Cheap Bottle Jack question.

[ron350]

Does a cheap hydraulic bottle jack have a spring that pulls the ram back down?

It has been about 40 years since I have used a bottle jack and had to have one today. Was close to Harbor Freight so picked up a 8-ton bottle jack #69475 and the instructions don’t cover much. The jack will lift fine but will not lower all the way without a good deal of pushing.

 

[469 runner]

No spring to retract ram, what you are describing is normal.

 

[Tucko]

I have a few vintage bottle jacks that I used the other day. Both of them pushed down fairly easy after I released the pressure.

 

[ron350]

Thanks for the information.
I took that bottle jack back to HF and swapped it out for one that worked a little better. LOL

 

[bryan750]

That's about the way they are.

 

[cubfarm 1]

U.S. JACK makes a couple that have an internal spring retract.