Bottle Jack Question

[Tim in New York]

Put my truck up on blocks in the garage so I can get the rusty rims powder coated and new tires mounted. I was going to leave the last corner on the jack, but later though better of it and put it on blocks also. Would I have damaged the jack if I left one of the front corners on it for a few days?

Thanks!

 

[Janicholson]

Maybe. Meaning if the jack was to leak down it could cause stability issues with the stability of the support. It is always best to support using rigid stands or cribbing. The jack might not have suffered, but it probably does not have a very wide base. Jim

 

[SkipperII]

Probably wouldn't "damage" the jack, but, it might leak off, and you can never be sure what that shift might cause. Kick the jack out, shift it off the blocks??

 

[used red MN]

Probably wouldn't "damage" the jack, but, it might leak off, and you can never be sure what that shift might cause. Kick the jack out, shift it off the blocks??

What Skipper (and Jim) are saying is a concern. However, do you have equipment with hydraulic cylinders or at least been around it? If so you better start preparing for the sky to fall. Point being, the jack is simply a hydraulic cylinder with a check ball holding fluid from backing out through the jacking pump and a needle valve holding the fluid from exiting through a port letting it lower. If it was going to fail it would be far more likely for that to happen to the cylinder seals while it was sliding on the bore as you jacked it up. I mistreated bottle jacks in far worse ways during my career as a mechanic. Jacking under a truck front axle king pin and then beating against the top of the axle with an 8 or 10 pound sledge to drive the king pin up. And oh yea a rose-bud torch was usually invited to the party. The shock of those blows was far more detrimental to the bottle jack than holding your truck at a static position. I will say a jack stand is proper to have at any location a jack it being used, especially if someone is getting under or even near the vehicle.