Calling all vintage Walker/Blackhawk jack gurus

[Private Lugnutz]

Everybody knows that Walker (Racine, WI) and Blackhawk (Milwaukee, WI) both made jacks. Several different 50’s era floor jack models from each company are popular restoration projects and collectibles here.

Does anyone know of a 1940’s business relationship (partnership, subsidiary, subcontract, etc) between Walker and Blackhawk?

Here is a photo of a WWII era 1-1/2 ton screw jack. It was used on light trucks. It has been identified as a Walker Model 313. (Ajax Auto Parts Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Walker, manufactured the same jack as Model 2181.)

Here is another photo of a very similar jack.

Now note the rotating grip on the end of the handle.

Blackhawk collectors will recognize it as a Blackhawk patented design. They used them on speeders, braces, extensions, attache style socket set cases, etc, before they went to the art-deco era bullet-shaped grips in the 50's.

Here is a photograph of this unique rotating grip from Alloy Artifacts:

Here is another photo of a few Blackhawk tools with this unique rotating grip:

And here is a photo of one of them showing some measurements which match the dimensions of the grip on the Walker jack handle:

Can anyone help explain why a Walker jack has a handle with a Blackhawk signature grip?

My thoughts are:
- Blackhawk made the jack handles (and possibly the jacks) for Walker under subcontract to Walker
- Blackhawk leased or sold the rights to use the grip to Walker
- This is not a Walker jack, but a Blackhawk jack

Comments? Thoughts? Ideas?

 

[Packard V8]

Same basic model is still manufactured today. I'll check for any makers marks on the later versions.

jack vnes