I discovered during my Honda clutch replacement this weekend that my ~15 year old Craftsman floor jack has failed. It won't hold in the upper half of its reach. I checked the fluid level and even replaced the top rubber O-ring on the plunger. No improvement. I'm happy to see that there's a rebuild kit for my jack (50145) for $30. I'm willing to take the chance to rebuild it versus $200-300 for another imported floor jack.

Should I tear down the power unit and inspect for rust or unusual wear on the piston/ram?

https://www.hcrcnow.com/shop/s...sears-craftsman/9289

Otherwise, I'll refer to a SigForum thread from a year ago about floor jack recommendations.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

I wouldn't bother rebuilding it. It sounds like an internal check valve is bad. Generally they fail because the ram gets micro corrosion on it and tears things up (seals etc.).

And I wouldn't buy a $200 jack. We use the <$100 Harbor Freight jacks at our tire store and pitch them when they fail. And they are lasting as long as the "professional use" jacks did when they went to Chinese cylinders.

My 1960s-1970s Ajax 1.5 ton floor jack had the same issue (it would lift far more). I did not have the tools to fix it and a guy 100+ miles away drove up from Rehoboth Beach to buy it for $50.

Wish I threw it in the basement because now, ten years later, I would have figured out how to repair it, and I'd be using it on my truck.

The kit was $50 or a shop rebuild would have been $250 or so. A new one was $425, I think.

Look around for an older used Walker or Lincoln to rebuild.
If buying new, Hein Werner is today's closest thing.

This is a good link for basic info.

https://www.floorjackshop.com/...cks-made-in-the-usa/

I bought a great jack at Costco for about $100. It is about 5 years old now and still works great.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I wouldn't bother rebuilding it. It sounds like an internal check valve is bad. Generally they fail because the ram gets micro corrosion on it and tears things up (seals etc.).

I’m glad to hear that, every floor jack I’ve ever had goes bad. I need a new one but I despise HF, everything I’ve bought there fails. I’ll pick up one of theirs and buy the warranty.

I have a Sears 3 ton jack that is about 20 years old. It quit working and I checked the fluid level. It was ok. Then I drained out the old fluid and refilled it with new and it has worked for the last 3 years. It might be worth a try. You may not get the same results.

Mine serviced a foreign car shop - think 4500 pound Mercedes, day in, day out - for 40 years before I bought it for $35 at the guy's retirement.

The old ones give a lot of pleasure in ownership and use.

http://theserviceco.net

Repairing hydraulic floor jacks focusing on the walker brand of jacks including lincoln, hein werner, ajax, napa and snap on.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
Mine serviced a foreign car shop - think 4500 pound Mercedes, day in, day out - for 40 years before I bought it for $35 at the guy's retirement.

The old ones give a lot of pleasure in ownership and use.

http://theserviceco.net

Repairing hydraulic floor jacks focusing on the walker brand of jacks including lincoln, hein werner, ajax, napa and snap on.

Have you used them personally? My dad has an old Montgomery Wards jack that is made by H-W that has never stopped leaking after it was "rebuilt" twice by a shop in Chicago. I'd like to help him route the pump to someone reliable to have it done right.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: M1Garandy,

Timely thread as I was using my Craftsman floor jack on Saturday and it started leaking fluid. It's only about 4 years old but still not the same Craftsman quality it used to be.

Might just end up going with a HF one. This one is heavy and bulky.

If you have one of the old, very heavy 90# CRAFTSMAN floor jacks, they are worth rebuilding. The link below is an excellent source for finding parts for many of the SEAR'S jacks as SEAR'S will probably tell you the parts are no longer available. They handle heavy duty commercial grade jacks (expensive) which will last a lifetime. And they have repair parts if/when you need them.

http://www.blackhawkparts.com/

I personally would not buy a jack from CHINA FREIGHT but that's a personal choice. I've bought to many items from them with inferior soft fasteners which failed in short time. Hydraulics are critical in a floor jack. Finding replacement parts may be even harder than from SEAR'S.

If it's made in the USA rebuild it. You just can't buy a good floor jack anymore. Even Snap-On is made in China now.
And I don't agree with if it's got a warranty I will just return it. When I am doing a job it just has to work, failing in the middle of my job is not a option. If it fails, I would have been just as good off to start my job without it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Joe123:
If it's made in the USA rebuild it. You just can't buy a good floor jack anymore. Even Snap-On is made in China now.
Good luck on getting made in usa repair parts. As soon as you put in chinese parts it's a chinese jack. Much like the later models of blackhawk jacks.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe123:
If it's made in the USA rebuild it. You just can't buy a good floor jack anymore. Even Snap-On is made in China now.
And I don't agree with if it's got a warranty I will just return it. When I am doing a job it just has to work, failing in the middle of my job is not a option. If it fails, I would have been just as good off to start my job without it.

They are cheap enough to have spares. We have more jacks out than we typically use at one time. And we have one or two NIB to break out when needed.

Toss it and buy a throw away...the wave of the future. We are living in some sad times.

quote:

Originally posted by M1Garandy:
Have you used them personally?

No, but they are in Troy, Missouri. Bet they do an outstanding job on the refurbishment.

There is an industrial area near my house with an old-school repair shop. I would have used them (I did buy a universal joint off them, the only part mine needed until the seal went). My need for a jack evaporated for a time, and I let mine go.

+1 on the harbor freight jack, I have one and it’s better than I thought it would be. Can’t go wrong for the price. And I usually stay away from HF stuff

I have a Sears 3 ton that I bought back in '77. Still sort of works- gotta jump on it to lower it the last couple of inches to get it out from under the car. Otherwise still works. Always use a tripod support under the car after a lift.

Well, my three options appear to be:

1) rebuild kit for $40
2) replace with a new, Chinese-made aluminum floor jack with a life expectancy of 5-20 years and cost of $100-250
3) or save for a Made-in-the USA version for $500-600.

With two kids in college, I'm angling for option #2.