MTFCA Forum

In a past discussion regarding when Ford started supplying jacks with the cars, John Regan posted the following:

"I found a letter in the Ford Museum archives many years ago while researching there. It was before the whole research thing was moved to the Benson Research Center. The letter was on Ford letterhead from Ford to dealers that states that for the 1913 Model year that Ford will begin to supply a Jack and for the open cars a top boot. The letter informs the dealers they can requisition the factory for a Jack and a Boot for any cars shipped on or after October 1, 1912 and stated that any cars shipped before that date were not 1913 models and Ford would not supply Jacks or Boots for such cars for that reason."

Does anyone have a copy of that actual letter, and if so, would they share a copy of it with me?

Thanks

Charles

This isn't the Ford letter head document, but this news paper announcement* of new car items, from Nov. 1912, mentions the new '1913' model being shown in the showroom of the Ford branch in Omaha, does have 'new' features. Notes the body change and the speedometer used, and "top hood (boot) and jack now form the principal improvements" with the new car.




*thank you Google

Thanks, that help’s

This from the April 1913: Ford called top boots top hoods:

So up until 1912 Ford owners were with out jacks? I wonder if any of the new Ford owners, esp. the rural owners re-purposed their wagon and carriage jacks?

This has been an ongoing discussion for years. However, little has been said of the company who made them. It has been assumed that Buckeye made them, because many of those jacks have Ford cast into the jack in block letters. I have seen examples of the same jack with no Ford too.

That wooden jack is a very clever piece of work, but I wouldn't trust it to lift and hold a car.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:28 am

That wooden jack is a very clever piece of work, but I wouldn't trust it to lift and hold a car.

Pat

That's an all metal racket jack with dog leg lock, the jack is bolted to a wood base. The handle for the jack is wood, some were wood, then some were cast iron handles, separate from the jack.


Buckeye brand early jacks for autos, like the Ford.

Note the Buckeye adv. and the jack have the Ford written as "FORD" to not make it appear as a genuine Ford Motor Company offering.

Well, they did a great job of making it look like a hand made wooden jack. No doubt it would lift any one wheel on most Ts, but I wouldn't depend on it to hold, although it most likely would.

Pat

You were right, sadly I didn’t look at the second jack in the group. Yep ! Wood one

Oops, missed that one, agree, wouldn’t (pun intended) use this on my T

Just found a Buckeye jack and have two items of interest. One is that while cleaning it up, I found traces of silver paint. Not enough to tell if it was a metallic paint like our aluminum spray cans of today, or something with a lot of lead in it to make the silver shade, but it was indeed silver. This one also has FORD on it, but no manufacture markings. Not Buckeye, not anything. And no they have not been ground off. Still looking for a handle though !

George Drobnock and Dan Treace:

I currently have a buggy jack listed on Craigslist.

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ ... 71152.html

My dad has owned it for 50 years. We used it years ago to quickly jack up the 1900 Waverley Electric when my dad was restoring it.

It's very husky and would probably work for lifting lightweight cars like Model Ts in order to set them on jack stands for the winter.

Come up and get it so we don't have to haul it around to swap meets.

Re/ the iron jack handle. Someone said they were hollow. I don’t think so. Having an original, this is what I’m seeing. They were cast on a tree. Likely many cast at one time. The end may have been just a bit undercut so they would break off, and not have to be sawed off. To finish the end, my example looks like it may have had a bit of something, like lead, pounded in to finish it off. I sure wouldn’t call it hollow. Darn good casting to be used as a Jack handle, for sure. I wouldn’t try a new iron one as a working Jack handle.

I have an original, but it's too long. I would be willing to trade it for the shorter version, providing it is also an original.

A repro, painted gray and an original in rust.

How deep is the hole, Charles?

Here is a 2010 thread featuring the “Walker-605”, pressed steel, flip top Jack that was in my 1926 coupe when I purchased it in 1970: www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/16 ... 1286034531. Jim Patrick

Two originals, slightly different

Interesting photo of the two handles. I've never seen the one with the slots. Thanks for posting.

Showing markings:

Thanks, great info. I cannot get my head around why the end is hollow. It would have required a core which is a lot more work. Very interesting! These are extremely rare.

It's interesting to note that the handle in the photo of the large Ford Detroit jack that belong to Kim Dobbins is marked WS and does not have holes, while the one I have with the holes is also marked WS, and the one without holes is marked W.

I haven't found any contemporary liturature that sheds info on handles. Buckeye made jacks marked with various auto makers names on the faceplate, including EMF, Studebaker, Cadillac, etc. which were either sold to the company to be supplied with the cars or maybe sold to their car buyers as accessories, or perhaps sold to the public by Buckeye.

Found a little info on Buckeye jack manufacturing. Founded in 1904 in Louisville OH. Moved to Alliance OH in early 1910. Struggled through the depression, closed in 1934. This may help to date the early jacks with Louisville on them.