The famous actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield was well known for his routine about respect. You couldn't watch him for more than a few minutes before you heard his signature line: "I can't get NO respect!" If we were to start assigning personalities to tools in the shop, jacks would definitely be the Rodney Dangerfield of the automotive world. These tools are asked to lift things that weigh 100 times their own weight, we complain because they are too heavy, we keep them stuffed in corners and under workbenches when not using them, they are too short, too tall, not short enough, not tall enough. We don't use them for weeks or months at a time and then complain if they are a little slow to react, make any funny noises or leak any fluid. Sheesh! Talk about no respect!

Types of Jacks
The automotive repair business has been using jacks to repair cars and trucks for as long as there have been cars and trucks. The earliest jacks were mechanical devices based on variations of scissors. These jacks relied on a large screw combined with a scissors brace and the human strength of the user.

Scissors jacks are still in use today and are original equipment on most vehicles. The advantage of these jacks is that they require no outside power source, they are extremely light and they don't rely on hydraulic fluid to work. The disadvantage of mechanical-style jacks is that they are too slow in most...