Bottle Jack Help

[Smiles79]

Hi all,

I've got a 20T Harbor Freight press that I bought last year, worked no problem. I went to use it to press a cylinder sleeve back into a motor and the jack refuses to pump. Found out it was way low on fluid so I filled it up, opened the release valve, and pumped to bleed the air out. Unfortunately it still doesn't move. I've also tried raising the lever and turning it upside to pump and that hasn't done anything either. Does anyone have any ideas?

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[Jlbc212]

Get a Harbor Freight 20% off coupon and buy a replacement 20 ton bottle jack for $32 and change.

 

[littlefan]

when my jack failed I went with hf air over jack best up grade every

 

[RVDan]

Take it back to Harbour Freight and they'll give you a new one.

 

[RWorth]

Hydraulic bottle jack is not a complicated item, however the Chinese have the capability to make them that do not work. The 2 Chinese items to avoid like the plaque are electric motors and hydraulic jacks. If it's possible to still buy an American made bottle jack I would do it.

 

[metalmagpie]

I've got a 20T Harbor Freight press that I bought last year, worked no problem. I went to use it to press a cylinder sleeve back into a motor and the jack refuses to pump. Found out it was way low on fluid so I filled it up, opened the release valve, and pumped to bleed the air out. Unfortunately it still doesn't move.

That sounds unpleasant. Try this first: open the valve that lowers the jack. Open it all the way. Now take the jack out of the press frame. Put it in a vise if you have one big enough. Pull the cylinder up by hand. With the valve open, it should pull up. If you can get it up a ways, push it back down and repeat. This is a bleeding technique.

If that doesn't work, take it apart and see if you can find the problem. Make certain you don't let any little balls and/or springs fall out. You have to know where they go. Look for bad O-rings and replace them. It's not such a hard job and you will learn a lot.

There are some usable videos on YT on rebuilding a bottle jack.

metalmagpie

 

[cubfarm 1]

American made bottle jack can still be bought Look for "US JACK" Not cheap but they have been build the same for a very long time and kits are no problem

 

[Smiles79]

That sounds unpleasant. Try this first: open the valve that lowers the jack. Open it all the way. Now take the jack out of the press frame. Put it in a vise if you have one big enough. Pull the cylinder up by hand. With the valve open, it should pull up. If you can get it up a ways, push it back down and repeat. This is a bleeding technique.

If that doesn't work, take it apart and see if you can find the problem. Make certain you don't let any little balls and/or springs fall out. You have to know where they go. Look for bad O-rings and replace them. It's not such a hard job and you will learn a lot.

There are some usable videos on YT on rebuilding a bottle jack.

metalmagpie

Well, this did it! Before I posted here I tried this bleeding technique along with opening the release valve and pumping the handle a bunch, but neither did anything. After that I realized the oil level was super low, so I filled it up and pumped the handle with the release valve open again. Nothing. I was about to give up when I remembered this technique and when I did it I could hear all the air making its way into the reservoir. We're good to go!

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[Hiball]

Well, this did it! Before I posted here I tried this bleeding technique along with opening the release valve and pumping the handle a bunch, but neither did anything. After that I realized the oil level was super low, so I filled it up and pumped the handle with the release valve open again. Nothing. I was about to give up when I remembered this technique and when I did it I could hear all the air making its way into the reservoir. We're good to go!

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Congrats on getting it working. Just for the sake of conversation, if you can't bleed the Jack with the pump alone, assuming the oil viscosity is correct, you have weak pump seals and or crud in the bottom of your reservoir blocking intake holes or a combination of the two. If you run into the problem again, might want to pull the tank and just give things a good flush.

 

[6PTsocket]

Even Shinn Fu America, that owns Hein Werner, makes jacks under a number of brand names. I had occassion to speak with them and they said they have discount store bottle jacks that are meant to be throw aways. They stock replacement handles and rubber fill plugs for them and that is it. For their better lines they have full parts support. It is not so much that stuff is Chinese but people buy their cheapest stuff and complain when they break. I bought a HF tractor lift and returned it because the bottle jack was bad from the git go. Then I bought a Cub Cadet lift which is made by Shinn Fu and it is a far better made product. Their Hein Werner and Omega brand bottle jacks are decent products. My shop press came with a Torin Big Red jack that worked fine until I took it off to use horizontally. It took a lot of bleeding to get it working again. Torin is another discount store brand. You get what you pay for. There isn't a hydraulic cylinder or modified bottle jack powered HF product that does not have You Tube videos showing how to replace them with something else.

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