[Pauljp]

You may remember the hydraulic jack that I use in my motorcycle videos.
My wife picked it up from Canadian Tire in 2012 to use on my Triumph and I have also been using it on my larger Victory.
One of the things that it always did was bounce while lowering. The motorcycle would shake and I would have to delicately use the foot pedal to lower it very slowly so it would not do this.
Well the other week I was going to use the jack and to my surprise it would no longer lift the bike up.
I checked the usual things but it just wasn't working.
I took the bottle jack off the frame and decided to change the oil and bleed it.
You can see in the picture the difference from the old oil on the left compared to the new oil on the right.
I reinstalled the jack onto the frame and it was now able to lift the bike easily. I also noticed that it was a lot smoother to lower. No more shaking. It was beautiful. This is the way it should have always been.
I don't know if it was caused by air bubbles or cheap oil from the manufacturer, but maybe if your jack does this it could be a simple matter of changing the oil.
I just wanted to pass on my findings and perhaps it will help someone and hopefully save you some money.
.

 

[PDXLaserGazer]

Thanks. Mine is Craftsman, bought it this past spring. It's a little bit shaky coming down but not too terrible. A friend had the harbor freight model and he's nearly dropped his YamaHardly bike several times, partially from this bouncing and partially the poor design and that to lower it slowly you have to jam your foot down on the release, where it passes the halfway mark, or the "full down speed" spot which goes super fast, it is always a tense moment. I think I'll change my oil this winter before I rip it apart to do long-overdue fork oil and brake fluid maintenance and replace the wheel bearings.

 

[vision_nut]

Paul
you can use American oil in Canada.

 

[Pauljp]

Paul
you can use American oil in Canada.

We used to until Trump took it off the Free Trade Agreement :rofl3:

 

[IM12STPN]

Victory oil kit.....4 qts and pint....$30...might still have some :rofl3:

 

[Pauljp]

Victory oil kit.....4 qts and pint....$30...might still have some :rofl3:

It's a great time to be an American. I may have to move.
This is what we have to pay on the Canadian Amazon site.
I also see it available at $389
I wonder if it's the same "Rollin" that we have on this site.
.

 

[IM12STPN]

It's a great time to be an American. I may have to move.
This is what we have to pay on the Canadian Amazon site.
I also see it available at $389
I wonder if it's the same "Rollin" that we have on this site.
.
View attachment 384545

Damn...maybe with that exchange I should head to Winsor casino

 

[PAF]

You may remember the hydraulic jack that I use in my motorcycle videos.
My wife picked it up from Canadian Tire in 2012 to use on my Triumph and I have also been using it on my larger Victory.
One of the things that it always did was bounce while lowering. The motorcycle would shake and I would have to delicately use the foot pedal to lower it very slowly so it would not do this.
Well the other week I was going to use the jack and to my surprise it would no longer lift the bike up.
I checked the usual things but it just wasn't working.
I took the bottle jack off the frame and decided to change the oil and bleed it.
You can see in the picture the difference from the old oil on the left compared to the new oil on the right.
I reinstalled the jack onto the frame and it was now able to lift the bike easily. I also noticed that it was a lot smoother to lower. No more shaking. It was beautiful. This is the way it should have always been.
I don't know if it was caused by air bubbles or cheap oil from the manufacturer, but maybe if your jack does this it could be a simple matter of changing the oil.
I just wanted to pass on my findings and perhaps it will help someone and hopefully save you some money.
.
View attachment 384057

Wow! Do you suppose the old oil was that dark when they charged the jack? If not, how did it get that dark? I would be concerned that something is going on inside the jack to cause the oil to get that dark. Perhaps seal deterioration or some sort of metal wear. Might want to check the new oil color after a time of use.

I have a J&S Jack and it has an infinite lowering speed capability set by the relief valve opening. Absolutely no vibration when lowering the bike at any rate. I will check the oil if I notice any change in operation.

Thank you again for this post.

 

[primethious]

Thanks Paul for the insight about hydraulic oil. Never changed it ever,but I will now.
I recently changed my compressor oil and it was gross.