Bottle jacks: how they work and why choose them

When dealing in terms of lightness, small size, high performance and contained costs in the lifting equipment sector, few or perhaps no product types equal bottle jacks. Our newest WEAVER product range starts right here; Our goal is to convey under this logo a series of products characterized by versatility, safety and reliability to accompany those who choose us at any stage of their work in the workshop sector and beyond. WEAVER comes from the desire to satisfy all our customers’ requests, expanding the Cattini range by adding to our YAK and Mammut jacks a series of products that, following our quality standards, offer even more customized solutions, suitable for every need.

 

Now that the big news has been unveiled let's get back to us and the bottle jacks; in this short article we’ll discuss all the features inherent to these little lifting giants, from their operation to their strengths and identify the sector to which they are best suited. The next few lines are therefore dedicated to all those who are still unfamiliar with or have not yet relied on this type of product, those who would like to know more about it, and those who are looking for a practical, fast and safe solution but cannot yet find the best solution among all the jack variants on the market.

 

Let's start from the basics; what is and how does a bottle jack work? The bottle jack is a vertical hydraulic jack that uses hydraulics to lift heavy loads with little efforts. The jack consists of two main elements: a high-pressure hydraulic cylinder and a pump. The cylinder, whose characteristic shape gives the jack its name, is mounted on a base and constitutes the actual 'body' of the jack. Inside the cylinder there’s a tank of hydraulic fluid (in our case, oil) which, due to its physical characteristic of incompressibility, allows us to transmit the force we exert as effectively as possible. In addition to the tank, the cylinder also contains a piston connected to a plunger, the former with a larger diameter than the latter, so that through applied force, the piston extends from the cylinder body, lifting the load. The base also holds the mechanism that pushes the hydraulic fluid into the high-pressure cylinder, namely the pump. The pump enables the pressure to actuate the plunger and activate the lifting operation of the jack.

To activate the descent process, you’ll operate a release valve, which, in the case of our WEAVER jacks, is equipped with our special HOLD-TO-RUN RELIEF VALVE TECHNOLOGY. Using the handle, it will be possible to activate the valve by turning the mechanism counterclockwise so that the pressure is released, and the piston descends. When the rotational force to operate the valve is no longer applied, thanks to our mechanism, the pressure release process will be blocked, as well as the piston, stopping the descent process. This characteristic, unique to WEAVER bottle jacks, is a mechanism that adds to other safety systems for preventing excessive extension and overload (An important advice that we always remember for maximum operator safety is to use the jack stands to support the load, as a jack without a mechanical lock is only designed for lifting and never for supporting).

Now that we know how the bottle jack works, let's analyze the main features of these jacks.

 

 

Large load capacities.

Despite their size, these jacks are able to lifting extremely heavy loads, taking our new WEAVER range as an example we have capacities ranging from 4 to 50 tons.

 

Safety.

We know how important safety at work is and how dangerous is dealing with suspended loads; bottle jacks are great solution if you’re looking for reliability and maximum safety.

This topic is one of we care most about and it’s for this reason that we have implemented the safety of our WEAVER jacks by patenting the HOLD-TO-RUN RELIEF VALVE TECHNOLOGY system we mentioned in the previous paragraph (we remind you that for maximum operator safety it’s absolutely necessary to use jack stands when working under a suspended load, and we will never tire of repeating this). We strongly recommend that you make sure that the products you’ll choose are certified to safety standards. In the case of the jacks we sell, we are able, after an extensive series of tests, to guarantee the CE mark on every product that leaves our company doors.

 

Versatility.

With their small sizes and large muscles, bottle jacks can be used in a wide variety of cases. They often result as the best solution when the spaces are narrow and the sectors in which they’re used range from workshop to construction, from naval to rail and many others. Their small size also allows for easy moving and positioning. In short, despite they’re designed for short vertical lifting, being so small, lightweight, strong and compact, they adapt to any need.

 

Maintenance within everyone's reach.

Maintenance is a key issue when looking at work from a safety, time and money-saving perspective. If you want to maintain high performance of our equipment you certainly need to keep an eye on its health and doing on bottle jacks is a piece of cake.

Thanks to their simple and straightforward design, regular inspection, lubrication, replacement of fluids, seals or other parts are relatively easy.

 

Costs.

We can’t deny it; In the case of bottle jacks, it can largely be said that it’s worth the risk. Between jack price and maintenance price compared to the rest of jacks types (with similar capacity) there’s no comparison. 

Maximum yield with minimal expense. There is a huge variety of products on the market divided into two ranges; economic and premium. The WEAVER line presents solutions faithful to CATTINI principles, i.e. maximum safety and guaranteed quality, thus placing in the second of the tho ranges mentioned above. We always advise against saving money on products to which we entrust our safety or that of our operators, in favor of choosing safety and reliability.

 

In conclusion, we can therefore say that, thanks to their size, they are a passe-partout of lifting, suited to meet the many needs of professionals as well as hobbyists. They’re extremely easy to use, seldom have problems if properly maintained, they lift every type of load and they’re so compact that they can stay everywhere. If we talk about lifting you can't not have a bottle jack among the arsenal of equipment. A WEAVER bottle jack is perfect in you van for roadside assistance and rescue, on your truck in case you get a flat tyre, on your pick-up on the construction site to lift concrete pillars or in your garage to finish that restoration on your beloved family classic car.