A LIGHT AND EFFICIENT HYDRAULIC JACK.
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THE Enots hydraulic jack has been introduced by Benton and Stone, Ltd., Braeebridge Street, Birmingham, and is decidedly worth the attention of commercial vehicle users. This jack, complete with extension piece, weighs but 5 lb. 11 oz., and when closed has an overall height of but 10i ins. With the extension piece removed the jack will slip under a 0-in, axle and give a lift of 4* ins., whilst with the extension piece in use a similar lift may be given to any part of the vehicle within 15 ins. of the ground.
The jack is operated by working a 2-ft. handle up and down with a pumping action, and the ease with which this may be effected can be judged from the fact that we were able to lift both front wheels of a light van by depressing the handle with one finger only. The handle works a horizontal plunger pump in the base of the jack through a short lever pivoted on a strong lug into which the handle fits, being secured in place by a bayonet Joint. Oil is forced by this pump from an outer casing through ball valves into the central chamber, in which the lifting ram of the jack works!
024 lowering being effected by engaging a square hale in the end of the handle with a needle valve which allows the oil to escape from the central chamber to the outer container. As regards the speed of operation of the jack, the light van in question was raised through 4 ins, in under ten seconds by jacking under the centre of the axle, whilst as a test of the jack's capacity under more arduous conditions the entire front of a "Midland Red" bus, with a front-axle weight of two tons, was lifted through 4* ins. in 25 seconds. When lowering, the vehicle can either be brought down so slowly that niiTiement is barely perceptible, or by a quicker opening of the needle valve can be allowed to drop straight on to its wheels.
An excellent feature of the jack is that owing to the method by which the handle is attached it may be placed in position and withdrawn without torching anything but the handle, while the efficiency of the packing glands on the pump plunger and ram is such that we could find no trace of any leakage of oil whatever.
The retail price of the jack in its most simple form is 35s., an extra charge of 7s. ad. being made for the extension piece.