A floor jack is an essential tool for any car owner. It is utilized to lift the car off the ground so that the car owner can change the tire, make a replacement or even check the brakes. Floor jacks are better and more reliable for use than any other type of jack. This is because they use hydraulics and can lift loads of different weights. This means that they can lift both small and large cars as well.
Therefore, understanding how to utilize a floor jack is really vital. This is because it can be the difference between completing safe and secure car maintenance and committing an accident.
What is a Floor Jack & how it works?
A floor jack is a lifting system that can effortlessly lift vehicles off the ground for repair or maintenance purposes. The device is capable to lift heavyweight and mainly used in the automotive sectors and vehicle garages. You can find two types of Floor Jack including Mechanical and Hydraulic. A mechanical floor jack is manually operated to apply force to lift heavy loads. So you need physical energy to operate this device. The hydraulic floor jack is an ancient technology that uses the compression of fluids like oil to convert mechanical energy and generate power. Also, the device is quite expensive and used by professionals.
What you need to have for successful carjacking
There are particular materials that you need for a successful carjacking. These include floor jack, jack stands, and four chocks. These will assist you in the excellent jacking of your car. Below are the steps to securely follow when using a floor jack:
Position the car on a level ground
Look for a flat and solid surface such as concrete to park the car before jacking it. This will assist the car to stay in place when being lifted. Stay away from surfaces that have debris, are wet, or on the grass. Such surfaces may cause accidents and lead to harm.
Set the parking brake
When you are parking your car, you should engage the hand brake and ensure that the car isn’t moving at all. This is a safety measure.
Use the wheel chocks.
With regard to the end of the car, you’re working on, put wheel chocks on both sides of the tires at the end of the car. You will not be jacking. Wheel chocks make sure that the car will not roll when you jack it up. This is extremely vital if you’re working on the back end of the car, which is most likely where the parking brake is based. When you lift the back end of the car, it is possible that the wheels will roll. So, it’s crucial to apply wheel chocks before making use of the floor jack.
Examine the floor jack and search for defects
Examine the floor jack with your hand by slightly pushing the car to see if it’s properly engaged or not. Also, test the floor jack, and jack stands for any possible defects. Also, the handles on the jack stands should function well.
View your car’s manual for the jack point
One of the mistakes a person can commit is by placing the floor jack on the wrong part of the vehicle. So, check the owner’s manual and accurately place the floor jack in the right position. Such an area is normally created sturdily to lift the car’s weight.
Apply the floor jack to lift the vehicle
Regardless of what type of jack you have, you can then utilize it to lift your car to the most preferred point. Follow the user’s manual to place the jack in the right position. Lift the car to the ideal height for easy changing of the tire or whatever you want to repair.
Position the jack stands below the car.
After lifting the car, take two jack stands and adjust them to the ideal height. Later, fit them below the proposed jack points disclosed in the owner’s manual. The surface the stands are resting on should be solid and flat. Ensure all safety recommendations are met. You can as well test the floor jacks with your hands and see if they are very stable.
Get rid of the floor jack.
If you are sure that the stands are in position, you can slowly release the jack and place it aside. Moreover, make sure that the jack stands remain in place before commencing work on the car.
Summary
Floor jacks are essential types of equipment to utilize when it comes to lifting your car from the ground. Lifting your car so that you can change your tire or check for suspension issues needs to be done the right way for successful changing of tire or car maintenance. Floor jacks are very dependable, and they use hydraulic technology, which is highly reliable. The above steps can help any car user to excellently lift their vehicle when they want to change a tire or examine brakes.