Hydraulic jack adjuster tool I was dead wrong about

Been doing this trade for 8 years up in Portland and always thought those hydraulic jack adjuster tools were a waste of money. I figured my big crescent wrench and a hammer was good enough. Last month I had to adjust a jack on an Otis in a 12 story building and it took me almost 4 hours fighting with it. Buddy let me borrow his legit adjuster tool and I got the same job done in 45 minutes flat. The tool locked onto the nut perfect without slipping once. Has anyone else had a tool they ignored for years that ended up saving them time? I'm thinking of grabbing one from Grainger next week.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sage29d ago

4 hours fighting with it"? Holy crap that's brutal. I can't believe you wrestled with an Otis jack that long with just a crescent wrench and a hammer. I would have lost my mind on like hour two and started throwing things. That tool must be super specific to get a perfect lock on the nut without slipping. Makes me wonder how many other jobs I've made way harder on myself by being stubborn about buying the right tool.

kai_west29d ago

Yeah, I actually heard about this from a guy who used to work on the old Otis hydro units downtown. He said the same thing about those adjuster tools, that they're basically a must have once you use one. @the_sage is right about the 4 hours thing being brutal though, I probably would have started kicking the jack after hour two myself. The crescent wrench and hammer method works okay on newer jacks but those older Otis ones have nuts that are way more finicky about slipping. I read on another forum that the tool works because it uses a cam lock design that grabs tighter the more force you put on it, which is way smarter than just hoping your wrench doesn't round off the nut. My buddy swears by the Grainger one but I heard the Proto brand at McMaster-Carr might have a slightly better grip pattern if you want to compare before you buy.