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Quick and Easy Maintenance Tips to Prolong Your Truck Jack’s Life

A truck jack is a mechanical device that is used to lift heavy-duty armored trucks and military-grade vehicles, among other types of trucks and heavy vehicles. Heavy duty truck jacks are specially designed to bear these loads that ordinary automotive jacks traditionally cannot.

Apart from providing superior lifting solutions and Designed for heavy-duty lifting of vehicles, including trucks and armored cars. These Jacks also provide additional services like tire and oil changes. The diversity and quality of truck jack benefits you will derive from your equipment depends primarily on two factors. One, its mechanism of operation, meaning whether it is built for singular or multi-purpose use.

Two, whether it is stored and maintained properly with regular checks being implemented. This step is critical for the long-term wellbeing of your heavy-duty truck jack and making it more reliable and durable for you despite on-the-job wear and tear. Miss this crucial step and you have an empty tin can on your hands needing frequent replacement.

That is why we will cover 8 quick and easy maintenance tips to prolong your heavy-duty truck jack’s life in this blog. By following these steps, you can turn your recurrent purchases (of buying new heavy-duty truck jacks and replacing them at regular intervals) into a long-term investment in truck lifting solutions.

Features that Guarantee Prolonged heavy duty Jack Life 

Before we get into the 8 quick and easy maintenance tips to prolong your heavy-duty truck jack’s life, we would like to ensure that you know that these alone are by no means foolproof measures against a jack’s long term on the job wear and tear. 

What kind of heavy duty truck jack you buy?

Meaning the truck jack benefits its features have to offer- matters just as much. So, we will quickly discuss the top features inherent to top performing heavy duty truck jacks that future proofs your investment. 

  1. Load Capacity – The load capacities of heavy-duty truck jacks vary significantly from ordinary ones, owing to the types of vehicles they are designed to lift. So, naturally, it would follow that a heavy-duty truck jack would have a higher load capacity more commensurate to lifting bigger trucks than regular jacks. Using the right jack for the right vehicle is bound to prolong the life of the jack. 
  2. Component Quality – Perhaps the most important feature of an ideal heavy-duty truck jack- whether it is a hydraulic or pneumatic- is the quality of its component parts that determine its prolonged performance. Stan Design Inc. is a leading heavy-duty truck jack manufacturer that uses high gloss powder coat paint and zinc plated components that enhance their functionality. 
  3. Build Material – Finally, the material used to build the jack- usually steel- must be of high quality so it can ensure safe and prolonged use of the heavy-duty truck jack. This quality goes a long way in determining whether additional support accessories like chocks or stands would be required in the lifting process. Stan Design Inc. heavy-duty truck jacks are made with high-grade steel that resists corrosion and deterioration. 

Heavy-duty Truck Jacks– 8 Maintenance Tips 

Maintaining your heavy-duty truck jack is no rocket science. Everyone can do it with a little patience and our guide. So, without further ado, here are 8 quick and easy maintenance tips to prolong your heavy-duty truck jack’s life. Happy learning! 

  1. Storing it in a clean and dry place– Heavy-duty truck jacks have various components that must not be exposed to humid or dirty environments. For instance, in hydraulic jacks that run on grease and fluids, stored within, any contact with dirt or external moisture is bound to contaminate it, rendering it useless or potentially harmful even.
  2. Creating a regular inspection checklist– Once the storage is looked after, stick to a robust checklist of items or procedures required to maintain your heavy-duty truck jack. You may begin with setting up a maintenance routine which will help you compartmentalize your time and organize your chores accordingly. Even though jacks rarely demand any attention, if kept properly, keep an eye out for unusual issues.
  3. Using quality lubricants– High-grade oil, grease, or hydraulic fluid, in the case of hydraulic jacks, must be used for the truck lifting solutions. This reduces unnecessary friction which can lead to premature wear and tear within the mechanical and structural components of jacks. Check and refill oil levels accordingly. With pneumatic jacks, check pressure test point locations, flow rates within the system, air motor speeds, etc.
  4. Checking for physical dents– The most visible giveaway sign of a potential malfunction is a physical dent on your jack body or, worse, broken parts. So, keeping a lookout for these on and off your jack, prevents the costs related to repairs from accruing. And of course, it also helps you to get it fixed before it hurts you or someone else.
  5. Cleaning and restoring after every use– Use a damp cloth to clean the dirt after a use, before it settles and gets sticky. Grease tends to attract a lot of dirt because of its texture, leading to rusting and clogging within jack
  6. Troubleshooting burst hoses or valves– Applicable exclusively to pneumatic heavy-duty truck jacks, troubleshooting burst hoses or valves prevents or identifies early excessive air leakage, inadequate pressure levels, loose manual operations, and erratic functioning components. Compressed air is an unstable element in pneumatic systems, so missing this step can cost heavily.
  7. Bleeding hydraulic cylinders– Applicable exclusively to hydraulic heavy-duty truck jacks, this step involves releasing pressure before putting the jack away. Bleed the cylinders regularly before storage. Otherwise, the jack would strain lifting and supporting loads. This also makes the tool more compact and easier to store. Finally, it releases stress on the system that can contribute to the deterioration of various components.

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Jacks Truck Jacks

How to Properly Maintain and Store Your Truck Jacks

Understanding the Importance of Regular Jack Maintenance

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. 

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.

  1. Prevention is cure. That is why choosing the right jack for your vehicle tops our list. If your jack is compatible or 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). 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.

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.

  1. Set up a maintenance routine to keep inspections regular without forgetting about it. Even though jacks rarely demand attention and can be inspected two to three times a year, it’s important to watch for unusual issues and do not hesitate to consult professionals as not all repairs are DIY (do it yourself) friendly. 
  2. 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. 
  3. Use a damp cloth to clean the dirt before it settles and gets sticky. Grease, the numerous 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. 
  4. 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. 
  5. 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, All vehicles that are for sale or being imported into Canada must meet the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. 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. 

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