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Home-Built High -Lift Platform Makes Construction Easier
When Michael Thompson and his father, Norman, set out to build a new shop they decided to build a high-lift platform to make construction easier. They ended up with a handy tractor-pulled trailer that, they say, will be useful for many jobs around the farm for years to come.
"We did not have any formal plans or b
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Home-Built High -Lift Platform Makes Construction Easier BUILDINGS New Techniques 22-1-7 When Michael Thompson and his father, Norman, set out to build a new shop they decided to build a high-lift platform to make construction easier. They ended up with a handy tractor-pulled trailer that, they say, will be useful for many jobs around the farm for years to come.
"We did not have any formal plans or blueprints. We looked at a commercial lift on a construction job site and got some ideas from it," says Thompson.
The main rails at the bottom and on the lift platform are made from 2 by 6-in. channel iron. The scissor lift arms are made from 2 by 6 rectangular 7-ga. tubing. Each rail in the X-shaped arms is 12 ft. long.
One 5-in. dia. cylinder, 30 in. long provides the hydraulic lift. A control valve is mounted on the lower frame and is controlled with two ropes that run from the upper deck down.
The bottom of the scissor lift arms are fastened solid at the back. The front two arms move back and forth on 1 5/8-in. bearings.
The pivot pins in the lift arms are made from 1 5/8-in. dia. solid hot rolled shafts.
The lift mounts on a 6-ton wagon running gear which was purchased new for this project.
The lift deck measures 7 by 13 ft. A hand-rail runs all the way around the deck for safety. Height of the platform when fully extended is just over 17 ft. Manual outriggers were installed on the wagon gear to add stability on uneven ground. A tractor is used to supply hydraulic power although a small gas or electric motor and hydraulic pump could be installed on the lift.
Total cost was under $2,000 including new wagon, tubing, channel iron and other components.
"I suggest anyone who wants to build one should just go to a rental equipment store and look one over," says Thompson.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Thompson, 3794 Deatsville Rd., Shepherdsville, Ky. 40165 (502 543-7114 or 6725).
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