatively small ram and lifting head surface area can make it hard to get them exactly where they’re needed.
Weight Capacity
The biggest consideration when shopping for the right jack to fit your needs should be the weight of your vehicle, or the weight of the heaviest vehicle you typically work on. In many cases, owners of smaller vehicles can get away with a jack that is rated for one or two tons, where larger SUVs, trucks, and other vehicles may be three tons or more. So be sure you know how much weight you need to support, and never exceed the stated capacity of any floor jack.
Collapsed and Lifting Height
It is important to keep in mind that bottle jacks are typically taller than floor jacks, and being able to get the jack under your vehicle is necessary for you to lift it properly. For taller vehicles, or those that will require considerable lift to perform your repairs, a bottle jack may be necessary, as they typically have a higher lifting capacity than a comparable floor jack. On the other hand, a fully-collapsed floor jack will fit under most vehicles and provide enough lifting capacity for you to get underneath safely and comfortably. Low-profile floor jacks provide even lower clearance for stanced vehicles and sports cars. Knowing how high you can raise your vehicle and how much space you need to work can help make your jack purchase decision easier.
Repair Environment
Next, knowing the type of surface you work on will help you make the best decision when shopping for a jack. Do you have an enclosed garage with a concrete floor or a concrete driveway? Nearly any jack may work. But if you often work on gravel, dirt, or uneven surfaces, you may need to consider investing in a high-quality trolley or service jack that may be more maneuverable in those conditions. It is also important to determine if your driveway is in any way sloped, as this can be dangerous with any jack, but may prevent you from using a bottle jack safely. At a minimum, wheel chocks should be employed to prevent your vehicle from rolling or coming off the jack.
Type and Frequency of Repairs
If you’re just worried about changing a flat tire on occasion, you will have considerably different needs than someone who spends their weekends in the garage completing undercar projects. Your vehicle may already have a rudimentary scissor jack that can be used to make roadside repairs, but even replacing this with an inexpensive bottle jack or small floor jack can be a significant improvement in the ease of these repairs. For those that spend more time under the car than in it, a high-quality floor jack, bottle jack, or a combination of jacks may be needed to complete all of your repairs safely.
O’Reilly Auto Parts carries a variety of floor jacks, hydraulic bottle jacks, and other lifting and safety supplies to help you find the right fit for your repairs. It’s also important to pair your new jack with a set of jack stands rated appropriately for the weight of your vehicle. It’s not safe or advisable to work below a vehicle that is supported only by a jack, and jack stands can help provide added confidence and safety when you’re under your car. If you want to learn more or refresh your knowledge of how to safely lift and support your vehicle, check out the helpful video in our How-To Hub.
We also carry specialty lifting supplies, such as engine hoists, engine stands, chains, and load levelers, engine lift plates, wheel chocks, and more to help ensure that your next repair goes as well as possible and to keep you safe no matter the project. Safety should always be your number one priority when tackling any repair, so check out our article on the top safety supplies for new mechanics to learn more about what you can do or have on hand to ensure your safety the next time you’re ready to work on your vehicle.