How Do You Bleed Air Out of a Pallet Jack?
Pallet jacks or pallet trucks are common sights in warehouses and construction sites due to their fantastic ability of being able to carry pallets while being easy to manage and convenience in operation. Just like any other machinery and tool pallet jacks also face problems in their functioning.
One of the most common error one face when using pallet jack is the air packets trapped in the hydraulic reservoir. This can be due to broken O ring or happened while filing the reservoir with hydraulic fluid. This issue will prevent the fork from lifting and at times will also cause it to be stuck in upraised position.
Though this problem might sound complicated it is quite simple to solve it. To solve this issue in a we can do the following
- Try pumping the handle (that also function as steering handle) a few times. After trying this method one can try lifting the fork by pumping the handle and check if it works.
- If the above method is not working, then try replacing the O-Ring and restore the hydraulic pressure. It is mainly the worn out O-Ring that causes air to get trapped. Place the jack properly so that you have easy access to the O-Ring.
- Drain all the fluid by loosening the screw that is present on the right side of the hydraulic pump so as to let all the fluid out and then tight the screw back in. Make sure to pump up and down to remove all the fluid out of the system.
- Remove the lower lever by loosening the pin that is located on the right side of the pump. Pull the valve cartridge out by rotating it counter clockwise and pull out the damaged or worn out O-Ring. Wipe down the place where we will insert the new O-Ring so as to remove excess fluid or any debris present.
- Put the O-Ring in and put the valve cartridge cover backup. Arrange everything back into its place. After successful replacing of an O-Ring fill the hydraulic reservoir with the hydraulic fluid of recommended density.
