Was dead set against replacing my floor jack until a near miss at the shop

I've been using the same old Craftsman floor jack for like 15 years, figured it was fine for basic body work. Last Tuesday I had a 2015 F-150 up on it and the jack started slowly sinking while I was under the rocker panel. Scrambled out and threw my jack stands under just in time, the whole thing dropped maybe 4 inches in 20 seconds. Took it apart that night and the seals were completely gone, just crumbled rubber inside. Picked up a Daytona 3-ton from Harbor Freight the next morning and the difference is night and day, lifts smooth and holds steady. Anyone else hold onto old jacks way too long or am I the only one who learned this the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden_butler2727d ago

Man that "slowly sinking" part gave me chills because I had almost the same thing happen with an old Blackhawk jack my dad gave me. I was swapping brakes on my Silverado and noticed the handle was creeping up while the truck was in the air, didn't think much of it until I got under there and saw the jack was basically at its lowest point already with the truck still up. Threw stands under it and the jack just bled down all the way in about 30 seconds. Went and bought a new Arcan 3.5 ton from Northern Tool and now I won't even use a jack without checking it first, old seals just turn to dust after enough years no matter what brand they are.

henry60427d ago

Did you see that YouTube video where a guy tested 20 year old jacks? Scary stuff.