[rohrmann]

Stiction seems to be a problem at the seals, and the fluid additive, whether it is fork oil or the recommended CAT fluid, adds detergents and modifies the lubrication characteristics of the hydraulic fluid to stop the stick-slip action which is what stiction is. Years ago, I drained the hydraulic reservoir and added ATF, even though some say stick with the type of fluid that was in there. I have since done this again, and I'm thinking with ATF, there is probably a higher percentage of detergents than there is in plain hydraulic fluid, even though ATF is hydraulic fluid too, just with dye and other additives that work with transmissions. Maybe the combination of ATF and the CAT fluid is why we haven't had a stiction pop in years. I'm not an engineer, but I doubt where the piston is located in the jack cylinder will change anything with stiction popping. I still have our leveling jacks where they were originally installed, and raising them would just make it harder to lift the rig for maintenance or tire changing.