California
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 14,616
- Location
- An hour north of San Francisco
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM240 Yanmar YM186D
I have two of the original US ones, 'Hi-Lift' brand. I keep them oiled but that isn't sufficient to assure safe operation. These WILL fall (and also kick the jack outward) while lowering a heavy load, possibly as soon as the first click downward. Use with extreme caution!As for HF stuff that works, I have a farm/implement jack (the "walker" type that looks like an old bumper jack) that works well as long as you spray its mechanism liberally with PB Blaster every so often. If you don't, it tries its damnedest to break your hand, or the headlight on your tractor, though it doesn't actually drop the load.
The problem is that only spring tension is used to push the pin into the next hole. If the pin binds and doesn't engage the hole, then moving the handle disengages the other pin at the same time. Crunch, down it goes in an instant.
Last time I used my Hi-Lift jack, it fell. I used it to lift my rotary mower up to standing on one edge for washing and it fell in the first 1/3 coming down. Long ago I had learned to be afraid of these and was standing at a safe distance. I don't use it very often, too many scary experiences. I hope HF's version is safer than the originals.