[AT] Hi-Lift Jacks

[ROBBRUT at aol.com]

Farmer,
 
I have owned/used a total of two of the originals and three of the  imports, 
and they all suffered from the same design flaw, which is that the  
small-diameter pins have to be of the hardened variety, since they  are cantilevered so 
far from where they go into the lock pins to where they  rub against their 
camming surfaces that a softer pin or a roll pin won't work  (bends), and the 
hardened ones are brittle (so they are prone to  snapping).
One thing which has worked well for me is to take a die grinder and smooth  
out the rough-cast surfaces that the pins ride on, and also to (in two cases)  
spray a solid film lubricant on the smoothed-out surface.
The dry film was a product called Emralon 333 I think, and required  baking 
at the highest setting on my oven (while wife was out) after spraying it  on, 
so I had to disassemble the jack to do it.
Both worked fantastically and never broke another pin.
I still oiled the whole thing liberally, though.
None of them ever broke, but were lost-strayed-stolen.
I have the last one I'll ever buy (maybe) sitting unmodified by the shop  
door waiting to be "preened" and put into service.
 
-Bruce Thompson