Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks - Hydraulic jacks,,,,,

Hydraulic jacks,,,,,

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Topic: Hydraulic jacks,,,,,

Posted By: desertjoe
Subject: Hydraulic jacks,,,,,
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 7:49am

Good Morning Gents,,,Of a sudden,,,I got two hydraulic jacks that started to "Leak Down" kinda mysteriously,,,,The first is the 30 ton bottle jack that I installed on the BIG cherry picker I restored several months ago. It was new when I installed it on the engine puller,,,? I was using it when it started to leak down very slowly but still,,,,? The other is a small 5 ton on the motor cycle and lawn mower lift. Neither had external leaks. I took the small one apart, thinking maybe the seal on the ram might be bypassing, but the inside looked like new, altho the fluid was very dark. The two steelie balls were present and their seats looked good,,,,?

I cleaned it all out, re-assembled and filled with new hydraulic jack oil, and tried it again and,,,,still is leaking down very slow,,,,,???

Any thoughts,,,?

Replies:

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 8:12am

It is normally the BALL and seat... Dont take a very big scratch or piece of dirt on the seat to get a small DRIP past it every minute or so.. They dont hold a lot of oil so a few drops makes a big difference... Sometimes you can set the ball on the seat and SMACK it with a brass punch and hammer... If there is ANYTHING seen on the ball, you can sometimes replace with one from the hardware store or from an old ball bearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhrBeGkYow" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhrBeGkYow

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: ekjdm14
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 8:17am

Edited to add-: if it's not the check ball as per Steve(ill)

I've noticed on the cheaper units the release (NOT relief) valves have a tendency to deform on the tip & start to leak by a little unless I nip them up more firmly than I'd like to.

I do try to be "easy" on them for a couple of reasons, mainly to try not to damage them in the first instance but also allows for easier control/less jerky on bringing them down if I've only finger-tightened it. If you screw it down a little tighter than normal and it seems to help then I guess there's the issue.

Also, if it is the problem it's worth noting that "re-seating" by overtightening a couple of times doesn't seem to work like it does if one was to tap a float needle into it's seat. I just have to nip them up and be super careful on letting them down.