Patent ID: 7882930

Claim:
An apparatus for cranking a shackle of a pump jack comprising: a shaft which fits through the shackle of the pump jack; a handle for cranking the shaft, the handle having a locked state in which the handle is unable to rotate the shaft, and an unlocked state in which the handle is able to rotate the shaft; and a locking mechanism engaging the handle at a pivot point and the shaft, the locking mechanism placing the handle in the locked state or the unlocked state by moving the handle about the pivot point to a first position where the handle extends inward toward the shackle or a second position where the handle extends outward away from the shackle, respectively, the locking mechanism includes a plate having a plurality of a first set of teeth, attached to the shackle, the locking mechanism includes a pin which holds the handle to the shaft, the pin extending into the shaft and handle, the locking mechanism having an axis 1 corresponding to a long axis of the shaft, and an axis 2 which corresponds to a long axis of the pin, when the handle is rotated about the axis 1 , the handle causes the shaft to rotate with the handle, when the handle is turned about the axis 2 , the shaft does not rotate, the locking mechanism includes a spacer, a spring, and a collar that are a sliding fit over the shaft, the collar has fingers, and the handle has two legs, with the fingers on the collar fitting between the collar having a second set of teeth which mate with the first set of teeth attached to the plate, to prevent the handle from rotating.