daugen
Epic Contributor
thanks for all the suggestions on the floor jacks. Good idea now that I have a perfectly flat smooth floor. Well....I already have a cheap steel floor jack and it looks cheesy compared to that nice aluminum one suggested. The floor jack has the big advantage of being able to pick up lower to the floor than the "farm jack" or Hi-Lift. But what it won't do as well is pick up say two feet high. And I've found so far the FEL picks up anything well but then one introduces
all the issues of proper strapping, so nothing lets loose. I was working on dirt so that's all I had. Now it's time to make this simpler.
I also bought one of HF's one ton cranes years back, and found it almost useless on garden tractors or z turns because the long legs always got in the way, could not position properly. So I've never been real thrilled with that piece of equipment, though frankly I think it's more for pulling engines out.
So what would i really like? One of those two ton gantrys with an electric winch and manual trolley.
At issue is whether I trust the HF one or drive all the way to Virginia to the closest Northern Tools store and pick up a setup there. Would cost about a grand for all the parts and a couple of strong helpers to put it together but I know right where I'd keep it, on centerline of the shed. Equipment could roll right under it...
Those farm jacks are heavy, but doable for me. Since the lift points for both my Gravely and JD garden tractors are about a foot off the ground,
the incumbent old tech seems to have worked. But that aluminum jack sure looks like it would zip around easily....and a much cheaper solution for 3/4 of the jobs.
And it probably is steadier and won't wobble or lean as much.
I grew up with an old chain hoist built into a beam that ran in front of the main barn building where the big Woods bush hog was kept. Our JD B was one equipment stall over. I always wondered how well attached that big bolt in the ceiling beam was, and I remember using old jack stands way back then. They had come from my grandfather's Ford dealership back in the 1930's. Plus there was a big old 8x8 two footer I would wedge under that mower. And then, without any power equipment at all I would beat on those mower blade nuts until they finally would come loose. My attorney father could not use an adjustable wrench so we weren't exactly swimming in nice farm tools or equipment. Most were ancient and from my grandfather. Like the old floor stand bench grinder that shot sparks out the side when I sharpened those blades. Likely the motor brushes were worn down to the nubs...
Oh to have known then what I know now...
all the issues of proper strapping, so nothing lets loose. I was working on dirt so that's all I had. Now it's time to make this simpler.
I also bought one of HF's one ton cranes years back, and found it almost useless on garden tractors or z turns because the long legs always got in the way, could not position properly. So I've never been real thrilled with that piece of equipment, though frankly I think it's more for pulling engines out.
So what would i really like? One of those two ton gantrys with an electric winch and manual trolley.
At issue is whether I trust the HF one or drive all the way to Virginia to the closest Northern Tools store and pick up a setup there. Would cost about a grand for all the parts and a couple of strong helpers to put it together but I know right where I'd keep it, on centerline of the shed. Equipment could roll right under it...
Those farm jacks are heavy, but doable for me. Since the lift points for both my Gravely and JD garden tractors are about a foot off the ground,
the incumbent old tech seems to have worked. But that aluminum jack sure looks like it would zip around easily....and a much cheaper solution for 3/4 of the jobs.
And it probably is steadier and won't wobble or lean as much.
I grew up with an old chain hoist built into a beam that ran in front of the main barn building where the big Woods bush hog was kept. Our JD B was one equipment stall over. I always wondered how well attached that big bolt in the ceiling beam was, and I remember using old jack stands way back then. They had come from my grandfather's Ford dealership back in the 1930's. Plus there was a big old 8x8 two footer I would wedge under that mower. And then, without any power equipment at all I would beat on those mower blade nuts until they finally would come loose. My attorney father could not use an adjustable wrench so we weren't exactly swimming in nice farm tools or equipment. Most were ancient and from my grandfather. Like the old floor stand bench grinder that shot sparks out the side when I sharpened those blades. Likely the motor brushes were worn down to the nubs...
Oh to have known then what I know now...
. May try a test fire in the fireplace, have a lot of mud dauber nests in the chimney.
