Ajax power hacksaw

[CornishPete]

I've just won this Ajax power hacksaw in an online auction and just wondered if anyone had any info about it? Mainly what it's likely to weigh for when I collect! Can't quite make out the model number from the pictures but it looks just like the ones on lathes.uk website. They list an ajds6 one at 0.5hp 150kg, and an ajhd6 one at 1.0hp 320kg, whilst this is 0.75 on the nameplate so I'm assuming somewhere in between! Maybe a later version of the smaller one with a slightly bigger motor? Doesn't look huge in the pictures.
I didn't actually look at it but it looks in decent condition and being ex school hopefully it's been maintained but probably not been used all day every day, so worth a punt at £150 and better than a chop saw! View attachment 339962

 

[julianf]

I struggle to move my rapidor about. Basically it's a crow bar job to do anything other than inch it along, sweating and swearing.

I would suggest your purchase to be similar. Don't expect to be lifting it onto a trailer alone, or without tools.

 

[skotl]

I've just won this Ajax power hacksaw in an online auction and just wondered if anyone had any info about it? Mainly what it's likely to weigh for when I collect! Can't quite make out the model number from the pictures but it looks just like the ones on lathes.uk website. They list an ajds6 one at 0.5hp 150kg, and an ajhd6 one at 1.0hp 320kg, whilst this is 0.75 on the nameplate so I'm assuming somewhere in between! Maybe a later version of the smaller one with a slightly bigger motor? Doesn't look huge in the pictures.
I didn't actually look at it but it looks in decent condition and being ex school hopefully it's been maintained but probably not been used all day every day, so worth a punt at £150 and better than a chop saw!View attachment 339960View attachment 339961View attachment 339962View attachment 339963

Congrats! Fantastic tools and sounds like you got it at a good price.

Much slower than a chopsaw but far less exciting and angry, plus you can just leave it to cut.

My experience of moving my rapidor is (unsurprisingly) as per Julien's. You're going to need two sturdy folks to move it, and you'd be hard pushed to lift it into a van without a hoist. I've also gone through two pairs of "heavy duty" castors for it and so am in the process of making my own castor housings for it out of 10mm plate.

 

[hotponyshoes]

I have one identical to your photos.
I don't know what version of the '6' mine is as it was originally 3ph but now has a 1ph motor fitted.
I would also think it would take more than a motor twice the size to add an extra 170kg of weight though so I would guess that the bigger '6' would have something much more visually obvious fitted to make up that weight so yours & mine are probably the smaller ones?

I would say the 150kg is about right.
I put a big pair of wheels on the back of mine and some rubber feet on the front and that can be moved around the workshop without much trouble.
I have a wide ramp about 5' long and I can wheel it into a Renault master by myself with no trouble (although that van has a low floor)
2 people could walk it up a ramp into the back of most cars but even with 2 of us I wouldn't fancy lifting it in.
The 2 halves of the vice jaws and the coolant tank could be easily removed to save maybe 15kg or so.
If it's just you trying to shuffle it up a Ramp yourself take some decent cabke ties or something to lock the pully wheel in place and stop everything moving when you pull on it. Or push the saw arm right back in and lock it up with the slide adjuster screws.
They are top heavy and will tip over on a steep Ramp, maybe leave the tank fitted and stick the vice jaws in there to get some weight a bit lower if going for it alone.

 

[MickeyW]

That'll be a good piece of kit, a slow but steady kinda thing. Having moved a similar one before I doubt it's more than 150kg. 2 fit men should be able to lift this into a van or Swedish estate car

 

[brightspark]

That'll be a good piece of kit, a slow but steady kinda thing. Having moved a similar one before I doubt it's more than 150kg. 2 fit men should be able to lift this into a van or Swedish estate car

i have an early rapidor and 2 blokes could lift it. that machine is a lot heavier than mine

 

[indy4x]

6" Qualters and Smith mechanical Hacksaw is 250kg, I know cos I weighed it, that looks a little lighter

 

[magnet]

6" Qualters and Smith mechanical Hacksaw is 250kg, I know cos I weighed it, that looks a little lighter

View attachment 340028

I have one like that. They are a good saw.

 

[CornishPete]

Cheers for the advice! There'll be two fighting age males, used to lumping rsj's, concrete lintels etc, plus I have a pallet truck so we should be ok! Next post will be on swapping to a single phase motor and/or hacksaw blades!!

 

[hotponyshoes]

The motor swap was easy.
I'm sure we got ours from machine mart with the vat free voucher and it was a direct swap.
We have fitted a nvr starter on the front and replaced the original start/stop switch with a single stop for the automatic cutoff.
But, if I remember correctly, we only rewired it as the original switch was damaged so it might be possible just to swap the motor with no rewiring needed?

 

[CornishPete]

The motor swap was easy.
I'm sure we got ours from machine mart with the vat free voucher and it was a direct swap.
We have fitted a nvr starter on the front and replaced the original start/stop switch with a single stop for the automatic cutoff.
But, if I remember correctly, we only rewired it as the original switch was damaged so it might be possible just to swap the motor with no rewiring needed?

I'm hoping with it being an ex school machine it will have been inspected/maintained to the relevant safety standards required in a school setting so I'll just need to do a straight swap!

 

[CornishPete]

So I picked it up no probs, was smaller than I expected, definitely less than 150kgs, maybe 120ish, but feels very sturdy and looks relatively little used/in good condition. Perfect for my needs!

 

[123hotchef]

that looks nice

 

[CornishPete]

that looks nice

Got it for £120 (£150 after vat and "buyers premium" whatever that is?!) Came from the Sir John Netlethorpe grammar school in Brigg. Hopefully they're upgrading to all new kit, but probably shutting the workshop is more likely!
Anyway at least all the kit was auctioned off rather than scrapped so it will live on for years to come!

 

[123hotchef]

That will outlive you and I!
I see it has suds also.

 

[hotponyshoes]

One job worth doing,
Clean up the suds strainer tray,
Get a round file/dremel and radius the edges of the suds drain return hole on the bed.
Replace the metal tube suds outlet with a bit of lokline thats long enough so you can position it to wash the suds back towards the drain hole

 

[hotponyshoes]

Is the suds strainer tray with it?
Can't see it in the photo?

 

[CornishPete]

Yes it's there. Looks like it has a belt driven pump off a second set of pulleys.

 

[hotponyshoes]

So on mine, where the return pipe drops into the tank there is another tray, its basically just a tray folded up from mesh.
It drops into the tank and filters out all the swarf to stop it getting into the pump.

 

[CornishPete]

So on mine, where the return pipe drops into the tank there is another tray, its basically just a tray folded up from mesh.
It drops into the tank and filters out all the swarf to stop it getting into the pump.

Ah, i see there should be a separate filter tray. Well that's missing, I assume no coolant was used as there's no belt to drive the suds pump! I'm off for easter so won't get chance for a proper look for a few weeks now! Looks like there's a handle to source too!