jack
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A jack is a mechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic device used to lift heavy objects off the ground. It matters because it makes it possible to safely raise vehicles, machinery, and other heavy items for maintenance, repair, or other purposes that would be impossible to accomplish by hand.
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A private in the Auxiliary Territorial Service using a jack to lift a staff car, January 1945 A jack which can lift a mobile home A jack is a mechanical lifting device. Most often, the term "jack" denotes equipment used to apply great forces or lift heavy loads. There are also smaller, more delicate jacks used as part of the action of keyboard instruments.
Of the jacks of the first category (heavy lifting), a mechanical jack employs a screw thread. A hydraulic jack uses hydraulic power. The most common function of a jack is as a car jack, floor jack or garage jack, which lift vehicles so that maintenance can be performed. Jacks are usually rated for a maximum lifting capacity (for example, 1.5 tons or 3 tons). Industrial jacks can be rated for many tons of load.