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HF jack died....

ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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Location
Lake Wateree, SC
Served me well for about 5 years. It's the 3 ton Pittsburgh low profile with 3 1/8" clearance. Without warning, it just quit lifting my car. No leaks anywhere, so it's still full of fluid.

First though was great, I now have an excuse to go buy one of the new Daytona jacks.
Nope! Won't fit under the rockers of my 2015 Mustang where the jacking rails are at. So I guess I can save about $100
 
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ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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Lake Wateree, SC
Scott, did you remember to turn the handle clockwise before finding it wouldn't lift your car?
Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty...:lol_hitti

You laugh, but I seriously was thinking my arthritis in my hands was the problem at first. :D Yea, I kept cranking on that handle.
 

dogdog

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Nov 15, 2011
Messages
12,711
they have the low profile jacks under different names... the old low profile 2 ton was great but still too heavy to lug around long driveways..

Not sure if you are adventurous enough to to tare it apart for rebuild.. it's simple, just don't lose your balls... those check valve balls that is...
 

jimkinney

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Jan 3, 2009
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299
Location
Florida's Space Coast
Probably not the same jack, but my HF Long frame jack has a rubber piston cup in the pump that dies periodically. It looks just like a drum brake wheel cylinder cup, with a hole in the middle of it.

I took the piston and found a replacement from a 97 Blazer, punched a hole in it and it lasts years longer than the orginal. It's an easy repair, pull the handle, and unscrew the cap on the pump. Top off the fluid when finished.

Hope yours is as easy a fix.
 

Professional Tool User

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Apr 9, 2018
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Location
BC
I have a hard time understanding how the Daytona low profile jack wouldn't fit. It's supposed to be their top of the line model.
 

Sparkynutz

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Jul 16, 2017
Messages
409
Location
Wisconsin
try the long reach low profile jack. best jack for the money I've seen. I have two so I can jack up both sides without moving them.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Old Man Roger

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Apr 6, 2017
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17,439
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Palm Coast Florida
If it's the one with the foot pump and the knob on top of the handle, they sometimes get stuck open if they sit for a long time.

Met a guy who had about 20 of them at a garage sale, he had a deal with the manager to buy all the returns. He said they get returned all the time and all he does is turn the knob with a pair of channel locks. I bought 2 for 20 bucks each.
 
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ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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Lake Wateree, SC
try the long reach low profile jack. best jack for the money I've seen. I have two so I can jack up both sides without moving them.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

So today I stopped on the way home to grab a new jack. Plan was to get the same one I had, until I saw the long reach low profile Daytona #64785. So I grabbed the little ticket off the card tie wrapped to the handle. At the cash register they tell me they are out of stock, and the other two stores nearby are also out of stock.
OK, I’ll wait and get it next week. Kept the little ticket so I have the number handy. Get home, pull up the website and something isn’t right. My ticket I’m holding has 64783 on it. Call the store back and ask if they have the 64785 in stock. “Yea, we got one.”
So I jump back in the car, drive the 6 miles for them to tell me they cannot find it. And then I discover the confusion, and what a **** show. They had all the damned cards for the jacks with the pull tickets on the wrong jacks. :lol_hitti
I actually walked the cashier and manager on duty through their screwed up sales display. “Oh ****. You right!”
But still no jack for me. :( Hopefully one will show up on the truck soon. But yea, I’m getting the low profile extended reach Daytona, not the old Pittsburgh like I had. They are clearing those out. Planning on getting the extended warranty, so I feel better knowing a same type replacement will be there if I need it.

Anyone know if I have one shipped to my home, can it be exchanged at a local store if it has issues?
 
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ScottsGT

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Lake Wateree, SC
If the original Daytona won't fit under your car; your car is too low.

LOL! No, just right. :bounce:
ItBV1r.jpg
 
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kctyphoon

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Jun 9, 2014
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9,102
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Jersey/Staten Island
I have the gray Pittsburgh low profile long reach jack. It's a 2 ton model. Love the thing. It's strong enough to flift my f350 diesel dually on the rare occasions I decide to work on it. I have a plan to get that truck back on the road this yr.. been saying that for the last 4 years..

But anyway - great jack. You could prob find a video on replacing the seals inside, but I often use things like that as a good excuse to buy a new toy.
 

Showkey

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Aug 9, 2014
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Wausau WI
Since when did 5 years of service become a reasonable standard for a jack ?????

Regardless of brand...........20 years seems more reasonable.
I have Hein Warner passing 40 years.......never rebuilt.
 
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ScottsGT

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Jan 1, 2014
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4,883
Location
Lake Wateree, SC
Since when did 5 years of service become a reasonable standard for a jack ?????

Regardless of brand...........20 years seems more reasonable.
I have Hein Warner passing 40 years.......never rebuilt.

My first jack I ever bought was off a Mac Tools truck. It lasted me at least 20 years. Maybe 25. When it died, I took it to a local jack shop. Guy told me to toss it, it was a cheap Chinese jack, it wan't worth rebuilding.
I guess he told that one to too many people because he went out of business a couple of years later. I would have paid him to rebuild it, he just didn't seem to want the work. I guess he was too close to retirement. :lol_hitti

But every jack I have bought since, I have gotten around 5 years life out of them. Hell, I bought an "American Forge" from Summit Racing that would not hold a car up. Jack it up, and you could slowly watch it come down. I was going to return it as soon as it showed up, but I figured I could use this flaw to my advantage.

My boys were at the age where they were learning to work on cars. Safety was #1 and I stressed using jack stands like breathing air. Well, if they know the jack is going to slowly lower the car on them if they don't use them, they will use them! It worked. :bounce:
My boys are almost afraid to get under a car when using stands. They have a healthy respect for the safety aspect of it all.
 

6PTsocket

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Mar 12, 2014
Messages
4,593
My 2 ton Hein Werner is going strong, too, after a LOT of years. Never touched it. I also have Ajax (Walker) from the late 60's that I rebuilt a couple of times and is still kickin'. Then again I shave with a double edge Gillette razor that has a 1964 date code on it and we have an old Oster blender, probably also from the 60's, that won't die. They really do make **** today.

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BikeRider

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Jul 31, 2018
Messages
468
Location
Queens, NYC
My first jack I ever bought was off a Mac Tools truck. It lasted me at least 20 years. Maybe 25. When it died, I took it to a local jack shop. Guy told me to toss it, it was a cheap Chinese jack, it wan't worth rebuilding.
I guess he told that one to too many people because he went out of business a couple of years later. I would have paid him to rebuild it, he just didn't seem to want the work. I guess he was too close to retirement. :lol_hitti

But every jack I have bought since, I have gotten around 5 years life out of them. Hell, I bought an "American Forge" from Summit Racing that would not hold a car up. Jack it up, and you could slowly watch it come down. I was going to return it as soon as it showed up, but I figured I could use this flaw to my advantage.

My boys were at the age where they were learning to work on cars. Safety was #1 and I stressed using jack stands like breathing air. Well, if they know the jack is going to slowly lower the car on them if they don't use them, they will use them! It worked. :bounce:
My boys are almost afraid to get under a car when using stands. They have a healthy respect for the safety aspect of it all.

I recently bought a cheap Craftsman jack on sale for $40. It's worked well so far for what I paid for it. My only real complaint is that it takes 20-25 pumps to get the car up, but I don't need to do it often enough that this is a major issue for me. I don't expect it to last for years but if it last 5 I'll be happy.

At some point I'll want a better one anyway, that lifts higher (it maxes out at around 15"), requires fewer pumps and is better-made. The two main reasons I got it was because I couldn't justify paying a lot more for a better jack, and better jacks weigh at least double its 30lbs, and not having a garage nor being a bodybuilder that's a serious factor for me.

Plus, moving up from scissor jacks it was a huge improvement for me.

Btw I too am leery of getting under a car supported by jack stands, even good ones placed where they're supposed to be placed. Having that much vehicle right over me is not something I feel comfortable with. Sooner or later I'll have to get over that as intellectually I know I'm safe, especially if I have backups like wheels and jacks just in case. But I'm new to working on cars.
 
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LXCam

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Apr 23, 2013
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Location
AZ
HF jack will be greatly missed, May he rest in piece........s



:)
 
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