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PORTO-POWER BACKGROUND

PRODUCTS, SPECS & PRICES
PORTO-POWER ATTACHMENTS

GENERAL HISTORY


In the late 1930's an idea to separate the two main elements of a jack - the pressure developing pump from the power pushing ram (and connect them with a hose) came into being. The Blackhawk Jack Company called their system PORTO-POWER (a registered trademark of Hein-Werner Corporation).

The systems were a big hit with auto body shops initially for pushing out dented fenders, then later were adapted to frame straightening machines for pulling a badly crunched vehicle back to original factory specs.

Three systems evolved - 4 ton, 10 ton and 20 ton-plus. The 4 ton was popular for simple dent pushing of light gauge metal while the 10 ton became the professional must-have system for general body shop work. The 20 ton-plus system was left for the big rig work and found a home in the construction field as well (with rams capable of pushing 20, 100, 500, 1000 tons and more - these 'bad boys' could lift bridges, buildings and more - See INDUSTRIAL HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS).


RAMS

The ram sizes in the 4 ton systems usually consisted of a 4 inch and a 6 inch model, with an effective stroke of roughly 3 and 5 inches, respectively.
A threaded base and a threaded top saddle having become standard gave great utility to the system.

The ram sizes in the 10 ton systems usually consist of a 6 inch and a 10 inch model with effective strokes of approximately 5 and 9 inches.

Note: Over the past 20 years a new style of 'snap-on' extensions have come into popularity for quicker changing of extensions.

The 20 ton-plus systems range from about 8 inches up to as much as 2 feet and do not generally use threaded extensions.

In addition to standard rams most systems offer 'wedgie/spreader rams' which can start at a low height of as little as three eighths of an inch and open to more than 3 inches, but usually with less than 2 tons of pushing power. Also, a few 'low profile' rams are available that start at around 2 to 3 inches and have a lifting stroke of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches with 4, 10, 20 and even more tons capacity, however these are generally left to the construction and special use fields and are not usually stocked by most dealers.


PUMPS

Porto-Power hand pumps generally are either designed for the 4 ton systems, with an output of about 7,000 PSI and for the 10 ton and higher systems with a 10.000 PSI output. Originally One-speed, Two-speed pumps have become quite popular lately for their ability to push the ram/cylinder out quickly with low pressure/high volume to contact the load then automatically switch over to high pressure/low volume to do the actually power pushing.
AIR/HYDRAULIC PUMPS

About 50 years ago the idea to have a little foot activated air powered pump that could develope the 10,000 PSI needed to operate Porto-Power rams came into fashion and in short order the hand pumps were relegated to home/consumer use. Today, every auto body shop worth a hang has at least one and usually more online. It's a MUST HAVE for the time savings and convenience.

PORTO-POWER SPECS AND PRICE INFORMATION
INDUSTRIAL HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

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This page updated by Richard J. Tafilaw, March 26, 2018. Online since March 30, 1996

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