Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

I was messing around at my shop that I am working on when I had this great idea of seeing if one of the 12 underground lifts would come up with air from my little Bosch compressor. Well it did....now how do I get the son of a gun to come down? It has a release valve for the air, tried that. Even took the line apart so there would be no restrictions. It is about 6 foot above the floor and I do not weigh enough to make it budge!

Anyone have any ideas???

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Raise the lift back up and then release the safety locking mechanism that keeps the car from dropping.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Put the heaviest stuff you can find on it. On some of the old ones I've had there were zerk fittings around the post and they would stick when dry.

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No Safety release on these that I can find???

Man, not sure what I can carry up a ladder and put on the post. The head of it is already gone, so it is just a 12" cylinder.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Is it semi hydraulic , full , line may be clogged if air not coming out release valve,unscrew valve and stand baack !!!!!

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Already removed the hydraulic fluid cap... no air or oil came out.

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Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

I wouldn't work on that without putting some type of strong framework underneath it to keep it from plummeting, crushing and smashing everything when it does get resolved.
Seriously, get some 4x4's or 6x6's etc and quickly nail something up together....maybe about 2" below the current lift line.
Or if you have some metal scaffolding components around, etc.
That way if it does suddenly come down it won't travel far....and you can tell in the meantime if you are making progress.

Regardless.....working on a stuck, lifted hoist is a very dangerous game....be very careful on what you are removing or loosening...and be very aware of the deadly damage a large piece of steel can cause when it falls 6ft.
I kid you not....believe me.

Good luck and keep us posted

All good
Coley

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

There is nothing on the lift cylinder...not even the head(arms???). It is just the cylinder coming up from the floor. As for the dangers, I am very careful. I called an ex-mechanic of this shop and he said they are designed to come down with the weight of the car on the lift. Well I don't have a car on the lift, so now I need to come up with something to make it disappear back into the concrete floor.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Better than it disappearing back into the dark, I would love to be able to remove the cylinders and cash them in for scrap!

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LOL...that was my son when I started unscrewing the cap on top of the cylinder!

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Ok....so you have to come up with some weight that will safely act upon that cylinder to get it moving down.
hmmm....cheap and cheerful ideas and just 'how much' weight it needed to push that cylinder back down.

Ok, lets brainstorm.....I would initially try getting 4 guys (2 on either side of the now raised 6ft high cylinder) and a piece of 2" schedule 40 (or better) pipe by about 6 ft long.
That would rest that across the top surface of the 12" cylinder, with approx 2-3 ft per side hanging out... and get the guys to grab the pipe (at about 6ft high in the air...no problem), 2 per side.... and pull down or lift their weight off the floor by hanging on the pipe.
That would give you a working downward weight of anywhere from 600 to 800 lbs depending on how heavy the guys are.
This would be relatively safe because they have initially no where to fall.
....at least it would be a good initial start perhaps.
That said, I'm not sure what the weight is required to make the hoist come down....but that would be close.

...just a quick idea.

Coley

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Here is a picture of the cylinder and what the top looks like....

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Back a truck up to it and wrap a chain around the top of the piston and use a comealong hooked to the truck to ratchet it back down.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

get somebody with a tractor and frontend loader come in there and set the bucket on top of the cylinder and put down force on it....

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

...some good suggestions here....

Coley

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I'm stickin with RUN !

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This has the makings of a good you tube video. ;)

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That it s something I can do by myself! Great idea!

In middle of town...to far for any of my buddies to bring a tractor.

Yes there is!!!

Oh now, ...no pain, no gain 😆

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

..

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

You could stage a protest. Gather a large group of college students, hand them signs that say "Down with the lift cylinder", and have them chant that repeatedly. Got a bull horn?

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Just sayin -
http://gemsres.com/story/jul05/106966/fig1.jpg

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HAH! I love that ^^^. Very rich.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Attach top of cylinder to an engine hoist. Then unbolt the floor flange. Next lift the post out of floor.

The actual cylinder is small. What you're seeing is the post, like a sleeve, around th cylinder. Once that's out then you can go after th cylinder

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Gonna work at getting the flange bolts out. There is one bolt/screw that is different than the rest. It has a hex head and also a slot. You know what it is for? Thought I would ask this time before just taking it out..lol

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You can't do better than the voice of experience. Good luck with the process. I have no experience, so I'll say that screw's purpose is.... never mind, get the "real" answer. You don't need any more "internet" answers :lol:

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Removing that bolt starts the countdown for the auto-destruct sequence.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Appreciate the help of those that know and those that really know :)

I have not removed it yet(waiting on reply from 68C15) to get the OK... so we are all safe for now.

Had I asked before seeing if my little compressor would lift it, I would not be worrying about lowering or removing it ;)

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I did start a tell on yourself thread you know :cool:. I'm going there to confess "an instance" shortly.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Never told the end of this story...

Son stops by(to go eat of course) and I am standing there looking at this tower of metal poking thru my floor. He asks if I have sprayed WD-40 on it....well of course I did. So he is ready to go eat, so I go to wash up. While I am in the bathroom he squirts DAWN dish soap all the way around the cylinder...

We get back from eating and my shiny post is GONE! Dish soap! No pushing, pulling, jumping...nothing, but DISH SOAP!

Who would of ever thought....

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

Like pulling a stuck ring off your finger! We all could have figured that out, but I guess we were stuck on the lack of weight being the cause. That Dawn, she sure is a handy gal. Is it really all that different from all the rest? I'm a big user. I have that next to the Fast Orange hand cleaner at my utility sink and I can't tell you when I last used the orange to wash greasy hands. Dawn does the trick. I keep a short bottle with my paint gear for washing brushes. And any time I touch poison ivy I go wash with it within 20 minutes and no itchy itchy bumps. And now I know it's good for lubing a shaft to slide in a hole better! :eek:

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Just going to say... Dawn may not be OK to use on ALL shafts.

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well, you found the solution before I saw your thread, glad you figured it out..

the friction of the packing and seals in an old hoist that hasn't moved in years is going to be tight..

pressurizing it with air instead of hydraulic fluid furthers the friction without the lubrication of the oil surrounding the packing..

I was looking for some references to post to help you and found this;

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...ad.php?t=45725

PLEASE READ POST #16 before you do anymore experimenting.. and take note of his job title and company..

https://standardus.com/contact_us.html looks to be only a couple of hours from you ;)

my advice would be to locate as much information about the hoist system and call a lift company for assistance..

good luck!

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lol.....point noted.


All good
Coley

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Such as... :confused:

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LOL.... good try, but I AM NOT going there :)

Maybe someone else can type it out for ya ...lol

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Well ok then. I'll just keep wondering. Glad Dawn was able to help. There's magic in them bottles.

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wow! I don't post from my experience or dig up references for recognition but I must say I'm a little stunned..

juvenile banter about lubing pole and no mention of a very serious underlying danger in the op's garage..

well, I would at least feel more comfortable knowing he received the warning, whether heeded or not..

I've worked with hoists for decades and written several specs for hoist installation / demo work and quite familiar with them..

I'll leave this from a very reliable and local source in hopes it's taken more serious, good luck with your building..

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Did working on hoists for decades kill your ADULT sense of humor? Just a reminder that the average person will not know about a thing that which one who has specialized in that thing for decades will know. Do you really think this info is common knowledge we have ignored yet chose to joke about instead?? I'm shocked you are shocked, and that with as often as you come here and post you never saw the title pertaining to your expertise and were the one to warn.

I am far from juvenile, and I know most of us here are as well. I am a mature responsible adult who has never lost his inner child. That thing so many lost and now wish they had a little piece of before they got lost in the hustle bustle. I consciously maintained this quality, as when I was young I knew I did not want to become what I saw in so many grown ups. I figured as long as I was responsible, put my family first, and was a man of my word no one had a right to criticize how I chose to live my life.

Re: Lift Cylinder Stuck...
 

do I play on the internet? sure I do, when the work is done.. very healthy sense of humor, keyword healthy..

point is, op returned to his thread after I pointed out some REAL danger he may still not be aware of..

me personally, I would pay attention to that warning and acknowledge it was received, then go back to play..

as for my awareness of his thread three months ago, well, I can't see everything, NOT my job HERE..

for simple comparison, you're averaging 4500 posts per year to my 500, maybe you should have pm'd me? :smoke:

in reference to the potential hidden energy in large hydraulic cylinders, I had an approx. 18" x 6' cylinder in the shop..

laying on its side, ported a little shop air into the cap end to extend it for inspection..

the red shop towel that was in the rod end port shot up through the aluminum ceiling paneling..

not sure how difficult it is to drive a cotton towel through a piece of sheet aluminum but damn glad no one was in its path..

I've worked with high pressure hydraulic systems upwards of 7200psi frequently in the past..

didn't complete retirement number one and graduate to supervision in my second by ignoring warnings..

I've been touched personally by several deaths in my trade, really hate to see one here that could be prevented..