OT: problem with floor jack

I have a 3.5 ton floor jack that I think was like $99. It's about 5 years old. It worked great when I first got it, but within a year, it had gotten where I can no longer smoothly lower the jack when it has a load on it. (I can still lower it smoothly if it has no load.) If I jack up a car, and then try to lower it, I start trying to rotate the handle (counter-clockwise) and it doesn't want to rotate. So I have to use both hands, and get all worked up about it, and FINALLY it will turn and the car will drop - kerplunk.

Now, I also have a *really* old and really cheap WalMart floor jack, like 1 ton, that is old as the hills but I can lower it as smooth as silk regardless of the load.

Any idea what would cause the jack to not lower smoothly?

Thanks, John

Reply to
John Vannoy
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Does your handle bolt on to the jack? On one of mine the bolt will tighten up on the handle making it hard to turn. The bolt actually threads into the socket in the jack, but the tip of it goes into a groove on the handle to keep the handle from pulling out. The bolt on mine will bottom out in the groove and make it hard to turn the handle to let the jack down.

MadDAWG

Reply to
MadDAWG

Have you oiled it in the 5 years you've had it? StuK

Reply to
Stuart&Janet

Oil the bolt that the handle drives. Instead of using your hands, take a pair of channel lock or vise grip pliers, grasp the handle with the teeth of the pliers with the handle at 90 degrees (a lever arm), and turn the pliers from the end slowly. You now have more torque and you can go slowly to control the speed of descent.

Reply to
John

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