ntsqd
Custom User Title
Some of the answers about bottle vs. Hi-Lift hinted at it, but I'm going to say it. A Hi-Lift jack is a dangerous tool! You need to be educated on their use and you need to pay attention to them when in use. Above all do not get your head anywhere near where that handle can reach.
A point that few think about is that a hydraulic bottle jack really only has one orientation for operation. A mechanical bottle jack doesn't care what it's orientation is. Most of the time this isn't important, but it's been important to me twice. Now my hydraulic bottle jacks stay home and the mechnical jacks get all of the glory.
Desert racing taught me to carry a small floor jack like Casa mentions. I took it a step further and replaced the wheels with a full length skid-plate. Better support in soft ground and easier to slide under whatever needs lifting.
I am in the middle of replacing the 20+ year old floor jack and I am incorporating the SafeJack accessories onto it. Dang, but those parts are unnecessarily heavy! I set them up in the lathe and bored out the mass that wasn't contributing to the strength of the parts. They're lighter, but still heavy as I erred on the side of caution.
Pic from when first built in 2001:
When done I'll have a pic or two of the updates.
A point that few think about is that a hydraulic bottle jack really only has one orientation for operation. A mechanical bottle jack doesn't care what it's orientation is. Most of the time this isn't important, but it's been important to me twice. Now my hydraulic bottle jacks stay home and the mechnical jacks get all of the glory.
Desert racing taught me to carry a small floor jack like Casa mentions. I took it a step further and replaced the wheels with a full length skid-plate. Better support in soft ground and easier to slide under whatever needs lifting.
I am in the middle of replacing the 20+ year old floor jack and I am incorporating the SafeJack accessories onto it. Dang, but those parts are unnecessarily heavy! I set them up in the lathe and bored out the mass that wasn't contributing to the strength of the parts. They're lighter, but still heavy as I erred on the side of caution.
Pic from when first built in 2001:
When done I'll have a pic or two of the updates.
