I was walking through Harbor Freight long ago and discovered a 2-Ton folding shop crane on deep discount. I wasn't in need of a crane at that time, but I was surprised with the beefy construction and decent weld quality. I normally limit my H.F. tool-buying to technology in the "crowbar" category, but in a weak moment, I bought it and squirreled it away.
Now that I've got a need, it is set-up and in use, but I may have discovered why it was such a screaming deal. The hydraulic ram slowly leaks down. By slow, I mean, with my 289 on the boom, it drops about 1"/min. With only the boom weight, it sinks about 0.25"/min. This makes for anxious moments while installing and removing the engine in my nicely-painted bay. I've been moving the engine in and out repeatedly in order to resolve my Mustang's bent-frame issues and also am trying to fit several custom items. It would help if I could lock the ram and have it stay in place like my 1982-vintage Sears floor jack. If it's feasible, it would also be a bonus if I could get a finer adjustment on the pressure release (boom lowering control).
I tried bleeding the system. I didn't think that would help and it didn't, but the manual had the procedure, so what the heck. Any suggestions to resolve this? Would it make sense to take the Chinese "Pittsburgh"-brand 8-Ton ram to a local hydraulics shop for a valve job, or is that just throwing good money after bad on a low-quality tool? If I get a new ram, any suggestions for brands or sources for a good-quality replacement? The frame works great if I could get a decent ram in it.