Hein Warner Floor Jack

[srosa707]

I just picked up a HW floor jack from Craigslist and when i went to use it, it did not perform well. It is definately an older used jack. My question is, does anyone know who to contact for service help with this company? I would hat to have to throw it out. Thanks in advance.

 

[billymade]

Here is a little historical insight into the situation I found here:
http://www.jackxchange.com/manufacturers/28.cfm
"Hein Werner a trusted name in Automotive Lifting Equipment is back. Brought back to the marketplace by SFA Company. The Hein Werner line offers quality products made in the USA and North America. The Hein Werner product line is a combination of equipment once manufacured by both Hein Werner and Lincoln/Walker. The new color of the Hein Werner line carries forward the the Lincoln/Walker color of blue and gold."
More info here: http://www.hyjacks.com/H2.HTM

This is the current company that makes the Hein-Warner line and their support info:
http://www.shinnfuamerica.com/(S(xuzl3j3mtrucgxydhnzrbo45))/Products/Product_Categories.aspx?ID=6

Shinn Fu Company of America, Inc.
10939 N. Pomona Avenue
Kansas City, Missouri 64153
United States

Telephone: (816) 891-6390

Fax: (816) 891-6599

Email: [email protected]

Here are exploded view of some of the earlier jacks:
http://www.ohiohydraulic.com/hein-werner drawing page.htm

Here is a source for service parts: http://blackhawkparts.com/store/page9.html

 

[Fedwrench]

I don't think today's hein warner is the same as yesterday's. However, I would start by checking the oil level. There should be a plug or bolt head half down the top of the jack. Remove it and the oil level shoulld just touch the bottom edge of the threads in the lowered position.
You could do a web search for service locations in your area and try a large Napa store. They sold HW floorjacks for years. Good luck,

 

[Merkava_4]

Shinn Fu Company of America, Inc.

What the flying frick?

 

[billymade]

Yeah, that name is not a joke but they are making the Hein Warner Jacks here in the good old US of A.
Here is a quick rundown of "owners" of the HeinWarener name/manufacturer over the years. This is a quote from here: http://www.hyjacks.com/H2.HTM

"WALKER/LINCOLN - This one is REALLY CONFUSING, sit down and have a cup of herbal tea...
Walker was all American from the 40's through the 80's when it was bought by LINCOLN. LINCOLN kept it American up til the end of the 90's when they moved 99% of their production to China (one floor jack was still made in the USA). After a few years in China LINCOLN sold off their jack line to a company called CLORE who changed the name to MARQUETTE. They held the company for about a year and then in October of 2003 sold it to the big Chinese maker, SHINN FU. SHINN FU held it as it was for the better part of 2004 then surprised everybody by bringing back the old prestigious HEIN-WERNER name back (retired in the mid 90's) and began making the line in America again! The jacks are not at all the HEIN WERNER jacks of the 40's-through early 90's, they are purely the American made LINCOLN jacks from the 90's.
Meanwhile SHINN FU still markets the BLACKHAWK import BANNER jacks, made in China. And also the famous Blackhawk PORTO-POWER line of body shop jacking equipment, made in America. They also sell their own OMEGA Jacks made in China."

Here is a catalog from 2005: http://www.ohiohydraulic.com/catalog/hein-werner/Hein-Werner_2005_Catalog.pdf

 

[srosa707]

WOW! Thanks for the info. Its one of the longer floor jacks. It looks real bithchen, but i dont want a huge jack taking up precious garage space if its not going to work. Ill check the oil level. Thanks guys.

 

[Merkava_4]

A Chinese company who bought a previously owned American company and they are now using the previous American company's name AND building them in America?!!? This is too much info for me to absorb right now; I think I need a shot of whiskey.

 

[Junkman]

I used to buy HW jacks all the time, and one failed to work, I would just buy a replacement hydraulic assembly. I never found anyone that could competently repair the old units, and the replacement assemblies were about 30% of the cost of a completely new jack, so it was well worth buying just what was needed. I learned that if you kept the grit from getting near the cylinder, they would last forever. I still have and continue to use the last one that I bought in 1970. Possibly the people that repair jacks today are able to do a better job, since today, we have better quality rubber parts.

 

[krusty the clown]

A Chinese company who bought a previously owned American company and they are now using the previous American company's name AND building them in America?!!? This is too much info for me to absorb right now; I think I need a shot of whiskey.

better check where that whiskey is made too..........

 

[Uncle Buck]

WOW! Thanks for the info. Its one of the longer floor jacks. It looks real bithchen, but i dont want a huge jack taking up precious garage space if its not going to work. Ill check the oil level. Thanks guys.

If you do not find low fluid I would encourage you to procure the correct rebuild kit according to the numbers on the jack and then dismantle and attempt to rebuild the jack yourself. Like as not you will find it to be a labor intense job, but a rewarding one if you are able to make it stop leaking. I have rebuilt every single piece of hydraulic equipment in my shop with remarkable success.

If rebuilding it is not your thing look for hydraulic jack rebuilders in your area and turn the job over to them. I bet this would be your only option and I doubt you could buy a replacement bottle which would be better still. Good luck, your jack is well worth saving!

 

[wrenchr]

You could allways buy a craftsman jack!!! lol

 

[Uncle Buck]

You could allways buy a craftsman jack!!! lol

Bad joke

 

[Elroy]

Elroy also has a Hein-Werner floor jack,model WS. Several years ago it needed service as well. Discovered that service parts are available. In fact every single part is available including the major castings. Enough parts to completely build one from scratch. However this would would be cost prohibitive. Elroy procured his parts from Waltz-Dettmer in Cincinnati

http://www.waltzdettmer.com

At one time they were a Hein-Werner distributor and Elroy would think they could point you in the right direction.

That takes care of the parts. As far as service is concerned, any local "Hydraulics" shop worth their weight should be able to handle this. Be advised these cylinder use "leather" seals and they don't last forever. Your jack is worth fixing and if you don't want to fool with it and decide to discard it, discard it in Elroy's direction.

 

[billymade]

Elroy, my folks are from Cinci! Are you one of those "germans", too?

 

[bmwpower]

Leather seals?? No wonder I always hear of these jacks needing service...

Elroy also has a Hein-Werner floor jack,model WS. Several years ago it needed service as well. Discovered that service parts are available. In fact every single part is available including the major castings. Enough parts to completely build one from scratch. However this would would be cost prohibitive. Elroy procured his parts from Waltz-Dettmer in Cincinnati

http://www.waltzdettmer.com

At one time they were a Hein-Werner distributor and Elroy would think they could point you in the right direction.

That takes care of the parts. As far as service is concerned, any local "Hydraulics" shop worth their weight should be able to handle this. Be advised these cylinder use "leather" seals and they don't last forever. Your jack is worth fixing and if you don't want to fool with it and decide to discard it, discard it in Elroy's direction.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Elroy also has a Hein-Werner floor jack,model WS. Several years ago it needed service as well. Discovered that service parts are available. In fact every single part is available including the major castings. Enough parts to completely build one from scratch. However this would would be cost prohibitive. Elroy procured his parts from Waltz-Dettmer in Cincinnati

http://www.waltzdettmer.com

At one time they were a Hein-Werner distributor and Elroy would think they could point you in the right direction.

That takes care of the parts. As far as service is concerned, any local "Hydraulics" shop worth their weight should be able to handle this. Be advised these cylinder use "leather" seals and they don't last forever. Your jack is worth fixing and if you don't want to fool with it and decide to discard it, discard it in Elroy's direction.

The last time I rebuilt an older Walker that was originally equipped with a leather ram seal at the end of the ram it turned out the rebuild kit did not come with a leather ram seal as the old one had, but rather some new seal made of some sort of new plastic/teflon material or the like!

On the first jacks I rebuilt years ago the rebuild kits always came with new leather ram seals!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Leather seals?? No wonder I always hear of these jacks needing service...

Leather was or used to be very standard for use on the ram in all the quality jacks you would encounter, in fact I think I would still prefer it for a ram seal when rebuilding myself if given a choice!

 

[Elroy]

Elroy purchased his Hein-Werner in Louisville from Queen City Hydraulics. Queen City was then purchased by Waltz-Dettmer. This fact was revealed later. If Elroy remembers correctly, he called the local Louisville number listed for Queen City and was connected with Dettmer in Cincinnati as a local call. Placed the parts order over the phone using the AMEX card and the parts were delivered the next day. Elroy recalls it as a smooth and simple transaction.

 

[bmwpower]

Leather was or used to be very standard for use on the ram in all the quality jacks you would encounter, in fact I think I would still prefer it for a ram seal when rebuilding myself if given a choice!

Yea, but you're crazy.
Please give me one good reason to use leather over a rubber seal.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yea, but you're crazy.
Please give me one good reason to use leather over a rubber seal.

I figure that they were good enough to last for decades in commercial use as originally manufactured, and were a standard of the industry so they should certainly be able to withstand anything I planned on using the jack for.

Plus, it always seemed to me that the ram was easier to fit to the bore of the cylinder upon re-assembly when using the leather as opposed to the hard plastic replacement (not generally pliable rubber in my experience) so admittedly partially an ease of use issue as well.

 

[Elroy]

Yea, but you're crazy.
Please give me one good reason to use leather over a rubber seal.

The main reason is because it works. Elroy offers this little link for your reading enjoyment:

http://www.monarch-mclaren.com/faq.htm

Elroy had Quadrajet off a 71 GS 455 apart last week and guess what material the accelerator pump was made from in a brand new kit. Yep, you got it: LEATHER

 

[billymade]

http://www.monarch-mclaren.com/leather.htm

 

[Uncle Buck]

The main reason is because it works. Elroy offers this little link for your reading enjoyment:

http://www.monarch-mclaren.com/faq.htm

Elroy had Quadrajet off a 71 GS 455 apart last week and guess what material the accelerator pump was made from in a brand new kit. Yep, you got it: LEATHER

I get by with a little help from my friends.........

 

[bmwpower]

I don't see how it would not score the ram. Wouldn't the leather absorb the oil and would allow it to permeate past the seal? The grit would stick to the leather and allow the grit to score the ram.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I don't see how it would not score the ram. Wouldn't the leather absorb the oil and would allow it to permeate past the seal? The grit would stick to the leather and allow the grit to score the ram.

On a bottle jack, or floor jack there is a seal known as the wiper that when functioning properly removes any accumulated excess crud from the ram when it returns to it's seated position in the bottle when the jack is lowered. The wiper is generally located at the outer end of the bottle, just under the big nut that holds the ram in the bottle.

In actuality when a hydraulic system is either operating properly, or has been properly rebuilt there should be no grit. That is why it is imperative to clean, clean, clean everything when rebuilding a hydraulic component, jack, bottle etc. Contamination in a hydraulic system will make short work of the unit!

 

[Elroy]

The main reason is because it works. Elroy offers this little link for your reading enjoyment:

http://www.monarch-mclaren.com/faq.htm

http://www.monarch-mclaren.com/leather.htm

And great minds think alike.

As far as the leather seals are concerned. These things are "processed". The leather is very hard, tuff and they are impregnated with compounds to be compatable with hydraulic systems. They are not just a piece of "skin". They are actually a manufactued item. They just use good ole mother nature as the raw material.

 

[bmwpower]

OK. Now that makes more sense....thx!

And great minds think alike.

As far as the leather seals are concerned. These things are "processed". The leather is very hard, tuff and they are impregnated with compounds to be compatable with hydraulic systems. They are not just a piece of "skin". They are actually a manufactued item. They just use good ole mother nature as the raw material.

On a bottle jack, or floor jack there is a seal known as the wiper that when functioning properly removes any accumulated excess crud from the ram when it returns to it's seated position in the bottle when the jack is lowered. The wiper is generally located at the outer end of the bottle, just under the big nut that holds the ram in the bottle.

In actuality when a hydraulic system is either operating properly, or has been properly rebuilt there should be no grit. That is why it is imperative to clean, clean, clean everything when rebuilding a hydraulic component, jack, bottle etc. Contamination in a hydraulic system will make short work of the unit!

 

[srosa707]

Ill have to post a pic of my Jack and see if you guys can point me in the right direction to find the fill hole for the fluid. Oh, and yesterday when i came out to my garage to grab something, i noticed a puddle of fluid under the jack. DAMMIT! Now i know i need a rebuild kit. $109 for mine!

 

[billymade]

You might call around to your hydraulic service companies; many times they will have a flat rate for repairs and it may come out to a better deal. Just a thought!

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

the only leather accelerator pumps I ever saw were in a WCFB Carter - 1957 chevrolet
all the Q jets I ever rebuilt had rubber

 

[T56 Impala]

I seem to remember some rebuild kits coming with both rubber and leather accelerator pumps. Early 70's IIRC.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

My Dake hydraulic press uses leather seals for the pump and the release valve. I replaced all of them because of a leaking release valve but never have been able to stop that seep. The pump stays dry. But yes, leather is a material of choice for many pump seals of all kinds.

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

These folks may be able to help with hydraulic jack parts.

http://www.ohiohydraulic.com/hein-werner drawing page.htm

Charles

 

[Elroy]

Elroy's Model WS Hein Werner "in the process".

Pump photo's pending

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[tatra]

i believe that is the exact same jack i have..........bought it as my first credit purchase from the local jobber i was using at the time over twenty five years ago and have never had a problem, leak, or complaint except now it's a bit of a nut buster to place in the trunk for road work...........also i have not babied it and only changed the oil twice [ i think]...........look forwrd to seeing the innards as i don't belive i'll need to do mine anytime soon..........i hope............

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Yea, but you're crazy.
Please give me one good reason to use leather over a rubber seal.

Dake Hydraulic presses use leather packings and seals. I have one valve that won't quit leaking after replacing the seals, but there might be other problems. With leather, soak the seals in the jack oil for several hours before installing them. Leather have been use for a long time in hydraulics and it works well. This is how the company "Chicago Rawhide" or CR who makes all kinds of seals, got its name. CR has been bought by someone, but I don't recall who.

Charles

 

[billymade]

Man, the Crane Cams and the Sun stickers are so sweet! You nailed the correct era for sure and it works perfectly with that vintage jack! Man that thing looks like it is built to last forever! Also, for the uninformed; this thing can be REBUILT!!!!!

 

[Elroy]

Well today was Hein Werner day for Elroy. Decided it was time to continue dis-assembly of the WS pump. What a dirty mess it was. Elroy is looking forward to having a rebuilt floor jack that does not leak !!

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At this point the entire main body has been dis-assembled and cleaned. Can't get the main cylinder out of the block. That baby is torqued in there and the last thing Elroy needs is a dent in the cylinder so it's staying put. The over load valve also takes some kind of special tool to remove. Elroy understands it's pre-adjusted at the factory so that is staying put as well. All the parts in the relief valve are steel with no soft parts so there is no big deal leaving it alone.

[/IMG]

The main bore is nice and clean with no pits or grooves. Elroy also wants NO DENTS so that damn cylinder can ride as is.

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The small pump bore is in perfect condition as well. This rebuild is looking good so far.

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Elroy did booger this "screw driver" slot trying to remove the pump guide. That thing is in tight as well. Full access is available from the top and bottom so this is another "all steel" part that gets away with staying put.

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This is the small pump piston. Elroy serviced this part back in 2000 with a complete assembly. The original Hein Werner part is on the bottom with the snap ring. The upper piston is an after market "import" item. Elroy has a fresh piston seal available. Measurements after polishing will determine which one gets reinstalled.

 

[eschoendorff]

Nice pics Elroy. Ed thinks you got a well-cared for machine on your hands. Ed also likes that red-handled Proto ratchet in the 3rd shot.

 

[Elroy]

Here are most of the parts laid out on the bench:

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And finally a top view of the main body. The big port in the center of the block if for the "release valve"

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Well that about does it for this week end.

Elroy has been known to shoot off his mouth a bit and wanted to do two things with this post.

First was to back up some brag with some facts.

The second and more important was to document a Hein Werner model WS dis-assembly for the "board". Elroy has always enjoyed his time here and wanted to contribute. If these pictures had been available from another source prior to getting into this job, Elroy would have been all over it.

Any ways hope you folks enjoy.

Elroy / The Kentucky 4 Link