Maintenance on Floor Jacks?

*steven88* · 05-19-2008, 12:30 AM

I have two craftsman floor jacks...one is 2 1/4th ton and the other is 3 ton

I bought them December 2005...they have NEVER given me a problem...no oil leaks or sticking saddles etc...but I am concerned with using these down the road...2 and half years is nothing...but what about another 5 years from now?

I read the owners manual that came with the floor jacks...and it simply says something like, "for safety reasons, bring your floor jacks to an authorized sears location for maintenance every year." Do any of you guys follow this rule? If so, how much is it for inspection and/or repair?

I just don't want the floor jack to give out one day all of a sudden....thanks in advanced!

*steven88* · 05-25-2008, 10:21 PM

50 views and no hits?

edjose17 · 05-26-2008, 06:32 AM

Always use jackstands and you will be protected against any floor jack failure.

But to your concern, at least I have never sent any floor jack to be inspected for maintenance needed.

*steven88* · 05-26-2008, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edjose17

Always use jackstands and you will be protected against any floor jack failure.

But to your concern, at least I have never sent any floor jack to be inspected for maintenance needed.

how long have you had your floor jacks?

edjose17 · 05-26-2008, 07:38 PM

I bought it about 2 1/2 years ago. I use the jack about once a month to raise the car to wash the under side of car.

DONS459 · 06-02-2008, 06:56 AM

Never had problems with my old floor jack and i used it for over 10 or 15 years before i bought an aluminum one. No maintance except a little oil on the pivot points. And i always use jack stands along with it.

*steven88* · 08-03-2008, 10:21 PM

anybody else have inputs?

**Kevlo911** · 08-04-2008, 07:53 AM

I tried to look online but I didn't find anything.

!PrjctMax! · 08-04-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edjose17

I use the jack about once a month to raise the car to wash the under side of car.

Stupid question, but how do you go about doing that with such little clearance?

*choray911* · 08-06-2008, 09:29 PM

You have nothing to worry about safty wise. I have a jack that was bought from harbor freight about 3 years ago. I use it to jack up my Miata 3 to 4 times a month for races and other maintanence. It does leak a little and you will know when it is going bad. When the pump is going bad the car is slow to raise, or will not go up at all when you pump. When the car is up, the release valve will keep the car up, and this will rarely go bad. The problem most people have is the car not going up, coming down has not been a problem.
I have to bleed the system every few months to get it to pump correctly.

1trucavalier · 08-08-2008, 11:35 AM

most jacks are pretty safe but none safe enough to get under your car without a floor jack. I use them almost everyday i have blown the seals in 5 jacks in 3 years (thats how much i use them). If you can make sure you have at least a 2 ton + because they will last longer and ALWAYS use a jackstand.

mrrsx2006 · 08-19-2008, 01:23 AM

Use a jackstand! what will you do if the car drops?

Shoey1 · 08-21-2008, 05:15 PM

just grease or oil them from time to time to keep them pivoting smoothly. i have never heard of a floor jack dropping for no reason. and if one did it was probably overloaded for its specified capacity, or was damaged

*adamgh81* · 08-21-2008, 10:40 PM

+100 on the jackstands. Safety first, I have a family friend who is disabled from the waist down from working on his car and the jack went out on him. You can get a set for under $30.

NissanTun3r · 09-01-2008, 09:27 PM

I'd buy a new jack every 5-7 years..they don't cost too much

*knight_yyz* · 10-01-2008, 11:58 PM

the hydraulic oil should be changed periodically. It will help the seals last longer. Contaminated hydraulic oil can cause some nasty damage.

*00MaxSE* · 10-24-2008, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight_yyz

the hydraulic oil should be changed periodically. It will help the seals last longer. Contaminated hydraulic oil can cause some nasty damage.

Bleed the air out of the cylinder on occasion too.

bpk01 · 11-12-2008, 01:22 PM

Where is the best place to set the jackstands? for any sistuation

*bigjoe87865* · 11-15-2008, 05:55 PM

+1 ^

im in the market for a new floor jack that wont break the bank... advance auto parts has some generic brand jack 2.5tons that comes with 2 jackstands (which i dont own) for $41

any other suggestions?

nismo97se · 11-25-2008, 07:28 PM

axle stands are ideal

*ae01maxine* · 01-03-2009, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00MaxSE

Bleed the air out of the cylinder on occasion too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight_yyz

the hydraulic oil should be changed periodically. It will help the seals last longer. Contaminated hydraulic oil can cause some nasty damage.

Hey J and Knight,

Sorry if this sounds

, but I did Google it before asking. Do you guys have any good links or info on these maintenance procedures?

*00MaxSE* · 01-03-2009, 09:14 AM

^ Did yours come with an instruction manual? Mine included all the info in there.
I'll take a pic of the pages if you don't have it.

*ae01maxine* · 01-03-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00MaxSE

^ Did yours come with an instruction manual? Mine included all the info in there.
I'll take a pic of the pages if you don't have it.

I don't have a instruction manual sir, since I got it from a friend. If you can take pics that will be great,thanks J !

-Roger

*00MaxSE* · 01-03-2009, 12:48 PM

Here

*ae01maxine* · 01-06-2009, 01:57 AM

Hey J,

Thanks yo, thats perfect !

*00MaxSE* · 01-06-2009, 06:16 PM

Sure thing

tresboi · 01-17-2009, 02:15 PM

I've tried time and time again to bleed & refill my jack according to procedure but no go - it still won't lift more than a few inches and won't hold at all. I've done regular maintenance on hydraulic jacks before and have never run into this situation. I'm beginning to feel like I wasted $60 on this thing.