In this article, you’ll find a complete guide on bottle jacks vs floor jacks.
We’ve researched 11 bottle jacks and floor jacks, and compared their load capacity, lift range, weight, price, and hydraulic pumps to jot down this blog post.
After going through this article, you’ll easily decide which car jack suits your needs – bottle or floor jack.
Before getting started, we’ll walk you through the best bottle and floor jacks first.
What is the Best Bottle Jack?
Alltrade 640912 all-in-one bottle jack is one of the best bottle jacks that are available online. This jack as the name sounds has an all-in-one feature, which means that you don’t need a separate jack stand for holding the load after you’ve lifted it with the bottle jack.
The Alltrade 640912 bottle jack as you can see in the image works as a jack stand after being raised. This saves your time and money. With that, you can raise up to 6000 lb load with this bottle jack from 11 inches to 21 inches.
There is a drawback which you should check with the clearance of the load you want to lift with the bottle jack. You should provide at least 11 inches of clearance for its installation. Moreover, the bottle jack has gathered over 3723 positive ratings online, which can be found by clicking the button below.
What is the Best Floor Jack?
BlackHawk B6350 is the best floor jack that features a 7000 lb load capacity, allowing most cars, SUVs, and trucks to be lifted. Since this is a floor jack, it has a lower min-height compared to the bottle jack. It needs 5.5 inches clearance for the installation, which almost every car can deliver.
The jack can raise vehicles almost 22 inches off the ground, leaving more than enough space for placing a jack stand. Speaking of it, you will need to put a jack stand under your car after you’ve lifted it with the jack.
The BlackHawk B6350 floor jack is heavier and weighs around 85 lb. However, you won’t need to pick the jack to move it from one place to another. It features four wheels that allow you to easily roll it over the garage floor. With that, this jack also has won over 3656 ratings online which can be read by clicking the button given.
Floor Jacks vs Bottle Jacks [Comparison Table]
| Bottle Jack | Features | Floor Jack |
|---|---|---|
| 2 - 50 ton | Load Capacity | 2 - 5 ton |
| 8.5 - 11 inch | Min. Lift Range | 2.75 - 4.5 inch |
| 17 - 21 inch | Max. Lift Range | 18 - 24 inch |
| 4 - 100 lb | Weight | 60 - 100 lb |
| 20 - 100 US$ | Cost | 100 - 300 US$ |
| Single Pump | Hydraulic Pump | Single / dual piston |
| 1 - 2 inch | Saddle Diameter | 4 - 4.5 inch |
| Small | Volume | Big |
| No | Low-Profile Vehicles | Yes |
| Yes | High-Profile Vehicles | Yes |
| No | Steel Casters | Yes |
| Steel | Material | Steel / Aluminum |
| Good | Stability | Great |
| Small | Handle | Long |
What’s the Difference Between Bottle Jacks or Floor Jacks’ Lift Range?
Talking about the minimum height of both jacks, Bottle jacks are taller than floor jacks. They have 8.5 – 11 inches (22 – 28 cm) min-height. Floor jacks, on the other hand, have a 2.75” to 4.5” (7.6 – 11.5 cm) minimum lift range.
Bottle jacks are the tallest jacks in the car jack industry while floor jacks have the smallest height. One reason is that bottle jacks are for high-ground clearance vehicles. And you can use floor jacks, which have lower height, for lowered cars.
That was about the minimum lift range. Let’s see their max lift range. In this regard, floor jacks also extend more than bottle jacks. You can lengthen floor jacks up to 2 feet. They have an 18 – 24 inch (46 – 61 cm) max lift range. The max lift range in the bottle jack is from 17 – 21 inches (43 – 54 cm).
You need to check your car’s ground clearance before picking either floor or bottle jack. According to that, you can decide which jack you can fit under your vehicle. Knowing about your car’s ground clearance will also help you to know beforehand which jack will lift your car how much off the ground.
Low profile bottle jacks are also available in the market. Their lift range is from 6 – 11 inch — min and max lift range respectively. While some bottle jacks have a 23 – 43 inch min and max lift range. But they’re used for engine hoists, not for lifting a car for a repair or a tire change.
Floor Jacks vs Bottle Jacks: Which One Has More Load Capacity?
In this regard, the bottle jack is the winner. Floor jacks have 2 – 5 ton (4,000 – 10,000 lb) lifting power. And the bottle jacks’ load capacity range is from 2 – 50 tons (4,000 – 100,000 lb) — way more than floor jacks.
Bottle jacks are available in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 30, and 50-ton load capacity. A 2-ton lifting power means that such a bottle or floor jack can raise 4,000 lb (1814 kg) weight. While picking a jack, either floor or bottle, opt for the one that has more load capacity than your car’s weight. This will prevent overload on the jack you buy, thus safer lifting.
As you’ve read above, knowing about your car will help you decide to pick the right jack, this is even more important when it comes to loading capacity. You can determine what load capacity jack you need to buy from your car’s weight.
Is a bottle jack lighter than a floor jack?
Yes, bottle jacks are way lighter than floor jacks. Though bottle jacks have more load capacity, they’re lighter than floor jacks. In the case of bottle jacks, the weight differs with the load capacity, coming to that ahead.
Bottle jacks weigh 4 – 25 lb (1.8 – 11 kg). Such jacks have 2 – 20 ton load capacity. The bottle jack with 20+ ton lifting power has ~50 lb weight. In contrast, floor jacks weigh more than bottle jacks. Their weight lies around 100 lb (45 kg). That’s why they’re the heaviest jacks in the industry.
Deciding between a bottle and floor jack in this regard is easier. Because lightweight jacks are way better than overweight floor jacks. You can carry around such jacks without any effort. Besides that, you can also easily store them in your garage or your car’s trunk.
Bottle vs Floor Jacks: Which One Has a Better Hydraulic Pump System?
If bottle jack was the winner in some cases but not in this one. Floor jacks have a better pump system than bottle jacks. Their dual-piston pump system makes them the greatest jack in the industry. But not all floor jacks have double piston pumps. You can pick either a single or double piston pump floor jack.
The only difference between a good and not a good pump system is that you’ll have to pump more in one over another. Let alone dual-piston, the single-piston pump floor jack is admirable over bottle jack that has a glide-action pump system.
Floor jack with double pumps raises a load to its max height in just 3 – 4 pumps, isn’t that faster? That is. But that has one con, which is coming in the next heading.
Floor vs Bottle Jacks: Which one is Cheaper?
Bottle jack. Double pump system floor jacks cost hundreds of dollars. Told you? But a single-piston pump is cheaper than a double piston jack. While bottle jacks are even cheaper than single-piston pump floor jack.
Confused? Take a breath… Explaining again. Since bottle jacks come in different load capacities, 2 – 50 tons, their price also varies, depending on their lifting power. The bottle jacks with 2 – 12 ton capacity cost 20 – 40 USD.
Single piston floor jack and bottle jack with 30 – 50 ton load capacity cost ~ 100 USD. The price tag on the dual pump floor jack is 250 – 300 USD.
In short, floor jacks are more expensive than bottle jacks.
Which Car Jack Has a Wider Saddle, Floor, or Bottle Jack?
Floor jack. Bottle jacks have 1 – 2 inch saddle diameter. It also depends on the jack’s load capacity. The wider the saddle, the more the lifting power. Saddle diameter in floor jacks is way wider than bottle jacks. Their diameter ranges from 4 – 4.5 inches.
Such wide saddles ensure stability in the floor jacks. They also have stronger and wider bases compared to the bottle jacks. These floor jack’s features give a secure performance to it.
Bottle jacks, on the other hand, have small saddles and vertical bodies. Their base is also a lot smaller than floor jacks due to the vertical cylinder. The jacks are less secure compared to floor jacks based on the features mentioned.
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Conclusion
You’ve seen that floor jacks and bottle jacks are used for different purposes and needs. One has a good pump system but is overweight while the other is lightweight but the pump isn’t like the other. So this comparison depends totally on your needs and the type of vehicle you want a jack for.
Compare each feature with your car and then see what matches your vehicle’s needs. Yes, it’s clear that floor jacks are far better than bottle jacks. But if they have more weight, they also have a great pump system and give you safe work.
If a bottle jack costs less, they aren’t as secure and durable as floor jacks. So the comparison comes to this point that you should buy a jack that fits your vehicle’s needs and nothing else. Yes, if you got a budget and want a better jack then go for the floor jack that has no competitor in the market.
See this comparison as well, Bottle jack vs trolley jack.