December 5, 2005 Innovative off road accessory company Bushranger won a major accolade for its X Jack exhaust-operated car jack at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas winning the Best New Exterior Accessory Product award. Exhuast-operated jacks have been around since the off-road market first boomed in the 1970s, but got a bad reputation in the early years for being puncture-prone on the underside of the vehicle and lacking in stability on surfaces such as sand, mud and loose gravel. The X Jack features a triple layer lifting surface for better durability, a hard core insert and a base with spiked feet for greater stability but the clincher which makes it an infinitely better mousetrap is the dual inflation system. Exhaust systems can be damaged which makes them difficult or impossible to use for the inflation, and sometimes they may be buried rendering them equally useless. By utilising either the vehicle’s exhaust or a portable 12 Volt compressor, the X Jack solves several of the problems associated with exhaust jacks.
"We applied some logic and lateral thinking to a great idea and came up with an even better one,” said Bushranger sales manager Evan Black. The new X-Jack comes in a heavy duty storage bag and includes a protective mat, a puncture repair kit, two filler tubes, a pair of leather gloves and laminated operating instructions.
“Our engineers incorporated design features such as additional side curtains to assist in puncture prevention, a triple layer reinforced top for more stable lifting and unique triangular feet on the base for better grip.”
“We also realised that sometimes it is not possible to inflate the jack using the vehicle exhaust, so the X-Jack is fitted with a tyre valve to allow it to be inflated with a 12 volt compressor.”
“This innovation has taken the evolution of air jacks to a new level and it is an example of why Bushranger has been rewarded with this major award at SEMA and why it has maintained its status as an industry leader for so long,” he said.
Additional safety features include an easy to use inflation and deflation system that allows the user to remain at a safe distance while the vehicle is being raised or lowered.
The AUS$359 X-Jack features a 750mm lift and is rated at four tonnes GVM.
