Since this is a new unit, I would bet that there might be a burr on
the cast cage that holds the pins and springs. The springs are held in
place by two roll pins which can be easily removed with the right
sized pin punch without mushrooming the pin.
Before you tinker too much, prior advice to return/exchange it is well
said.


On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 17:41:09 -0400, "Bill Stock"
wrote:


"Tom Kendrick" wrote in message
.. .
I have 3 of them. One inherited and two bought new. They do require
lubrication and keep them dry.

There are 4 points to check. Two of them are the climbing pins
themselves that should snap in and out smartly when there is no load
on the jack. The other two are the springs which retract the pins.
Lay the tool on its side and manipulate the action with a screwdriver
to see what's sticking.

The switch that releases the jack to lower or engages to lift is very
stiff. Keep a short wood stick available to hit it with. Even with
lubrication, it can be a bear to release.

One caution: if there is less than 150# on the jack and the action is
released, it will drop like a stone rather than ratcheting down. Don't
let anything fall on you.

I changed out the pins/springs on my inherited model. They were too
long, so I had to grind them down to fit, but now they work just fine.

Thanks for the detailed checklist Tom.

I've never had much trouble releasing the 'lift', but setting it again can
be a challenge.

I'm wondering if I bent one of the climbing pins; first thing to check.