Hydraulic Bottle Jack

adileo

Well-known member
Curious: When using a Hydraulic Bottle Jack to lift the rear (or for that matter the front end) Do you guys place something across the jack to distribute the weight?


 
From my point of view, adding something, ie; a block of wood/steel between the jack and a axle is could lead to a failure of the jack to have a good "purchase" of the axle housing.
Of course, many of the original Ford axle jacks of the '30 had an attachment that flipped up for use on the rear axle.
Using a jack on a frame is a whole different matter.. A block of wood between the jack head and the frame would be a good idea to minimize the likely-hood of bending the thin frame metal..
 
They make caps (from the same material used in the modern car replacement engine and transmission mounts) that will go over some jacks to protect the metal. I always use something. As pointed out above, on a rounded or curved surface such as axles, a block of wood would not be the best. Something more along the line of a thin rubber pad.
 
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