hi lift jack tips and tricks?

[JoeinTX]

"I dont think I was being negative towards the hi lift jacks, i was merely pointing out they are dangerous.. I own one I think they are great tools. But I would have never thought to hold onto the handle tight unless someone told me to or I read the instructions which i did not. Sometimes I get a new toy i want to play with it, so I skip the not so fun part..."

And, I guess I shouldn't sound too harsh either..;}

When you use them, never get your hand between the jack handle and the frame/handle brace or it can give your fingers a good smash. Unlike hydraulic floor jacks, the handle on a high lift jack is truly bearing the weight of the lifted object, thus your hand is as well.

Just the other day I picked up an older automotive bumper jack-basically a high lift jack made of lighter alumininum etc. that came with a Ford/Chevy/Dodge pickup 25 or 30 years ago. Complete with handle/wrench, I pulled it out of a pile of odds and ends no longer wanted with a good bit of dirt and rust on it. I take it home...spend a few minutes with the wire brush, the air compresor, with a little used motor oil and WD-40...and it works like a million bucks. It's lightweight, easy to use, and I've already used it to lift the little 8N changing a front rim....

 

[slowzuki]

Those are my favourite u-pick junkyard jacks!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
Just the other day I picked up an older automotive bumper jack- )</font>

 

[notamustang]

<font color="blue"> "I dont think I was being negative towards the hi lift jacks, i was merely pointing out they are dangerous </font>

What did I say /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I forgot about those old bumper jacks, man that was a while ago wasn't it..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Of course thats when there was chorme on cars and trucks. No need for airbags, anti lock brakes or arresting seat belts. Ok that last one was a stretch. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Of course I dont buy vehicles with anti lock brakes if I can help it and I remove my airbags first chance I get. Dont have a problem with seat belts. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[goodoleboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Those are my favourite u-pick junkyard jacks!

)</font>

The pull apart here in Okla take the jacks out and toss them the recylce bin.Cleark told me that people use them to lift cars in the junkayrd there have been to many accidents.

 

[TruChaos]

I'd like to second the warnings about these "Farm" jacks.

I don't think anyone here has overstated the dangerous nature of this style jack.

A few months ago, I was using one and was lifting the arms of a compact tractor FEL (rolling it forward). This was well within it's design lifting limits. My best estimate is that I was lifting a weight equal to 50 percent of the jack rated capacity.

After I jack up the arms, I did my work and was begining to jack them back down when the jack lever seemed to hang. Suddenly and without warning, the jack dropped the FEL arms with a crash. The arm hit the ground just inches from my left foot. My god, it would have crushed it had I not been careful to stay out from under the arms.

I inspected the jack and found that the hardened jack pins were in great shape but the retaining pins which kept them in position were not. One of the soft NON-HEAT TREATED retaining pins had bent and let the hardened jack pin rotate 180 degrees. This allowed it to fall the instant the second jack pin retracted.

DO NOT JACK ANYTHING WITH A FARM JACK WHICH WILL INJURE YOU OR YOUR HELPER IF IT SUDDENLY FALLS. THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

 

[JohnnyDark]

i used my new jack for several things already and man i sure do enjoy it. lifted my trailer to change a flat. put the tension on a section of fence i put up. i like it. hate i didn't buy one sooner.

 

[keeney]

Tip number 1:

Don't place any part of your body or anything else you value in the zone between the jacked object and any nearby panetary masses that may be suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated towards each other at about 32 ft/s/s.

Tip number 2:

Don't use it to jack up anything that would cause you to cry should it fall.


Tip number 3:

Think of it like you do when your wife helps move something heavy - there is a non-zero probablity the object will get dropped.


Tip number 4:

The jack itself can cause significant pain if it falls on you even if its not holding anything up at the time.


- Rick

 

[jd2130]

I just bought a farm jack (Motormaster 3-ton) and lifted one axel of my tractor and I can't get it to lower. Does anyone have tips on lowering a stuck farm jack? I can get the handle to move the full range of motion, it just seems like the pin is not entering the lower hole like it is supposed to.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I think we bought the first one in the 60's ? . Anyway, there's at least four of them around here now, all of them old and much better made than the stamped out jacks they sell today.

Over the years they have got used in hundreds of different ways, and not long ago I was using one to do an "alinement" on a running gear I was repairing,

Keep a can of spray lube handy...

SR

 

[jd2130]

I think we bought the first one in the 60's ? . Anyway, there's at least four of them around here now, all of them old and much better made than the stamped out jacks they sell today.

Over the years they have got used in hundreds of different ways, and not long ago I was using one to do an "alinement" on a running gear I was repairing,

Keep a can of spray lube handy...

SR

Thanks SR. I didn't expect I'd need to use lube the first time I try to use the jack, but I'll give it a try.

 

[Looking4new]

I just bought a farm jack (Motormaster 3-ton) and lifted one axel of my tractor and I can't get it to lower. Does anyone have tips on lowering a stuck farm jack? I can get the handle to move the full range of motion, it just seems like the pin is not entering the lower hole like it is supposed to.

Raise the handle ALL the way up to where it will come in contact with the main I-beam. Keeping ALL your body parts that you want to keep away from the jack and the vehicle, grab the handle loosely and fling it down. The jack should do the rest. It will bang, bang all the way to the bottom, if the pins are not seized.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^
That’s one way of doing it. I prefer to let it down one notch at a time so that I have some control.
Another caution though; make sure that the handle is firmly attached to the jack. I didn’t once, and it lobbed the handle in a steep arc completely over the pickup, landing on the ground 50 feet away.

 

[newbury]

I just bought a farm jack (Motormaster 3-ton) and lifted one axel of my tractor and I can't get it to lower. Does anyone have tips on lowering a stuck farm jack? I can get the handle to move the full range of motion, it just seems like the pin is not entering the lower hole like it is supposed to.

Ah! A blast from the past! Good thread in 2005.

Lube the reversing lever. Then what I do (which may not be correct) is when I want to let it down lift the handle so it touches the upright then pull the reversing lever down. Sometimes it requires a slight wack with a tire iron. Then crank it down slowly.

 

[jd2130]

Thanks for all of the tips! I first sprayed some oil on the pin that was failing to engage and let it sit for a while. This didn't have an effect. Then I sprayed a bunch of oil on the whole ratcheting mechanism and let it sit and it worked!
I recognize the limitations in using a farm jack over a floor jack, but I think it's the only option for me. My axle is about 30'' off the ground, so I need a jack that gets up pretty high. Is there a better option out there (without spending thousands of dollars)?

 

[ning]

Thanks for all of the tips! I first sprayed some oil on the pin that was failing to engage and let it sit for a while. This didn't have an effect. Then I sprayed a bunch of oil on the whole ratcheting mechanism and let it sit and it worked!
I recognize the limitations in using a farm jack over a floor jack, but I think it's the only option for me. My axle is about 30'' off the ground, so I need a jack that gets up pretty high. Is there a better option out there (without spending thousands of dollars)?

This won't be helpful but I'm going with "use a bigger tractor to lift that one up" :laughing:
You could also use blocks between a lower-reach jack and what you're jacking, but that carries its own risks of the blocks popping out...

 

[jd2130]

This won't be helpful but I'm going with "use a bigger tractor to lift that one up" :laughing:
You could also use blocks between a lower-reach jack and what you're jacking, but that carries its own risks of the blocks popping out...

Now there's an idea... it shouldn't be hard to convince my wife that we need another big tractor.
I thought about using blocks, but the rear end of my tractor is about 5,000 lbs and I'm worried about doing something like that for the reason you specified.

 

[Jstpssng]

This won't be helpful but I'm going with "use a bigger tractor to lift that one up" :laughing:
You could also use blocks between a lower-reach jack and what you're jacking, but that carries its own risks of the blocks popping out...

No doubt you are referring to blocks of wood, not cinder blocks which will disintegrate without warning. I’ve even been know to cut a tree down to make them, if I’m stuck on some woods road.

 

[ning]

No doubt you are referring to blocks of wood, not cinder blocks which will disintegrate without warning. I’ve even been know to cut a tree down to make them, if I’m stuck on some woods road.

Definitely wood.
I've been known to use a 12 foot 4x4 as a jack block when replacing a pillar under a deck...

 

[WranglerX]

TIP:... Use care, stay focused... We had a timber framework for a gold rush era stamp mill lifted to replace a beam and I was getting a little sloppy in my attention to jack, it got away from me and handle came up and kissed me lightly on side of head, did not get hurt, but reminded me it will hurt you every chance it gets....

Only thing I don't like about them is you need a box of "magic parts" to get jack connected to some tractors, implements or vehicles and the standard lip of jack just does not seem to get really secure grip on what ever surface you are lifting at... Does not like the off road bumpers on my Jeep at all....

Dale

 

[lennyzx11]

I’ve got to reiterate to hang on to that handle whenever it is being moved.
Go ALL the way UP with the handle until you hear a Click the down to you hear the Click. That’s the pins locking in place.

If it does get stuck, I’ve had to raise it high enough to get the load off the ground and then let it fall over sideways. The pre shot of oil helps prevent that.

It can...
Fall over
Miss a click if only handle raised or lowered only partly and not work.
With no load and the handle raised all the way up, drop the jack part toward your feet. If the handle doesn’t have its pin fastening it to the jackyou are left holding the handle while the mechanism races toward your feet.
Fall over
Turning the handle loose during the down stroke while lowering can put the jack into automatic pilot and it will click it self down swinging the handle in an attempt to beat you in the jaw.
Fall over

For those that a good cleaning and oiling doesn’t fix, there are repair kits for the pins and springs that make it good as new. Mine was used when I got it 25 years ago and i used it this week.

I kept an old piece of inner tube slid over the mechanism on mine during my jeeping days to keep crud out of the oily pins and gumming it up.

By the way. It will fall over.