BOTTLE JACK

This hydraulic jack came about thanks to French mathematician Blaise Pascal’s theory, which loosely states that when liquid is placed under pressure in a closed container, the pressure will move equally in all directions. As the name suggests, a bottle jack is a bottle filled with oil. As you pump a lever, you displace small amounts of oil at a time, which moves a shaft upwards and raises your vehicle. Its advantage is that it can lift heavy vehicles effortlessly – and higher than a scissor jack can. For an off-roader a 5 t bottle jack is a good choice. Another advantage of a bottle jack is that it’s more sure-footed than the scissor type. But, unfortunately, it also has some disadvantages: It’s not particularly reliable and if a seal leaks it instantly turns into an oversized paperweight. There will also be times when it won’t fit underneath your vehicle’s axle. Then it you’ll have to lift your vehicle by the chassis and hope it can lift higher than your vehicle’s suspension travel so that you can get a wheel off the ground. This is where a high-lift jack comes in handy.