[Wheelj81]

I’ve got a 1971 1750 GTV. And I’ve got the jack shown in the pic below. For the life of me I can’t figure out how the jack is actually supposed to lift the car up? I assume you pull the arm out and insert it into the jack mount. Then you would crank the handle. But the arm seems like it would just fall under the weight of the car without something securing the arm in place. I did a search but couldn’t find the answer. And it didn’t seem like anyone else asked the question which seems strange to me. Am I missing something?

Note: I don’t really plan on using it, unless I got a flat and didn’t have any other options. So I figured it’d be a good idea to know how.

 

[divotandtralee]

It actually works .. just the way it is. I know it seems counter-intuitive but try it just enough to prove it to yourself.

 

[Gubi]

Note: I don’t really plan on using it, unless I got a flat and didn’t have any other options. So I figured it’d be a good idea to know how.

If you think there's ever any chance of you needing a jack while on the road, I'd strongly suggest replacing that with a modern scissor jack. Or something like a Silme brand inflator kit.

I personally wouldn't trust those old jacks even in an emergency. Just my take.

 

[Wheelj81]

If you think there's ever any chance of you needing a jack while on the road, I'd strongly suggest replacing that with a modern scissor jack. Or something like a Silme brand inflator kit.

I personally wouldn't trust those old jacks even in an emergency. Just my take.

Ya I’ve thought of getting a slime kit. But I need to replace the previous owner’s upgrade of the cigarette lighter to a usb port. Which is fine, but just something to do.

 

[petrosam]

I have used it on my Berlina and it works! The jack may start leaning a bit, and my guess is that the small rubber part towards the top of the jack is there so it doesn't accidentally scratches the car body by touching it (I hope this makes sense....).

Actually, in my Berlina, one of the jack points recently started giving way (surprise!! there is rust!!!), so I used a modern jack (scissor jack?) and carefully chose the lifting point. Maybe other people had similar bad experience?

 

[Gubi]

Ya I’ve thought of getting a slime kit. But I need to replace the previous owner’s upgrade of the cigarette lighter to a usb port. Which is fine, but just something to do.

You can get an inexpensive adapter. Alligator clips to connect to the battery terminals with a female lighter socket. That’s what I have for my GTV with the old style cigarette lighter.

NOCO GC017 15A 14AWG 12V Adapter, Heavy-Duty Cigarette Lighter Plug, and Female Socket with Battery Clamps

Buy NOCO GC017 15A 14AWG 12V Adapter, Heavy-Duty Cigarette Lighter Plug, and Female Socket with Battery Clamps at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

www.amazon.com

 

[spiderserie4]

I assume you pull the arm out and insert it into the jack mount. Then you would crank the handle. But the arm seems like it would just fall under the weight of the car without something securing the arm in place.

The only weakness the Battaini jacks have (after decades of use) is the toothed gears, those are not great metal quality and teeth can break off....that is why you grease in there once in a while.
lift off the top plastic cover and have a look.
in this photo from the BB, you see chipped teeth and cracks.....

but yes, keep it in the trunk for show and get yourself a scissor jack for tire changes. Make sure you test the scissor jack first to be sure it can extend the right height to actually lift your front or rear wheel off the ground...

 

[Wheelj81]

Wow…it’s really hard for me to wrap my head around the engineering of this jack. But I can now visualize how it’s supposed to work. It’s just a strange solution for a problem that never really needed to exist. And it requires more faith in the solution than it should have too. Like why not just have the arm open down instead of up? Then the arm can’t collapse.

 

[spiderserie4]

dunno why the arm lifts up rather than fold down, it is the design....... but they have been successfully and safely lifting Alfas, Fiats, Lancias, Maseratis and Ferraris for many decades......if the arms fell off all the time, one would have heard about it by now


the ferrari Dino 'Battaini' jack folds down.......but they cost several grand!

 

[divotandtralee]

It's all in the perspective.. Consider you are jacking the earth away from the car.

 

[Jim G]

Those jacks are the same design as trailer tongue jacks for the last 50 to 60 years.

 

[Gubi]

Those jacks are the same design as trailer tongue jacks for the last 50 to 60 years.

True, but I don't trust the gears on the Alfa one. Seen too many photos of busted ones. A modern jack is going to be lighter and smaller, too.

That said, if I get a flat I'm starting with the Slime kit: it's safer, easier, and cleaner. If that doesn't work I'll fall back to the jack and spare, though it's still good to have the inflator in the Slime kit for that as well (I suspect most people, myself included, aren't very good about checking the spare pressure regularly).

 

[Jim G]

I’ve seen the cheaper tongue jacks shatter gears.

 

[spiderserie4]

I think even if those two cogs on top of the Battaini shear/shatter, whatever, the car is not going to fall....the arm is raised lowered on a spiral shaft. The cogs only turn said shaft.

Max that can happen if those silly pot metal cogs shatter, is you can't lower/raise the car anymore.
(photo courtesy spiderveloce's restoration blog of Battaini crick jacks)

 

[PSk]

Might be a little project for the lathe one day to make proper steel gears, but yeah I have bought one for show not lift

Pete

 

[PSk]

I’ve got a 1971 1750 GTV. And I’ve got the jack shown in the pic below. For the life of me I can’t figure out how the jack is actually supposed to lift the car up? I assume you pull the arm out and insert it into the jack mount. Then you would crank the handle. But the arm seems like it would just fall under the weight of the car without something securing the arm in place. I did a search but couldn’t find the answer. And it didn’t seem like anyone else asked the question which seems strange to me. Am I missing something?

Note: I don’t really plan on using it, unless I got a flat and didn’t have any other options. So I figured it’d be a good idea to know how.

You have to note that the jack mount is long and that holds the arm in position so it cannot fall down. The arm has to be inserted fully to fix this arm position.

I think it needs to pivot down so as the car goes up the bottom of the jack can stay put. If it was not able to pivot as the car leans over the base of the jack would have to skid outwards away from the car
Pete