Uses for Car Jacks

Car jacks are something that not to many people think about on a regular basis. In fact if they are thought about it is usually limited to "do I have one in my car so I can use it if I have a flat". Now you are probably thinking "yeah, so what" and you would not be alone. Like I said, not too many people think about their car jacks and they certainly do not spend time thinking about other uses for a car jack. But, maybe they should, because there are other uses for car jacks that can make life easier if the occasion should arise.

Although most folks know that car jacks are primarily used to jack up a car to fix a flat or change tires, things that require the car to be lifted in order to be worked on. But there are also times when a car jack can be just what is needed, such as if there has been a fender bender and the fender of the car involved is bent inward toward the tire. The car jack can be placed between the fender and the car's frame and jacked so that the fender will be moved out. This is best if scissor jacks or a bottle jack is used.

Another use for a car jack is to lift something that is too heavy to lift by hand. Such as a grand piano that may need to be lifted to move the rug that is under it or to put a rug under it. This type of use can be only limited by the size of the object and the type of jack that you have. But always be careful because the jack can slip out and cause problems.

One last use for a car jack that I can think of is when cleaning up some property. A car jack makes removing t-posts easier than using a shovel to dig the posts up. Wrap a chain around the post as close to the ground as possible and use a bolt or clamp to keep it in place. Use a bumper jack by placing the chain over the part of the jack that goes on the bumper then begin to jack up the post. You will probably have to have help with this use as the chain will have to stay tight on the jack and on the t-post.