Hydraulic Jacks - Construction And Working

A jack is a mechanical device which uses a screw thread or a hydraulic cylinder to lift heavy loads or apply great linear forces. The most common forms of jacks available in the market are Scissor car jacks, House jacks, Hydraulic jacks, Pneumatic jacks and Strand jacks that are extensively used in Construction, Industrial, Automobile and Engineering segments.

In most of the powerful jacks, hydraulic power is used to provide more lift over greater distances. Mechanical jacks usually have lifting capacity ranging from 1.5 tons to 3 tons. Hydraulic jacks are mechanical devices used to lift heavy loads, vehicles, weight equipment or apply great forces using hydraulic fluid as the main source of power. These are widely used in automotive, industrial and construction industries. These are sturdy in construction, compact in size, portable and capable of exerting great forces.

It consist of two cylinders of different sizes which are connected together by a pipe and a hydraulic fluid or oil. The hydraulic fluid is incompressible and using a pump plunger is forced into the cylinder of the jack. Oil is used because of its stable and self lubricating nature. When the plunger pulls back, oil is drawn out of the reservoir and it goes inside the pump chamber. When the plunger moves forward, the oil is pushed back into the cylinder. This oil movement builds up pressure in the cylinder. And it is this pressure which leads to the working of the hydraulic jack. It also find usage in workshops and also lift elevators in low and medium rise buildings.

These can be segmented into two types: Bottle Hydraulic Jack and Floor Hydraulic Jack. Bottle are portable in design; in these the piston is in a vertical position and it supports a bearing pad which touches the object being lifted. Bottle Hydraulic are most appropriate for lifting vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, trailers), houses and other heavy objects. In a Floor Jacks, the piston is in a horizontal piston and there is a long arm which provide the vertical motion to a lifting pad. There are wheels and castors in floor jacks.

The working principle of all hydraulic jacks is common but these differ in their shapes and sizes. Hydraulic jacks with varied sizes and specifications are used to lift different types of heavy equipment and vehicles such as bulldozers, forklifts, elevators, trolleys & trailers and excavators. These can also be found in household equipments as well like door stoppers, cars, bikes etc. Hydraulic Jacks are high in demand across the globe owing to their sturdy construction, reliable & hassle free operation, unparalleled performance, user-friendly design and less maintenance.