Hydraulic floor jack, life span?
 

You probably won't be able to justify getting a new jack by wearing out the one you have. You can also drive the car onto 2x6's or similar to get a bit more room, instead of airing up the tires.

WANTING a new jack is reason enough to get one. :)

I have a Chinese jack that I bought in Napa thirty years ago. Works every day, but I think it's time to replace it.

I’ve destroyed a few hydraulic jacks in my career as a barn builder and my experience is they dont die with a bang but a whimper—they get weaker and one day they just fail to do their duty and lift things. Screw jacks are another matter.

I remember my father in law repairing a jack back in the 70s. The jack's seals had failed. He was a machinist, took the jack apart, cut a groove to take an o-ring and put the thing back together. I think the failed seal was leather or something.

Regardless, I have a jack that's been working since at least 1984. They were much more expensive especially when measured relative to wages. I think that one was $200 or 300 back then which was represented week of work.

As has already been said, hydraulic jacks last a *VERY* long time. Your clue that they need attention is when they fail to hold up and start sagging. Eventually you'll get to a point where it's a race to pump it up and get the jack stands under the car (NEVER EVER work under a car supported solely by a hydraulic jack!). Usually when that happens it's due to wear in the cylinder seals. Most of them can be rebuilt and back to like-new for decades more use.

Supposedly the yellow Daytona jack at Harbor Freight is selling for $179 and is the same unit that Snap On sells. Im not a fan of Chinese dumped products, but there just isnt a whole lot in the cost effective US made jack arena. Even Hein Warner is now US made but Chinese owned.

If there's something worthwhile at HF, Id say its their jacks. Their little Aluminum ones are pretty awesome if you can keep the wheels from corroding...

I still have my grandpas jack from when he was rebuilding his model A... seriously.

I think it was from the 60’s... still works... weighs a ton.

I mostly use the hardly fright aluminum jacks now... I have a slew of them...

Low profile one, tiny one, huge one... etc... they are cheap, and light, and wrk well...

With seal replacement, nearly forever. We DO like our tools so, go ahead and splurge, the Daytona jack will make your life a lot easier.

There to me on occasion is nothing quite like a large heavy floor jack from long ago. They are still out there. Of course you would not use them for everything today. You just cannot beat the lift they give you. You are pretty much limited to using them on a concrete surface as well.

This theory that you cannot have enough jacks is semi true. I do a few yard sales at the early part of the year. Partialy because I run across people I may not have seen for a long time. Last Saturday there was your typical cheap hydraulic jack and two jack stands for 11.00. So into the trunk they went.

I am not chicken little in life. I just will not get under a car with any part of my body. With the car on jack stands alone. Never have. Something in my mind tells me it is not totally safe. Block the car as well as it only takes a minute or two.

Along with yet another 5 gallon plastic gas jug. I kind of get pissed off at what they normally retail for now. For what they are.

Try bleeding the jack cylinder, sometimes they get air in after a while this being the case on mine - still not perfect but a lot better.

Jacks do last a long time unless they are destroyed by using the wrong type of fluid.


In the old days, people used latex or EPDM O-rings and a vegetable-based fluid.


Later, mineral oils were developed that did not collect water and lasted longer. Mineral oil destroys the old seals. On real old jacks, you would be better off putting Wesson oil or Mazola corn oil in the real old jacks, the seals were compatible.


Any jack made after about 1968 will use Buta-N or Nitrile O-rings and mineral oil. In some you can use non-detergent SAE 30 as long as you don't use it in sub zero temps. Thinner non-detergent oil will work ok in those.
The big issue is cleanliness and sealing. That's why the super old jacks were made with plates on the bottom users can unscrew, clean, re-seal and refill for another 200 years of use!

I have to add oil to my HF jack every year or so, has bad seals from sitting outside it's whole life. But a little bit of ATF each year for faithful operation isn't much to ask for. Can add oil in as little as 5 minutes.

I just rebuilt my early model WALKER 1 1/2 ton c. 1980's ? for more than twice the money what I could have bought a new HF jack with double pump piston.

My youngest son bought one of the huge jacks manufactured back in the 1940/50s. It's a bear to move around but it's still kicking. I think he said he paid 20 bucks for it.

I also have one of the Harbor Freight jacks similar but made with aluminum. You can pick it up with one hand.

I'd be surprised if that old jack quits before me and the HF jack do.