Apparently this isn't a very common unit...NOTHING shows up when I tried doing a search. Anyone have one, or any info on these? I'd be interested to know when it was made, and whether I can find a kit/parts. Sadly, the piston at the back is pretty rough, and the nut on the handle end of the hyd ram is corroded badly. 
Bought it at an estate/farm auction for short money. It's what all the TV geeks would call a real "barn find". It was partially buried in a rat's nest inside an old barn on the property. I suppose the auction company didn't see much worth, or were afraid of a little rat poop, because they didn't even drag it outside. They dragged most of the contents of several barns outside, and left the "junk" and some small parts in the barns.
Their plan was to sell off the remaining contents inside each barn in one lot. I wasn't having any of that! I dragged it outside and set it next to some real-deal magnesium wheels, hoping for a convenient lot grouping if it didn't sell by itself. Then I watched some old cars, tractors, and other equipment sell for ridiculously high prices.
After I went to lunch and came back to the auction, I got to see what the scrap dealers were buying. There were some gems buried in piles of scrap metal, but I suppose you can't save them all. I didn't think they would ever get around to the stuff up front where "my" jack was! Every once in a while, I'd go look around for more stuff hidden in the barns while I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more...
FINALLY, the auctioneer got around to the stuff outside the barns near "my" jack. By that time, most of the scrappers and big-money folks had gotten tired and left, and the auctioneers seemed ready to get finished. When they got to the stuff where the jack was, I was a little worried...an old, crusty lawn mower brought $400! All the old lawn equipment and rototillers were sold individually. Right up until they grouped a bunch of junk, the mag wheels, and a rear-tine tiller with MY jack. Ugh. I bid anyway, figuring if I could get the jack for a decent price, the tiller would provide a Briggs engine for a project, and the wheels and other junk would bring a little in scrap.
Bidding started out low...just me and an old-timer going back and forth, but he seemed ready to win no matter the cost. I figured I didn't want to drag a potentially useless hunk of "garage art" and a bunch of other junk home for too much money, so when the bidding got to my limit ($50), I bowed out and let the old guy have the "win" on the stuff.
Besides, I had another tactic I figured might just work. I mean, who REALLY wants an old, rusty floor jack covered in rat poo and dirt-dobber nests, right?
About 30 seconds after the auctioneer bellowed, "SOLD!" I walked over to the elderly gent and asked him if he wanted that old jack. He said no, that he had bought the lot for the tiller and the scrap magnesium. 
I offered him a twenty, and he seemed happy to part with it. I was happy to give it to him! I FINALLY got my jack, and for less than half what I was willing to pay. I dragged that sucker off, loaded it in my truck and smiled all the way home. Sometimes, being the "losing" bidder at an auction ain't so bad after all.
Pics and more later.
Bought it at an estate/farm auction for short money. It's what all the TV geeks would call a real "barn find". It was partially buried in a rat's nest inside an old barn on the property. I suppose the auction company didn't see much worth, or were afraid of a little rat poop, because they didn't even drag it outside. They dragged most of the contents of several barns outside, and left the "junk" and some small parts in the barns.
Their plan was to sell off the remaining contents inside each barn in one lot. I wasn't having any of that! I dragged it outside and set it next to some real-deal magnesium wheels, hoping for a convenient lot grouping if it didn't sell by itself. Then I watched some old cars, tractors, and other equipment sell for ridiculously high prices.
After I went to lunch and came back to the auction, I got to see what the scrap dealers were buying. There were some gems buried in piles of scrap metal, but I suppose you can't save them all. I didn't think they would ever get around to the stuff up front where "my" jack was! Every once in a while, I'd go look around for more stuff hidden in the barns while I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more...
FINALLY, the auctioneer got around to the stuff outside the barns near "my" jack. By that time, most of the scrappers and big-money folks had gotten tired and left, and the auctioneers seemed ready to get finished. When they got to the stuff where the jack was, I was a little worried...an old, crusty lawn mower brought $400! All the old lawn equipment and rototillers were sold individually. Right up until they grouped a bunch of junk, the mag wheels, and a rear-tine tiller with MY jack. Ugh. I bid anyway, figuring if I could get the jack for a decent price, the tiller would provide a Briggs engine for a project, and the wheels and other junk would bring a little in scrap.
Bidding started out low...just me and an old-timer going back and forth, but he seemed ready to win no matter the cost. I figured I didn't want to drag a potentially useless hunk of "garage art" and a bunch of other junk home for too much money, so when the bidding got to my limit ($50), I bowed out and let the old guy have the "win" on the stuff.
Besides, I had another tactic I figured might just work. I mean, who REALLY wants an old, rusty floor jack covered in rat poo and dirt-dobber nests, right?
About 30 seconds after the auctioneer bellowed, "SOLD!" I walked over to the elderly gent and asked him if he wanted that old jack. He said no, that he had bought the lot for the tiller and the scrap magnesium. I offered him a twenty, and he seemed happy to part with it. I was happy to give it to him! I FINALLY got my jack, and for less than half what I was willing to pay. I dragged that sucker off, loaded it in my truck and smiled all the way home. Sometimes, being the "losing" bidder at an auction ain't so bad after all.
Pics and more later.
