A gift from the roadside.

[DICKEYBIRD]

I found this jack on the side of the Interstate. You guys keep one eye dedicated to looking for metal gifts on the side of the road while driving too, right?



I started to throw it away since it's just a cheap stamping but after further review I'm gonna keep it. It seems to work smoothly so ya never know when I may need it to do some light lifting or pressing.



The crazy thing has 10.5" of travel in a device that's less than 7" tall when retracted. Anybody ever seen one apart to see how the mechanism works? I'm guessing the handle turns a bevel geared drive nut that forces a lead screw up but how does the compound gizmo work? The center shaft goes up about 5" and then the outer sleeve starts rising. Amazing.

It says "Made in Canada, eh Hoser?" on the bottom so I'm guessing it's a Ford product. Torker, you been down south lately & forget your jack?

[DICKEYBIRD]

Eureka! I just had a stunning idea. Me & Lane & 'Tiffie's gonna use it in our new toolgrinder project! Stay tuned...

[dp]

Hmmm - I could use that as an adjustable rigidity arm on my radial arm saw grinder project, and as a bleed-down proof jack for my toe jack project. Looks like I need to visit Canada again. Ford, you say?

[Guido]

Those Ford jacks go for four bits, all day long at most Pick A Parts or any auto JY for that matter. Spend ten minutes looking and you can usually find one which has never been used.

G

[Fasttrack]

I've got a GM one just like that from my '77 p/u. I kept it for the same reasons. Doesn't have much "oomph" compared to hydraulic, but its an awfully compact package for the amount of travel.

[Stepside]

I used one to build a table lifter for my 15" Clausing drill press. I welded a 1/2" drive socket where the crank would go so I can use a ratchet to raise the table. I fabbed some brackets so it is a dedicated lifting device.

[Daminer]

I've found hand tools, flashlights, keychains, a purse and a businessmans pockbook on the road over many years.....The purse and pocketbook got back to their VERY relieved owners with everything in place.....People often set items on the roof or the flat rear pickup bumper and drive merrily away, stocking the open-air-tarmac thrifty store.....

Jim

[wshelley]

Cool finds

I find plenty of fodder for the foundry along the road but my favorite find was a 20# propane tank. I was heading home from work planning on buying a second tank for use with the foundry when I saw one laying in a ditch. Not only was it a current OFP tank but it was almost full! Sometimes you get lucky.

Ward

[oldtiffie]

.................................................. ..

[Your Old Dog]

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Turning over a new leaf Tiff ! That's the shortest post I've seen from down under

[x39]

My latest road find was a three ball hitch that fits a Reese type reciever. There was another guy that stopped as well, but I got there just before him and he deferred to me. I checked with a few of my neighbors who were likely to have owned something like it and none of them claimed it, so its now on the back of my 3/4 ton truck. I once found a stick for measuring the fluid level in underground tanks (kind of like a 12' long ruler) laying in the ditch in front of the house, it has been useful at times.

[torker]

It isn't mine but i like it! Really.. I use a lot of them ol car jacks in my shop. they're excellent for a helping hand when doing fab work. I wrap a chain around whatever and use the jacks to force the plate into place for welding.
Also use them for leveling big assembly jigs, pushing car/truck engines around to line up motor mount bolts, straightening snowmobile bulkheads/tunnels... they are far handier than a hydraulic if you don't need big power.
Russ

[spope14]

Got one of those in my Ferd Ranger. They are bomb proof and can be used in many ways.

[gmatov]

Daminer,

Funny, a neighbor once asked me to go with him to buy some rebar, as I had a rack on my 76 Chevy pickup, step bumper, too. Got to the yard, parked, walked back alongside the truck, there on the step bumper is my cup, still full of coffee.

'Nother time, bought a boat and a roof rack from a boat dealer. Gutter mount rack. They installed and loaded the boat. (12 foot Meyers.)

12 miles later, when I got home, on the roof is a pair of Channel Lock Pliers.

Granted, the truck, rural roads, I probably never got above 35 mph. So, OK, it didn't bounce much. Coffee was still in the cup and I drank it. Boat, open highway but 45 mph limit, still didn't blow off

'Nother time, bad on me, left my garage door opener on the hood of a 72 GMC and 2 blocks from home, at a stop sign, didn't notice the opener slide off the hood. Realized that when I got to the end of the ride, looked for it on the way home and found it squished on the road at that stop sign. Never found a replacement for it since.

That would be an annoyance IF there was any hope that I could possibly use it to drive a vehicle INTO my garage. That won't happen soon, so no biggy.

Cheers,

George

[oldtiffie]

Quite a stretch

Thanks BD.

If I'd have left it there I might have been doing a longer sentence elsewhere.