Storing hydraulic floor jack

[Distressed]

Hi, first poster here!

Trying to organize my tiny one car garage for optimum use and realized this was the place to be.

I just bought a new Arcan XL35R floor jack and due to its size was wondering if it was ok to store it vertically or if there was a reason that this would cause damage to the jack.

Should it be stored with the hydraulic on top and cup toward the cement or vice versa?

 

[stricht8]

I don't think that it should be stored vertically. If you have a vehicle stored in there then you can scoot it under the car.

 

[jon1996]

I have 4 Floor jacks to deal with, I take the handles off of them, three of them are quick release handles and one was a bolt, I replaced the bolt with a same size hitch pin and it made it easier, I keep the handles in the corner and the jacks end to end agaist the wall, never know they are there

 

[montecarlo31]

I have 4 Floor jacks to deal with, I take the handles off of them, three of them are quick release handles and one was a bolt, I replaced the bolt with a same size hitch pin and it made it easier, I keep the handles in the corner and the jacks end to end agaist the wall, never know they are there

What he said. I only have two jacks but they are 4 tons each. It's the stands that kill me, I'm always stubbing my toes on the stands arrrrgggg.

 

[D.J.]

I store mine outside and with it raised about 4-5 inches to keep it from leaking jack oil on the sidewalk out front of my house.
________
BIG **** TEEN

 

[Distressed]

No vehicle to store it under, my garage is use for my daily driver and the garage is really tight, no real space to store it horizontally. I would have to put it inside in the foyer closet to store it horizontally and then carry it outside when I need it, but this thing is stupid heavy at 100+ lbs which I why I was hoping to store it in the garage vertically to avoid the multiple hernias

 

[evintho]

I think there was a thread on jack storage not long ago. I just slide mine under a shelving unit and run a bungee lengthwise to contain the handles.

Yeah, I know my shelves are overloaded!

 

[Distressed]

Yup saw the thread which gave me the idea of vertical storage. One of the guys had a picature of two stored vertically, really nice setup.

My association provides and requires the use of garbage bins and yet does not allow them to be stored outside so it need to be in the garage. I had to build my little work bench over the garbage bins, just an example of how small my garage is....

 

[jamesemery728]

Just put it front of your daily driver and drive over it up to the handle and stop a couple inches from touching the handle.

 

[Distressed]

Thought about that too, but when it rains or snow it would drip on the jack. I did not think that would be good for the jack.

 

[stricht8]

Thought about that too, but when it rains or snow it would drip on the jack. I did not think that would be good for the jack.

Was thinking the same thing! That's why it's got to be a project car that you are storing it under. If you live in the sahara or something then I guess it doesn't matter. Of course your main mode of transportation would be a camel.

 

[jamesemery728]

Thought about that too, but when it rains or snow it would drip on the jack. I did not think that would be good for the jack.

Just put a piece of plastic over the jack and it will keep the rain, snow and dirt off the jack.

 

[Distressed]

Just put a piece of plastic over the jack and it will keep the rain, snow and dirt off the jack.

With my luck it’ll melt to the exhaust or some other part of the engine…

 

[premierplayer]

I may be way off, but here goes...

What are we worried about storing the jack vertically? Damaging the seals from the weight of the fluid resting against them? Ok, so the seals have several tons of pressure against them in use right? Don't see how at rest will cause any damage, may even be a benefit keeping them covered with fluid/wet.

Seals shouldn't leak, in either vertical or horizontal position, so that's out. If they leak fix/replace them.

My biggest concern would be mounting/hanging the unit securely, and using caution taking it down to avoid smashing a foot or some other something.

Have kids? Might want to somehow child-proof the mounting to protect the little peeps.

I go with the plastic bag (for protection from the elements) and park over top of it.
At a 100# + I'd prefer to not be huffing it up onto the wall. I'm guessing it's pretty awkward , with no extra handles for the task.

mi dos centavos

 

[Hiball]

I may be way off, but here goes...

What are we worried about storing the jack vertically? Damaging the seals from the weight of the fluid resting against them? Ok, so the seals have several tons of pressure against them in use right? Don't see how at rest will cause any damage, may even be a benefit keeping them covered with fluid/wet.

Seals shouldn't leak, in either vertical or horizontal position, so that's out. If they leak fix/replace them.

My biggest concern about storing a jack in a vertical position would be the chances of allowing air into the valves when the jack is elevated. They werent designed to be in a upright position for this very reason i would suspect. Now.. If you dont mind the possiblility of having to bleed your jack everytime you slushed oil from one end of the resevoir to the pickup port, Knock yourself out. When a jack is in its normal position it maintains oil in the valve bodies, so it ready to use when called upon. When you elevate the jack, you are essentially draining oil out of the valves. So when you do decide to use the jack your very first up strokes are gonna allow oil to purge trapped Air into the valves. My 2 cents.

 

[Distressed]

I was going to store it vertically with the front wheel (by the cup) touching the ground so in reality there would be no real weight on the hooks. Bleeding would not bother me I am willing to put up with that if it saves space.

Thanks for everyone response!!!

Premierplayer, Hiball,
Thank you for the explainations! I was worried about damaging the jack prematurely by storing it vertically but if bleeding is the only thing I would need to worry about then that would be an acceptable trade off.

 

[Scotto]

You have any stairs going from the garage to inside the house?

I have 2 steps to go into the house and I'm planning on cutting a hole out of the side to slide the jack into and under the stairs. Then use some angle iron to reinforce the stairs. I have a 1 car garage too and that's some unused space right there.

 

[Distressed]

Nope no stairs but good idea if I had some.

 

[TheGrooveking]

Nope no stairs but good idea if I had some.

You could still build some stairs, just have them go into the wall, just like the ones the ThreeStooges built when they built that house for their new brides, they had a small staircase coming out of a wall about 5 feet in the air and going to nowhere.

TheGrooveking

 

[kbs2244]

I go with the idea of just parking over it.

If you are worried about a plastic cover melting, use one of the cheap aluminum turkey pans.

 

[headwrench]

no problem storing in the vertical position. pit pal sells vertical storage racks for trailers. done it for years with never a problem. air wont get into a sealed system. store the jack between wall stud, if you have unfinished walls, bend a bracket from flat stock to hold it in & enjoy your extra floor space.

 

[Hiball]

no problem storing in the vertical position. pit pal sells vertical storage racks for trailers. done it for years with never a problem. air wont get into a sealed system. store the jack between wall stud, if you have unfinished walls, bend a bracket from flat stock to hold it in & enjoy your extra floor space.

Not to sound combative, But Hydraulic Jacks whether there sealed or not still have Air in the resevoir. And i stated it is a "possibility" to pump air into the system if the jack is stored with the valve system UP. Now if you was to store you jack with the valve system Down, You would greatly improve your chance of not creating a "air bound" sitsuation. Secondly Most of your quality jacks are not Sealed units as they require breathing to work properly.

 

[stricht8]

I would listen to Hiball as he is our resident jack expert.

 

[headwrench]

no problem hiball. guess i have been lucky. i have a harbor freight aluminum racing jack & have had zero problems. the jack stays stored all week in the trailer, we use it to warm up the racecar then its back to the storage rack until next saturday. im just saying that i have not had any problems. certainly dont want to cause any hard feelings. sorry if i have given any false advise.

 

[Hiball]

no problem hiball. guess i have been lucky. i have a harbor freight aluminum racing jack & have had zero problems. the jack stays stored all week in the trailer, we use it to warm up the racecar then its back to the storage rack until next saturday. im just saying that i have not had any problems. certainly dont want to cause any hard feelings. sorry if i have given any false advise.

No Problems, If a person was to store there jack in the upright position i would recomend Valve/jacking end down to possibly prevent a "Dry" Valve or air locked condition. This very well might be the way your storing them.

 

[Distressed]

I could store it either way, with the hydraulics closer to the ground or the saddle. But since Hiball mentioned that it would be better to store with hydraulic closer to the ground, that’s what I’ll do.

I did notice in some of the threads that Hiball was the resident expert on jacks. I do appreciate the information Hiball. I searched but could never find anything regarding vertical storage. I am sure this will be beneficial to others in situations such as mine.

 

[Distressed]

One last questions Hiball, you mentioned that some jacks 'are not Sealed units as they require breathing to work properly'. Does this mean the jack will leak if stored vertically?

 

[Hiball]

One last questions Hiball, you mentioned that some jacks 'are not Sealed units as they require breathing to work properly'. Does this mean the jack will leak if stored vertically?

Yes, Most of your Walkers/Lincolns and HW use vent plugs instead of solid plugs. If you store these jacks in a manner where the oil level is above the fill plug, It will leak.

 

[Distressed]

Thanks Hiball,
I checked around the hydraulic and everything looks like soild screws but I'll keep an eye out for leaks when I put it on end.

 

[magusiss]

I had started looking some time ago into whether or not a floor jack could be stored upright rather than flat. Think I even came across this forum back then. I had hoped to find manufacture specs or storage suggestions, do's and don'ts Etc. Even the manual that came with the Jack doesn't seem to say, only do it this way and not that way. I don't have a garage. I work out of a van and space is at a premium. So far, for the last year I've been storing my Jack upright against the inner sidewall of the van with the casters at the base using velcro straps to keep it in place. My thinking was, similar to a hydraulic bottle jack, keep the Piston upward. As yet I have had no issues in its use. This is only an account of my experiences and is not intended to be a definitive yes do this. Jack in reference is an inexpensive Harbor Freight 3 ton low profile floor Jack