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10 years ago I purchased a motorcycle lift. The name of it is "The Pit Bull" which in itself is a well made (in the USA) and really beefy lift for motorcycles weighing up to 1500 lbs. It's about the best one I have ever seen and used!
The bad part (and Achilles Heel) of this lift is in that they rely on a 6 ton Omega bottle jack for the lifting action. The first time the Omega bottle jack failed was after 9 months of ownership. I called Pit Bull and they sent me another one and I returned the original. Two years after that the second one failed - leaked all over the floor again. After calling Pitt Bull again they said it was past the warranty period and so I had to pay for the replacement this time. Fast forward another 2.5 years and guess what - I found all the hydraulic oil on my garage floor again! Just before it visibly leaked I had been using it the prior day and while working on a MC in the air, the jack was letting the jack go down slowly. Fortunately this MC lift also has mechanical locks that I was using so the jack couldn't go down any more past the mechanical locks.
OK - so last week I called Pit Bull again and had a nice long conversation with them. I stated that I have bottle jacks that are older than I am (67) and have never even had to add oil! They will not fit this lift if anyone is wondering why I just don't use them. They explained (not that I had any doubts) that one can not compare the old USA made quality to today's imports - no kidding! Anyway, they told me they no longer deal with Omega and they are currently transitioning into another brand but have nothing to ship right this moment.
I went online and ordered a rebuild seal kit for the bottle jack and when it arrived a week later I tore down the Omega bottle jack. As I opened up the new seal kit I quickly realized that the parts in the kit were not for my jack model - even though it was marked correctly - I GAVE UP! They can't even package the correct parts!!!

I have done a search and have come up with another brand of bottle jack which is an 8 ton model and should fit my lift - we'll see when it arrives. I believe it should work but I will have to drill and tap a few holes.
What I wanted to say here is that if anyone happens to be looking for a bottle jack for any purpose - STAY AWAY from the Omega Brand manufactured by Shinn Fu Co. of China. BTW I also called the Omega bottle jack in the USA (distributor for Shinn Fu) and they would do nothing except tell me that my model was discontinued - gee I wonder why!? They do however sell other models that are basically the exact same design, so I don't have any faith in them either - same design / different size.
I know this is not what most come to the S&W Forum to read but if I save even ONE person from getting hurt by this horrible bottle jack I will have done my public service. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM OMEGA BOTTLE JACKS!!! Can't say how the other brands are - but nothing could be worse than 3 failures in 10 years!
Discovered that there is a Company called US Jack Co. that manufactures and sells bottle jacks of all types to the US Military. Expensive - but not as costly as one getting hurt! Available to the public as well.
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The bad part (and Achilles Heel) of this lift is in that they rely on a 6 ton Omega bottle jack for the lifting action. The first time the Omega bottle jack failed was after 9 months of ownership. I called Pit Bull and they sent me another one and I returned the original. Two years after that the second one failed - leaked all over the floor again. After calling Pitt Bull again they said it was past the warranty period and so I had to pay for the replacement this time. Fast forward another 2.5 years and guess what - I found all the hydraulic oil on my garage floor again! Just before it visibly leaked I had been using it the prior day and while working on a MC in the air, the jack was letting the jack go down slowly. Fortunately this MC lift also has mechanical locks that I was using so the jack couldn't go down any more past the mechanical locks.
OK - so last week I called Pit Bull again and had a nice long conversation with them. I stated that I have bottle jacks that are older than I am (67) and have never even had to add oil! They will not fit this lift if anyone is wondering why I just don't use them. They explained (not that I had any doubts) that one can not compare the old USA made quality to today's imports - no kidding! Anyway, they told me they no longer deal with Omega and they are currently transitioning into another brand but have nothing to ship right this moment.
I went online and ordered a rebuild seal kit for the bottle jack and when it arrived a week later I tore down the Omega bottle jack. As I opened up the new seal kit I quickly realized that the parts in the kit were not for my jack model - even though it was marked correctly - I GAVE UP! They can't even package the correct parts!!!



I have done a search and have come up with another brand of bottle jack which is an 8 ton model and should fit my lift - we'll see when it arrives. I believe it should work but I will have to drill and tap a few holes.
What I wanted to say here is that if anyone happens to be looking for a bottle jack for any purpose - STAY AWAY from the Omega Brand manufactured by Shinn Fu Co. of China. BTW I also called the Omega bottle jack in the USA (distributor for Shinn Fu) and they would do nothing except tell me that my model was discontinued - gee I wonder why!? They do however sell other models that are basically the exact same design, so I don't have any faith in them either - same design / different size.
I know this is not what most come to the S&W Forum to read but if I save even ONE person from getting hurt by this horrible bottle jack I will have done my public service. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM OMEGA BOTTLE JACKS!!! Can't say how the other brands are - but nothing could be worse than 3 failures in 10 years!
Discovered that there is a Company called US Jack Co. that manufactures and sells bottle jacks of all types to the US Military. Expensive - but not as costly as one getting hurt! Available to the public as well.

Home | U.S. Jack