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Old 10-24-2010, 08:37 PM   #1
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Lubricating Scissor Jacks

Recent deliveries of Escape trailers have come with a heavy duty scissors jack, very nice. Being lazy, I have adapted my cordless drill to raise and lower the scissors. Nice touch especially when it is raining or in a hurry.

I do not have the most powerful cordless drill, it is a 12 volt model and it will lower the jacks without a problem. Raising them is a different story, I usually have to resort to the old fashioned crank and even that is a bit difficult. I have tried a silicone spray on the threads of the scissors; they are usually very dry and squeaky. The spray does help some.

The silicone supposedly does not collect dirt and dust, critical for where those jacks, picking up every bit of road dust. The silicone does not last very long and I find I need to apply it almost every time I use the jacks, assuming I have traveled a distance. Grease would not work because it would attract dirt like a magnet.

Any ideas of another product to use on the scissors jack?
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Old 10-24-2010, 09:31 PM   #2
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

Paul, I found a teflon spray that dries to a white dry coating and seems to last longer than most sprays - but still not all that long. (I found it at Menards, cannot remember the name.) I have also been trying another Canadian product Jig-A-Loo that seems to work well too - but also doesn't too long. ( I have no idea what the name means - maybe one of our Canadian friends here know?)
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Old 10-24-2010, 10:24 PM   #3
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

I'm guessing that the tolerances on the jack are so great that good old axle grease would work best, even if it fills with dirt.
And, I have no idea where they came up with the name "Jig-a-loo".

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Old 10-24-2010, 10:26 PM   #4
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

Hi Paul

The product you want to use is a molybdenum disulphide lubricant spray.
Its used for high pressure, low speed lubrication and would work great
for the jacks as it goes on wet and dries quickly to a graphite like coating.
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Old 10-25-2010, 12:15 AM   #5
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

"another product to use on the scissor jacks", WOULDN'T be another lub product...
Ditch that cordless drill you are using and get a different device. I've been using a Sears 18.4V drill for years and it has YET to let me down. My scissor jacks are in the form of Honda car jacks (not welded to the frame) and have NO lube at all on them. Do you see any lube on any car jacks pulled out of a trunk of a car? I think not!!!!!
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Old 10-25-2010, 11:21 AM   #6
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

I'm cranking ours by hand, and noticed a significant decrease in effort with a little white lithium grease sprayed on the threads and hinges.

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Old 10-25-2010, 02:50 PM   #7
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

Dave, does the new 5.0 have scissor jacks?
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Old 10-25-2010, 05:18 PM   #8
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

My understanding was Reace received a shipment of the BAL scissor jacks in error, so some of the trailers produced around that time received those jacks. So, yes mine has them and no, I don't think they come "standard"

Dave (who was told never to run with scissors)
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Old 10-26-2010, 08:09 AM   #9
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

Hi: All...Here's a pic of our 5.0's rear stabilizers and I have never added any lube!!! I have to do the hand cranky as I don't want to carry my battery drill. The previous owner had an extra 8-10 "'s welded on to the old crank handle to prevent skinned knuckles. Alf
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Old 10-26-2010, 01:01 PM   #10
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Re: Lubricating Scissor Jacks

For anyone storing outside I think a coat of axle grease is a good idea to prevent rust from starting over the winter. Wipe it on with rags and raise and lower the jacks a few times to distribute the grease along the shaft.

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Old 06-18-2017, 10:50 AM   #11
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New reply to an old thread. My jacks are used in winter and really take a beating, such that I took one off to free it up. I found that most of the resistance did not come from the screw joint but the four pivot arm joints. I replaced the rusted bolt connecting the inner arms, lubricated all four joints with silicone spray (cause I had it) and moved them back and forth a bit after letting the spray penetrate. Now I can turn the jack by hand. We'll see how long it lasts. I will lube the corresponding joints in the other jacks before removing them. We'll see.
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Old 06-18-2017, 11:49 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yardsale View Post
New reply to an old thread. My jacks are used in winter and really take a beating, such that I took one off to free it up. I found that most of the resistance did not come from the screw joint but the four pivot arm joints. I replaced the rusted bolt connecting the inner arms, lubricated all four joints with silicone spray (cause I had it) and moved them back and forth a bit after letting the spray penetrate. Now I can turn the jack by hand. We'll see how long it lasts. I will lube the corresponding joints in the other jacks before removing them. We'll see.
I used bicycle chain lube with good result.
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Old 06-18-2017, 12:46 PM   #13
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Tri Flow

Paul.
How you doin old man? I use a product called Tri Flow
It's a spray on product that has teflon in it. Does not seem to attract dirt like grease does. And it lasts pretty well too. Besides my screw jacks I use it on my inline skates, racing bicycle, and gyrocopter gears. Just kidding on those last three. I do use it on parts of my sporting equipment that need to cycle effortlessly too. I have a couple cans, it lasts forever and it is very good at resisting rust, way better than w four d and crc 556. . I get mine in the sporting goods section of the local urban farm store. And there are no CFCs for the environmentally conscious. Can you tell my last job was fertilizer sales?
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