Blackhawk FA-11 30 ton Bottle Jack

gpw_42 · Oct 27, 2017

Can anyone tell me anything about this? I don't find anything on google, and the Blackhawk catalogs on toolarchives.com don't show anything for jacks...or at least I didn't see anything.

Thanks,
Steve

gpw_42 · Oct 27, 2017

Pics attached.

Fishingfoolemjak · Oct 27, 2017

You can call the Blackhawk company directly and they can answer questions for you. Unless it was made so long ago that they don’t have records for it (as was the case with my Blackhawk Reck Rack)...

gpw_42 · Oct 27, 2017

Thanks for the tip. I called, per your suggestion; neither the model number nor the serial number came up in their system. Per the tech's suggestion, I've emailed pics to their inquiry email, so we'll see what that comes back with.

There are remnants of red and olive drab (OD) paint on the jack; I can't tell which was on top of the other, so I'm wondering if this was a former military jack? Hopefully so; time will tell.

Steve

thehorse13 · Oct 27, 2017

That jack should be red. The font used on the BlackHawk tag is from the 30s-40s.

Fishingfoolemjak · Oct 28, 2017

gpw_42 said:
Thanks for the tip. I called, per your suggestion; neither the model number nor the serial number came up in their system. Per the tech's suggestion, I've emailed pics to their inquiry email, so we'll see what that comes back with.

There are remnants of red and olive drab (OD) paint on the jack; I can't tell which was on top of the other, so I'm wondering if this was a former military jack? Hopefully time will tell.

Steve

Don’t feel bad, when I called about my Reck Rack, they told me they had no records of making such a thing.... all they could tell me was, by looking at the placard in picture I sent them, it was old because the address zip code was 1:

cubfarm 1 · Oct 28, 2017

Blackhawk is now part of Shinn fu. they know nothing of their past. Damn shame.

Private Lugnutz · Oct 28, 2017

Steve,

There's an illustration of your jack, along with all the jacks in the Blackhawk jack family, on page 57 of an undated Blackhawk "Ideas Book" I have. On page 58 of the same pamphlet, there is a spec table. It's not much, but it's something. The model number is FE-11. Which makes sense. Because, with some help, and by deduction, I have dated the pamphlet to c. late 1940's/early 1950's. And your jack does look older, as horse alluded to. Anyway, I have posted some scans in this thread. I'm TDY this week, flying out tomorrow early, but I can get another scan of the description to the left of the figure for you the week after next.

EDIT: But I would PM username Bull if I were you. I KNOW he found a wonderful cache of Blackhawk jack manuals, and he has posted detailed drawings, maintenance instructions, spec sheets, etc, from the manuals here on GJ somewhere. Like most forums, organization comes last (i.e., it was probably some offtopic thread or a thread with a less than descriptive title) and the search engine is not the most effective.

Username already in use · Oct 29, 2017

Steve, If you wouldn't have posted pics of your huge Blackhawk bottle jack, I probably wouldn't have had one follow me home today! So, in a way, this purchase is your fault! :lol:

This 12 ton isn't near as large as yours. Seems to work, but I haven't tried it under load yet.
Looks to be from about the same era. The (R) on the label puts this one at 1946 or later. Yours is missing the (R), so it's got to be older.

gpw_42 · Oct 29, 2017

All,

Thanks for the feedback. User, it's encouraging to enable someone else, yet I've only recently joined GJ

Your comment about the trademark R is telling, and I appreciate the dates! Lugz, thanks for the link to the ideas book - that's an interesting collection

Also, it's interesting to me to note in the 1937 ad that EA11s are rated at 20T 48lbs, and FA11s at 30T (65lbs), yet your later document seems to not list the FA11 at all.

There's surprisingly little which I can find on the net about these old jacks. However, I did find a couple eBay auctions for pages out of old (hardware store) catalogs, which have a little info about these jacks. User, these may be informative for you, since your D-8.7 is listed in both. Unfortunately, neither has a date which I saw on the page, but the sellers specified when they were published. The first is allegedly from 1937 and the second is allegedly from 1940.

Steve

Private Lugnutz · Oct 29, 2017

gpw_42 said:
...yet your later document seems to not list the FA11 at all.

I should've been clearer. Unless I'm mistaken, I think it was replaced by the FE11.

gpw_42 · Oct 29, 2017

Private Lugnutz said:
EDIT: But I would PM username Bull if I were you. I KNOW he found a wonderful cache of Blackhawk jack manuals, and he has posted detailed drawings, maintenance instructions, spec sheets, etc, from the manuals here on GJ somewhere. Like most forums, organization comes last (i.e., it was probably some offtopic thread or a thread with a less than descriptive title) and the search engine is not the most effective.

Lugz, PM sent...and then I found Bull's thread here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93555

I hear you about the FA11 being superseded...which seems to reinforce Horse's point, above.

Thanks for the tip!
Steve

gpw_42 · Oct 31, 2017

Got it moving the other day, and used it to lift the tongue on my trailer - hardly a demanding load for a 30T jack, but it lifts and holds the weight, so that's a good sign. However, it needs a new leather washer behind the plunger, to stop the Class III leak which occurs when the jack is under a load.

Steve

Hiball · Oct 31, 2017

gpw_42 said:
Got it moving the other day, and used it to lift the tongue on my trailer - hardly a demanding load for a 30T jack, but it lifts and holds the weight, so that's a good sign. However, it needs a new leather washer behind the plunger, to stop the Class III leak which occurs when the jack is under a load.

Steve

If your getting pressurized oil in piston cylinder under load, your upper valve ball isn't seating. My guess... Your pump piston seal is worn and oil is simply bypassing while pumping. A quick check would be to simply operate the Jack under load and keep the pump piston in the lowered position and see if it raises under pressure, This is known as handle feedback and a clear sign of valve issues.

gpw_42 · Nov 5, 2017

Hiball, thanks for the info on how to troubleshoot it! I'll check that out to see what happens, and take it from there.

Sorry for the slow response...been out of town, then had company, then had to go pick up a vise today. All of it good, but none of it supporting the garage habit.

Steve

thehorse13 · Nov 6, 2017

This may be an obvious point, but if you plan on actually using one of these 75+ year old jacks, you really should take it to a qualified hydraulics rebuilder and get a new seal kit installed. Believe it or not, they do still make them.

I restored a 1940 BlackHawk S4 jack and I had it rebuilt even though it was not showing any signs of issues. Peace of mind in exchange for ~250 bucks is a bargain.

Texs jack man · Apr 8, 2023

I have a welding and hydraulic repair shop in south dakota have most all manuals for American made jacks

Blackhawk FA-11 30 ton Bottle Jack

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