I'm having this problem with my Harbor Freight lift where when I try to press the release handle, it won't engage smoothly.

So for example, I'll jack up a machine, and then I'll try to gradually release the hydraulic pressure, but there seems to be this threshold point on the handle where it just won't release. So what ends up happening is I have to keep squeezing it harder and harder, and all of a sudden it releases a large amount of pressure and it causes my machine to fall several inches.

Has anyone encountered this issue and if there's a fix for it? I don't want to end up damaging a machine one day because it drops too fast.

I think I figured out how to solve the issue, in case others are having this problem:

If you raise the hydraulic lift all the way up to its highest point with nothing on it, slowly release the hydraulic pressure until it goes back down. Do this a couple of times and it should now more easily lower when a pinball machine is on it.

I believe what it may have been was air in the hydraulic line, which is a common problem with all hydraulics. The lift also has a way to release any air via the tank it has underneath the cart, but I didn't need to do that.