Trust us when we say this, you do not want to mess with the storage and maintenance of your heavy-duty jacks such as military grade truck jacks. Or, for that matter, even your regular car jacks.
The correct and safe usage of car jacks is an essential and fundamental life skill that every driver should possess. And with the need for usage comes the responsibility of maintaining and storing them correctly.
It is a common perception that heavy-duty jacks or military-grade jacks lose their vigor over time. What does that mean? To solve the problem we need to break it down into small tangible chunks.
Simply put, ‘losing vigor’ in the context of jacks can mean anything from physically breaking down (including malfunction of constituent parts and units) to mechanically shutting off (for instance hydraulic fluids drying up in hydraulic jack systems).
Or, from operating inefficiently (like lifting or lowering slower than it used to) or degrading in quality (due to rust or corrosion) to hindering productivity or becoming unsafe or outdated for continued usage, to name a few among other things.
And well sure, most of these issues are bound to happen over a considerable period of time after sufficient usage, they can still be effectively handled to be postponed by enhancing their longevity simply by storing and maintaining their carefully.
After all, jacks like heavy duty jacks or military grade jacks are essential tools for the maintenance of the long-term operational health of your vehicle, as well as your emergency aid for quick and cheap automotive fixes.
However, it is no rocket science, everyone can do it with a little patience and our guide. Happy learning!
Checklist For Regular Inspections – Common Mistakes to Avoid
The first step to maintain truck jacks properly is to create a robust checklist for regular inspections, as it would not only help you easily avoid common mistakes associated with the process, but also save you time and money in the long run.
Read our comprehensive checklist for avoiding the top 3 mistakes people make while using and maintaining jacks. Feel free to refer to it for getting started.
- Prevention is cure. That is why choosing the right jack for your vehicle tops our list. If your jack is compatible- its weightlifting capacity, its portability and size, its profile, etc.- with your vehicle then it automatically lowers the possibility of injuring itself, your car, or the person wielding it (including yourself).
- Knowing its type. Understanding the method of operation of your jack- that is, whether it is a hydraulic jack or an air bag jack, for instance – will enable you to know where and what to look at for inspecting its health. For instance, hydraulic fluids naturally run out after continued usage, needing refills without which the jacks refuse to function properly. So, keeping it in check can take care of that issue.
- Keeping a lookout for dents or broken parts on and of your jack. This is a clear giveaway that your jack is set to malfunction sooner rather than later and you might want to get it fixed before it hurts you- something most people tend to ignore, ultimately paying dearly for it in times of distress.
5 Easy Steps to Maintain, Clean, and Lubricate your Jack
There is no easy way of putting it but the longevity of jacks- be it heavy duty jacks, military grade jacks, regular bottle or floor jacks, scissor or pit jacks, or any other variant- solely depend on your quality of storage and maintenance.
Also Read: Streamlining Oil Change Operations
So, here are 5 easy steps to maintain, clean, and lubricate your Jack. We will cover their proper storage techniques and ideal storage conditions in the following section before ending this blog.
- Set up a maintenance routine to keep inspections regular without forgetting about it. Even though jacks rarely demand any attention, meaning you can inspect them twice or thrice a year, but please keep an eye out for unusual issues and do not hesitate to consult professionals as not all repairs are DIY (do it yourself) friendly.
- Release pressure before putting away the jack. Bleed the cylinders regularly before storage when the jack seems to strain in lifting and supporting loads. Not only does releasing the pressure make the tool more compact and easier to store, but it also releases stress on the system that can contribute to the deterioration of various components, enhancing its overall performance.
- Use a damp cloth to clean the dirt before it settles and gets sticky. Grease, the numero uno lubricant for most jacks, tends to attract a lot of dirt because of its texture and character. Settled dust and the moisture from the grease can lead to the deterioration, rusting and clogging within mechanical and structural components.
- Use quality oil, grease, or hydraulic fluid to lubricate your jack as and when necessary. This will reduce unnecessary friction which leads to premature wear and tear within the mechanical and structural components of jacks. It is a contributing factor in ensuring the long-term health of your jack. Regularly inspect for oil levels (in hydraulic jacks) and refill it accordingly.
- Keep the cylinders dry and out of water. You should make every effort to ensure that water does not get into the system and mix with oil. In the unfortunate event that the water mixes with oil the floor jack tends to become useless as far as the lifting capacity goes.
Storage – Proper Techniques and Ideal Conditions
Perhaps, the easiest trick to solve in the puzzle of maintaining your precious little tool’s efficacy is the storage.
Just store it in a clean and dry area, away from sunlight or moisture and you are good to go!
This will not only help prevent rusting of essential components, but also save you the pain of losing a fine tool because of the smallest oxidation deterioration as it renders them completely useless.
Also, remember to store your jacks upright to prevent oil leaks, and follow the above instructions carefully and refrain from using low-quality products since they may end up destroying the overall functionality of the jack.