A co worker of mine swears the oil used in hydraulic floor jacks is low quality. He states that if you buy a new jack and change the oil on it after a few uses, you will dramatically extend the life of your jack and seals. I'm just wondering what others think. I am in the market for a new floor jack and would consider this if others felt it would actually extend the life of a new jack. My old jack was used quite a bit and I got 25 years out of it without ever changing the oil. It still works, it just loses a little bit of height after a few minutes. As always, I use stands.
Changing oil on a new floor jack?
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JHZR2
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good question - subscribed!
Do jacks have significant break-in wear?
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Sounds like a bunch of [censored] to me. The only good thing about using synthetic oil is if it's super cold where you use it.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Sounds like a bunch of [censored] to me. The only good thing about using synthetic oil is if it's super cold where you use it.
Same here. Complete Nonsense.
I always think it is funny that folks will post something like this...."well my friend says that ...blah blah blah blah", like they are some expert...LOL
Where did this co worker come by this information ?
Sounds like a bunch of [censored] to me. The only good thing about using synthetic oil is if it's super cold where you use it.
Same here. Complete Nonsense.
I always think it is funny that folks will post something like this...."well my friend says that ...blah blah blah blah", like they are some expert...LOL
Where did this co worker come by this information ?
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JHZR2
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Well my angle of interest is that who knows what cheap fluid was put in to just get the jack to pump up at the factory. Especially the Chinese stuff. If better fluid has better anti-corrosion and lower oxidation rates, and also if it better conditions the seals, there could be truth to it.
Sound interesting, what is the fluid capacity ? If you change the hydraulic fluid to better quality once and if it extend the life of the floor jack by several years then it worth the hassle. The question is which is better quality ?
Does your friend work at a floor jack design company?
This is co-worker of mine, I would not state as a friend, rather a work acquaintance at best. He is one of those annoying folks who knows more about things than everyone else. I did not mention synthetics as a replacement oil choice, rather an oil of known quality. And no, this individual does not work for a jack company, because if he did, I would work for one as well and not have the need to ask such a question on a semi public forum. If any of you have any doubts to the above, please read my original unedited post. I was merely trying to use this as a sounding board to see what others think. I use Mexican made Enerpac bottle (not floor jacks folks) jacks for my company trucks. The manual says if the bottle jacks are to be used for heavy constant use to change the fluid early on in it's life with genuine Enerpac hydraulic oil. Another point: Many manual and power operated hydraulics require fluid changes from the jaws of life to heavy equipment. My point is, if it benefits these hydraulic tools and equipment, why not a floor jack. My personal use floor jack will see moderate to heavy use in temperatures ranging from -10F to 100F. Since this is for personal use, I cannot justify spending $900 on a 2 ton floor jack, so it will probably be an import.
I changed the oil on my Hein Werner 3-ton floor jack early on. I have no idea how much it will extend the life, but it seems like good practice type of thing.
BTW, you can get a 2-ton jack for much less than $900 & still be made in US. For example, Hein Werner 2-ton is $400 max.
BTW, you can get a 2-ton jack for much less than $900 & still be made in US. For example, Hein Werner 2-ton is $400 max.
OP, I bet that new jack comes with a lifetime warranty, right?
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
OP, I bet that new jack comes with a lifetime warranty, right?
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
If you dare trust a made-in-China floor jack without the use of jackstands, your lifetime warranty may eclipse your lifespan!
OP, I bet that new jack comes with a lifetime warranty, right?
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
If you dare trust a made-in-China floor jack without the use of jackstands, your lifetime warranty may eclipse your lifespan!
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I can see wanting to put in a higher quality fluid cause they probably use cheap fluid at the factory. I can assure you the fluid has nothing to do with the seals.
Originally Posted By: Nukeman7
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
OP, I bet that new jack comes with a lifetime warranty, right?
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
If you dare trust a made-in-China floor jack without the use of jackstands, your lifetime warranty may eclipse your lifespan!
Sad but true.
As a side note, the only jacks I have seen with a lifetime warranty are the OTC china models.
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
OP, I bet that new jack comes with a lifetime warranty, right?
A lot of the small floor jacks from China central today have lifetime warranties!
If you hold on to your receipt and don't abuse or alter the jack the company will gladly give you a new one if this one fails.
If you dare trust a made-in-China floor jack without the use of jackstands, your lifetime warranty may eclipse your lifespan!
Sad but true.
As a side note, the only jacks I have seen with a lifetime warranty are the OTC china models.
I was wondering the same thing when i got my costco jack a few months ago that i absolutely love but want to make it last as long as possible
I don't trust ANY jack without using floor stands under a vehicle.
Apologies for the quarter-year bump.
This is the jack oil that came out of the cheapest Black Jack floor jack purchased from WalMart, after disassembly (for recycling).
Suds are Simple Green, ignore them.
Why is it greyish? I've seen jack oil on sale at Harbor Freight that is this same greyish color; other jack oils I've seen are amber.
This is the jack oil that came out of the cheapest Black Jack floor jack purchased from WalMart, after disassembly (for recycling).
Suds are Simple Green, ignore them.
Why is it greyish? I've seen jack oil on sale at Harbor Freight that is this same greyish color; other jack oils I've seen are amber.
I have a cheap wal mart jack I bought in 1998. I finally changed the oil last year and I can say that it works much better now than it did in the past few years before that. There isn't that much oil stored in the jack to begin with. I bought a one litre bottle of oil and it should last forever LOL!.
Regards, JC.
Regards, JC.
Isn't it amazing that many of you (and I included ) use Made in China floor jacks to lift up to two ton cars and trucks? Yes, I use jack stands always, but they are also made in China! I still say even though I am using a floor jack with jack stands properly, I am risking life and limb to do it-- all to save a few dollars. When my small light weight Sears and Kmart floor jacks broke and the metal arms had missing 'C' rings, I decided to buy a HFT Heavy Duty floor jack. It works fine except for one major thing, the 'twist the handle to the left and it goes down' and 'twist the handle to the right' and it is ready to pump up doesn't work. The gears don't engage. This concerned me greatly. I was having to use a pry bar to turn the gears to make the jack release. I feel strongly that this is a safety issue. I went to Harbor Freight and asked them to look at it to see if they could fix it or replace it. They asked if I had purchased an extended warranty. NO. They asked if I had purchased it within the last 90 days. No. HFT says sorry! We can't help you.
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