Development And Performance Evaluation of A Remote Control For A 5 Tonne Hydraulic Jack

ABSTRACT 

The process of lifting items like motor vehicles and farm tractors for the purpose of changing tyres and other maintenance activities usually involves extensive manual effort and high risk of injuries. In other to reduce the manual effort and the risk of injuries, a remote controlled jack is developed and tested. The equipment consists of a 5-tonne capacity hydraulic jack, and a drive and control system which comprises a 12 volts, 312 Watts d c electric motor, a sliding crank mechanism, a gearing unit and a remote control system. The remote control system has a microprocessor that decodes the signal which actuates the jack. The normal physical contact between the jack and the user is replaced by an electronic connection hence manual effort as well as the risk of injury are eliminated. The control system can be powered by a motor vehicle battery, the vehicle user cannot be stranded. The drive and linkage system have a mechanical advantage of 7 and efficiency of 86%. Tests carried out with the produced prototype showed that the jack is capable of lifting a 5 tonne vehicle to a height of 100mm in 1 second which implies higher lifting speed than the manually operated ones.