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A car jack is a must-have tool that must be available to the driver. Its benefits and significance are difficult to overestimate. The device can save in difficult situations, as well as help in repair work. Some car owners buy two jacks at once. One of them remains in the garage and is used in the process of repair, replacement of consumables. Such models are more dimensional, designed to work with great weight. They are considered more reliable and safe if in the process of repairing the machine you need to climb under the bottom. The second jack is compact. It can be transported in a car, because it does not take up much space. Many drivers use them as universal solutions. The right choice of the jack will allow you to efficiently use the capabilities of the tool, to apply in different situations and to cope with all sorts of difficulties that arise on the way or in the garage.

How to choose a jack.

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Criterias of choice

Previously, drivers did not have much choice, since literally several models of domestic production were offered on the market. Because questions about what jacks are better for cars, people did not arise. Now the situation has changed dramatically. There was a huge variety of devices that differ in design, type of drive, capacity and other characteristics. The number of domestic developments has noticeably increased. But along with them, the market was filled with imported models, and not always of high quality. Due to the wide variety, one has to more carefully approach the issue of choosing a car jack. Experienced drivers and specialists recommend focusing on the following parameters:

• type of drive;
• lift height;
• pickup height;
• load capacity.

Based on these criteria, you will be able to purchase the best option for a jack for your particular car.

Load capacity

This is the first and main criterion from which to start making choices. If you make a mistake with a load rating, everything else will not matter. We'll have to take another jack, because this one cannot cope with its tasks. This is logical, because when the device cannot lift the weight of the machine, it does not matter what kind of drive, quality or manufacturer. Therefore, before choosing a car jack, assess the possible maximum vehicle weight.

Each model of a jack has restrictions on loading capacity. To decide on the choice of tool for a car, you can look at its technical documentation. The manufacturer indicates how much your car weighs in a particular configuration. Having learned this value, add to it about 200 kilograms. This is a reserve of carrying capacity in case there will be some cargo in the trunk, your purchases, etc.

If the load parameter is chosen incorrectly, this will entail a number of unpleasant situations:

• the jack can break at the first application;
• you risk injury due to a car falling;
• the probability of stalling and loss of stability increases;
• the machine itself may suffer.

Separately, we will tell you what load parameters should be for different vehicles. But in most cases, when it comes to passenger cars, drivers choose devices for 2 tons or more.

Lifting height

If you figured out with a load-carrying capacity and determined how much weight the jack will have to lift, then look at the height of the lift. This parameter means how high the device can lift the load. In most cases, drivers lack 30-50 centimeters. This is enough to change the wheel or perform other actions with elevated tires. If you have to lift the car much higher, the assist stands for the standard device or the rack model of the jack are used. Racked devices are widely used in cases where the driver has to go on the road.

The maximum height is selected for the car based on the conditions in which the vehicle is operated. Before you choose a jack, carefully consider how often you go beyond the asphalt, and whether there is a chance of getting stuck so much that a regular machine that raises a car by 30-50 cm will not pull you out.

Path

Not everyone pays enough attention to this parameter. And in vain, because the comfort of using the device, its operational capabilities and the cases in which the device helps to get out of a difficult situation largely depend on it. The height of the pickup is the height of the tool itself. That is the height from which the climb begins. The starting point is of great importance for cars that are characterized by a small ground clearance. If the clearance of your car is minimal, then when selecting a jack, be sure to look at the height of its pickup.

When the starting point is high, the tool simply won't fit under the car. Because start raising the car you can not. For vehicles with ground clearance of about 150 mm. It is recommended to choose such devices where the pickup is from 60 to 90 mm. For SUVs, you can take higher ones, because too small models will waste their lift height. The picked up correctly grab still one step closer you to the correct answer to a question how to choose to yourself a car jack.

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Drive unit

Drive type plays an important role when choosing a jack. All models of automotive tools on the market are divided into three types:

• mechanical;
• hydraulic;
• pneumatic.

To make a choice, you need to consider each option separately. This will allow you to understand which drive is suitable for your particular situation.

Mechanical

Такие устройства основаны на механическом приводе. Выпускается достаточно широкая линейка разнообразных конструкций. Mechanical домкраты делятся на несколько подвидов. Каждый из них имеет свои объективные преимущества и некоторые недостатки.

1. Vertical screw. This is the shoulder of the pickup, which is fixed on the screw. Depending on which direction the screw rotates, the pickup moves up and down. But they are limited in their functionality, since the pickup is inserted only in special slots on the bottom of cars. They must be present at the car and be located near the wheel arches. 
2. Diamond or rhombic jack. Если говорить о том, какой домкрат выбрать для машины, чтобы иметь возможность воспользоваться им в пути, многие останавливают свой выбор на такой модели. Это также винтовые устройства, расположенные горизонтально. Когда рукоятка вращается, два плеча, удерживающихся шарнирами, сжимают и разжимаются. Сверху шарниров расположен подхват, высота положения которого зависит от излома рабочих плеч. Такими устройствами комплектуют большинство современных машин. Они надёжные, простые в эксплуатации, имеют небольшой вес и стоят адекватных денег. Но КПД составляет около 40%, а грузоподъёмность обычно ограничивается 1500 килограммами. 
3. Rack jack. If the diamond does not suit you, but the choice fell on a mechanical drive, the question arises, which tool to choose. It is worth looking at the rack, which consist of a vertical rail, teeth or holes, as well as pickup. Rotating gear gear or lever, pickup moves in a vertical plane. Their efficiency reaches 80%. These devices have the largest carrying capacity among all mechanical automobile jacks. 

Each of the proposed options is potentially suitable for your car. But you need to understand that a mechanical drive implies the need to apply certain physical effort. In some situations it will be impossible to lift the car by yourself. Therefore, car owners are increasingly looking towards more modern and efficient hydraulic mechanisms.

Hydraulic

В основу работы таких устройств заложена гидравлика, то есть свойства несжимаемой жидкости вместе с принципом сообщающихся сосудов. Hydraulic инструменты бывают разными. Потому нужно определить, какой лучше выбрать и чем они отличаются друг от друга.

1. Vertical. He is a bottle jack. It is so called because it looks like a bottle. The cylinder axis is located vertically here, and the piston is connected to the pickup. The efficiency is about 80%, which is why a small physical effort is required to lift the machine. In determining which jack to choose for the car, many car owners lean toward the bottle. They are convenient in operation, smoothly raise and lower the machine, accurately fixed at the desired height. It is important that when transporting the device it is always in an upright position. Otherwise, the working fluid may flow out of the structure. Some people note the slow work of the bottle, but this is the only and very subjective drawback.
2. Rolling. It is worth thinking about which jack to choose if you plan to use the device in the garage. A hydraulic jack with a tackle has a horizontal cylinder axis. Roughly speaking, this is a cart with wheels and a special lever for lifting the car. Convenience is that the tool is rolled under the car. But there is also an important drawback, which requires a dense and even surface. Movable models are suitable for service stations, garages, but with mobility there are obvious problems. It is impossible to take such a jack with you on the road, as it is large and requires a lot of space.

Which of the jacks to choose, you decide. The first type is ideal for travel. But sliding devices are relevant only in the garage. Plus, they have a minimum pickup height, which is why they are convenient to use when servicing cars with low ground clearance.

Pneumatic

If in previous devices the working fluid was a liquid (hydraulic oil), then air is used here. The entire volume of the working cylinders is filled with air, which allows you to move the piston with a grab, or to fill the airbag, gradually increasing its size. This is a stationary type of car jack, because the application requires the presence of a compressor. It will inject air and thereby ensure the operability of the device.

There are also portable versions for which portable compressors and vehicle exhaust gases can be used. The indisputable advantages include high lifting speed, increased stability and the ability to work with machines at a minimum height relative to the surface. But objective shortcomings do not allow them to be considered as a convenient version of a mobile jack, which can always be taken with you into the car.

Selection by type of vehicle

There are different cars, because each of them has its own requirements and features for choosing a jack. Conventionally, vehicles can be divided into:

• cars;
• crossovers and SUVs;
• trucks.

Based on this, we will give several recommendations on the correct choice of a car jack, depending on the vehicle you have.

Cars

The rhombic screw jack is standard in any modern passenger car. This is a common practice that has objective advantages. Old Soviet and Russian cars came with vertical screw devices. But they have long since lost their relevance, because experts and experienced drivers do not recommend buying them. It is not necessary for the car to take the model of rhombic jacks with increased carrying capacity. But the stock of 400 - 500 kilograms is better to leave. You add this figure to the curb weight of the car, the exact details of which you will find in the technical documentation or instruction manual.

The most common for passenger cars are considered to be 2 tons of jacks, since most modern cars weigh no more than 1,500 kg. If you need an additional garage jack, with which you can carry out repairs, carry out planned replacement of consumables and simply change the wheels with increased stability, buy another sliding model. The probability of dismounting from such a jack is minimal, which cannot be said about classic hiking jacks.

Crossovers and SUVs

These cars have a more impressive size, and therefore more weight. Therefore, the usual rhombic devices of the screw type here can not cope with the tasks. If you mainly operate the car in an urban setting, a reliable hydraulic bottle jack will be enough for your crossover or jeep. It is reliable and easy to use, takes up minimal space, but demonstrates excellent load carrying capacity. You need to choose carefully, given one significant nuances. Bottle devices should have a stock for a payload of 1–1.5 tons relative to the curb weight of the crossover or your large SUV.

For drivers who buy such an off-road car, the best solution would be a rack jack. It is able to lift cars to impressive heights, has excellent load carrying indicators and does not make high demands on the evenness and density of the surface on which the vehicle stands. For the garage, also take rolling models, the advantages of which we have already told you before.

Trucks

In the case of trucks, the situation is most difficult. Such vehicles weigh far more than one ton, which is why their rise often causes serious problems. The ram is subject to increased requirements in terms of capacity. When choosing a suitable device, you need to sum up the weight of the truck itself, as well as the maximum weight of the load that the truck can lift. We give a simple example. An ordinary KAMAZ truck weighs from 8 to 10 tons. At the same time, such machines are capable of pulling a weight of up to 15 tons. From here we conclude that a suitable KAMAZ jack should have a load capacity of 25 tons. This will get out of a difficult situation.

Try to use only high-quality, proven and effective device for lifting vehicles. It is better to contact well-established manufacturers. Multiple tests have proven that cheap models of jacks, most often produced in the Middle Kingdom, do not always correspond to the declared characteristics. That is, the manufacturer indicates a single load capacity, and in fact the tool is capable of lifting a much smaller load. Plus they quickly break down, often fail and sometimes can not be recovered.

Experienced drivers say that it is better to spend a decent amount of money once, having bought a high-quality and effective jack, than to change it every season.