BlackHawk S4 Questions

[MBeaty]

I recently found a nice condition Blackhawk S4 jack in a neighboring city and a had a few questions about it. How long is the jack with the handle in the downward position? I only have a car to transport it in at the moment. I can fold down my back seat and fit quite long objects in there, but I am not sure if the jack would be too big for this.

Also, is it very easy to remove the handle for transport? I know that the release mechanism is at the top of the handle, so this may make it more complex.

Aside from the obvious hydraulic functions of the jacks and components such as the casters, are there any common flaws or other quirks to look out for?

Thanks Again.

 

[Bull]

Overall length appears to be 93".

Also, be aware that that jack weighs 190lbs. Not the kind of thing you can just heave into the back of your car, unless you are built like an oak and your car is pretty stout.

 

[MBeaty]

Wow...Thanks for the fast reply!

Sounds like I may need a friend for this one anyway. I was not expecting it to be that heavy

 

[84scrambler]

When I picked mine up I had the guy selling it help me put it in the back of my truck and again had help taking it out. Becuase its so long you could prop one end up then run around to the other side and lift and push but its not worth your backs health.

I tried taking my handle off and it was stuck pretty good. I gave up on it and have been spraying it with WD-40 for the past few months with the hopes of one day it coming off really easy.

If you put something down on the back seat it should fit with the handle hanging out the window (I think).

 

[CRTDI]

Due to the age of these jacks, don't count on the handle coming off easily for transport. I don't recommend trying to stick one of these in the back seat of a car unless you want to risk screwing up your back, your car or both. Bring a buddy along to help with loading and unloading. If you don't have access to a pick-up truck, I've found that a rental Dodge or Chrysler mini-van with stow and go seating works well.

Do a search here to see what a complete jack looks like. Look out for any missing or broken components, they are getting very hard to find. The "T" portion of the handle is a weak point, it's not uncommon to see one side sheared off, so look for any signs of cracking. Busted control valve u-joints, unserviceable caster wheels and missing hydraulic unit cover plates are also common.

 

[MBeaty]

Thanks for all the help. I picked the jack up today and thought I would post a few pics of it for your enjoyment.

Here it is in all of its glory sitting in the trunk/backseat of a Nissan Maxima. The car really was not built for this, but it did handle it quite well.

Using some inspiration from Bull's thread on picking up his jack, I used a 2x6 as a ramp to help slide it up into the truck. It was nothing fancy, but it worked much better than I was hoping.

Here is a good look of the jack once it was successfully unloaded.
As you can see, it is quite clean for its age and appears to have had a fairly easy life.

I spoke with the owner for quite a while about the jack and its history. The owner was a man in his mid 70's, but the jack was actually his fathers jack. So it appears that it has been in the family ever since it was bought new. The sellers wife was telling me that they had just finished clearing out tons of other equipment from her father in laws shop. They told me that they had stumbled onto the neatest website called "The Garage Journal" with great information about the old tools.

One little goody that I was not expecting was the following envelopes that the seller gave me with the jack.

These appear to be original equipment with the S-4.

Here is what they contained.

So far everything aside from the headlamp appears to be working just fine. I have not done a long term test to see how long it will hold the weight for, but there are absolutely no indications of leaks anywhere on the jack.

Lastly, here is a quick comparison of my "old" jack and my "new" one. As you can see, there is a nice puddle of shame next to my "old" one. I guess it takes nearly 50 yr old technology to show it how it should be done. The stain under the Blackhawk S-4 was an old existing one.

Thanks again for all the help. I will most likely make another thread about the jack once I get it all cleaned up and will also try to get some good resolution scans of all the documents that came with it.

 

[CRTDI]

Congrats, nice looking jack. This is a very clean looking S-4. it looks like it was well cared for.

What a great bonus to get an illustrated parts list with it. I'm curious why the service documentation is for a newer model SJ-4 and not the S-4 . The only things that stand out to me as non original is the lifting arm grease fitting and the rear casters appear to have been replaced with non-standard units. I hope that your back and your car made it ok.

 

[Sick Puppy]

What a find! If you are able to, could you scan the sheets please? That parts list could be a boon for blackhawk owners...

Guess I was lucky I passed on the S4 here - there's no way I would have gotten it home! lol

 

[Bull]

What a find! If you are able to, could you scan the sheets please? That parts list could be a boon for blackhawk owners...

I need to scan mine, too

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93555&highlight=bull+blackhawk

 

[Hmaxims]

I am SO glad that I found this forum!

I bought one of these jacks a year ago at a yard sale for $50. All I knew is that it looked heavy duty and I wanted something large enough to lift my antique fire truck. As I have always said "old tools seem to work much better on old trucks." I didn't realize how "coveted" these were...lol

My kids were playing with it recently and broke the "knuckle or joint", underneath that allows the release knob to release the hydraulic pressure.

I found a website that has parts, but no photos. Without a parts list or number, I have no idea what to buy. Any help appreciated!

 

[CRTDI]

Welcome to the forum!!

Take a look here, see post #5:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101999

 

[2oolhound]

That's a good link ^^^^