Patent ID: 7410144

Claim:
A hand jack for manually actuating a valve stem of a valve assembly, the hand jack comprising: a bracket including an aperture and an exterior surface; a pivot axle supported by the bracket; a lever coupled to the bracket by the pivot axle; the lever including a first portion arranged to operatively engage the valve stem; the lever including a second portion having a threaded nut, the threaded nut rotatable relative to the lever; a rod having an axis and extending through the aperture in the bracket and having threads engaging the threaded nut; a pivot washer positioned along the rod to bear against the bracket; a thrust bearing carried by the rod and positioned on the rod to apply thrust toward the pivot washer; a ridge sized to engage an indent, the ridge and indent carried by cooperating portions of the pivot washer and the exterior surface of the bracket and defining a pivot axis extending across the aperture in the bracket and transverse relative to the axis of the rod.