Jack stands come in two basic designs: pin and ratchet. The former uses a pin inserted between an inner and outer sleeve in order to keep the stand in place at a given height. To change the height of this type of jack stand, you simply remove the pin, adjust the height manually, and then re-insert the pin at the new height. With a ratcheting jack stand, you extend the jack to the height you need, and thanks to a built-in ratcheting device, the stand automatically locks itself into place. From that locked-in point, it can be ratcheted upwards, but not downwards. To adjust the height downwards, you press a handle to release the ratcheting mechanism, and manually adjust the jack to the new position. For added safety, some ratcheting jack stands come with a pin that prevents the release handle from being pressed, and accidentally lowering the jack.
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