Walker Racine USA Lifting Jack

[pcrov]

Today's trip to gramp's garage found this great old compact jack:


WALKER RACINE USA
B323


PAT. NO'S. 1677466
RE. 16050-17050


It takes a ½" drive and extends from 7½" to about 16" in two stages.

(Don't mind the magnet stick. The second stage relies on something, usually load by that point, to keep the top from spinning freely. Managing this while recording was a treat.)

The patent is a fun read:

• https://patents.google.com/patent/US1677466A/en?oq=1677466
• https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/d2/84/fb/8df9fdc044c1ee/US1677466.pdf

It was filed October 1, 1924, granted July 17, 1928, and expired 1945. I guess that puts this in the 80-97 years old range.

While there are innumerable uses for such
a jack, it is especially designed for use in
the automotive industry with the new over-
size or balloon tires.

(Emphasis mine.)

And it features this lovely drawing:

---

As a bonus I also found this:



A box of the Navy's plastic drawer handles from 1953.

Sometimes I wonder what gramps was up to out there.

 

[pcrov]

Here it is after cleanup. I used simple green industrial followed by some time in faux-vapo-rust. A little black paint survived which could be original.



Here it is finished. I decided not to paint, instead to preserve what's there. Machine oil on friction surfaces, (mostly cured) boiled linseed oil on the rest.

 

[kabinenroller]

Walker Manufacturing was one of many large manufacturing companies based in Racine Wisconsin. In addition to many types of automotive jacks they also manufactured exhaust systems. Eventually they became part of Teneco and left Racine. I believe something products still carry the Walker name but is not the same as the original.
I believe I have a similar Jack in my collection, I will look and post a photo.

 

[kabinenroller]

Here is my Walker Jack, not the same model as yours.

 

[Mark Stansbury]

Today's trip to gramp's garage found this great old compact jack:

I managed to find a June 1928 ad in Motor West, inside front cover, where it was the No. 515.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Thanks Mark.
I dug through all of my Walker stuff and I am not finding a model 323.

The model 515 is shown in a 1930 Belknap Hardware Co. catalog, and a 1931 "Research Club" catalog, and a 1932 Orgill Bros. catalog.
A model 330 appearing in a 1930 Union Hardware & Metal catalog appears similar to the OP's "323".

 

[pcrov]

A model 330 appearing in a 1930 Union Hardware & Metal catalog appears similar to the OP's "323".

It looks like the 330, 340, and 515 were all similar 1 ton double screw jacks. The dimensions given in the Union catalog for the 515 match mine on the nose. Weight of mine is only 5¼ lbs, but I also don't have the handle that goes with it. Is "B323" maybe a date code?

 

[four.cycle]

^ I can't even hazard a guess, sir.
The steward for jacks at datamp.org is the site administrator, because nobody else wanted to step up to the plate on that one.
It is perplexing that there seems to be such an abundance of information available on some genres and brands of tools - and almost none on others.
Jacks is one of the tool "genres" that seems to be something of a black hole when it comes to available documentation.

Really kind of puzzling when one considers that the first automobiles had tires that were only good for maybe 20 or 30 miles - and then the driver was out fixing a flat tire, which required a jack. Ergo: the jack is one of the earliest automotive tools, and has always been one of the most common - every new car came with a jack! (back in the day, of course.)

 

[Snaparxon]

Not a jack but if your using a jack you may need this! Shows wear marks and flat spots like maybe the guys would slide it across the floor under the car to change tires. Very heavy, not hollow like most lug wenches.

 

[tehutton]

Joining into this discussion rather late. Found this a few years ago at my in-law's house. Does anyone collect these jacks? Any idea on price? Mine also has the handle though I didn't think to take a picture of it.

 

[four.cycle]

Found this a few years ago at my in-law's house.

are there any numbers on the main body? a date, perhaps?

Automobile jacks are a real oddball - the "collector market" is narrow. "Niche market" is something of an understatement.
Two factors, physical space and weight, make them somewhat less appealing. And because every automobile that ever cruised America's highways came from the factory (up until just recently) with a jack - one that usually outlasted the car itself - there is no shortage of old jacks.
I see crazy asking prices on them at the second-hand shops I frequent, but they're not selling.
You could check ebay's "sold" listings but searching just "jack" is doubtless going to bury you with seach result returns.
Try running a search on ebay for "sold" listings for "(brand) jack" and see if you can get some idea.

This oldie has been on Craigslist for $20 bucks for several months now.
This rusty thing can yours for a dollar. If you want to drive down to Frances to pick it up. (Frances is down near Lebam - down by Oakville.)(out in the damn weeds.)
The guy trying to sell this old Templeton-Kenly is on the wrong kind of drugs.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Walker Manufacturing was one of many large manufacturing companies based in Racine Wisconsin. In addition to many types of automotive jacks they also manufactured exhaust systems.

Walker Manufacturing also made and supplied tire pumps to Willys during WWII. Willys put a Walker Model #4853-B on every MB jeep that rolled off the line between July 7, 1944 and January 3, 1945. After that the model number changed to 4863, which was issued to every MB until the end of MB production. (Original tire pump supplier was Arnold Haviland.)

Here is a Willys factory PRF that my writing partners and I pulled out of NARA when we were working on Chapter 40 ("Factory Toolkit, Spares, and Accessories for the Willys MB Jeep") of Lloyd White's book, Evolution of the Willys-Overland MB Jeep.



Here is a Walker tire pump shown with my on-board toolkit....



And here is an early war Walker tire pump (on top) that they produced for the US Army Quartermaster Corps.

 

[RStewart]

Here is a nifty(I think) mechanical floor jack. It t all works on cams and teeth. Pretty cool.

 

[RStewart]

Here is another Walker. You use it like a lever and the pull chain releases the lifting point. Still has a nice wooden handle. I’m too scared to even think about using it.