Sears floor jack that has held up well

[wazzabie]

Does anyone have this sears floor jack? It has been a great floor jack without any problems. Never have needed to add any jack fluid to it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

That's a youngster ! I have a green one from the 1970s !!

 

[Ed in Virginia]

That's a youngster ! I have a green one from the 1970s !!

Yep, I bought this one around 1977 and still use it today. Have never had an issue with it.

 

[wazzabie]

Yep, I bought this one around 1977 and still use it today. Have never had an issue with it.

Only 1 1/2 tons. It looks like the grey 3 ton. I wonder why the lower load rating.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

Only 1 1/2 tons. It looks like the grey 3 ton. I wonder why the lower load rating.

No clue, but I also have a newer 3-ton jack in the shop. The Craftsman jack has lifted one corner of my Suburban and other stuff with no issues over the years, however.

 

[Roberts210]

I rebuilt a green 1970's Sear jack a few years ago. They are great jacks. Made in Japan as I recall.

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

One of my relatives has one of those green jacks in his scrap bin, considering picking it up next time i'm over there, seems like you guys like them.
-Tommy

 

[Indexmill]

Yes, the green ones from years ago are made in Japan. Very high quality. Rebuild them; don't scrap them!

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

Can anyone post a link to a rebuild kit.
-Tommy

 

[sz0k30]

I've had my green one probably close to 50 years, never did any maintenance on it and it still works great!

Those jacks were from a time when "Craftsman" was a name to be proud of and stood for quality.

 

[Ran58]

I have that same Sears floor jack that belonged to my father. We had it rebuilt in the 90’s and it works well but every since then the white handle will not go up beyond a out 45 degrees.

Prior to the rebuild the handle would go up to about 90 degrees perpendicular to the floor. This is kind of annoying because it takes up more room to store the jack. Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

thanks

 

[wazzabie]

Does anyone have this sears floor jack? It has been a great floor jack without any problems. Never have needed to add any jack fluid to it.

This jack has the Sears logo used from 1984-1994.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I've had my green one probably close to 50 years, never did any maintenance on it and it still works great!

The green ones used the Sears label, not Craftsman, because the were sold in the automotive department, not hardware.

Take the outer mechanisms apart, clean and lube and it will work like new !

 

[Roberts210]

I just went up to my shop and looked at mine. I can't see anything in normal operation that would cause that. Maybe the handle is installed incorrectly. I suggest you remove the handle and reinstall it.

I have that same Sears floor jack that belonged to my father. We had it rebuilt in the 90’s and it works well but every since then the white handle will not go up beyond a out 45 degrees.

Prior to the rebuild the handle would go up to about 90 degrees perpendicular to the floor. This is kind of annoying because it takes up more room to store the jack. Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

thank

 

[Ran58]

I just went up to my shop and looked at mine. I can't see anything in normal operation that would cause that. Maybe the handle is installed incorrectly. I suggest you remove the handle and reinstall it.

Thanks Robert, I’ve looked at it before and couldn’t see why it wouldn’t go up.

 

[JRC3]

I have a well used one. I flipped it sideways once to try and remove a hitch and got air in the wrong place or something. I don't recall exactly what I did but I got it bled and added fluid.




But sometimes the old Sears isn't quite tall enough so I keep thinking of buying a new Daytona low profile rapid pump but I don't use a jack too much having a mid-lift.

 

[sdowney717]

I have that identical looking jack, but it is not a Sears jack.

Allied Model 45426 bought at Sam's club in the mid 90's.





It is dumb they put the grease fitting off to the side, grease shows up on one side of shaft, not the other, but they knew that. I was thinking maybe a US Patent design issue. Can not infringe on a patent without paying.
I drilled a hole in the front saddle pivot and put in a grease fitting. That has a center rod in a welded bushing. Now it is greaseable. The jack goes up effortlessly. It is a well made jack.

 

[sdowney717]

Here is how I finally fixed the dumb hex handle design, I turned it into a slot and pin for the relief valve.

My Allied Floor Jack Handle Hex drive fix, use a nail and grind a slot on a 45426

First time fix, I brazed the end and filed to fit the hex in the handle end. Worked a few years, then got loose again, could not open or close the valve. This time I used a galvanized nail as a pin and ground a slot. Drilled the handle end. Drove in the nail. Cut smooth with a dremel. The...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[JRC3]

I have that identical looking jack, but it is not a Sears jack.

Allied Model 45426 bought at Sam's club in the mid 90's.

Are you insinuating maybe Sears didn't manufacture their own products? LOL

 

[whateg01]

I have that same Sears floor jack that belonged to my father. We had it rebuilt in the 90’s and it works well but every since then the white handle will not go up beyond a out 45 degrees.

Prior to the rebuild the handle would go up to about 90 degrees perpendicular to the floor. This is kind of annoying because it takes up more room to store the jack. Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

thanks

I'd suspect air in the system. Need to bleed it.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

I have that same Sears floor jack that belonged to my father. We had it rebuilt in the 90’s and it works well but every since then the white handle will not go up beyond a out 45 degrees.

Prior to the rebuild the handle would go up to about 90 degrees perpendicular to the floor. This is kind of annoying because it takes up more room to store the jack. Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

thanks

Here's the owner's manual with the parts breakdown and a couple of close-ups of mine. Hope this helps you solve it because this is a great jack.

 

[sdowney717]

I have that same Sears floor jack that belonged to my father. We had it rebuilt in the 90’s and it works well but every since then the white handle will not go up beyond a out 45 degrees.

Prior to the rebuild the handle would go up to about 90 degrees perpendicular to the floor. This is kind of annoying because it takes up more room to store the jack. Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

thanks

Make sure jack lift arm is all the way down.
Remove the handle from the lower part, it is one bolt, then remove the 2 big side bolts for the cast iron lower handle lever thing with the spring return that is supposed to lift up the handle. Slip it out from the jack frame. Then you can see why it is hanging up. Take a photo of it all together so you can refer to it when putting it back together. Be careful you don't pull out the piston plunger or oil may come out.

It's really a simple design. The flat cut in the piston plunger rod which pushes the plunger down is supposed to face down and also grease all the parts. The piston plunger also faces so it's opening faces to the rear.


When putting the big bolts back in, put the left bolt in first. Then the big bolt with handle return spring second. I find I have to push on the spring perhaps with a hammer handle end to help line up the bolt threads.

 

[sdowney717]

This green pictured one shows piston plunger U facing the wrong way from mine.
It may work that way, but it is harder to put together facing that way.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

This green pictured one shows piston plunger U facing the wrong way from mine.
It may work that way, but it is harder to put together facing that way.

This is how it came from Sears when I bought it new in '77 and has never been apart. I still regularly use it to this day. In addition to typical wheel service use, I'll bet I've dropped more than 50 VW engines with it over the years.

 

[sdowney717]

This is how it came from Sears when I bought it new in '77 and has never been apart. I still regularly use it to this day. In addition to typical wheel service use, I'll bet I've dropped more than 50 VW engines with it over the years.

I found when repairing jacks like this, I was more likely to accidently pull the plunger out of the bore hole setting it like in your green jack.

 

[Ran58]

Thanks sdowney and edinvirginia. A wealth of information on this site. I’m going to look at my jack again next week and see if I can figure it out.

 

[Hiball]

Does anyone know what the cause may be for the jack handle to not go back up like it used to.

Whomever reinstalled the pump piston has it backwards and it’s bottoming out, this is preventing your handle from sitting forward of 90 degrees.

This green pictured one shows piston plunger U facing the wrong way from mine.
It may work that way, but it is harder to put together facing that way.

That is the correct orientation .

 

[sdowney717]

Whomever reinstalled the pump piston has it backwards and it’s bottoming out, this is preventing your handle from sitting forward of 90 degrees.

That is the correct orientation .

Interesting as both my jacks have the plunger piston with the open U facing to the rear and the handles go all the way up. I could see a handle not going up all the way if the rod that fits in there then hits the back of the U, maybe different U lengths are made.

 

[Ed in Virginia]

Interesting as both my jacks have the plunger piston with the open U facing to the rear and the handles go all the way up. I could see a handle not going up all the way if the rod that fits in there then hits the back of the U, maybe different U lengths are made.

Mine has the "U" facing to the front and my handle goes from 0 to 90 degrees with no issues. As I said, mine came new out of the box with it facing that direction. My jack has never been disassembled so it was clearly manufactured that way.

 

[RAYJAY]

have this one from the mid/ late 70,s i think ant can date better let me know. do want to repaint any have a color match close?

 

[Ran58]

Can I ask another question about floor jacks. The Sears jack that I asked about earlier does not lift easily. I was under the impression (and I could be wrong) that a floor jack should lift a load fairly easily. But my fathers jack takes a pretty good bit of downforce when you are lifting something heavy, like the front end of a car. Does this indicate a problem with the jack?

if you try to lift something heavier than what a jack is rated for does it damage the jack? For example, if you have a 1 1/2 ton jack and you try to lift something that weight 2 tons, does this damage the jack?

thanks

 

[paulsomlo]

have this one from the mid/ late 70,s i think ant can date better let me know. do want to repaint any have a color match close?

That's a Blackhawk SJ2 with a Sears label on it.

 

[sdowney717]

Mine has the "U" facing to the front and my handle goes from 0 to 90 degrees with no issues. As I said, mine came new out of the box with it facing that direction. My jack has never been disassembled so it was clearly manufactured that way.

yeah, I believe it. I looked at both my jacks and it can fit either way and wont affect the handle going upright. Maybe some U's are shorter and will do that.

 

[RalphInCA]

I have had that one since the early 80s. Mine needs bleeding. Anyone have the instructions?

 

[Ed in Virginia]

if you try to lift something heavier than what a jack is rated for does it damage the jack? For example, if you have a 1 1/2 ton jack and you try to lift something that weight 2 tons, does this damage the jack?

Not if the relief valve is properly set. That's what its purpose is. You can see where it is in the manual that I posted above.

 

[wazzabie]

Sears 4 ton floor jack still in the crate

 

[JRC3]

lol

 

[potatobeetle]

I have a similar jack. The internal components differ from the sears 328 diagrams that I have been able to find. The two plastic gaskets for the tank are not included in sears seal kits that I have found. No tags or model numbers engraved on the unit. Does anyone have an idea about make/model? Thanks in advance!

 

[AC-WC]

Can anyone post a link to a rebuild kit.
-Tommy

I bought this one on Ebay but it's no longer available from this seller. The 328 series should get you close. It fits several versions of the jack.

 

[potatobeetle]

Great thanks!