Whether you’re working on your truck, doing scheduled maintenance or you have a roadside emergency, a jack is a vital tool to have. In fact, without a good jack, it’s impossible to perform certain repairs.

A jack is ineffective if you don’t know how to properly and safely use one. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of jacks and how to use them safely. Along the way, we’ll provide some useful tips as well.

Types Of Jacks

There are several types of jacks, all of which serve the purpose of lifting the immense weight of your vehicle.

Some are easier to use than others. Some are designed for emergency use. Others are meant for vehicle maintenance. Regardless of the type of jack, it’s important to consider its weight limitations. You’ll find that all jacks are rated to a certain weight (usually in tons).

For safety’s sake, you should NEVER attempt to lift a vehicle that exceeds the jack’s rating. With that obvious, but vital warning out of the way, here are the different types of jacks available.

Scissor Jacks

Scissor jacks are the most common type, as most vehicles will have one in the cargo area for emergencies. In our opinion, they’re also the most difficult to use and pose the biggest safety risk.

However, if you happen to get a flat tire while driving, they’re also what you’ll be using 99% of the time. They function by using a long, threaded rod to extend a “scissor” mechanism, which lifts your vehicle. Your vehicle likely already has a scissor jack in the trunk or cargo area.

For that reason, we’ll go into more detail on how to use them shortly.

Bottle Jacks

Bottle jacks are a bit easier to use, and you’ll find them as standard equipment in heavier vehicles, such as commercial trucks. Of all the types of jacks, bottle jacks are designed to lift the most weight.

It’s downright astounding how much some of these jacks can lift. Some models are capable of lifting 100 tons or more! They work by way of a hydraulic piston, and they come in a huge range of weight capacities. They’re a little safer to use than scissor jacks, but they’re still not the safest option.

Floor Jacks

Floor jacks are our favorite and safest type of jack to use. However, they’re mostly used for vehicle maintenance. Most people don’t drive around with a rolling floor jack in their vehicle.

They use a hydraulic cylinder to lift a plate that can be placed at various points on the car.

What makes these models so easy to use is the long jack handle. They allow you to put a tremendous amount of leverage on the jack. So, you can lift a lot of weight with very little effort on your part.

What’s more, you can find some floor jacks in aluminum, making them extremely lightweight, albeit more expensive.

Farm Jacks

The last type of jack is the least common, but they’re extremely vital to the right user. Farm jacks are most commonly used on vehicles with high ground clearance. Lifted trucks and Jeep owners make up the most common users. That’s because these jacks are designed to lift vehicles to 5 feet or more, in some cases.

In terms of the weight they lift, farm jacks are comparable to the other types. It’s the height capabilities that make them excellent for off-road vehicles. That versatility does come with some risk, though.

Farm jacks are the most unstable of all the models, and extreme care should be taken when using them.

Jack Stands

These aren’t exactly a type of “jack,” but they are a vital piece of safety equipment when jacking up your vehicle.

Jack stands are meant to be placed under parts of the vehicle to provide additional support while lifted. Most people don’t drive around with additional jack stands in their trunk, so they’re primarily used for vehicle maintenance.

People who do a lot of work on their vehicles keep multiple sets on hand in their garage so they can lift an entire vehicle off the ground when necessary. This makes things like at-home tire rotations a breeze.

We suggest you purchase a set if you’re going to spend any time at all under your vehicle. We recommend going heavier than you might feel you’ll need. The stands are relatively inexpensive, so get a set that can handle bigger vehicles down the road.

When To Use A Jack

As we’ve already alluded to, a jack is used whenever either vehicle maintenance is needed or during an emergency. Jacks are invaluable if you plan to perform your oil changes, rotate your tires, or conduct any other under-car maintenance.

As for emergencies, fixing a flat tire on the side of the road is nearly impossible without a jack.

Farm jacks can help rescue stuck vehicles in off-road situations as well. In short, if you need to lift your vehicle for any reason, you’re going to need a quality jack.

How To Safely Use A Jack

Emergency Steps

If you’re using your jack because you’ve just blown a tire, you’ll need to perform a couple of additional steps.

First and foremost, you’ll want to find a safe place to pull your vehicle over. Believe it or not, that does take a bit of “planning.” The goal is to find solid, level ground to work on, with limited traffic.

So, if your tire blows while you’re on the highway, try to take an exit and get to a parking lot if possible.

If you can’t get off the highway, pull over on the right shoulder as far as you can. However, you don’t want to pull over so far that your jack will be on soft dirt or grass when you deploy it. If you do, you’ll only succeed in driving the jack into the ground instead of lifting your vehicle.

If you happen to be on a highway with multiple lanes, the rules are a bit different. In that case, pull over on the same shoulder as the tire that’s blown. For example, if a tire on your right side blows, pull over on the right shoulder. If it’s a tire on the left, pull over on the left.

The idea is to put your vehicle between you and passing traffic, if possible, as you work.

Remember, make sure you have solid pavement on which to place your jack.

Finally, turn on your hazard flashers before you get out of the vehicle.

Secure The Vehicle

It goes without saying, but you’ll want to make sure your engine is turned off before jacking up your vehicle. At this point, you want to do everything you can to make sure your car DOES NOT roll.

To do that, start by ensuring your vehicle is in “park.” Then, engage your parking brake. The last thing you can do to secure your vehicle is to block the tires. You can purchase cheap wheel chocks to keep in your trunk, but a short 4×4 piece of wood works just as well.

If you’re blocking your tires, make sure you block the opposite corner tire. For example, if you’re jacking up the rear-right tire, block the front-left.

Position The Jack

Once you’re pulled over, you need to find your jack. Most vehicles have jacks stored in the trunk or under the cargo area in SUVs. Some pickup trucks will store the jack behind a rear bench seat.

In addition to finding the jack, you’ll also need to find the jacking points on your car. Most modern vehicles will have marks or labels under the rocker panels. You can also use solid points on the vehicle’s frame or crossmembers. Your owner’s manual should have these “jack points” somewhere in the information about your vehicle.

The important thing is, you need to place your jack on a solid part of the car. Don’t place it under the floor pan or some other piece of weak metal. You’ll only end up denting your floor or breaking a vital (and likely expensive) piece of your vehicle.

Jack Up The Car

The process of actually jacking up your car depends on the type of jack you’re using.

Scissor Jack

If you’re using a scissor jack, you’ll likely be using your tire iron to turn a bolt. This bolt will drive a threaded rod, which will cause the jack to raise. This “crank-style” will take a bit longer than the other methods.

Make sure the jack stays straight as you lift your car. You don’t want the jack to lean or it could slip and bring your car crashing down. To lower the vehicle, you’ll simply turn the “crank” in a counterclockwise direction.

Floor Jack

A floor jack is much easier to use.

Once you place the lifting plate in the correct position, you’ll twist the handle to engage the piston.

Then, you simply pump the handle to lift the vehicle. The number of pumps depends on the type of jack you’ve purchased.

The higher-priced “race jacks” often only take two or three pumps to lift a vehicle off the ground. Either way, you’ll find that using a floor jack requires much less effort than a scissor jack.

To lower the vehicle, you’ll simply twist the handle counterclockwise. Do this part slowly, as twisting too quickly can bring your car crashing down.

Farm Jack

Farm jacks function in a similar way as floor jacks. There is a lever on the side of the jack. If it’s in the up position when you pump the handle, the jack will go up, if it’s in the down position the jack will go down. Putting this lever in the up position will allow you to slide the “nose” up by hand and secure it under your vehicle. From there, you’ll simply insert the jacking handle and pump it to lift your vehicle.

Use Jack Stands

As we mentioned earlier, you may not have jack stands on hand if you’re conducting an emergency repair.

However, if you’re jacking your car up in your driveway or garage, you should use a jack stand. This should be taken as absolute gospel if you’ll be doing work under your car (e.g. oil changes).

To use a jack stand, place it under your vehicle’s rocker panel or frame. Then, raise the stand as high as you can. You won’t likely be able to come in contact with your vehicle, so go to the next lowest tier.

Finally, lower your vehicle with the jack until it rests snugly on the jack stand. This will ensure you’ll be protected in case your jack fails while you’re under the car.

In Conclusion

Jacks are vital tools during both emergencies and vehicle maintenance. Simply put, if you need to lift your vehicle, you’re going to need a jack.

Hopefully, the material above has given you a good grasp on how to safely deploy a jack. Remember, safety is what’s most important.

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