[AT] Neat jack idea

[Francis Robinson]

> Was that an original or a cheap Harbor Freight knock off?  They are the
> dangerous ones.  I've been using them for around 40 years and never had a
> pin slip.  I've used two of them together and have lifted ungodly weight
> and  both still have the original wood handles, although I have sheared
> linkage  pins.
> I go nowhere with out one.
> (also never without the good old WD for lube)
> Dave
>


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	Hardly a knock-off, it is a "Hi-Lift". The model with all cast iron parts 
and no stamped steel parts. We have had it for a long time.
<http://www.hi-lift.com/>
	As you can see from the other responses our experience is hardly unique. 
It has held up well and for the type of tool it is it serves well. As I 
said before I would not tell anyone to not use one, just don't turn your 
back on it.   :-)   And don't place anything you might want to use again 
between the jack post and the heavy steel pipe handle...
	You are quite correct about the WD-40. There should be a can bracket right 
on the jack. It makes all the difference.
	We bought a rebuild kit for ours and I will rebuild it but all it really 
needed was new cross pins at the back of the pins that go through the holes 
in the jack. The cross pins have worn a bit and have also become slightly 
curved over time. They only affect the raising of the jack and had nothing 
to do with the failure of the larger pin to hold. That failure was due to 
drag (normally eliminated by fresh WD-40) and maybe a weakening of the 
rather light springs that engage the pins.
	Again, I say its OK to buy them and to use them. Just use a "LOT" more 
caution than you would apply to the use of a Nerf-ball.   :-)



--
"farmer"


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
Robinson at svs.net