Portable hydraulic jack
Gato hidráulico portátil
- Date
- 1851 · confidence medium
- Place
- New York, New York, United States
- Credited to
- Richard Dudgeon
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A jack with a hand pump and hydraulic ram that lifts loads of tonnes with little effort through the force multiplication of the liquid. Dudgeon patented it in 1851 for moving locomotives and ship hulls.
The hydraulic principle of Pascal's (1650) and Bramah's (1795) press is earlier; Dudgeon's merit is the portable version. Some sources credit other contemporary inventors with hydraulic jacks.
What it led to
- lifting of vehicles, bridges and structures in workshops and on site
- bottle and trolley jacks in garages
- portable hydraulic rescue equipment