How to choose an airbag jack?

What is an airbag jack?

The airbag jack is made up of one or more Inflatable lifting cushions for heavy loads. They inflate using an air compressor or, if it is a car lift, through the exhaust gas. For this second option, a pipe is connected to the pot through a specific nozzle. Connected in this way, this system makes it possible to carry out repairs in remote areas such as car rallies or in the countryside.

Regardless of the option used, the airbag jack inflates in just a few seconds.

What are the advantages?

First, when empty, the air cushion jack takes up little space. Depending on the dimensions chosen, the cushion and its accessories (control box, power line, and/or handling plate) can be easily stored in a bag. They are light and their handling handles allow them simple and efficient handling.

Then, whatever the size of the cushion, and even on very large dimensions, the thickness remains low! It can reach a maximum of 25 mm. In other words, the inflatable solution is a real lift pass everywhere.

Once placed under the heavy load to be lifted, the airbag jack fills with air quickly. If the stroke to be reached is substantial, we can stack them up to 3 cushions! The large contact surface is appreciated for its stability and evenly distributed thrust. Its rubbery and flexible part provides protection for the load (frame, body, etc.) so that it does not deteriorate. In addition, the remote control box allows the user to stay away from the lifting area. Thus, the operator can work complete safety.

Finally, thanks to the airbag jack, the load is lifted smoothly. It can also lift up to 65T.

What should I consider when choosing an air airbag jack?

Now you know what an airbag jack is and you – normally – know your lifting application. It’s time to know the criteria that will help you determine your need.

• The entire weight of the load to be lifted

It’s essential to identify the distribution of mass in order to lift a load. This criterion will make it possible to define the cushion which will be powerful enough to lift the load but also its lifting location. Indeed, if the load is heavier in a certain place, the cushion will have to be positioned in such a way as to avoid any tipping and to lift correctly.

Take the case of a forklift truck weighing between 4 and 5 T. The most important mass is located at the rear of the vehicle with the engine and the counterweight. From this information, we can conclude that you don’t need a heavy-duty cushion if you want to raise the front. On the other hand, if it is a question of lifting the sides or the rear of the truck, you will need an airbag jack with a larger capacity and position it in line with the distribution of the load.

• Lifting height

To choose your lifting cushion, you also need to know the height you want to achieve for your maintenance. Depending on the existing standard dimensions, the lifting stroke differs. Thus, the greater the lifting capacity of the cushion, the greater the lifting height. Sometimes one is enough to give you the space you need to work, but if you want to increase the lift height there are other possibilities.

First, add one or more lifting plates (or wedges) to save cm. The number of plates varies depending on the capacity of your used cushion. For example, if you want to fill 600mm, you can use a CLT 65 cushion and add a plate. But you can also take a CLT 43 cushion and add 2 plates or a CLT 24 with 4 lifting plates, and so on.

Second, add a second cushion. In fact, the CLTs can be stacked in pairs, so take advantage of this to widen the spacing between the ground and the load. However, when using this option, remember to opt for a dual output control box. You will also need to add an inflation line to inflate the second cushion.

Let’s go back to our example from earlier, with the 5T forklift. Its front-load is 1 T and its height of ground clearance is 140 mm. If you want to reach 220 mm in height on the front of the trolley (remember that the load is on the rear side) you can then use:

• CLT 19 without shim,
• CLT 14 with 1 shim (20mm),
• CLT 10 with 2 shims,
• or 2 x CLT 6 superimposed.

• The contact surface

The contact surface is just as important as the first two points mentioned above. It’s essential to check the surfaces that will be in contact with the air cushion jack. First of all, these surfaces (ground or bottom of the load) must be clean, free of protruding parts such as stones, gravel, …

As for the surface of the load, if it’s not rigid enough, the cushion could deform it by inflating. It would be a shame to damage the vehicle or the machine under maintenance by lifting it… The dimensions of this surface must also be taken into account. Indeed, if it’s very small (a cross member) or large in length but not very wide, then the force transmission is reduced. You must use wedges or lifting plates.

Remember that the addition of wooden or composite wedges is an advantage for your lifting, for 2 reasons in addition to the protection of the airbag jack. First, the wedges transmit all the force of the cushion over the entire area to be lifted. Thus, the stabilization of the load is perfect. The second reason is that they increase the lift height, but you have already seen that before.