SonnyApril
New member
Christmas came a few days early this year when my new ARB Jack came in the mail. Since first reading about ARB’s new Jack and all of it’s benefits compared to the competition I could not wait to get my hands on it and put it to work. I thought about all different places I could mount it on the off-road truck and VW Syncro but till a final place had been determined the plan was to put the Jack in the bed of the truck and the roof storage box on the Syncro when on long road trips. The ARB Jack was going to be the prefect tool for both vehicles with the adjustable heights and in lite weight platform.
Time to open the good box and check this thing out, as I pull the ARB box out of the brown it was shipped in I notice a problem but think no big deal I can fix this. The box has a oil stain on one of the lower corners and appears the Jack leaked hydraulic oil during shipping, pull the Jack out of the plastic and its covered in oil. OK let’s read the owners manual before we jump to any conclusions, as I read through the manual I first realize unlike traditional hydraulic jacks the ARB does not have a port to add oil. Well that can be a problem considering this oil had to come from somewhere, the Jack is not serviceable and has to be sent back to ARB for any servicing. This is not the quick fix I was thinking might be. As some of you already know, I like my tools and serviceability is an important issue especially in a tool that will be put to use in remote places. Sometimes you don’t have the option of shipping the tool out and waiting for the repair, you want the to be able to service these high end tools if needed. As I continue to read the owner manual I notice something I have never heard or read about this product anywhere on there site or any press reviews, the Jack has to be stored in a vertical position. Wait, what? Is that why the Jack appears to be leaking and not only that just threw all of my vehicle mounting ideas out the window and I will have to find a new location on a already fully loaded rig. I can’t even toss the Jack in the back of truck without having to worry about oil leaking out of it? Well this isn’t quit the tool I thought it might be. I finish reading the manual, clean up the oil on the Jack put it back into the bag carry it out to the garage and leave it for the night, in the vertical position of course, who would want to put a medium weight, long cylinder shaped object on the it’s side, it’s much more fun to balance it on its end while in its carrying case and hope no one knocks it over. After letting it sit in the garage overnight I decide to take a 2nd look at the Jack the next morning, only to find it leaking again, I didn’t expect that because it was in the upright position almost the entire time since being wiped down. The only time it was horizontal was when I carried it the factory carrying case which has the handle in a position to carrying horizontally, I guess the case designers were not aware that is should not be in a horizontal position either. Since I had been wiped the Jack down the day before the oil was more centralized and I could actually see that oil was coming from the red pressure release switch and possibly the lower part of the cylinder.
I have not put the Jack to use and not sure if I will, I am so far disappointed with the product and ARB has not been too helpful. I’ll keep everyone posted and might get a video up a little later this week.
Time to open the good box and check this thing out, as I pull the ARB box out of the brown it was shipped in I notice a problem but think no big deal I can fix this. The box has a oil stain on one of the lower corners and appears the Jack leaked hydraulic oil during shipping, pull the Jack out of the plastic and its covered in oil. OK let’s read the owners manual before we jump to any conclusions, as I read through the manual I first realize unlike traditional hydraulic jacks the ARB does not have a port to add oil. Well that can be a problem considering this oil had to come from somewhere, the Jack is not serviceable and has to be sent back to ARB for any servicing. This is not the quick fix I was thinking might be. As some of you already know, I like my tools and serviceability is an important issue especially in a tool that will be put to use in remote places. Sometimes you don’t have the option of shipping the tool out and waiting for the repair, you want the to be able to service these high end tools if needed. As I continue to read the owner manual I notice something I have never heard or read about this product anywhere on there site or any press reviews, the Jack has to be stored in a vertical position. Wait, what? Is that why the Jack appears to be leaking and not only that just threw all of my vehicle mounting ideas out the window and I will have to find a new location on a already fully loaded rig. I can’t even toss the Jack in the back of truck without having to worry about oil leaking out of it? Well this isn’t quit the tool I thought it might be. I finish reading the manual, clean up the oil on the Jack put it back into the bag carry it out to the garage and leave it for the night, in the vertical position of course, who would want to put a medium weight, long cylinder shaped object on the it’s side, it’s much more fun to balance it on its end while in its carrying case and hope no one knocks it over. After letting it sit in the garage overnight I decide to take a 2nd look at the Jack the next morning, only to find it leaking again, I didn’t expect that because it was in the upright position almost the entire time since being wiped down. The only time it was horizontal was when I carried it the factory carrying case which has the handle in a position to carrying horizontally, I guess the case designers were not aware that is should not be in a horizontal position either. Since I had been wiped the Jack down the day before the oil was more centralized and I could actually see that oil was coming from the red pressure release switch and possibly the lower part of the cylinder.
I have not put the Jack to use and not sure if I will, I am so far disappointed with the product and ARB has not been too helpful. I’ll keep everyone posted and might get a video up a little later this week.
