Electric jack - a prank or a universal assistant?

Making an electric drive for a jack is an idea that certainly has the right to life. And this means not only speed and minimizing physical effort: the main thing is safety. In this regard, it is enough to say that such devices are controlled from a remote control: that is, there is almost no need to crawl under the car and download something there.


Another advantage of electric jacks is that they help save time, and this is very important in some situations. Imagine: you are late, you need to take a passenger to the train, and then a tire goes flat. If you use a regular jack, precious time will be lost, but an electric “assistant” can be very useful (especially with a compressor and a wrench). But what is it like and what do you need to know when choosing an unusual device? Let's look at two types of the most popular electric jacks.

Screw mechanical

We see the familiar diamond lift. Here everything works almost the same as with manual control. The whole difference is in the presence of an electric motor, which carries out the lifting when the standard on-board voltage of the car is supplied to it at 12 volts. Torque is transmitted to the propeller through a simple gearbox consisting of three gears.


Most often, a connection is provided through the cigarette lighter, but it is better to purchase a product equipped with wires with crocodile clips for direct connection to the battery. You never know: in case of overload, the fuse may burn out... Commercially available electric lifts can handle a load of 1,5-3 tons. In this case, the maximum working height reaches 350 mm (sometimes an additional nozzle is included in the kit). Almost all rhombic lifts with a motor are sold complete with heads of popular sizes (from 17 to 21) and a wrench. If necessary, the device can be used in manual mode: for example, if the electric motor fails. The control panel, in addition to the buttons for turning the mechanism on/off, has a backlight that helps you work in the dark.

Hydraulic

What is meant here is that lifting is carried out due to the movement of the working fluid, which is acted upon by a shaft rotated by an electric motor. The hydraulic jack equipped with it can lift loads weighing up to six tons. In this case, the working height reaches 45 cm (plus a retractable screw of 6 cm). This device, like the previous one, can be connected directly to the battery via alligator clips, or to the cigarette lighter.


A few more changes have been made to the classic design compared to the previous mechanism. The container with the technical fluid has been recycled and is also enclosed in a rubber shell. Everything is made in the form of a single body on which control buttons are located.


There are interesting models equipped with a compressor that is powered by a separate electric motor: that is, you can pump up the wheel at the same time. Often, the kit, as in the previous case, includes standard sockets with a wrench.

Technical aspects of use

Both types of devices consume relatively large amounts of electricity. Therefore, it is recommended to work with them with the car engine running. The second point is to limit the continuous operating time: but this is not entirely critical. To lift the body to replace one wheel, 10 minutes is enough. But it is highly not recommended to use an electric jack for other purposes (for example, during construction). There are other disadvantages:

✅ risk of use in the rain: may short-circuit contacts
✅ in cold weather, the technical fluid in the hydraulic jack thickens, which will cause difficulties when using it
✅ it’s better to connect directly to the battery: i.e. you’ll have to open the hood and pull the wires
✅ relatively high price

As you can see, there are plenty of negative aspects - but what can be done against them? Minimizing physical effort, speed of work, safety. For example: an electric jack can be useful for female drivers or people with disabilities.


But a device with a built-in compressor may appeal to everyone: you will not only replace the tire, but also quickly pump it up, “without leaving the cash register” - “two (or even three) in one”! It’s unlikely that anyone monitors the pressure in the spare tire...