How Convenient: 3 ton floor jack?

-
dibbons

dibbons

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Messages
5,716
Reaction score
3,779
Location
La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
Today was supposed to be engine re-installation day (after 3 years of body/paint work). Just need to situate the jack under the pan of the installed 904 A/T to move it up/down to match up with the V-8. We'll be done in no time.

About three years old now, Duralast floor jack will not attain full extension. Drag jack back out from under vehicle.

I follow air purge instructions on label:
Turn handle two revolutions counter-clockwise.
Pump handle quickly 6-8 times.
With a screwdriver, push rubber fill plug over to the side to let trapped air escape.
Whoosh! Done? Nope.

Close valve and pump handle to test improved performance.
Hydraulic oil oozing and gurgling from center of rubber fill plug.
Fill plug no longer air tight. Just the slight nudge with a screwdriver tore it up.

Pry out fill plug with small screwdriver. Top half of plug separates from bottom half of plug.
Pry out bottom of trapped fill plug? Nope, it falls inside the abyss.
Why not use a screw instead of a rubber fill plug that rots and becomes unserviceable in no time? Chinese torture, that's why.

Crap like this is why I have decided not to restore our rusty third classic Moper in the waiting. This chinese crap is taking all the fun out of it.

Edit: I found an 8mm plug (pinkish in color) in my stash of nuts/bolt/misc. which fit the fill hole and got things going again without having to shop around endlessly.

floor jack.JPG
 
Last edited:
Me being the horder I am I probably have 10 floor jacks that do not work any longer laying around. I do however have 3 very old jacks that still work. One is at least 50 years old, the other two 30-40 years old. All the broken ones are 20 and newer...
 
If you can see it good enough, you might be able to grab it with some small hemostats. If not, I don't think it will cause a problem leaving it in there. Now you can carve a new plug from a piece of hard wood, or run a tap in the filler hole, a couple of turns and put a bolt in it. There is no real pressure there.
 
As an older gentleman I have replaced my steel jacks with the aluminum ones from Harbor Freight when they were on sale. At least I can lift them.
 
I have an old ATD jack, probably 30 years old, made in Brazil I think, & I have never had a problem with it. Used it a lot in all those years too. I didn't expect it to last this long.
 
I have had expensive name brand floor jacks that crapped out early in life. I bought the steel 3ton horror freight for use in the shop on the trucks, and an aluminum 1 1/2 ton to carry to the racetrack. Both work perfectly. I can still replace either for a third of what the name brand jacks cost me. Harbor fright sells some garbage, but their jacks have a good rep, at least with me.
 
So, you tried to jack it up, but couldn't?
Sounds like a case of erectile dysfunction
 
Only need I see for a 3-ton floor jack is for having to jack up a loaded 3/4 ton - 1 ton truck/dually or loaded race car trailer. (Support with jackstands using thick boards as a base in grass.) They are too heavy to handle for any lighter use. The one I got was a NAPA brand on the recommendation of a friend who owns 3 stores. Friends who owns a busy tire store also have several units in their shop. I have a Craftsman aluminum 2-ton that I've taken to the races with me for years just for the race car. I typically don't care for Harbor Freight, but I do have one of their aluminum 2-ton jacks for basic maintenance on my smaller vehicles at home. I try to use a thin piece of plywood under a trans pan. Haven't gotten around to fabbing a bracket underneath to surround the jack head to help keep it in place. One on top to surround the trans pan wouldn't be a bad idea either.
 
The 3 ton has thrown a kink in my back a couple of times going in/out of my pickup bed. I do have a plate made to support the 904 oil pan.

904 with jack.JPG


trans jack pad 1.JPG
 
Locomotion said:
Only need I see for a 3-ton floor jack is for having to jack up a loaded 3/4 ton - 1 ton truck/dually or loaded race car trailer. (Support with jackstands using thick boards as a base in grass.) They are too heavy to handle for any lighter use. The one I got was a NAPA brand on the recommendation of a friend who owns 3 stores. Friends who owns a busy tire store also have several units in their shop. I have a Craftsman aluminum 2-ton that I've taken to the races with me for years just for the race car. I typically don't care for Harbor Freight, but I do have one of their aluminum 2-ton jacks for basic maintenance on my smaller vehicles at home. I try to use a thin piece of plywood under a trans pan. Haven't gotten around to fabbing a bracket underneath to surround the jack head to help keep it in place. One on top to surround the trans pan wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Click to expand...
I happened to get a weight on my new (to me!) box truck today. I guess i better start looking for a bigger floor jack. 13,500 lbs, mostly empty. Twice as heavy as my diesel pickup.
 
Floor jacks can be a PITA. Other than actual hardware problems, the biggest issue is either low fluid, or the fluid level/ air "level." What happens is this:

Jacks are supposed to operate "unvented." what this means is, that as you pump it up, fluid is pumped from the reservoir which is sealed by the unvented filler cap, into the ram. So it starts a partial vacuum in the reservoir. If fluid is low, it will run out of fluid and pump air. If there is too much fluid it will cause too much vacuum, and the pump will not fill, and cease pumping.

Frankly on two of my cheap-*** Chineseoationized jacks, one of which is an old school HUGE heavy deal, "I just left the filler cap loose." and the thing worked that way for years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top