Rolling Jacks

A rolling jack, also called a rolling bridge jack or roller jack, rides on the runways of a four-post or scissor lift and raises one end of the vehicle off the runways, so the wheels hang free for tire, brake and suspension work. My Garage Supplies carries 24 rolling and sliding bridge jacks from AMGO, Atlas, iDEAL, Katool, Triumph and Tuxedo, rated 3,500 to 20,000 lb, from $889 for warehouse pickup.

Which Rolling Jack Fits Your Lift?

Fit is set by the lift. Measure the inside width between the runways at a few points and compare it with the runway range on the jack's listing; if your runway spacing adjusts, set it inside that range. Some jacks fit one family of lifts only. The fits the manufacturers confirm:

Triumph. The Triumph SJ-35 sliding jack fits only the NSS-8, NSS-8XLT, NSS-8 X1, NSS-8SQ, USA8000 and USA8000XLT. The RJ-5 fits runways 31.4 to 47.2 inches apart and the RJ-9000 43.8 to 52.3 inches; the NTR-16 comes with two RJ-9000s. The RJ-15 fits 48.7 to 55 inches and comes two to a package with the NTR-24 and NTR-32.

Atlas. The PROJACK35 sliding jack is built for the Garage PRO8000 and other Garage Pro lifts, the APEX8, APEX9, 408SL and 409HP. The RJ45A is sized for 9,000 lb lifts such as the Garage PRO9000. Atlas recommends the Platinum RJ7000, which it lists as ALI Certified, for the Platinum PVL14 and PVL14OF-EXT, and packages its 6,000 lb RJ6 with the 412, 412A, APEX9 and PRO9000 and its 8,000 lb RJ8 with the 414 and 414A.

Katool. The KT-RJ50 (5,000 lb) and KT-RJ70 (7,000 lb) fit the KT-4H850, KT-4H950 and KT-4H110. The KT-RJ60 ships with the KT-4H150 alignment lift.

AMGO, Tuxedo and iDEAL. These adjust to fit many brands. The AMGO RJ-8A fits four-post or scissor lifts with 36 to 56 1/2 inches between runways, and the hand-pump J5H is made for lifts without jack rails. The Tuxedo RJ-45 rides on jack rails and fits inside runway widths of 33.9 to 49.6 inches. The iDEAL RAJ-7K and Tuxedo RAJ-8K roll on top of the jack rails and come in High Mount and Low Mount versions, matched to how high your lift's rails sit. Tuxedo lists its SJ-35 sliding jack for the FP8K storage lifts.

Sliding Jack, Rolling Jack or Jack Tray?

A jack tray, included with many storage lifts, holds a floor jack or jack stands between the runways, so it only reaches lift points between them. A bridge jack's arms extend out over the runways to the lift points a tray cannot reach. Sliding bridge jacks sit across the runway edges and slide on pads: the 3,500 lb Tuxedo SJ-35, Atlas PROJACK35 and Triumph SJ-35, all hand-pumped and made for specific storage lifts. The other bridge jacks here, 4,500 to 20,000 lb, are rolling jacks; most move on rollers or wheels, so one jack can work under either end of the vehicle.

Capacity and Power: Air or Hand Pump?

Capacity. A bridge jack carries one end of the vehicle, so compare its rating with the axle it lifts. Use the gross axle weight rating (GAWR) on the driver's door-jamb label, the most that axle is rated to carry. Jacks of 4,500 to 7,000 lb suit cars, SUVs and light trucks within their rating; the 8,000 to 10,000 lb models, the 15,000 lb Triumph RJ-15 and the 20,000 lb AMGO RJ-20A are for heavier trucks on heavier lifts. The lift's own limits still apply: Tuxedo's FP8K manual caps each axle at half of the lift's 8,000 lb rating.

Power. The AMGO J5H and RJ-6H, Atlas PROJACK35, Triumph SJ-35, and Tuxedo RJ-45 and SJ-35 lift by hand pump, with no compressor. The AMGO RJ-6A through RJ-20A, the Atlas RJ-6, RJ6BK, RJ45A, RJ7000, RJ8000 and RJ8A, the iDEAL RAJ-7K and the Katool KT-RJ50 and KT-RJ70 are air/hydraulic, and the Tuxedo RAJ-8K lifts on two air bags. Air models need a compressor that delivers the pressure on the listing and no more than its maximum: Atlas rates its air/hydraulic jacks for 70 to 115 PSI of delivered air and warns that more can damage the jack.

What a Rolling Jack Costs

Warehouse-pickup prices in this collection: 3,500 lb sliding jacks $889 to $975; 4,500 to 7,000 lb jacks $959 to $1,799, plus the Atlas Platinum RJ7000; 8,000 to 10,000 lb jacks $1,945 to $2,265; the 15,000 lb Triumph RJ-15 and 20,000 lb AMGO RJ-20A up to $3,375. Delivery prices are on each listing. Plan on two jacks to raise the front and rear without moving one.

Buying the lift too? Our four-post lift packages include 21 lift-and-jack sets from $5,199, among them Triumph's NTR-16, NTR-24 and NTR-32 with two jacks each and the Atlas APEX9 with two RJ45As; the four-post lift collection lists the lifts alone. Katool's KT-AJ30 and KT-AJ50 bag air jacks and KT-M3000 mini side lift are also listed here; they lift from the floor, not from a lift's runways.

Using a Rolling Jack Safely

• Lift on its locks. Set the lift on its mechanical locks before raising the vehicle on a jack, and never raise or lower the lift while a jack is holding the vehicle. Chock the tires at the other end.
• Lift points, then locks. Set the pads under the vehicle maker's lift points (our lift points guide shows where to look). On jacks with mechanical locks, lower the jack onto a lock before you work, so hydraulic pressure is not holding the vehicle.
• Headroom. Leave at least 12 inches between the vehicle and the nearest overhead obstruction before raising it above the runways. Our ceiling height guide shows how to measure.
• Ratings. Never exceed the jack's nameplate capacity, the lift's per-axle limit or the jack's maximum air pressure. Lower jacks fully and push them to the center of the lift before driving on or off.

Rolling Jack FAQ

Is a bridge jack the same as a rolling jack? A bridge jack is any jack that spans the gap between a lift's runways. "Rolling" and "sliding" describe how it moves along them.

Can I use a rolling jack on a scissor lift? Yes, with one made for it. The AMGO J5H, RJ-6A, RJ-8A and RJ-10A, Atlas RJ8A, Tuxedo RJ-45 and RAJ-8K, and iDEAL RAJ-7K are designed for four-post or scissor lifts, and Atlas sells its 12ASL, 12AWFSL and PX16A scissor alignment lifts with rolling jacks.

Call 307-381-1810 with your lift's make and model and the inside width between its runways, and we will tell you which jacks fit.