big old trolley jack - Epco (degreasing frame)

Hi, That's probably the filler for the oil reservoir and the slot has been cut to allow it breathe when it's pumped up as it's probably a replacement for the original. The sinking under load is either a ram seal leaking or the release valve is not sealing properly.

Colin

That would make a handsome addition to the vintage garage! If you look at this line up it would seem to be a particularly early one;
www.classic-british-car-jacks.uk/Epco_Jacks.htm

Thanks MkX

So I'm finally doing something about this and actually forgot about this thread and started another one the other day.

There's good input on both so I'll include the link from the later one here just for completeness Sep 2023 thread but I think it's better to continue on this original thread so here goes....

So basically I've taken it apart and started painting in in Hammerite purple

It's too late to write much more about it tonight so I'll just stick a few pics on and expand on it tomorrow if it's pouring down and I take a day off work



violet Hammerite



wonder what this meant



front wheels off



strange that this marking was machined thru. M BRO?


handle getting first coat


BD 14 LW


BC9 LW



S3? S5? LW



serial number? 2542 H?



LW 91 A?


I can't find any clear model number on it and ,'. have no idea what its rating is but it is 4' 3" long and the ram is 3" diameter which might help an expert ID it.

There seems to be a theme on the components which have something cast or stamped on them. LW keeps cropping-up. Long Wheelbase perhaps

So I started cleaning (degreasing) all the bits last night which is also a good way of examining everything and I have to say just about every part is showing wear of some sort.

I know this thing is old and may have been used hard but it doesn't actually do any significant mileage lol. So why are the wheels and shafts so worn?

Despite having grease points everywhere I'n guessing it was never serviced but then why does it show signs of having been dismantled before?

Tbh the wear isn't that important as long as it lifts stuff safely so I may persevere with this but right now it's just stopping my from working on my Hillman Imp pick-up which has to be finished ASAP.

One part of the jack that I haven't managed to take apart yet is the rear castors. They are seized on their vertical shafts(?), so don't swivel, but the wheels themselves do spin on their axles. I'm guessing there are ball-bearings between 2 thick 'washers' above the wheels so could probably get things moving again by tapping and lubricating in there but I'd like to get the assemblies off the frame completely and service them on the bench.

The shafts presumably go up into the turrets visible from above but there are grub-screws seized into the turrets which must prevent the shafts from coming down. One screw still has its locknut. I don't understand what this arrangement was for tho. Why would you need an adjustable design?

Anyway I've been at the one with the better screw with a Propane torch and an impact-driver trying to loosen it but it's not budging. There is a drilling on the opposite side of the screw so I could perhaps get penetrating fluid in there but it would probably just reach the shaft, not the threads on other side. Also can't see if this drilling is threaded. If it was I could drill out the existing side (ruining the threads) then put new screws in from the other side. Will try a bit more heat or welding nuts on to the screws or something first.

Anyway here are a few pics relating to things I mentioned above and in previous post. Plus a few randoms.



frame is not 2 totally separate halves. joined in 2 places towards front end



these notches govern where handle rests. looks like 1 got bent



these are the seals which were stacked on top of each other on the pump shaft



rear castors do not swivel. presume there are ball-bearings in here somewhere



castors must have vertical shafts which disappear into these turrets which have grub-screws in them



grub-screw on this side is in better condition and has its locknut but is stuck in casting

Thanks jimi

That's good to know about the gland-packing

I still don't get the bit about the air-bleed but then again I don't understand how the pump works yet. Saw a really good video on YouTube about it but the system looks totally different to mine.

From these pics can you say which part of mine is the fluid-reservoir and which is the output?



view down bore with lid removed



these parts under the lid all go inside the ram tube



top of pump/ram assy



underside of pump/ram assy

Not got any pics worth posting really but (with a heavy hangover) I kinda made progress on the castors today....

I got the oxy-acetylene on it, albeit with a very small nozzle (as I'd been trying to weld thin sheet recently and CBA changing it) and with some WD40 and lots of whacking with the impact driver the better screw started to turn, but only a fraction either way

The slot in the screw (and my bit) were both getting mullered so I ended up just welding the lock-nut onto the screw and trying to unwind it with a spanner but this wasn't immediate.

Eventually it came out and the reason was apparent....

The screw had broken about halfway down and one half was catching on the other when I was trying to turn it.

When these things happen (and you are hungover and the weather is curse word so the barn is damp) it's tempting just to chuck everything in the fu**-it-bucket and move on but I persevered. Many years ago (trying to remove corroded exhaust-studs from an XJR1300 engine) I came up with an idea of drilling down a tube to get dead centre of any offending stud so I tried a bit of that.

Small tube down the hole and drilled a 3mm(?) hole quite clean in centre. I then tried to widen this out with 5mm(?) LH drill-bits (bought for the XJR saga) and suddenly things went wrong. I've no idea how but suddenly everything was off-centre but not actually in the threads.

I couldn't go any wider with the drilling as it would take away threads on one side so tried punching the remains of the screw downwards then going in again with the 5mm LH bit to see if it would catch a ragged bit and spin it out.

This wasn't making anything worse or better then I couldn't find my chuck-key and gave up for the day

I've seen the site but didn't realise you can contact the guy.Cheers

There needs to be a gap in the bearings, to give space for grease and dirt, also if the rollers are tight to each other, they grind themselves away
Ttfn Glenn