Help Problem With Hydraulic Bottle Jacks

[Bruce Hopf]

I have three 12 ton hydraulic bottle jacks that won't lift. One I got a little over 1 year ago. This one wil lift a little then quit. the other 2 won't do anything. Before all 3 worked great. Any suggestions. Hope I can get these working again with out replacing. Thanks. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Are they out in the cold? My guess would be there's some water in the oil and it's frozen. Try thawing them out...oh and make sure they have enough fluid of course : )

 

[IaGary]

Have you ever added oil to them?

They don't have to be very low and they won't work.

Gary

 

[Gun guru]

it may be low on oil. Or semi-frozen.

 

[504-2]

Small screw or rubber plug on the side of the jack is the fill hole.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I don't mean to be insulting, but are the jacks vertical...? Very few jacks are designed to work if not vertical.

Glenn

 

[msb]

Close the valve, jack the jack up as high as it will go. Invert the jack and let it set for a few seconds upside down. With the jack still upside down, open the valve and push the ram back in. You may have to repeat this process 2 or 3 times before you expell all the air out of the oil, Adding oil will only help if the jack has obviously leaked. About any bottle jack can be used vertically if the valve is positioned on the bottom , but may still pick up some air.Jacks will also pick up air if laid on their side for very long.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Sorry my fault. I forgot to mention that they are vertical. My mistake sorry once again. I appreciate the help

 

[Bruce Hopf]

I have tried adding oil, and still doesn't work. Mabey I'm not putting enough in, or not getting the air blead out right.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

When I filled the jacks, I pulled out a black plug about half way up the side of the jack. With the jack standing upright, I then filled it with hydraulic oil. Is that the way to fill them or is there another way to fill them? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thankyou

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Ok I will give that a worl. Thanks for your input. Hopfully I will get somewhere with these jacks.

 

[Dan-IA]

I don't know, but I bet Allen in NE will have the answer. He's pretty good at using bottles for jacks....

 

[Bruce Hopf]

I'll try checking this out. Been using hydraulic jack oil for 2 of them. I checked the oil of the other one, and red oil came out, somthing like automatic tranny fluid. Does it matter which oil is used, jack oil or tranny fluid?

 

[ldj]

Wouldn't a floor jack be horizontal?

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Sorry I forgot to say thanks for your input. Thanks.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Thanks for your input.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

I'll put them on top of the woodstove in the shop tommorow for a while, and then check the oil. Is there any special way to check the oil, or to add the oil. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Yes floor jacks are horizontal. But these jacks that I'm trying to get working, are bottle jacks, flat base on the bottom, and when you pump then the sylinder goes straght up. Thankyou for your input.

 

[Bus Driver]

Most bottle jacks will work horizontally if positioned so that the pump is on the lower side.