Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

Someone here was keen on the old Simplex jacks.
These ones are nearly 100 years old and lift up to 7.5 tons.
I don't think they are made to take apart easily, and that is not an
easy job. It's like some kind of puzzle, and comes apart and goes back
together only in a certain order.

Here's one before and after I took it apart and cleaned and greased it
and painted it, together with others that I refurbished earlier:
http://i55.tinypic.com/1fahdg.jpg

Here are the parts, over 20 of them:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2dkk3gz.jpg
I've never seen any broken or worn parts, so the design is really
good.
Of course I replaced all the split pins and a couple of other pins.

Getting at this split pin was really tricky. It's hidden behind the
spring arrangement, but by holding the spring back with a wire I
managed to get the split pin out.
http://i51.tinypic.com/11ud8v5.jpg

Inside was 100 years of dirt.
A good clean and grease and they are good for another 100 years!

Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

In article d3488a3f-926b-414d-99ee-2c2552946517
@f20g2000prn.googlegroups.com, says...
I don't think they are made to take apart easily, and that is not an
easy job. It's like some kind of puzzle, and comes apart and goes back
together only in a certain order.


To be fair, that's true of most machinery - unless you like your pistons
outside your engine.

They're fun, though. I haven't used one for ages, but from time to time
they're more handy than a hydraulic jack. Looks like you've had fun.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

On Jan 18, 11:29 pm, Skipweasel wrote:
In article d3488a3f-926b-414d-99ee-2c2552946517
@f20g2000prn.googlegroups.com, says...

I don't think they are made to take apart easily, and that is not an
easy job. It's like some kind of puzzle, and comes apart and goes back
together only in a certain order.

To be fair, that's true of most machinery - unless you like your pistons
outside your engine.

But it's usually obvious how to take something apart except for
modern things where they hide screws.
The Simplex jack has a nameplate that is held on by a rivet that
becomes curved when hammered in. It's impossible to pull the rivet out
withot breaking it. I've replaced that with a screw.
Then the two bearings are pressed in from each side and it needs a
thin wedge to start getting them out, then a pin punch.
All of the split pins are in such tight places that I needed to cut
them in half to remove them.
There's about half a down places where a trick is needed to take it
apart. That's something I've seen only in modern equipment.

Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

Matty F wrote:
On Jan 18, 11:29 pm, Skipweasel wrote:
In article d3488a3f-926b-414d-99ee-2c2552946517
@f20g2000prn.googlegroups.com, says...

I don't think they are made to take apart easily, and that is not an
easy job. It's like some kind of puzzle, and comes apart and goes back
together only in a certain order.
To be fair, that's true of most machinery - unless you like your pistons
outside your engine.

But it's usually obvious how to take something apart except for
modern things where they hide screws.
The Simplex jack has a nameplate that is held on by a rivet that
becomes curved when hammered in. It's impossible to pull the rivet out
withot breaking it. I've replaced that with a screw.
Then the two bearings are pressed in from each side and it needs a
thin wedge to start getting them out, then a pin punch.
All of the split pins are in such tight places that I needed to cut
them in half to remove them.
There's about half a down places where a trick is needed to take it
apart. That's something I've seen only in modern equipment.

If you have lifetime sealed bearings, there is no need to make provision
for disassembly with hand tools.

And more and more stuff has been made this way.

Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

In article , lid says...
If you have lifetime sealed bearings, there is no need to make provision
for disassembly with hand tools.


That presupposes that I agree with their definition of "lifetime" -
which in many cases I don't.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

Refurbishing Simplex jacks
 

"Matty F" wrote in message
...
Someone here was keen on the old Simplex jacks.
These ones are nearly 100 years old and lift up to 7.5 tons.
I don't think they are made to take apart easily, and that is not an
easy job. It's like some kind of puzzle, and comes apart and goes back
together only in a certain order.

Here's one before and after I took it apart and cleaned and greased it
and painted it, together with others that I refurbished earlier:
http://i55.tinypic.com/1fahdg.jpg

Here are the parts, over 20 of them:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2dkk3gz.jpg
I've never seen any broken or worn parts, so the design is really
good.
Of course I replaced all the split pins and a couple of other pins.

Getting at this split pin was really tricky. It's hidden behind the
spring arrangement, but by holding the spring back with a wire I
managed to get the split pin out.
http://i51.tinypic.com/11ud8v5.jpg

Inside was 100 years of dirt.
A good clean and grease and they are good for another 100 years!

Matty F,

you are without doubt a very ingenious bloke.

We don't use Simplex jacks but in the tackle store we have an assortment of
Duff-Norton 'Barrett' jacks which, I think, work on the same principle as
Simplex.
These are perhaps of similar age to yours and range in capacity from 0.5t to
(I think) a couple of monster 20 tonners.
We still use these occasionally when loading rolling stock, barges, air
conditioning equipment rooms, large vessels etc.
They are great machines but can be lethal in the wrong hands. Thus the elfin
safety mob here frown upon them.

A really nice thing is that they work equally well underwater.
In my 50 odd years we have never had to repair or replace a single one.
After use they are cleaned off and lubricated. Then put back in tackle
store.

Also have a few of the more modern hydraulic range up to 5t. Good but not
that good.

Nick.
UK