A Little Bit of Trolley Jacks
As any car owner and driver knows, you can’t exactly be a minimalist when it comes to owning the necessary bits and pieces of tools. There are situations when you require tools to do regular check ups of your car, then there are situations when you require tools in emergencies, getting your car back on the road, or tools that you can borrow to someone who needs them, and trolley jacks are the embodiment of the three.
Whether you have to change tyres, work under the car, or the brakes, these are the tools you can count on. As the evolution of certain tools goes a long way, such is also the case with the trolley jack – the tool that got its name as a machine (a jack) that’s designed to save human labour of the heavy lifting, and was in continuous development throughout the 19th century.
Great thing about trolley jacks in the advanced world of today is they are designed to come in handy, as they are lightweight, can easily be stored, or carried in your vehicle (particularly the smaller models with cases), have a high loading capacity, are built from durable materials and finishes with anti-corrosive properties, and have a universal ball joint gear system – in other words, they make for a valuable purchase.
Since there is a wide range of trolley jacks for sale, to avoid confusion in making the right purchasing decision, you have to have some aspects in mind, weight rating being one of them.
This specific aspect is related to what you expect to use the trolley jack for, whether you require it for your garage, or carrying it with you on your 4WD adventures. In the case of the latter, you need a trolley jack with weight rating of at least 3 tonnes, whereas with the former 2 tonnes would be enough.
Depending on what you are using the jack for, and how much you’d make use of it exactly, be it for your DIY projects, amateur racing requirements, or professional work, there are jacks that are easier to use, and maintain (ideal for rookies), those that can take on heavy use (mechanics’ helping hand), and versatile ones that have attractive properties like high lift and low profile, as well as the rocket lift option, and accessories such as axle stand bundles – ideal for work under cars.
Some other considerations you’re advised to make are the height the trolley jack is capable of lifting (lifting capacity), depending on the car’s ground clearance and how high exactly you have to lift it, and the saddle size, with larger meaning you get more support when lifting your car so there’s more stability.
