Repair 7

How to Close a Hydraulic Service Jack

Hydraulic jacks come in two basic styles, floor jacks and bottle jacks. Bottle jacks consist of a simple hydraulic ram oriented vertically on a small base with a lifting saddle mounted on top of the ram. Floor jacks are somewhat larger, with a frame that mounts the hydraulic ram horizontally under a lifting arm. Both types of jack operate by applying hand pressure at the handle socket, which produces hydraulic pressure and extends the ram. Release pressure from the ram to close the jack by turning the release screw to bleed off the pressure in the ram.

Instructions

Bottle Jack

1

Remove the handle from the handle socket.

2

Engage the slots in the end of the handle with the studs on the release screw located on the base plate at the bottom of the ram. Slowly rotate the release screw at the bottom of the jack counterclockwise until the jack collapses. Push down on the lifting saddle by hand if the jack will not collapse fully on its own.

3

Rotate the release screw clockwise until the screw bottoms out.

4

Disengage the handle from the release screw.

Floor Jack

5

Slowly rotate the lifting handle counterclockwise until the jack collapses.

6

Push down on the lifting saddle by hand, if the jack will not collapse fully on its own.

7

Rotate the lifting handle clockwise until you feel firm resistance to rotation.