Screw Jack handle?

[modirt]

So I have only seen these jacks laying around the barn for about 50 years, but have never actually seen one being used. Concept is easy enough......but what tool would have been used to insert into the holes to turn the screw?

Has to be round and small enough to fit the hole, with enough temper it won't bend under load. I can recall a crow bar that was the handle of a large railroad jack.....but even pointy end of that was too large for this hole. Perhaps a drive train axle or shaft?

Or was there a special tool used for these? Like the handles that come with hydraulic jacks?

 

[Barts Dad]

The ones Grandpa used on the farm were old car axels, model t or model a.

 

[moresmoke]

I?ve always just used a pointed end pry bar.

 

[Steve@Advance]

I suspect just a solid bar of cold roll steel would do for most jobs.

You could use tempered tool steel, like a tire iron.

Or get really serious, a big pipe wrench and a cheater pipe. Something will give!

 

[tech4]

I helped a friend level a floor on an old house and I don't remember it being all that hard to turn. He had a steel bar that I thought came with it. You can still buy that type of jack.
Screw Jack

 

[Mule Meat]

Depends on the load being lifted.

Most cases a pointed 24" to 48" round pry ar worked well with house screw jacks.

Key is keep the threads cleaned and lubed along with the collar.

 

[old]

I have a number of those jacks and as a matter of fact I have 3 of them sitting under a Mahindra 6000 I have used the handle of a break bar or he split rim tire handle as in the tool used to work on split rims but then I have tools that many people do not have

 

[Brian G. NY]

You could use tempered tool steel, like a tire iron.

O!

I have three of these old jacks that belonged to my F.I.L.

I use the tire irons....the longer the better.

Our historical society moved a one room school house to a new location 3 miles down the road.

We did use my jacks and they worked but we found that good hydraulic jacks worked even better.

 

[modirt]

(quoted from post at 19:35:56 04/17/19)

You could use tempered tool steel, like a tire iron.

O!

I have three of these old jacks that belonged to my F.I.L.

I use the tire irons....the longer the better.

Our historical society moved a one room school house to a new location 3 miles down the road.

We did use my jacks and they worked but [b:ffa2f185a6]we found that good hydraulic jacks worked even better[/b:ffa2f185a6].

About a year ago, we hired some Amish lads to do some repair work on an old barn, including replacing some rotted out sills, which required we jack up the barn a bit. I showed up with a pair of these screw jacks and they stared at them with a blank look on their face. Claimed they had never seen one. So I then produced a couple 20 ton hydraulic jacks and their mood brightened considerably. Barn went airborne like it wanted to.

But as for a purpose built tool to turn the screw, sounds like everyone is improvising with something else. No special tool came with them?

 

[Jim.ME]

They may have come with a "special tool" to turn them, but most were and are turned by what is available, as you can see from the responses you are getting. It doesn't need to be special and specific to the jack, fits in the hole and works for the operator are the two main criteria. Optional as far as length, material strength, shape, color, etc.

 

[old]

In all the decades I have been around that type of jack I have NEVER seen a handle made just for them. Back say 55 plus years ago I remember my dad have a few of those and he just used a tire iron from his car to jack them up. I was told they are call bell jack or house jacks as in they where made for jacking up a building

 

[Pops1532]

At least some originally came with handles. I have about 15 to 20 of those jacks. Bought them all used. One still had the original handle. Just use whatever is handy that fits the hole. I usually use steel stakes that are made for concrete forms.

 

[farmerjohn]

I have several of them, have used them to jack up barns for foundation repair. Have a 2 foot and 6 foot steel rod I use for handles. The one jack is
different, I?ve never seen another like it, where the handle goes is a ratchet with a collar and teeth, you can move the handle back-and-forth just like a
ratchet wrench.

 

[Two Dogs]

In a pinch a pipe wrench will do.

 

[Leroy]

Have one like that