Hot take: those budget hydraulic jacks are a ticking time bomb

I was skeptical of the $200 ones from Amazon but my buddy swore by his, then it blew a seal in a 12-floor building in Cincinnati and dumped hydraulic fluid all over the machine room. Has anyone else had a cheap jack fail on them or am I just paranoid?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.abby1d ago

Wait, youre telling me a cheap jack actually blew a seal in a real working elevator, in a 12 floor building no less, and dumped fluid all over the machine room? That is EXACTLY the kind of nightmare scenario I always pictured with those things. I mean, Ive heard stories about them failing in a shop or on a car but in an actual elevator shaft with people relying on it? That seems like a whole other level of dangerous. Your buddy is SUPER lucky nobody got stuck or hurt, and honestly I wouldnt touch a budget jack for anything that goes up more than a few feet after hearing that.

drewgonzalez1d ago

Fair point, but lifting an 800lb car vs a car with people is a different kind of stress lol.

wesley_adams1d ago

I disagree about them being a "ticking time bomb," my cheap one lasted years without any trouble.