MTFCA Forum

I bought this long antique I think floor jack at an estate sale. I can't seem to make it work. I don't know how to make it work. It does not have any brand or markings on it that I can see. What is it? How can I make it work?

It looks like most others I've seen and I have three myself. It operates by hydraulic cylinder that needs to be opened to let it drop and closed to make it rise. As long as it has fluid in the cylinder you should close a small valve and by pumping the handle it should engage the hydraulic cylinder and operate. When you want to let it down you open the valve and it releases the pressure. Yours may pump up using the peddle by the handle or that may open and close the valve.

Thanks, the pedal makes the lift go up a little but then it sinks back down. The large handle seems to only be for moving it around. There is a lever on the side of the handle in picture 3 that actuates something near the pedal. The lift sinks back down no matter what position the lever on the side of the handle is in.

It's almost certainly repairable. It will have seals and other soft parts that are probably worn or decayed. These parts are most likely of common sizes that can be obtained today. Mechanical issues, if any, can can be repaired. There are businesses that specialize in hydraulic jack parts and repairs. Those jacks are very useful. When fitted with a proper lifting saddle, the operator can run the jack under either axle of most cars and light trucks and quickly lift either end of the vehicle without getting under it or doing any acrobatics. As with any jack, jack stands should be used to support the car after it is lifted. Never lift a Model T by the center of either axle, no matter what type of jack you are using.

Search : "antique garage jack" . I got many results on DuckDuckGo.

It seems to strongly resemble a 1930's Weaver Lo-Hi, however, so far I cannot find any marking or identifier on it.

Positive ID under the greasy crud it is a Weaver WA-73 four ton and it looks like rebuild kits are available.

Two rebuild kits available simple one and lots of stuff one:

WA73 REPAIR KIT (blackhawkparts.com) https://www.blackhawkparts.com/product385.html

Weaver Seal Kits | Model #WA-73 | Lazzar's Floor Jack Repair Parts (hcrcnow.com)
https://www.hcrcnow.com/shop/seal-kits/product/2681

Schematic here: https://www.hcrcnow.com/uploads/drawing ... ck4ton.pdf

I still haven't found the green paint code. I am wondering if I should go for the rebuild myself.

Well hells bells you rebuilt a car from scratch I'm sure you can do a jack!

Yes! Doc, you sure can do this like Perry says and Pat suggests. You remember feelings of accomplishment! Me too.
Hydraulic jacks are not much more than oil, seals, check balls and seats.
Personally, I believe many of us would enjoy watching your rebuild of an antique jack and find it useful. For other jacks as well.

In the interest of safety, be sure the mechanical linkage is in good condition. In the interest of convenience, make sure the wheels and caster swivels are working properly. The jack should be easy to move and position on a smooth hard floor. The foot pedal may be a "fast pedal" to quickly adjust the saddle height or raise light loads. A Model T adapter to properly raise either the front or rear axle without damage can be easily fabricated.

Some instructions on how to rebuild it. https://www.hcrcnow.com/uploads/drawing ... ctions.pdf

Those are nice detailed instructions that even I can understand!

I see by looking at the link you posted you have a 4 ton jack. They are several hundred dollars.

It looks like it has 2 layers of green paint where there is paint. The original paint color code is still unknown. I kerosened it and pressured washed it clean.

I am wondering if I should get the $52 Blackhawk kit or the seems to have everything Lazaar's for $127?

I bought the Lazzars rebuild set. I've started disassembly. The ram comes out as a unit. I took it to the auto paint store to get the paint color matched.

I have this working well enough after discovering that the two ball valves were obviously not even there. While the saddle now stays up and has a lot of force it still sinks a bit with time and takes awhile to start to go up when pumping. The Zerk fitting on the lifting arm was smashed so I drilled it out and am awaiting replacement Zerk. It looks like it hasn't been greased in forever. I also am unsure how the recoil works for the pedal to pump it up. As in it has no recoil at this time except for manual. Progress!

Does anyone know by what mechanism of how the pumping pedal of this is supposed to recoil back up after pumping with your foot? I've reviewed many pictures and diagrams but do not see how it goes. A previous owner rigged a lousy spring with wire but that does not seem to be how these are. I don't see any springs currently as to how the pedal is supposed to recoil. Any advice is welcome.

ivaldes1 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 07, 2024 12:40 am

Does anyone know by what mechanism of how the pumping pedal of this is supposed to recoil back up after pumping with your foot? I've reviewed many pictures and diagrams but do not see how it goes. A previous owner rigged a lousy spring with wire but that does not seem to be how these are. I don't see any springs currently as to how the pedal is supposed to recoil. Any advice is welcome.

I'd be willing to bet that this is your pedal return spring...

The spring shown above this one seems to be supported by an angle iron bracket, sitting at an odd angle and looking as if it's been broken? modified?

Thanks you put me on to what it might be. It is actually the other rod and spring on the other side in the picture. Attached is a parts diagram pdf. My AS-9784 rod does not seem to be original. It lacks the spring retainer near the hook end so the spring isn't long enough to recoil it. A quick shopping check for a replacement Weaver part number AS-9784 rod doesn't seem to be readily available. Perhaps I could weld a washer on at about the right location.

The good news, Lazzars has an AS-9785. The bad news is that it is $82!! https://www.hcrcnow.com/shop/parts/product/24832

Stainless steel hose clamp worked to retain the spring! Now on to the leaks!