Plans for a wooden forklift or pallet lifter/mover? (JT?)

[Morris Dovey]

I'm looking for a plan or photos of a device that'll let me lift a

250-300# pallet from the floor, can be pushed outside, and will let me set the pallet in a semi trailer. The object is to avoid paying for lift gate services.

I can't find anything on Google except wooden toys and commercial machinery. I started working on a plan last night, and it doesn't seem like it should be all that difficult to build - surely someone has already solved the problem...

Has anyone done or seen anything like this?

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[dpb]

Find a picture of a scissor table and copy it. Occasionally one can find them on eBay for not too much.

A used pallet mover isn't all that expensive if you keep looking...

--

[Jim Behning]

[Anonymous]

This would be ideal if it was in your price range .. .. ..

[Andy]

Something like this?

("High lifting pallet truck") I assume larger wheels could be installed if the stock ones are too small for use outside. Andy

[Andy]

Sorry for the double post, but google/ebay have turned up a few more, i.e.

item 290129467919, pallet stacker) "pallet stacker" and "high lift pallet truck" seem to be productive search terms... Andy

[nailshooter41]

I am wondering if anyone caught the original header of "Plans for a WOODEN forklift or pallet lifter/pallet mover"

Note the stress on WOODEN. I am thinking that the industrious Mr. Dovey is looking for something he can build.

That would seem evident in asking for plans (the first word in the header).

Just a thought...

Robert

[Andy]

True; I have to admit I missed the subject line. But he also asked for photos - before I design/build something, I like to try to find pictures of as many different types of items like that as I can. Thanks for paying attention and putting us back on the intended track, but hopefully some of the ideas/pictures/search terms above might still be helpful. Andy

[nailshooter41]

hopefully some of the >ideas/pictures/search terms above might

No doubt they would be. That wasn't really pointed at you, but the group sometimes (I include myself in that number) from ADD and cannot stay on task for more than a couple of posts. Those grinding SawStop threads (last one still wheezing along) are perfect examples.

To me, finding a lift like you did at Northern would erase any ideas I entertained about building one. At less than $500, I cannot imagine the expenditure of time and money would be needed in wood and hardware to make a suitable platform and then attach a lifting device. It doesn't sound like an evening project to me. Time being what it is these days, $ 469 looks like a bargain.

BTW, I saw nothing of shop built wood constructed lifting devices when I looked.

Just my 0.02.

Robert

[Morris Dovey]

| To me, finding a lift like you did at Northern would erase any | ideas I entertained about building one. At less than $500, I | cannot imagine the expenditure of time and money would be needed in | wood and hardware to make a suitable platform and then attach a | lifting device. It doesn't sound like an evening project to me.

I followed all the links and looked at the pix - and also found an actual propane-fueled fork lift on E-Bay. It's over in Davenport and has been bid up to $380. My next door shop neighbor has an old Bendix that I may be able to buy for about $300, but both of these take up a bit more space than I'm ready to give up (yet).

Thanks, all!

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[J T]

Wed, Jun 20, 2007, 11:33am (EDT-1) [e-mail] (Morris=A0Dovey) whoe middle name is Scrooge says: I'm looking to avoid paying for lift gate services. Has anyone done or seen anything like this?

Not seen any plans for lifting AND moving, but several thoughts immediately spring to mind. Depending on exactly how cheap you actually are.

Brbe a few teenagers to lift, carry, load, whatever. If they're employees you can threaten firing if they don't cooperate.

Engine hoist. They've got wheels, albet rather small, and you'd be best off with a smoth surface to allow relatvely as using. Not sure if they'd lift high enough.

Make a roling hoist, use a come-along or chain hoist. Put it on weels.

Make a fork lift. Use a garden tractor, use a hand crank, or a chain hoist, to lift it. Shouldn't be a biggie.

ff you've got a peekop truck, get one ofthose bed hoists. Should run around $100. Lift whatever up, back the peekop so the load is in, viola.

Getch 'cha a big ramp, and push the load up the ramp. You coudd even make something to jack each corner up a few inches, and hook a wheel, or large casters, on each corner.

Make a large dirt ramp, make a few dozen wood rollers, get a whip, get a crew of a dozen or so Egyptians. Or, get the same, without the Egyptians, get a camera (working or no), get a dozen or so people who want to be in a movie, tell them you're making a move, charge them for acting guild fees. You get the work done, you make a profit, life is good.

That's the best I can come up with without thinking.

JOAT If a man does his best, what else is there?

- General George S. Patton

[J T]

Wed, Jun 20, 2007, 6:32pm (EDT+4) [e-mail] (Andy) doth sayeth: True; I have to admit I missed the subject line. I didn't miss it, I just ignored it.

JOAT If a man does his best, what else is there?

- General George S. Patton

[J T]

Wed, Jun 20, 2007, 3:05pm (EDT-1) [e-mail] (Morris=A0Dovey) doth now sayeth: My next door shop neighbor has an old Bendix that I may be able to buy for about $300, but both of these take up a bit more space than I'm ready to give up (yet).

Hell Morris. Buy it. Don't even think about te space it'll take up. Worst case senario, you sell it and make a profit. But the thing to do is make a wood whatever to fit over the forks, making a work surface. That will reduce space taken up while increasing usable work area. You can make some sort of wood structue that fits over the back for something similar, or temporary storage. You need to use it, uncover it, you won't care about the space the wooden "structures" take up, because you'll be loading. When finished, park it again, and put the "structures" back in pace.

I've got someting along those lines that sets on th top of my wood lathe stand, gives a substantial increase in work surface, with no additional space lost.

If I had the chance to buy a forklift for $300, I'd probably buy it, and I don't have any use for one at all. And, it'd have to be parked outside, under a tarp. But you can sure betcha I could find a lot of uses for it.

JOAT If a man does his best, what else is there?

- General George S. Patton

[Lee Michaels]

Not seen any plans for lifting AND moving, but several thoughts immediately spring to mind. Depending on exactly how cheap you actually are.

Brbe a few teenagers to lift, carry, load, whatever. If they're employees you can threaten firing if they don't cooperate.

Engine hoist. They've got wheels, albet rather small, and you'd be best off with a smoth surface to allow relatvely as using. Not sure if they'd lift high enough.

Make a roling hoist, use a come-along or chain hoist. Put it on weels.

Make a fork lift. Use a garden tractor, use a hand crank, or a chain hoist, to lift it. Shouldn't be a biggie.

ff you've got a peekop truck, get one ofthose bed hoists. Should run around $100. Lift whatever up, back the peekop so the load is in, viola.

Getch 'cha a big ramp, and push the load up the ramp. You coudd even make something to jack each corner up a few inches, and hook a wheel, or large casters, on each corner.

Make a large dirt ramp, make a few dozen wood rollers, get a whip, get a crew of a dozen or so Egyptians. Or, get the same, without the Egyptians, get a camera (working or no), get a dozen or so people who want to be in a movie, tell them you're making a move, charge them for acting guild fees. You get the work done, you make a profit, life is good.

That's the best I can come up with without thinking.

***********************

We can always count on JOAT for a sensible solution. In the midth of the above suggestions are a couple that are close to what I have seen done.

I have seen a hand crank fork lift that rolled around. I would think if you looked around some industrial sites, they would have something like this. Just steal the design and build you own.

The earthen ramp and loading dock is what my dad had us build on the farm. It works good if you have some cheap labor.

The wood ramp (and platform) built from some two by materials is something that I have built and used. Maybe install an electric winch on it. Bring the winch out when you are going to use it to keep it out of the weather.

PS: I have had to buy/build some lifting type things for 55 gallon drums. Some of that stuff is quite clever. You may look at some of that stuff for some ideas that could be adapted to what you are doing.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Cheap enough for a forklift. The capacity is much more than most thing you'd build from wood. There are some small trucks too but finding one cheap is another story. Remember, getting that 300 pound pallet onto the truck will require some reach and counterbalance

How about used equipment dealers? I've bought a couple of manual lifts for a couple of hundred bucks. .

Once you get that forklift, you'll be amazed at how handy it can be. With a platform it is good for high work if it is double or triple mast. .

[John]

Or you could consider adding to the garage and getting a $1500 fork lift ;-)

[Morris Dovey]

Morris Dovey wrote: | I'm looking for a plan or photos of a device that'll let me lift a | 250-300# pallet from the floor, can be pushed outside, and will let | me set the pallet in a semi trailer. The object is to avoid paying | for lift gate services. | | I can't find anything on Google except wooden toys and commercial | machinery. I started working on a plan last night, and it doesn't | seem like it should be all that difficult to build - surely someone | has already solved the problem... | | Has anyone done or seen anything like this?

Thanks, all, for your input. I think I'm going to try building something like the drawing posted to abpw.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[dpb]

...

Morris, one other note -- occasionally you can find forklift mast assemblies at near giveaway prices. I found one for the grand sum of $25 for the trouble of them loading it on the truck. Double-mast,

10k-lb w/ hydraulics but w/o the forks. I used it to build a freight elevator to the barn loft.

If you can afford to watch and wait, such an item could be the basis for the lift and you could deal w/ the pallet mover separately.

--

[Lew Hodgett]

dpb wrote: > Morris, one other note -- occasionally you can find forklift mast > assemblies at near giveaway prices.

There are outfits that just part out old fork lifts.

Check with the local fork lift dealers.

They will know how to find them.

Lew

[Morris Dovey]

Lew Hodgett wrote: | dpb wrote: | > Morris, one other note -- occasionally you can find forklift mast | > assemblies at near giveaway prices. | | There are outfits that just part out old fork lifts. | | Check with the local fork lift dealers. | | They will know how to find them. | | Lew

I've found a couple of low-dollar forklifts. I figure there are a lot of the things around, and that they're all busily aging. In the short term, all I need to be able to do is hoist a 100-300 lb (maximum) shop-built pallet onto the back end of a semi trailer. The fork can will wait until I have a real need. There are other things I need to spend for first.

I'll touch base with local used equipment dealers and see if I can find a fork lift "chop shop" in the area. I won't hurt to let people know that I'm interested...

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA