BAT Tools recently reached out to us wanting to inform the King Air Nation about an axle jack they had developed specifically for King Air – the BAT Tools King Air 5 Ton Axle Jack. An incredible feature of the jack is the ability to allow a single mechanic to change a King Air tire.
A little history first though – BAT Tools was founded in 2018 by Brian Brooke who would bring on his brother Jason soon after. Having a background in aviation work, Brian wanted to focus on looking at tools from the perspective of the mechanic. The King Air Axle Jack was a result of this focus.
“We were working overseas on King Air aircraft. On most days, you don’t have the time or the people available to perform a simple tire change,” said Brooke, “it required 3-4 mechanics, multiple jacks, ground support equipment, a tow bar and a very dangerous process that involved a wooden block. We were sometimes in places you couldn’t get the required equipment to so you could resume flight operations. We knew King Air Axle Jack had to be the first product we made for safety and efficiency.”
Development began with a simple hand sketch and an idea of what was wanted to be accomplished. The jack needed to be compact, high quality, and manufactured in the USA. Working with a dedicated engineering team, the vision was perfected over a course of several months work, landing on a final iteration.
“We patented the product for design and process then took it to Textron for validation of our design,” noted Brooke, “The Textron team thoroughly evaluated our design and gave it the seal of approval and a letter of endorsement… at that point, we knew we had met our initial goal of making a safe design that a single mechanic could use to change the tire on their King Air.”
As a further endorsement, Textron Aviation will be adding the jack to their mobile support units in the next couple months.
BAT Tools also shot us a few other features of the King Air Axle Jack:
- Bronze sleeve to prevent axle damage
- One Size Fits All Pin interchange
- Extreme Climate Pump
- Functional for Main and Nose Gear
- Serviced with Aircraft Hydraulic Fluid 5606 (pump comes ready but may need fluid over time)
- Reduces Aircraft tire change to single technician
- Safety Strap for added security
- Reduces Tire change time to ~20 minutes
- Can pick up bare rim from ground
- A waterproof carrying case that fits in King Air Wing Box
The company website is www.battools.com. The company informed us they are expanding their capability and plan to have an accessory kit for the CJ1/2/3, Mustang, Caravan and Ultra ready for order this month.
Finally, here is a video of the jack in action: