Are bottle jacks safe for lifting cars?

[Sukhoi]

I currently own one of the 2 1/4 ton Craftsman floor jacks but it isn't tall enough for my RAV4. I live in an apt so I don't have room to get any sort of larger floor jack. Are bottle jacks safe to use? They seem to have much higher lifting ranges.

What I don't get is how the bottle jack wouldn't tip over since it doesn't have wheels. With my floor jack it rolls quite a bit while lifting the car up and obviously a bottle jack couldn't do that.

 

[IronWing]

Bottle jacks are safe to lift a car. Use a jack stand once the car is lifted. Never crawl under/stick you head under a car on a bottle jack. Jack stands are small and cheap.

 

[MyThirdEye]

a bottle of jack is not safe to drink in a car.

 

[LTC8K6]

Safe to lift, but not to hold. Same as a floor jack.

 

[Sukhoi]

Oh I definitely would be using jack stands. How does the bottle jack handle not being able to slide? Does it just not do it and everything somehow works out?

 

[IronWing]

I've not had any problems with bottle jacks slipping out from under the car but I've not used them on smooth surfaces either, only rough pavement and dirt.

 

[brblx]

you just set it under the car and pump. it's not going to roll at the arm moves up like a floor jack.

i would concur that they are safe if used properly- i.e. you can't kill yourself if you don't get under a car supported by it. however, i could say the same of the one-legged $2 scissor jack in my spare tire kit, but that doesn't mean it's an optimum solution. i would see if you can get some kind of extension for your regular jack (though i'd still trust a floor jack with a block of wood over a bottle jack).

 

[zerocool84]

Get a 2x4 and use that if you don't have enough room. See is that gives you some more space.

 

[boomerang]

I usually put a 4x4 on top of the floor jack and use it that way with high ground clearance vehicles.

 

[franksta]

Your floor jack rolls because the point in space where it begins is not directly below the end point. (It travels in an arc.) Not a problem with a bottle jack.

My father's F-350 crew cab dualie with 8 foot bed came with one in the emergency kit. Naturally it's a bit more heavy duty than the one you'd need for your Rav4 but we used it without any problem.

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: franksta
Your floor jack rolls because the point in space where it begins is not directly below the end point. (It travels in an arc.) Not a problem with a bottle jack.

My father's F-350 crew cab dualie with 8 foot bed came with one in the emergency kit. Naturally it's a bit more heavy duty than the one you'd need for your Rav4 but we used it without any problem.

lol you're right. Somehow I forgot about that and was thinking it was rolling because the lift point on the ground was moving as the vehicle angled up.

Bottle jack it is! Thanks for the suggestions of putting a 4x4 block on my jack, but unfortunately the lifting point is quite small (like a 2" circle). So it would be fairly unstable with any sort of thick wood block.

 

[synoptic12]

lol you're right. Somehow I forgot about that and was thinking it was rolling because the lift point on the ground was moving as the vehicle angled up.

Bottle jack it is! Thanks for the suggestions of putting a 4x4 block on my jack, but unfortunately the lifting point is quite small (like a 2" circle). So it would be fairly unstable with any sort of thick wood block.

Would this adapter suffice to raise a vehicle with a small diameter lifting point of 2"? This cylinder can also be machined to sit on a steel square plate. Would vehicle movement be compensated by casters (wheels) on trolley jack; as the wheels moving forward?

Unable to post picture.

 

[Ferzerp]

a bottle of jack is not safe to drink in a car.

Sure it is. As a passenger.


I live in a state that allows you to do this.

 

[synoptic12]

Sure it is. As a passenger.


I live in a state that allows you to do this.

Unintended reply.

 

[Midwayman]

Bottle jack it is! Thanks for the suggestions of putting a 4x4 block on my jack, but unfortunately the lifting point is quite small (like a 2" circle). So it would be fairly unstable with any sort of thick wood block.

Hockey pucks. They make great jack spacers. I have a few to fit into smaller areas and pad the frame from metal to metal contact.

 

[skyking]

take care and chock the wheels to prevent any movement of the car. A bottle jack is fine but is far more susceptible to a tipover than a rolling floor jack.
It is what I pack with my truck, but I also have some blocks to use over softer or uneven ground.

 

[JCH13]

Your floor jack rolls because the point in space where it begins is not directly below the end point. (It travels in an arc.) Not a problem with a bottle jack.

My father's F-350 crew cab dualie with 8 foot bed came with one in the emergency kit. Naturally it's a bit more heavy duty than the one you'd need for your Rav4 but we used it without any problem.

It is a problem with a bottle jack. The car doesn't lift straight up, it will pivot around whatever wheels are touching the ground or whatever jackstands are supporting it. Maybe not enough for one to notice in certain circumstances, but it can be a problem.

take care and chock the wheels to prevent any movement of the car. A bottle jack is fine but is far more susceptible to a tipover than a rolling floor jack.
It is what I pack with my truck, but I also have some blocks to use over softer or uneven ground.

Yup.

There is a reasonable risk of side-loading a bottle jack, which may cause damage to it. A normal floor jack insulates its hydraulic ram from side-loads, so the user can be a bit less careful about lining things up squarely.

Since you already have a floor jack I would suggest blocking it up, or putting a block between the jack and car, to lift. Or getting a better jack. Also, bottle jacks take a year and a day to deploy... I avoid using them wherever possible.

 

[skyking]

don't sweat the side loading thing. I set manufactured homes with them back in the day, and the common method for moving a house sideways was intentionally tipping it off the jack by placing a wood block only halfway under it, thus sliding the house sideways. Never had a leak or problem with the jack.

 

[JCH13]

don't sweat the side loading thing. I set manufactured homes with them back in the day, and the common method for moving a house sideways was intentionally tipping it off the jack by placing a wood block only halfway under it, thus sliding the house sideways. Never had a leak or problem with the jack.

Damn!

 

[slag]

Why do they call it a bottle jack? Seems to me its more like a can jack or something, not related to a glass bottle.

 

[skyking]

The top has typically rounded shoulders. the stem sticks out. from the side when extended it does vaguely resemble a wine bottle.

 

[JCH13]

Why do they call it a bottle jack? Seems to me its more like a can jack or something, not related to a glass bottle.

Why do you associate 'bottle' with glass? Have you never seen a plastic or metal bottle? That would be very sad... :'(

 

[AARon69]

Always use jack stands anytime you're under a vehicle. If you have a bottle jack and are jacking up an axle, it is a very good ideal to use an axle adapter with your bottle jack.

 

[mindless1]

What specific 2-1/4 ton Craftsman do you have? Does it have a standard removable saddle? How much more lift do you need?

You can put a block or puck on top of the saddle temporarily, or get (or make) a saddle extension or extension saddle, but these do add a little more stress and are best used on jacks approaching $100 or more, not so much on little $40 specials. Craftsman used to make very beefy 2-1/4 ton jacks (I have one) that have a frame more like a modern 3-1/2 ton, but their modern 2-1/4 ton are flimsier.

floor jack extension - Google Suche

One thing about a bottle jack's lift range, is the higher the max, the higher the inherent minimum lift, space it will fit in, plus any plank if you choose/need to put one under it, or any adapter on top for an axle or whatever, like a unibody vehicle's pinch weld, should not be lifted at all using a bottle jack without an adapter.

Arguably an adapter is best practice on a floor jack's saddle too but at least it spreads the force out over two points instead of one, and it's really easy to cut a piece of wood with a slot to use on a floor jack saddle - cut the slot against the wood's grain to decrease the chance of it splitting, or of course Amazon has them in *plastic* for ~$10.

 

[IronWing]

I've not had any problems with bottle jacks slipping out from under the car but I've not used them on smooth surfaces either, only rough pavement and dirt.

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