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RTR

Well-known Member
Bought a Blackhawk Air Operated Jack at an estate auction this past weekend for $90. Hooked it up to the compressor and she lifts right up with the squeeze of the trigger. I have found that it only lets down when you disconnect the air and wait about 30 seconds (no weight on it).

Seems to work well although I don't know anything about a jack like this. Neighbor told me he thought it was called a "one-end lift".

41874.jpg
 
Anyone know anything about these types of jacks? What are they used for, and are they a good brand or a "Harbor Freight" throw-away?
 
Used to be common in service stations and small garages. But, when real bumpers became extinct, so did the need for these. If you have an older pickup or car that came with a bumper jack, this jack is ideal for undercar work(with stands of course) or tire swaps. Back in the 60s we even used two of them for tire rotation.
 
oh.....so it is used to raise the front or rear of a vehicle via the "real" bumper?

I was thinking it was used on the side of the vehicle.

Think It will come in handy working on a Cub Cadet or Farmall Cub and Super A tractors? Maybe I could use it to jack them up when dissembling them for restoration?
 
Be careful, since this is a big air cylinder with no oil cushion (like single post garage lifts have) it will extend violently if the loads shifts/falls off.

Many years ago I witnessed some friends lifting the back of a Blazer with a similar jack, for one reason or other the bumper slid off of the lift pads, the vehicle dropped, and the upper part of the jack blew off of the base, tearing the upper limit stop on the way.

Scared the *$^%& out of all those present, luckily no one was hurt/killed.

Put a gouge/scratch in the big rear window in the tailgate, shomehow without it shattering.

(BTW, the Blazer was mine, a 1978 model.)
 
Chevy dealer I went to work for in 1972 didn't have any hoists, every mech. had 2 stalls and 2 Gray jacks, similar to yours, maybe a little bigger. The new building was ready about nine months later and everybody had an in floor hoist plus their air jack. Since the heavy metal bumpers are gone your uses are getting limited.
 
Sounds like it blew up and off because the valve was bad. This one will not move unless you pull the valve to give it air. Unless you were saying with a load on it it is under pressure and if it changes, then it shoots off.

I was thinking about using it with the tractors and lawn mowers as mentioned before.

I just saw the same one as mine on eBay....for $750. I can't imagine what it cost new!!
 
Hello RTR,


I strongly suggest you lock the mast with safety paddle. Then you jack it up abit to release it to let it
down. I call if a bumper Jack. Works good on buses and class 8 trucks too,

Guido.
 
(quoted from post at 01:16:27 10/26/16) Hello RTR,


I strongly suggest you lock the mast with safety paddle. Then you jack it up abit to release it to let it
down. I call if a bumper Jack. Works good on buses and class 8 trucks too,

Guido.

What is the safety paddle you are talking about? It does have a latch that catches as it goes up. It is released by the handle on the right side.
 
With the airbags and other sensors on vehicles nowadays, I would be very careful what I tried to lift with that jack. If you explode someone's airbag, they will expect you to replace it at $,$$$.
 
Gosh, I haven't seen one of those in decades. I used to work at a gas/service station as a kid in the '70's that had one. Had six bays with lifts, but there were times when all were full and would have to work on something outside. Had one of those. It worked great. Wish I had one. You paid $90 for that? Lucky you. As I was reading some of the posts below about real bumpers, we never ever used it on a bumper. We spread and adjusted it to lift on the frame rails front or back, or side. I would love to have that. A couple more things I'd love to have from that era would be a tire machine as well as a bubble balancer.

Good for you. Use it in great health.

Mark
 
At one time I had 6 of them, I have worn out a few that's a lot of lifting... I still have 2 left but have not used them in years...

#1) if you lift with it the car (are what ever with wheels) needs to be in neutral if not it will kick out. If the wheels on the ground are locked the jack will run away from it. If they roll the car/load will follow as the jack goes up.

#2) Jack stands are mandatory...

The First shop I worked at they would lift a car and put Milk crates under the wheels and let the car down on the crates. There were 5 Mechanics and just two jacks, All the screw jacks were worn out. I still have two of those worn out screw jacks why I keep'em to to remind me how hard it was to use them...

They had a few nice chain hoist I have lifted a many front end of a car with one of those.

They are not strong enough for much of anything over 1/2 ton pick up I have bent one so I know.

Its nuttin more than a pipe with a cup much like a wheel cylinder, I have had to replace a few cups. The better ones were Walker a Blackhawk is just a run of the mill lower line but they work the same as a big dollar one. I brought a few walkers because they worked better on bumpers that has a knoch for the spar tire jack.

I think in the mid to late 80"s we abandoned them I don't think I have used one but only a few times since...
 

BTW those pipes on the end of the lift pads were for the adapters that went into the knock on a bumper for the spare tire jack.
 
You can lift most modern cars from the side,two wheels at a time. Check the valve for a mud daubers nest in the exhaust side.
 
I worked for the local school bus company here in town 10 years ago and they came to determine those jacks were too dangerous. Lifting a
bus by the bumper put all the wieght on the 4 or 6 bolts that held the bumper on. The company went to wheel lift air jacks. They were the
same principal but lifted the bus by the wheels. Those were a pain too. Some of the shops didn't have wide bays and there wasn't enough
room to get the jacks on the side of the buses. Then too if you had to change a tire you had to jack it up then move the jack out of the way before changing the tire. As it's been mentioned in one of the other posts these jacks don't roll while lifting the vehicle like a floor jack does so that makes them dangerous even in another way. You have to keep those air jacks oiled inside.
Gray wheel jacks
 

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