Choosing the Right Jack for Your Jeep

There are several types of floor jacks to consider when working on your jeep. This can be anything as simple as changing a tire or doing some work under your rig. Not everyone has the availability of a vehicle lift like the ones used at the auto repair shop. Depending on the configuration of your jeep, what you’re doing and where you are, there are options. We’ll cover floor jacks, scissor jacks, bottle jacks, and Hi-Lift jacks in this article.

Floor Jacks

Floor jacks are a manually operated hydraulic jack that has a cylinder mounted horizontally, enabling a low profile. That enables floor jack users to lift low-profile cars, but most make use of this type of jack on heavy vehicles. The biggest advantage of a floor jack is the power. Floor jacks are suitable to hold automobiles weighing 10 tons or more. This means that you can use this jack for lifting way heavier automobiles than you could with a scissor jack. As you probably suspected, one of the biggest drawbacks of the floor jack is its weight. Since it is so heavy, it is not suitable for on the go or transportable use. You pretty much need to keep the floor jack in one general location for use.

Scissor Jacks

Scissor jacks are the tools that are almost always used to change a tire and are supplied upon purchase of a new car. Scissor jacks are incredibly easy to use, convenient, and are often kept in one’s trunk. The biggest advantage of the scissor jack is its portability. Since it is so lightweight, just about anybody has a model within their car. You can easily store it in your car and simply take it out whenever you need to change your tire. Since scissor jacks are intended for tire changes, they are not as versatile as floor jacks. They simply cannot lift as much weight, and they will not lift the car as high as you may need for other jobs.

Bottle Jacks

Bottle jacks are a type of hydraulic jack. The hydraulic cylinder is mounted vertically to the base of the jack. This makes it very compact. These jacks are smaller, which makes it easier to store. Their straightforward design makes them able to lift quite a lot of weight as well. Bottle jacks can lift a lot of weight, especially for their small size. Truck owners will find them an ideal solution for truck maintenance since they can lift so much. They also work well for higher elevation areas, where jacks might be a bit lower power in general.

High Lift Jacks

Hi-Lift Jack is a rugged, highly versatile jack that puts you in command of situations requiring lifting, pushing, pulling, winching, and clamping. Hi-Lift jacks are designed to help you survive in the most demanding situations – whether you are in the Moab desert canyons, the Welsh Mountains, the Amazon jungle, or the farmlands of Indiana. With a full-range of specially designed accessories, the Hi-Lift jack is just about the most versatile piece of off-roading/farm/auto recovery equipment you can buy.

Safety with Jack Stands

For your safety, do not forget to use a jack or two. Jack stands are tower or tripod shaped and are designed to support the weight of a raised vehicle. They should be placed under the vehicle axle or frame to provide additional support for an elevated car. Once a vehicle is jacked up the stands are put in place and the vehicle is lowered onto the stands. There are saddle shaped tops on jack stands, which are designed to support the vehicle axle. Stands should only be used on hard and level surfaces and only for the vehicles that are within the weight capacity of the stands.

Here is a video by Wayalife that helps explain some differences between jacks.

Hi-Lift or Bottle Jack - What is the Better Tool for Changing a Flat Tire out on the Trail?

by: Wayalife

For the advanced Jeeper, here is a video on how to modify a floor jack.

Harbor Freight Off road Floor Jack?

by: Muddy Beards 4X4

Check out this video on how to repair the steel bar on a Hi-Lift Jack.

Replacing a Hi Lift Steel Standard Bar

by: DEFIANT Jeep

Desert Wranglers is not affiliated with or is sponsored by Wayalife, Muddy Beards 4x4, Harbor Freight, or 911 Motorsports. These videos are intended as information sources only.