If you own a vehicle, you probably consider getting a car jack. Scissor jacks vs. floor jacks are the most popular jacks for cars.
Therefore, raising a vehicle is a high-risk venture. Thus, it’s crucial to choose the best jack for the task. If you select the inappropriate jack, you might damage your car or even hurt yourself.
You may have encountered the scissor jack vs. floor jack when analyzing the jacks. So which one is best for you? This analysis will summarize overviews of both scissor jacks vs. floor jacks and suggest which is best for you.
Now let’s explore a few of the most prominent differences:
Floor Jacks: Overview
In hydraulic jacks, a floor jack is a distinct class that can be pretty mighty and lifts various vehicles. Most professional mechanics and car lovers always keep a floor jack on hand since it can raise and lower diverse cars for different purposes.
The piston of the floor jack drives a crank that connects to a lift pad, which can help raise the vehicle. Floor jacks lifting capacity is more remarkable than scissors jacks, reaching 10 tons or higher, and offers greater lift heights.
Floor jacks seem to be the clear winner when compared directly to scissor jacks. They have a simple design, resulting in a smaller footprint with a compact design. For storage, they also fold, which dramatically decreases their size, allowing them to fit easily into trunks.
Despite their larger size and heavier weight, floor jacks have a more durable construction. Since these jacks are bulky, they feature wheels to roll from place to place easily. Unless it’s a lightweight aluminum model, you can’t carry one in your car.
Despite the heavyweight, floor jacks enclose a low frame. Therefore, you can easily lift most cars with a floor jack. Further, floor jacks are versatile, highly durable, offer fantastic performance, and feature wheels for easy movement.
Scissor Jacks: Overview
Any time you have changed a tire, scissor jacks come in handy. Most new cars come with jacks for changing tires. They are called scissor jacks because of their scissor-like design. These jacks are incredibly easy to use, convenient, and often kept in one’s trunk.
A scissor jack comprises diagonal metal components connected in a diamond shape with hooks and a screw joining the opposite sides of the diamond. To raise or lower your vehicle, turn the screw using a spanner.
There is a flat surface on top of the diamond. This flat surface is perfect for placing the car on when you need to lift it or change a tire. The scissor jack comes as standard equipment for most vehicles when changing a tire.
The most significant edge of the scissor jack is its portability. Since it is so lightweight, you can effortlessly store this jack in your car when you need to change your tires. A scissor jack is also promising because of its low price, simple design, and ease of use. It makes the product easy for you to transport between locations.
Scissor Jacks Vs. Floor Jacks – Comparison
The main difference between scissor and floor jack is that scissor jacks are for your specific vehicle like a small sedan. However, floor jacks can lift heavy weights more than two tons. So, they can be used to lift an ATV or even a bulldozer.
For obvious reasons like lifting capacity and construction, scissor jacks are less expensive than floor jacks. Because of a tight budget, you might stick to the scissor jack until your finances allow you to upgrade. Similarly, scissor jacks require minimal maintenance, which involves just greasing the screw.
While the floor jacks will call for more maintenance because of a hydraulic mechanism, which may leak, making repairs more expensive. You might need to bleed your hydraulic jack, but the process is pretty simple.
Conversely, scissor jacks hold less weight and wear out much more speed. Thus, it will cost you if you like auto maintenance and repairs.
Also, despite being robust, the diamond shape is susceptible to failure when under excessive load. Therefore, you may have to consider what you are lifting to bypass a disaster.
If you only need to lift your car to change a flat tire, a scissor jack is probably all you’ll ever need. Alternatively, anyone can benefit from investing in a floor jack.
Performance
Scissor jacks have a mechanical function. So lifting with them, you must exert physical energy. In contrast, electric scissor jacks are available on the market if you don’t like to strive for any effort.
The scissor jack can accommodate most vehicles but only lift vehicles 15 to 30 inches high.
It can lift between one and two tons. It can handle small cars but is useless when lifting big trucks and mini-busses it might fail.
Alternatively, the floor jack does not need any physical effort. Its hydraulic system allows the user to lift the vehicle with less pressure. It is undoubtedly the safest and most straightforward system to operate.
The floor jack can lift any vehicle more elevated than the scissor jack. It also has a prominent lifting capacity, able to lift 10 tons or higher. Thus, its lifting heights are remarkable.
Durability
The scissor jack can’t uphold much weight, so it wears out more quickly. Because of their diamond-shaped design, these jacks are prone to failing under a heavy load. Thus, on the contrary, the floor jack can withstand repeated heavy use.
Therefore, it can endure longer and take more incredible abuse. Accordingly, it can handle any task.
Portability
So you can quickly move this small, lightweight, and compact scissor jack from one place to another. A floor jack is similar, though it is bigger and heavier.
The floor jack encloses wheels so that you can drive the tool towards your desired place. Both the scissor jack and the floor jack are comparable in portability.
Things To Keep In Mind
When shopping for a new jack for your car, choosing between the scissor jacks and floor jacks is pretty simple. In short, it depends on your plans, so consider the planned work, the weight, and the profile of the vehicle.
The Work Planned
Before you work on your vehicle, you must have a plan in your mind about what kind of work you want to do in your car. A scissor jack is more than suitable if you only require a jack for tire changes.
Therefore, tires shouldn’t need to be changed often or lift your cars remarkably high. Use a scissor jack when changing your tires.
Alternatively, invest in a floor jack if you plan to do various work on your vehicle. Whether changing tires or working under the car, the floor jack is better than the scissor jack.
Weight of An Automobile
The weight of the vehicle is another important consideration. A scissor jack can lift most standard cars, wagons, and small trucks, particularly if you’re changing tires. A floor jack will be necessary for significantly heavier or larger vehicles.
Profile of The Vehicle
Last, the vehicle profile can also influence which jack you should get. Most low-profile cars and sports cars have low profiles that easily accommodate scissor jacks. So, on the contrary, a large truck or other oversized vehicles need a floor jack because of their more high profile.
Final Words – Scissor Jack Vs. Floor Jack
To cut the story short! So, after going through the above comparison guide, you will readily comprehend floor jacks vs. scissor jacks. Floor jacks and scissor jacks are fantastic for lifting cars; you may prefer one over the other depending on your needs.
It would be most valuable to opt for the floor jack for high profile and heavy vehicles, as well as versatile service. In contrast, purchase a scissor jack if you need to change tires on a regular-sized car.
It is also more portable, cheaper, and compact than the floor jack. Regardless, the floor jack brings more outstanding durability, versatility, and strength.
So the scissors jacks are light weighted, portable, easy to use, and budget-friendly. Before selecting a jack, consider your purpose.
I am Lucas. I am an auto enthusiast and I have many years of experience in this industry.
I created eewis.com to share my experiences and assist you to seek out the right products.
