Hydraulic cutting tools are powered by a hydraulic pump

hydraulic cutting machine are used by emergency cutting personnel to assist vehicle extrication of crash victims, as well as other cuttings from small spaces. These hydraulic machines include cutters, spreaders, and rams. They are popularly referred to in the English-speaking Commonwealth nations and the US as the Jaws of Life, a trademark of Hurst Performance Inc. The Jaws of Life were first used in 1963 as a tool to free race car drivers from their vehicles after crashes.

Hydraulic cutting tools are powered by a hydraulic pump, which can be hand-, foot-, or engine-powered, or even built into the tool. These tools may be either single-acting, where hydraulic pressure will only move the cylinder in one direction, and the return to starting position is accomplished using a pressure-relief valve and spring setup, or dual-acting, in which hydraulic pressure is used to both open and close the hydraulic cylinder.