If you have nothing else in your shop, you’ll have a jack. Indispensable and versatile, the jack has ancient origins. The Romans used a screw mechanism to press wine. In the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci sketched a jack designed around the screw as a lift. It took another 400 years for people to get serious about jacks, but when the action commenced, it was a party. Joseph Bramah invented the hydraulic press in Britain, leading to William Curtis patenting a design for a hydraulic jack, in turn causing Richard Dudgeon – a Scot living in the US – to devise his own version of the same machine. Joseph Whitworth, master of mechanical devices, was making precision screw-driven tools in England, which inspired Frank Henry Sleeper, a 24-year-old in Quebec, to invent a screw jack. Meanwhile, Josiah Barrett, a boat captain, invented a ratchet jack for moving barges. All of this happened in the 1800s. This ebullience continued and accelerated in the 1900s, pollinating the earth with jacks of all types! Here on eBay is a selection of five screw jacks priced at $119.99 plus $77 for shipping, unless you want to pick up the lot from Webster, New York.
The principle of a screw jack is simple – a worm gear is turned against a screw using a lever, raising the load. The jack on the left was factory-delivered with the Model T. The right-hand jack is possibly an Ajax Model A jack. Speaking of Ajax, Ford contracted with several foundries over the years to make its tool kit items. Walker Manufacturing, Noblit-Sparks, Elite Manufacturing, W.E. Pratt, and Auto Specialty – all made screw jacks for Ford. Most were made of cast iron.
The little guy on the left was made by Auto Specialties Manufacturing (AUSCO); it’s their No. 21 made during the 1920s. The jack on the right is also an AUSCO item. Many of these jacks are missing the “lever” portion of the equation – though for the Ford items, it’s likely you can purchase a reproduction handle. The seller emphasizes that these jacks should be used for display only, but I think most could be reinstated to light service after generous applications of WD40 or other emollients. That said, I wouldn’t trust a car on these teetery old machines.
Screw jacks are just one type of lifting device – the roster includes bottle jacks, scissor jacks, pneumatic jacks and hydraulic jacks, for elevating transmissions, cars and trucks, boats, buildings … you name it. This guy used a Model T jack to extract the tub from his washing machine. In my shop, I have a ratty old jack I abuse for dirty jobs, two low-profile jacks, and a transmission jack – all hydraulic. What’s in your shop?
You are tempting fate with this crowd, my dear, but to start this on a civil manner, it may interest you, I read these weren’t really intended for cars at all. Originally intended as a house or building jack, or the RR and wagons used screw jacks. They seemed to filter into automotive, early HD trucks used them, as driving became more popular, along with flat tires, and aside from a tree branch, there was nothing better. It was the small base on uneven surface spelled doom for many. Then the scissors jack seemed to come in, imports mostly, but the all time grand daddy of doom, and immensely popular for some reason, was the ill fated bumper jack, that our good friend and safety advocate, Ralph Nader strongly opposed. I don’t think European cars had bumper jacks, or if they did, weren’t like ours. I’ve had a few of these, never seemed to work like a hydraulic jack, the preferred type of lifting device. A long bar on these, you could lift a lot of weight, but hydraulic won out. One thing I’ve learned in life, hydraulics are our friends! Cool find, and doors open for what should be a rather entertaining topic.
No bumper jacks, we mostly had scissor jacks – those supplied with cars anyway. I like a trolley jack (one lives in my van), 2CVs were supplied with Acme-thread jacks that go under the sill (I use a trolley jack under the suspension arm) and I use axle stands on hydropneumatic Citroens – lift car, insert axle stand, drop car, remove wheel.
Interesting collection of things.
Under the straight axel – the second from the left has the flip over feature for the rear axel……I have most all of these and more.
This is such a great find!!!
I certainly hope that the seller doesn’t
“Jack” up the price on this lot.
It really “raised” my spirits when I saw this write up Michelle……
Ok…… Ok…….
I’ll just see myself out now……
Sorry, a couple of bad Dad jokes first thing isn’t everyones cup of tea. But now seriously, learning about companies like Ajax and others was very interesting. And I want to say thank you for your resesrch Michelle. I think there may possibly be a Model T jack in my parents basement. I know he has a Model T oil can as well. This collection needs to be be saved. How many garages, basements and of course barns had Jacks like this in them, and they just got scrapped. They’d be great cleaned up and in the trunk of a vintage car too.
Once again, thank you Michelle, this is a very interesting one. I enjoyed it.
Perhaps this evening, I’ll break open a bottle of “Jack”……..
Ok, sorry. Just one more…. Couldn’t resist.
Aren’t you the funny bunny today! Thanks for the comments…
Thanks Michelle. I’m known for my bad Dad jokes.
( not necessarily known in a good way)
Still better quality than your typical Harbor Fright jacks.
Ha ha, indeed! Made to last, and they did.
I have an old screw jack like these, I also have a 20ton ratchet type RailRoad jack and a 1ton Walker transmission jack from the days when I rebuilt RoadRangers. Laid an oak board across two sisser jacks to pull a Hydromatic out of a ’56 Olds, one guy on each side to let the jacks down.
Michelle if i ever get another bike I’m buying one of those motorcycle stands for sure.. Love all Jack’s.
Hi-Lifts the 4wd favorite can double as a come-along in a pinch.
Perfect Christmas gift for the guy who has everything. Or, maybe not.
As a jack-of-all-trades myself, I never “tire” of a good Dad joke. I’m “chock” full of them!
This is not a bad price for this assortment, especially for a hoarder like me. I do have a couple like these. The flip top one was for either the axle or bumper perhaps? It would be fun to soak them in kerosene, wire brush to unstick and spray with some protectant oil. Sometimes the handle doubled as a tire tool and other purposes. As stated, the issue is not raising a vehicle with jacks like these but to keep it steady from falling over and off. I could see these used as decorations in a rustic setting in a nice restaurant bar.
Uplifting?…….(groan)
My first thought was “people will sell ANYTHING.” My second was “you know, those wouldn’t look too bad in my garage.” God knows I’ve spent more money on things worth a whole lot less, I can almost smell them from here… and it’s NOT a bad smell. It’s the smell of honest work, late nights working on the race car, the street car, my mini bike, and my dad. Hunkering around the garage with “the guys”, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, hiding the one Playboy centerfold when the wives came to visit (not like they didn’t already know), and the smell of Liquid Wrench on your clothes. Thanks for refreshing the memories. Now I think I’m going to grab a cup of coffee, think about my dad, and cry.
I always find that you never know what will turn up in BF. I have an ancient scissors jack that I still use to raise my lawn tractor to access the blades. I think it was my grandfather’s. But I have had it so long that I don’t remember for sure. BTW, those bumper jacks were dicey. Amazing that at one time you could lift one corner of a two ton car by the bumper. The plastic parts on today’s cars can barely support themselves.
I have a couple and they are cool. I do not use them. As for the jack I use now it is a Harbor Freight low rise. It will raise my Trailhawk and get under my BMW Z3. It has worked perfectly for 7 years. Another great article Michelle ! Thanks for the research. Oh, and the worst bumper jacks was the GM slot and key jacks, I believe in the seventies. Very dangerous!
I have seven ancient jacks like these. I purchased and collected them in anticipation of a challenging 1940 Talbo Lago needing hidden rocker mounted jacks that the owner was to be arriving at our shop to refurbish and make a new. Unknown until arrival, he needed a pair of unique Scissors Jacks permanently mounted under the L&R rocker panels. These were unusual indeed. We had the “Quick-up” two speed gear boxes 3D printed! They worked Great- and the owner was awarded “Most Elegant Open car” at Pebble a few years back. See the jacks here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nic1ciyMWPw
Cool! Thanks for contributing!