So I'm thinking about a mower lift

[PTmowerMech]

I ordered a 2000lb wench today. Gonna use it for 1 of 2 things.

A 4 post mower lift, that works off the wench. My idea is similar to a 4 post car lift. Except there won't be as much steel involved. 4X4 wooden corner posts. The wench will be attached just in front of the lift about 3 feet. Cables will be ran along the side of the post, and connected to a single cable that goes to the wench. Of course, the 4X4's will be braced.
The mower wheels will roll up on two 2X6's (Maybe 2X4's). There will be two 4X4's that will go crossways under the 2X6's, to the corner posts. On the ends of those post, will be some sort of wheels. Probably 4" idler pulleys, that will go inside a a track. The 4 cables will be secured to the two 4X4's that run crossways under the 2X6's that the mower sits on, with eye bolts. The cables will also go through other eye bolts up the corner posts, to keep them in place.

Getting the mower up high enough may be a problem. I only have about 10ft from the ground to the roof of the shop. The mower is gonna take up a lot of that. And the cable mounts will take up some room as well.

It's just in the "think about" stages right now.

 

[7394]

Be careful..

 

[PTmowerMech]

Be careful..

Careful? That's a good idea. I'll have to hook up some sort of stabilizers for it to rest on after it's up. To take the weight and pressure off the wench.

 

[bertsmobile1]

FWIW I use an old 2 ton yard crane , picked it up for $ 150 ( Aus) 4 years ago.
Before that I used an engine crane you see them everywhere.
A friend who goes about 25 stone ( x 14 for pounds ) put me onto that.
He has been using an old engine tripod for decades.
No real need to lift square.
Just lift the front or back leaving the other pair of wheels on terra firma.
The only "trick" is to remove the plugs when you have finished & crank the engine just in case the cylinder has filled with fuel or oil.
Naturally you pull the battery & block off the fuel tank.
If stood up near vertical then you are working sither standing or seated with the mower in front of you rather than trying to work hunched over with the mower overhead.

 

[PTmowerMech]

FWIW I use an old 2 ton yard crane , picked it up for $ 150 ( Aus) 4 years ago.
Before that I used an engine crane you see them everywhere.
A friend who goes about 25 stone ( x 14 for pounds ) put me onto that.
He has been using an old engine tripod for decades.
No real need to lift square.
Just lift the front or back leaving the other pair of wheels on terra firma.
The only "trick" is to remove the plugs when you have finished & crank the engine just in case the cylinder has filled with fuel or oil.
Naturally you pull the battery & block off the fuel tank.
If stood up near vertical then you are working sither standing or seated with the mower in front of you rather than trying to work hunched over with the mower overhead.

One of my biggest reasons for this, (besides my knees) is getting a look at the top of the deck. Seems like it would make it EXTREMELY easier to check out those deck and drive pulleys, from a standing position. Easier belt changes. Getting to those PTO's. etc etc etc
Not having one shoulder resting on the ground, while trying to reach stuff with both hands.

I don't have a concrete floor yet.

This one looks pretty nice.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Most of these things are like exercise machines.
They seem like a good idea at the time .
If you only serviced one style & size of mower then they might be fine.
However I would be 1/2 way through a service before you got that set up adjusted for the mower it was going to lift.

Decks always come off during a service.
You can not get into the tensioning arm properly with the deck on regardless of what height the mower is at.
In my case the mower is driven up to the hoist over a sling.
I slip a pair of 2 x 4's under the deck and undo the attachments ,
Hook the cling to the crane hook then lift the mower off the deck which can then be slid sideways out of the way.
With clean access to the deck I can use the nut driver to remove the belt /spindle covers quickly then check all of the deck
You can also get the rattle gun to the spindle pulley nuts, which you can not do with the deck on, nor can you get a rattle gun to the tensioning or fixed idler pulleys.
As for PTOs with the mower 45 deg or better you are pulling the double pulleys towards you and if they suddenly let go then they drop onto the ground ( or your feet ) rather than smacking you in the face.

Then there is dirt, dust & clippings.
All of which will fall into, your eyes, hair etc is you are under the mower but not when you are standing / sitting next to it.

Fine for Mr Heftee as he only works on brand spanking new mowers in photo studios.
Then there are things like wheels which need to be removed . Rear axels need to be greased every 2nd service so that wheels can come off when needed and of course you need to remove the rear wheel to service the brake caliper.
And in many cases you need to pull a rear wheel to lube the deck lifting mechanism.

When I first started, it was an extra low jack which did not work very well.
After than a modified motorcycle paddock stand which worked a lot better was way quicker but limited in use ( still use them for some jobs )
Next try was some planks on stands at one end & the trailer at the other , again quite limited and not that useful.
Then when at Terry's place I saw a mower hanging off the engine tripod.
The joke of that was I had a hydraulic engine hoist sitting out the back under a tarp but never thought about using it.
Again it was a pain till I got the cloth slings.
After that I was looking for something that would roll on the dirt floor and the Yard crane came up.
If I want to lift the entire mower then it is just a matter of using 2 slings but in reality there was little to be gained by doing that.

You would have to do a lot of services to pay for Mr Heftee.

 

[PTmowerMech]

Most of these things are like exercise machines.
They seem like a good idea at the time .
If you only serviced one style & size of mower then they might be fine.
However I would be 1/2 way through a service before you got that set up adjusted for the mower it was going to lift.

Decks always come off during a service.
You can not get into the tensioning arm properly with the deck on regardless of what height the mower is at.
In my case the mower is driven up to the hoist over a sling.
I slip a pair of 2 x 4's under the deck and undo the attachments ,
Hook the cling to the crane hook then lift the mower off the deck which can then be slid sideways out of the way.
With clean access to the deck I can use the nut driver to remove the belt /spindle covers quickly then check all of the deck
You can also get the rattle gun to the spindle pulley nuts, which you can not do with the deck on, nor can you get a rattle gun to the tensioning or fixed idler pulleys.
As for PTOs with the mower 45 deg or better you are pulling the double pulleys towards you and if they suddenly let go then they drop onto the ground ( or your feet ) rather than smacking you in the face.

Then there is dirt, dust & clippings.
All of which will fall into, your eyes, hair etc is you are under the mower but not when you are standing / sitting next to it.

Fine for Mr Heftee as he only works on brand spanking new mowers in photo studios.
Then there are things like wheels which need to be removed . Rear axels need to be greased every 2nd service so that wheels can come off when needed and of course you need to remove the rear wheel to service the brake caliper.
And in many cases you need to pull a rear wheel to lube the deck lifting mechanism.

When I first started, it was an extra low jack which did not work very well.
After than a modified motorcycle paddock stand which worked a lot better was way quicker but limited in use ( still use them for some jobs )
Next try was some planks on stands at one end & the trailer at the other , again quite limited and not that useful.
Then when at Terry's place I saw a mower hanging off the engine tripod.
The joke of that was I had a hydraulic engine hoist sitting out the back under a tarp but never thought about using it.
Again it was a pain till I got the cloth slings.
After that I was looking for something that would roll on the dirt floor and the Yard crane came up.
If I want to lift the entire mower then it is just a matter of using 2 slings but in reality there was little to be gained by doing that.

You would have to do a lot of services to pay for Mr Heftee.

That brings up a lot of facts and certain regards for sure. One thing, I would rather buy an acre of land that spend on a Mr. Heftee. I'm cheap that way.
The lift I'm still thinking about wouldn't cost me anything. Except the new wench. Which I got from Harbor Freight for like $50 on sale. The one I have on my trailer, I've had for 2 years now. I've used it a lot. And have had very little problems out of.

So, It's all just in the planning and thinking stage stilll.

I'd like to see what you're using. Care to post a pic or 3?

 

[bertsmobile1]

So here are the pictures.
You will have to stand on your head to look at them because the forum turns them upside down.
Tried turning them upside down & reposting but it did it again.
Perhaps it realizes that are from Australia.:laughing:


This is the crane, It was made to straddle a pallet to lift explosives at an oil plant thus no power or anything else that might make a spark.

I managed to rip up the usual rubber mat I lay on but this shows the sling in position

Finally an MTD getting worked on. It will lift it dead vertical if I want but that is a convienent height to work when sitting on the milk crate.

 

[PTmowerMech]

That's alright, right there. Plenty of room to stand them way up. If I could find one that big, I'd go with just that too.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Before the yard crane, I used a standard engine crane like you would get from Harbour Freight.
Prior to that it was a pulley around a tree branch.
The workshop is on a farm in a flood plane so there are very strict regulations about what can be built.
However because the crane is on wheels there is nothing the local authorities can do about it.