So What Are Hydraulic Jacks And How Do They Work?

Hydraulic jacks use a liquid to push against the piston to lift just about anything with virtually no effort. The process is derived from Pascal's Principle which state that the pressure is in a given enclosed container is the same in all of its points. Therefore, if you have two individual cylinders that are connected, if force is applied to the smaller cylinder it is going to have the same pressure as the larger cylinder has.

The trick comes from the larger cylinder, because it has more area, which means it will result in greater force. Simply said, the more area there is the more force it will result in. The greater the difference in size between the two cylinders, the greater the increase in the force will be. Also the bigger difference they have in size, the more you will get an increase in resulting force. A hydraulic jack basically works on this system, resulting in a simpler and easier way to move and lift heavy objects.

The hydraulic jacks consist of 6 individual parts that make up the overall system. These parts are the check valve, reservoir, main cylinder, pump, piston, and lastly the release. The job of the reservoir is to contain the hydraulic fluid. On the down stroke the pump draws the said fluid up and is pushed by the pressure into the check valve. This allows the fluid to go into the main cylinder. As the cylinder fills up the piston is pushed up. Then, when the time to release the pressure comes, allowing the piston to come back down in its original position, the valve must open. Once the valve opens the fluid goes back to it original place, the reservoir.

The hydraulic jack for vehicles is one of the most common ways that the hydraulic jacks are put to use. This system makes the overall process much faster and easier than any of the traditional jacks used. If you plan on using the hydraulic jack, or any other jack for that matter, ensure that you use all precaution. The car must be parked if you have an automatic transmission. If you have a stick shift put the car in first or in reverse to make sure that you are safe.

Different cars have different jack points, so make sure to first locate yours. There should be a jack point sometime near or around the wheel you require to replace. It is important that you place the jack on a piece of plywood or other secure surface to ensure stability. Never place the jack on a soft surface, for example if you are changing the tire on a lawn or on the side of the road in the soft area as the jack will sink as it tries to lift the car. Using precaution when changing your tires is essential, this is whether you are using standard jacks or hydraulic jacks.