Want to buy a car jack for your vehicle and get confused between floor jack vs trolley jack? If so, this article will tear down floor jacks and trolley jacks so that you opt for the right car jack.
The floor jack and trolley jack are almost the same but have some features that are used for different purposes. It’s essential to compare both products so that you know which one suits your needs or vehicle.
Let’s check out the best floor and trolley jack first.
Best Floor Jack
Pittsburgh 61253 is one of the best floor jacks with a 3-ton load capacity. This means that you can lift vehicles that come in this capacity. The jack’s 3.2 inches min-height make it best for low-profile cars as well.
You can extend the model to 20 inches which allows more space for you to creep under your car. The model has a dual-piston pump that lifts load quicker than a single-piston pump which most trolley jacks have.
You can further explore the Pittsburgh 61253 floor jack by clicking the button below.
Best Trolley Jack
Pro-Lift F-2315PE is the best trolley jack with a 3000 lb load capacity, which is smaller than the floor jack. You can lift cars that come in this load range so try not to overload the jack. If we see the lift range, it has 5.15 to 12 inches, which is also not as handy as the lift range of the floor jack. However, the jack has gathered over 5802 ratings which can be found by clicking the button below.
Floor Jack vs Trolley Jack: An Overview of the Comparison
| Floor Jack | Features | Trolley Jack |
|---|---|---|
| 2 - 5 ton | Load Capacity | 1.5 - 3 ton |
| 2.75 - 4.5 inch | Min. Lift Range | 5.2 - 5.9 inch |
| 18 - 24 inch | Max. Lift Range | 12 - 21 inch |
| 60 - 100 lb | Weight | 20 - 50 lb |
| 100 - 300 US$ | Price | 40 - 80 US$ |
| Single / dual piston | Hydraulic Pump | Single piston |
| 4 - 4.5 inch | Saddle Diameter | ~ 2 inch |
| Big | Volume | Medium |
| Yes | Low-Profile Vehicles | No |
| Yes | High-Profile Vehicles | Yes |
| Yes | Steel Casters | Yes |
| Steel / Aluminum | Material | Steel |
| Great | Stability | Good |
| Long | Handle | Small |
What is the Lift Range of floor jack vs trolley jack?
Minimum and maximum lift range are the important features you should check out among floor and trolley hydraulic jacks. Because at the end of the day, these features help you slide your jack under your car or have more access area under your vehicle.
Floor jacks are lower than trolley jacks. Most of the floor jacks have a 2.75” to 4.5” (76.2 – 114.3 mm) minimum lift range — minimum height. You can easily place floor jacks down your vehicle with such low height. So it indicates that floor jacks are also used for low-profile cars.
On the other hand, trolley jacks aren’t as tall as bottle jacks. They’re higher than floor jacks but way smaller than bottle jacks. Trolley jacks have a 5.2” to 5.9” (132 – 150 mm) minimum lift range.
Due to this height, trolley jacks aren’t fit for lowered cars like floor jacks. But they’re perfect for cars that have more than 6” (152.4 mm) ground clearance, which most of the cars have.
What matters the most is the maximum lift range in car jacks. The more the maximum lift range of a car jack, the more area you’ll have under your car for a repair or a tire change.
Floor jack also wins here. They lift a load higher than trolley jacks. Floor jacks have an 18” to 24” (1.5 – 2 ft) maximum lift range. While you can extend trolley jacks 12” to 21” (1 – 1.75 ft). If you got a lifted vehicle, go for the floor jack, not for the trolley. Because the trolley’s maximum lift range will hardly touch your vehicle’s jack point, let alone lifting it.
That’s why it’s important to check your car’s ground clearance and weight before deciding between floor and trolley jack.
Trolley Jack vs Floor: Which One Has More Load Capacity?
Coming to the next important factor that differs trolley jack from floor jack, lifting power. Picking the right car jack, floor jack, or trolley jack depends on your vehicle’s weight. Opt for the jack that has more load capacity than your car’s weight. That’s a smart step.
Floor jacks have more lifting power than trolley jacks. But that’s not final. You can pick a jack of the same load capacity, say 3 tons, either in the floor or in the trolley jack. Most floor jacks load capacity range from 2 to 5 ton (4,000 – 10,000 lb). While with the trolley jacks, you can raise 1.5 to 3 ton (3,000 – 6,000 lb) load.
Since you’ve seen that the floor jacks and trolley jacks load capacity ranges from 1.5 to 5 ton, they don’t have lifting power as bottle jacks. Such capacity is enough for most cars, SUVs, and trucks.
If you want a trolley jack or floor jack with 10 or 20 or say 50 load capacity, don’t look around because you won’t find them. You can find such load capacity in bottle jacks only.
Which Car Jack is Lighter, Floor or Trolley Jack?
So far floor jack won the comparison in lift range and load capacity. But now trolley jack beats floor when talking about the jack’s weight. Besides all the great features of the floor jack, its weight is a drawback that most users dislike.
The floor jack weighs from 60 to 100 lb (27 – 45 kg). On the other hand, trolley jacks have 20 – 50 lb (9 – 22 kg) mass. Floor jacks are the heaviest jacks among carjacks. They’re also the sturdiest jacks as well.
The weight in floor jacks isn’t a big issue. Because you don’t carry it around always. Nor is it for keeping in your vehicle’s trunk. They’re stored in the garage and used at the time of need. Floor jacks have steel casters and a long handle that help with mobility.
If you want a light floor jack, then check out this article where you’ll find the lightest floor jacks available, the Best lightweight floor jack.
Floor Jacks vs Trolley: Which One Has a Better Hydraulic Pump System?
Apart from the jack’s load capacity, lift range, and weight, the only reason you’re looking for a jack is to lift your vehicle with, right?. And a car jack raises a load with its hydraulic system. That’s why this factor is more important than other features.
In this regard, floor jacks have a unique feature. Guess what? The dual-piston pump. Many floor jacks come with two pumps that raise a load faster, even fastest among hydraulic jacks. No other hydraulic jack has dual piston pumps but floor jacks.
Floor jacks also have a single-piston pump as trolley jacks. They lift the load with normal frequency. Pumping makes the job harder. It’s essential to opt for the dual-piston pump floor jack if you want to pick floor jack among both. It will cost you a few bucks more but you’ll save a lot of your time and energy. So floor jacks win this match as well.
Still here? Let’s explore what matters the most — their cost.
Is Trolley Jack Cheaper Than Floor Jack?
Yes, trolley jacks are cheaper than single-piston floor jacks, let alone double piston. The trolley jacks price varies depending on the brand. But most trolley jacks cost 40 to 80 USD. This is lower than single-piston pump floor jacks.
The single-piston floor jacks cost around 100 USD while double piston floor jacks are worth 150 to 300 USD. Floor jacks are more expensive than trolley jacks. Even they’re the most expensive jacks among hydraulic jacks.
The reason why floor jacks are expensive is mentioned above, their great factors. But you can find some cheap floor jacks in this article, the best cheap floor jack. They’re single-piston floor jacks from well-known brands.
Trolley Jacks vs Floor Jacks: Which One Has a Wider Saddle?
Thinking why comparing the saddle of a floor and trolley jack? Let’s see how important this factor is. The saddle touches your car’s jack point for lifting. You would probably know that the greater the contact area between a jack’s saddle and a jack point, the safer the lifting is.
The pressure on the jack slightly decreases when a jack has a wide saddle’s diameter as well. With that, floor jacks have a 4 to 4.5 inch (100 – 114 mm) saddle diameter. That’s why floor jacks are the safest jacks among all car jacks. The wider saddle also ensures secure work and prevents tipping over. The stability also increases with such saddles.
Trolley jacks have around 2” (50.8 mm) saddle diameter, which is less than floor jacks but wider than bottle jacks. So if you want to lift your vehicle safely, who doesn’t want that, then you should get a floor jack over a trolley jack.
Conclusion:
You’ve gone through the floor jack and trolley jacks’ comparison. Both jacks are good for lifting vehicles. A few features modify floor jacks from trolley jacks. Pick the one that suits your car’s needs and your budget.
Floor jacks also have ups and downs in their features depending on the brand and the cost. The same is the case with the trolley jack. Concluding the comparison, floor jacks won most of the cases. Now it’s up to you to decide which way you want to go.
If you want to see the comparison of scissor jack vs floor jack, then click on the anchor text.