I have three floor jacks that all leak. Are they easy to rebuild? Where do I get parts? Or better to toss and move on? Thanks, Larry
Check your local Yellow Pages. Every town of any size has somebody who does these kind of repairs. If they're Harbor Freight type jacks (read Chinese junk) it probably WOULD be best to replace.
Right. I fixed one by just replacing some O-rings, often there's someone who does this on the side if you ask around.
I asked the tool rental store guy. I figured they repaired their equipment and knew of someone. They did and gave me their number.
I have rebuilt a few. they are mostly easy to work on, with O rings and push cups needing replaced if the shafts are not not worn or pitted. A lot of bearing, or hydraulic shops have the parts if you don't have a regular jack shop locally. My 2%. Of course I'm a cheap ass too.
If you need it there is a shop in PA that makes custom lip seals and o'rings. McMaster Carr sells o'rings of various sizes and shapes. If you manage to fix those jacks I have a few you could fix for me
my 3%, When I went to find seals for my jack that was leaking the guy quoted my a fair price for them to overhaul it....works better than before and no puddle..... I just did a goggle search for hydraulic jack repair.
I had an old sears ,about mid 70's I think, that got to leaking by,tore it apart and went to the local hyd store, he called later and it was going to be with in $5 of a new sears one. I just bought a new one but I might try another shop now,or try it myself,thanks for the info.
i had a really nice, small floorjack that i bought at Monkey Wards circa 1976. i loved it but when it finally quit pumping, the local hydraulic repair shop did not have the parts. it was recycled...
Most hydraulic shops will have the seals in stock they are usually sold by size and nothing else. Tig
I just rebuilt my 3 1/2 ton Craftsman jack circa 1978. O-rings and cups were less than $10 and I did it myself. It's not very hard. Bought the 0-rings locally and the cups from MSC supply. The new jacks are cheaply made and are not rebuildable from what I have been told so keep that in mind. Mine was not leaking puddles but would leak down intereranly pretty quick.
Most jacks have standard sized cylinders meaning they are easy to get parts for and yes they're easy to rebuild. Take your time and keep everything clean. I've got some pretty expensive jacks for free just because they leaked. Usually just need seals & o rings changed or if the cylinder itself is gooned its still cheaper to replace than the whole jack.
Try GarageJournal.com, theres a thread called "overseas jack rebuild help '. you'll have to join-it s free- to see the pics. very good and he takes one apart to show what it needs and tells you what to do.
I deal with hydraulics on a regular basis. Jack cylinders are just like any other hydraulic cylinders. Seals go bad, just unscrew the piston end, take off your old seals, then bring them with you to your local hydraulic shop that works on commercial trucks. Odds are everything you need is there on the shelf. Most likely your only looking at $20 tops if you do it yourself.
A rebuilt 70's Sears jack compared to a new one from Sears for the same price? A no brainer for me, I'd have the 70's jack rebuilt in a heartbeat.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47879 I've been saving this for when I get to rebuilding mine.
I agree..I've got a Sears jack from about '82,built in Japan,and I'd rebuild it,too,I've beat the shit out of it for almost 30 years,and it works like it did the day I bought it.When it quits,I'll pay whatever it costs to fix,instead of buying a new POS.
I have a old Walker USA made jack I bought back in the late 60s. It finally quit working. I took it to Richmond Hydraulics in Richmond Indiana. They told me they could sell me a new China jack cheaper than fixing my old jack. Well I had the old jack resealed and it works good as new. That old jack and I will be around awhile longer.
it's been a long time so i can't remember exactly what had to be done. maybe i gave up too soon though. i loved that jack... it's probably been melted down into a Hyundai.
I have an old blackhawk floor jack - there might be better ones out there, but dang it I like this jack! It was older than the hills when I got it over 20 years ago! I'll rebuild it versus a new one any day!
Thought I'd share... I was going to Acme Spring in Dayton a few weeks ago, needing some for an o/t car. I took them a brake and suspension trade publication from July 1956 that I had found a few weeks prior, with a company profile about Acme Spring. Lo and behold, when I gave it to the guy behind the counter, he said "look at this picture here, and said see that floor jack? Its right out there in the shop now, under the ambulance". Same jack, just 55 short years later....
The new Craftsman jacks are junk. Depending on the model many are NOT rebuildable. Planned obsolensece. The jack I bought new in 1978 from my local Sears store was well built and very durable. It's like an old friend-has gone through 4 car and many farm tractor rebuilds. It's like my old pooch..I will spend just about anything to fix it.
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