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NEWS | Jan. 26, 2022

AGSE: Maintaining Aircraft Jacks

This article initially appeared in PS 760  (Mar 16)

Mechanics, if you have jacks sitting around the hangar collecting dust, make sure you give them a personal maintenance once-over before using them on your helicopters.

Here are some things you should eyeball:
  • The hydraulic pump cylinder and ram for leaks
  • Support structure base cracks
  • Loose locknuts
 Also check for:
  • Missing or damaged hardware
  • Bad hoses
And don’t forget the base—it’s often neglected, too. If the base has casters, they should move freely and have good tread. Make sure the jack is free of dirt. Dirt acts like an abrasive and grinds into parts. That lets corrosion gain a foothold. 

If your jack has a leak, don’t use it until it’s been checked out. After a jack is repaired, make sure it’s load tested prior to use. It’s required by Para 4 of TB 43-0142, Safety inspection and Testing of Lifting Devices.

There are six different jacks in use for aircraft lifting.
 
Jacks
Item PN NSN
3T Tripod L10532 1730-01-537-4357
1730-01-541-3186
1730-00-734-9382
5T Tripod L10559 1730-00-516-2018
5T Axle L09135 1730-00-540-2343
10T Axle L09340 1740-00-203-4697
10T Tripod NA 1730-01-563-7046
12T Tripod L10589 1730-00-912-3998
 
12-Ton Tripod Jack: Same Jack with Differences
 
Malabar  Columbus Regent 
The Malabar and Columbus Regent jacks are similar, but there are a few differences. One good example is the O-ring gasket shown as Item 35 in Fig 1 of TM 55-1730-218-20P. The Malabar O-ring comes with NSN 5330-01-622-6209, while NSN 5331-01-075-2184 gets the Columbus Regent O-ring. 

Another way to identify the jacks is to look at their data plates. Columbus Regent jacks will have one of the following serial numbers: 
 
Serial Numbers
801-1291 10495-1 thru -6 11691-7 thru -18
0371-2 thru -3 10674-1 thru -3 11719-1 thru -230
10152-1 thru -3 10691-1 thru -6 11738-1 thru -2
10193-1 thru -4 11420-1 thru -4 11952-5 thru -8
10366-5 thru -6 11490-1 thru -20 12089-14 thru -20
 
Repair Before Replace
 
Before discarding a broken jack and laying out big dollars for a new one, try rebuilding the jack. Most jack problems stem from damaged seals. Replacing the seals usually takes care of most problems.

Some jacks have rebuild kits available to make overhauling easy. Order the kit you need with these NSNs:
 
   Jack NSN
Columbus Regent12-ton 2590-01-642-3505
Malabar 12-ton 1730-01-500-4443
10-Ton Axle 1730-00-673-4717
5-ton Axle 1730-00-673-4716

Reference the following TMs for jack maintenance:
  •  TM 55-1730-218-12, 12-ton jack
  •  TM 1-1730-221-23P, 10-ton axle jack
  •  TM 1-1730-202-13&P, 5-ton tripod jack
  •  TM 1-1730-219-23P, 5-ton axle jack
  •  TM 1-1730-222-23P, 3 ton tripod jack
Remember to check out Chapter 9 in TM 1-1500-204-23-9, General Aircraft Maintenance, for more information on jacks. 

If you’re still using the 3-ton jack, NSN 1730-01-541-3186, manufactured by Regent, you’ll find everything you need to maintain it in TM 1-1730-270-13&P (Oct 06).

The 12-ton jacks are managed by the Air Force. The TM is a multi-service manual with both the Air Force Tech Order and Army Tech Manual numbers appearing on the cover (TM 55-1730-218-12, 0ct 14 and TO 35A2-2-36-21, Change 1 dated 26 Sep 2015).

Army users should continue using DA Form 2028 for submitting suggested changes to this TM. If you have questions about jacks, TMs or maintenance messages, contact the AGSE team hotline at: 256-955-8540 (Voice Mail) or you can send an email to the AGSE help desk at:   
 
Have a need or recommendation for a product improvement that will save time, improve readiness, or reduce costs? AGSE and your combat developers want to hear about it.

If you have questions or concerns on AGSE, visit the AGSE MilSuite site HERE.
 
You’ll need your CAC card to access the site. When you enter the site, click on the AGSE tab from the My Sites drop down menu. On the right side of the page under AGSE help, click on AGSE help ticket to submit questions. 

The help ticket allows you to submit an equipment-specific problem or question directly to a subject matter expert. An email will be sent back within 24 hours to provide you the status of your query. 
AGSE
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