Inflatable Car Jack – Lift Up Your Vehicle In the Easiest Way Possible with an Exhaust Jack

Years ago, if you said to someone that you had an inflatable car jack they would have looked at you and thought you mad! But there are a few of these kinds of models that are making the rounds at the moment, and it must be said that they are surprisingly effective.

Titan Exhaust Jack

First up there is the exhaust jack made by Titan. Relatively cheap when compared to the other car air exhaust jack, it nevertheless is getting pretty good reviews on the web. Like the name implies, you can either connect the 15 feet hose to the tailpipe to fill up the tough outer material. My first thought was that it might burst but then I found out that it’s made from woven polyester which is then coated with PVC, so there is little to no chance of that happening. Check out the cool video below, you can also check out more information at Sigmamotive if you are interested. For those dummies who say it is unsafe, obviously you need to use jackstands down if you are going to work underneath the car first…

SPECIFICATIONS
Model Diameter (cm) Height (cm) Maximum Lift Capacity(ton) Maximum Lift Capacity (lbs) Applicable Vehicle Weight(ton) Maximum Pressure (bar)
TTC-2.0 43 43 1.02 2249 2 0.7
TTC-3.0 53 53 1.54 3395 3 0.7
TTC-4.0 61 56 2.07 4564 4 0.7

Bushranger X-Jack Arb Recovery Gear

There’s also the Recovery Gear exhaust jack, and this is priced at a far higher price bracket since it is meant to be used by adventure types and their 4×4’s when they get stuck in sand or rough terrain. Not really a pure car jack then. It has to be said that the Bushranger X Jack is pretty cool however, but it’s recommended that you take an air compressor along with you just in case you have problems with your exhaust.
(Best Exterior Accessory Product Award SEMA)

Tagged as: exhaust jacks, inflatable car jacks

Don’t Forget Your Wheel Chocks!

One item that many people tend to forget that they should use when working under their vehicle is a decent set of wheel chocks. These are very cheap to buy and give that extra stability that is needed to prevent any movement that might make things “unsafe”.

wchock Don’t Forget Your Wheel Chocks!A wheel chock is an essential safety item – cars can’t go against the force of gravity, and the slope of a chock lets the vehicle stay in place while work is carried out. Working without a chock could mean the vehicle ends up rolling over your head – a less than satisfactory outcome for a day of tinkering.

Ok, ok, so a wheel chock may be an incredibly boring tool to explain, but they are absolutely essential. So if you don’t own a set then their low cost makes them unmissable.

Using a Wheel Chock

Which way is the ground in your garage sloping? Most people will have a flat surface, so installing a chock on each side of the wheel is the best bet. The slope of the chock should curve around with the wheel almost perfectly. Kick it in to place till it’s nice and snug, and then proceed to working on your vehicle in safety. Once you have used the chock just remove it in the opposite fashion. Some models have a pull handle that helps you to remove it easily.

Wheel chocks – Boring but Essential!

Tagged as: safety, wheel chocks

How To Use Jack Stands

Lifting up our vehicles to perform repairs is something that is necessary for all of us on occasion. To make sure you are safe while doing this, make sure that you have a pair of jack stands ready to take the full weight of the vehicle.

It is important to use car jack stands and not just a simple jack, since jacks can and do fail every so often – and you don’t want to be under the car when that happens! Once you have seen an accident happen once, you will make sure that you take proper safety precautions from then on, but please take my word for it – you must use jack stands if you are going to be working under a car or similar vehicle.

They only take a few moments to slide underneath and securely support the vehicle, and you can then work on it in safety.
Here is how to utilize automobile jack stands correctly:

    Image3 How To Use Jack Stands

    • Using a normal jack, lift the vehicle up. Once the chassis is off the ground, you can move onto the next task.
      • Look under the car to see where the jacking points are located, or you can look at your owner’s manual. If you are not sure then the axles are normally a good place to start.
      • Take a jack stand and position one under the jack point, make sure it is properly aligned.
      • Now, using the single jack slowly let the vehicle down bit by bit, still checking to see if the stands are in the right

        place.

      • The stands should now be supporting all of the weight of the vehicle. You should now be able to remove the jack. Walk to the front of your automobile, and place your hands on the hood. Give it a gentle lateral push to make sure it there is no rocking.

      You can now work under the vehicle without fear of it falling. To lower it, repeat the procedures in reverse. Remove the jack and stands once finished. That was easy, wasn’t it?

      Tagged as: automobile jack stands, how to use jack stands, jack and stands, jack stands, jacking point

      Axle Stands: Safety Features to Look Out For

      Jack stands are great and useful items of garage equipment, but how do you tell a good make from a bad one?

      A jack stand is used to hold an automobile above the ground for extended periods of time, after it has been initially lifted by a trolley or floor jack. It is placed on the frame rail or axle of the auto, or on any part of the car which has been designed to be load bearing. Through the use of jack stands you can be confident that the auto will be unlikely to collapse when working underneath it.

      Just about every car shop sells their own brands, with different types of support and construction available. If you have never purchased one before, look for these safety features:

      First, check the quality of the finish. A well made jack stand should have clean welds and appear solid. If there are any signs of rust or wear before it has even left the shelf then leave it there. Also check for rough edges – another sign of a poor stand.

      Image1 Axle Stands: Safety Features to Look Out For The most stable auto jack stands have wide rubber feet that won’t sink in soft ground, and they also add more stability. Avoid stands that have no feet as these can only be used on concrete. Even then, these stands should be ditched in favour of feet based models or, even better, stands that have a continuous base.

      The type of support mechanism normally used is either peg or ratchet based. Even though the least expensive stands are peg types, you should go for one that uses a ratchet for a greater amount of control over the stand. Plus peg based models can be quite awkward to use, since it is often difficult to get the correct height. If you really HAVE to use a peg based stand, make sure it has a safety catch and that all the pegs fit before first use.

      Jack stands are so cheap in comparison with other automobile tools, so there is no excuse for using inferior models. As long as you check a stand for the proper safety features before buying or using, you should be always be safe when working underneath your vehicle.

      Tagged as: auto jack stands, automobile stands, Continuous base, jack stand safety, rubber feet, trolley jack and stands

      ← Previous Entries

      Next Entries →