Vintage tool information request. Mine roof support. *Antique/vintage item enthusiasts*

Well...here we are again, ATS. Again I find myself in need of some online assistance and again I become overwhelmed by the massive amount of results that comes from searching the web.

I suppose this requires a little bit of back story.

A few weeks ago I was walking along some property of mine, a place I have walked for much of my life, and my girlfriend stumbled across this....




Not being sure exactly what it was or why it would be atop a mountain I went and done some web searching and found out that it is a Templeton Kenly & Co Simplex Mine Roof Support. It was made in Chicago and since Simplex (formerly Templeton Kenly & Co) products are now made in China I am going to assume that this thing is old.
It's a lever jack. The patent # is A9225 and it has the "F series" head attached at the top.
....so now I'm even more stumped about why it would have been on TOP of a mountain, but that is besides my point.

Being that I am struggling a little (understatement) financially at the moment, I decided to see what one was worth.
New (also now made in China, btw) they run around $950.00 USD.

This one is in full working order, as far as I can tell. I took the rod out and sprayed the entire thing down with PBblaster and wiped it down with a rag. There is no rust in the jack because the base and the jack are aluminum alloy. It is in really good condition and for the most part the only wear is your normal rust patina (superficial rust that hasn't done any harm) and the paint has wore off most of it, besides what you can see in the pictures.

Simplex product information where I intially found a new one to compare to.

So...why am I here at ATS you might wonder? Why here, of all places.
...Well, that is my question (one of them)

I am wondering if anyone might have any suggestions on where I try to find out what this is worth?
I'm wondering if anyone has any other information on it, or suggestions about how I could go about selling it.

I am fairly certain that it is worth a few hundred dollars, at the least. In working order, I cannot imagine letting it go for less.
Any and all information that may aide me on this quest will be greatly appreciated.

... Here's to hoping there are a few vintage tool types out there in ATS land.

Have a good day, everyone.

That sir is what's now called an Acrow. They are used to temporary support any building with a void underneath making it safer to work under. The size is a belt and braces exercise ie. it's best to have a unit to carry more weight than you need therefore less likely to fail if you used a lighter version.

a reply to: crayzeed

Thank you sir. Due to your input I learned a bit about the Acrow.
While it appears to be much like the piece I found a few things are different. One being that the Acrow seems tubular. The support "arm" of the one I found is not tubular, it is square with notches in one side.

Here is a diagram of the Acrow.



While I am very certain that this could be re-purposed as an Acrow, I don't think it is one after looking at them a bit. The one I found is the exact one that is still sold by Simplex to this day.

Perhaps the Acrow is a commercial construction variety of the mine roof support. It appears that way to me anyways.

Again, thanks for the input and for having me learn a bit about Acrows....



ETA: It's a 4 ton capacity support. Think I forgot to mention that.
This information was garnered from the patent # a search and a list I found of various tkSimplex supports. There is also an 8 and 12 ton variety, though price doesn't seem to differ that much between them.

Looks like an older Heizman (sp?) Jack. We use them underground to support metal beams. I have also seen them used under modular homes. Hope it helps. Maybe spelled Heintzman, sorry just can"t remember. It"s Heintzman. Just got your link to work on my phone, thats the same as your picture. Only problem, if there"s no year stamped on the jack, age would be tough to verify.

a reply to: Yahm16

Yeah, it is definitely used underground. I suppose it would have helped to mention I am in the heart of coal mining country.
I posted a link to where they are sold, as well as one from the manufacturer. It's a Mine Roof Support. Also called a Mine Timbering Jack. It's made by Simplex (formerly known as Templeton Kenly & Co. but since moving to China it's known simply as Simplex or tkSimplex

possibly someone needed a big jack to hold something up such as a joist while building something as it was quicker than finding someone else to provide some extra muscle power or as a second part to be able to lay a board out to paint the stairs etc, check there aint two of them as they'd make mega legs for a firespit with a big hog on it as well

i doubt any mining company would buy one thats been out and hasn't been tested and certified, my main guess would be builders or homeowners in places where land slips as something to quickly secure a section while works done.

more than likely though its technically stolen property but i think the mine probably has closed down etc so wouldn't care