Floor jack repair or replace

Zachary Hoyt

Well-known Member
I bought an old floor jack at auction a couple of years ago that would only lift about halfway up. It is a large one, maybe 3-4 ton at a guess. I left it outside for about a week earlier in the summer and I think it lost a seal because it stopped lifting at all. i am not sure if sitting out had anything to do with it or if it's a coincidence. It is very old and has no markings on it that I can see that tell who made it. Today I removed two plugs from the top, one had a cone and spring arrangement under it. I also removed the control unit form the top of the case and drained all of the old oil I could get to come out. I put some new jack oil in it but it still would not lift. Is it practical to try to repair a jack that is so old that it can't be identified or should I just get a new one? I like how big and solid this jack is compared to the newer ones I have had and i used it a lot. Any advice will be much appreciated. I can get a photo tomorrow if that would help.
Zach
 
At the tire shop I worked at we used to send them out for repair. Within the past 15 years the cost was almost as much as a new one.
You have nothing to lose by taking it apart clean things up and look for bad O-rings and seals.
 
I fixed a jack one time like this :

Open the lowering valve as wide as you can. Raise the jack with your hands to the top of the stroke, then shove it back down as quick as you can.

The idea is to flush crud that may be stuck on a valve seat inside. It may not help, but it doesn't cost much to try it.
 
If you can get it apart, there are 2 seals to look at.

One is a small seal, cup, oring, under the plunger the handle moves when you try to jack it up.

The other is a larger seal under the ram.

You should be able to see if the seals are good. Typically when they fail, it is obvious, the seal will be split, blown out, folded over, etc.

There are also some check balls or plungers. There will be a set under the plunger, a heavy spring loaded one for a pressure relief, and one that unseats when the release valve is opened. Make sure they are all in place, springs are in the right place, clean, and the seats are good.

Look it over for signs of mechanical failure, like split cylinder, broken welds, stripped threads, rust pits, etc.

If you can't see anything wrong, and it still won't work, not much use spending money on seals. Chances are it still won't work.

But if you find a problem with a blown seal, they can be bought from a hydraulic seal supplier. But, you must go back with an exact replacement for a jack. Don't try to substitute a seal for a hydraulic cylinder, it won't work! BTDT, a waste of time, money, and it's dangerous!
 
Hope you use jack stands when you use that old jack. You can get a new Arcan jack at Costco for $100; might cost you that much (or more) to repair the old one.
 
If I had bought a new jack every time the old one didn't work I'dd have dozens of jacks and probably would still need another. If you like the jack, fix it. If you don't, buy another.
 
(quoted from post at 18:54:29 09/14/15) I bought an old floor jack at auction a couple of years ago that would only lift about halfway up. It is a large one, maybe 3-4 ton at a guess. I left it outside for about a week earlier in the summer and I think it lost a seal because it stopped lifting at all. i am not sure if sitting out had anything to do with it or if it's a coincidence. It is very old and has no markings on it that I can see that tell who made it. Today I removed two plugs from the top, one had a cone and spring arrangement under it. I also removed the control unit form the top of the case and drained all of the old oil I could get to come out. I put some new jack oil in it but it still would not lift. Is it practical to try to repair a jack that is so old that it can't be identified or should I just get a new one? I like how big and solid this jack is compared to the newer ones I have had and i used it a lot. Any advice will be much appreciated. I can get a photo tomorrow if that would help.
Zach

I would bet the jack you have is a much better jack than anything you can buy today at any discount or big box store. To get one as good as what you have, you would need to get it from some type of industrial, automotive repair supply dealer, and the cost would be somewhere around $1,000. Maybe even higher. I would do my best to fix what you have.

I bought an ancient BlackHawk floor jack at auction several years ago. Didn't even know what brand it was until I got it home and cleaned about one inch of crud off of it. I may have paid too much, but I've never been sorry. I can put that jack under the drawbar of my M with a loader and 4 sets of wheel weights, and raise one rear tire completely off the floor. Try doing that with a floor jack you bought at WalMart or CostCo.
 
Fix it if you know that you'll have fun doing it. Otherwise, toss it. You can probably get a new (read throw away) jack for the price of a rebuild kit of your old one. If the ram is 2.5 inches in diameter, contact me. I made a special tool for intalling leather seals in that size that I'm willing to donate.
 
(quoted from post at 06:57:26 09/16/15) Fix it if you know that you'll have fun doing it. Otherwise, toss it. You can probably get a new (read throw away) jack for the price of a rebuild kit of your old one. If the ram is 2.5 inches in diameter, contact me. I made a special tool for intalling leather seals in that size that I'm willing to donate.

The new, throw away jacks will NOT do the same job as the older jacks. I once tried to use one of those throw away jacks when working on a full sized cargo van. The van weighed approximately 2 tons. The jack was rated for 4 tons. The jack was just barely able to lift the right front wheel of the van off the ground.
 
I agree. Lift capacity ratings of new jacks are inflated. But maybe Zach just needs to jack up a trailer or a golf cart..
 
Jacks are a constant dilemma. I have several. One is an old Walker that quit working years ago. Sat outside for a while after that, and is just taking up space now. Got another Walker that just decided not to lift any more. It worked erratically for a while before it quit altogether. I called a repair place, and the guy wanted $135 to repair it. I can get a brand new one at HF for $89. That helped to make that decision. Before I put $135 into a jack that I can replace for $89, I will have to figure out what the problem is with it.
The best jack I have is some old looking jack that I bought at an auction for $7. It was painted blue and yellow, and it would only go about half way up. I added some jack oil, and it has been working for about 2 or 3 years now. Best one I own!!
I'll be watching for any more low priced jacks at the auctions.
 
(quoted from post at 05:23:14 09/23/15) Jacks are a constant dilemma. I have several. One is an old Walker that quit working years ago. Sat outside for a while after that, and is just taking up space now. Got another Walker that just decided not to lift any more. It worked erratically for a while before it quit altogether. I called a repair place, and the guy wanted $135 to repair it. I can get a brand new one at HF for $89. That helped to make that decision. Before I put $135 into a jack that I can replace for $89, I will have to figure out what the problem is with it.
The best jack I have is some old looking jack that I bought at an auction for $7. It was painted blue and yellow, and it would only go about half way up. I added some jack oil, and it has been working for about 2 or 3 years now. Best one I own!!
I'll be watching for any more low priced jacks at the auctions.

I don't see how you can buy anything for $7 at an auction. All the ones we go to stuff barely goes for less than $50 each no matter what becuase there are several people there that will always bid it up that high at least.
 
Anyone ever see/use a mechanical, not hydraulic, floor jack. Years ago we had a good neighbor that had one. I used it some, moving tractor wheels in and out.

Dusty
 
All depends on the auction and who sees or wants the item. I've seen stuff that I would not pay a dollar for go over several hundred dollars. I've also seen really good stuff go for pennies. Does not happen often or regularly, but it does happen.
I bought an engine powered welder/generator for $300 at one auction. The auctioneer tried to start the bidding at about $800 (which was what it should have brought) and was working his way down to get a starting bid. I hit it with a $300 bid, and there were no other bids. As many of this type of welder as I have seen sell at auction, they normally get from $800 to $1000 for them. The old Mennonites like to work the auctioneer down to $25 or $50, and then run it up to the "normal" price. I suppose that my high opening bid freaked them out or bluffed them out. Whatever it was, I made out and got myself a welder!!
In the case of the jack, it was ugly, dirty, caked with mud (it was a rainy day and an outdoor auction), and the guy that tried it could not get it to go all the way up.
 
Zach:

Hope this helps.

Doc
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