Tractor Lift Makes Service Work Easy

2010 - Volume #34, Issue #5, Page #39

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James Coffey,áSr., keeps his lawn tractor in great working condition, thanks to his home-built service lift.
"It lets me access the blades and change the belts or motor oil without having to remove the deck," says the North Hampton, N.H. man.
á Being a big fan of Harbor Freight tools, he ordered one of the company's manually operated motorcycle lift tables. A foot pedal is used to pump a small hydraulic jack that raises the platform. An electric/hydraulic version of the same table is available, but costs more.
á The platform had to be widened to accommodate the tractor, so he used 1 by 2-in. channeláiron to build a frame and bolted it to the platform, then bolted 1 by 6 pressure-treated planksáto the frame. Welding angle iron to both ends of the ramp, and then bolting more planks to the angle iron widened the lift table's ramp.
á He bought a smalláelectric winch and bolted it to a homemade mast. The mast consists of a length of 2 1/2-in.á sq. steel tubing welded to a sq. metal plate with gussets, and is bolted to the lift's deck. A cross-armáon top of the mast supports the winch. A friend in the sheet metal businessámade a metal box to keep rain and snow off the winch.á
áá The tractor had been modified years before with a front drawbar that's now used to lift the tractor.
á "The pedals thatáoperate the lift had to be lengthened,ábecause the modified platform is now over 50 in. wide and the pedals would have been covered and inaccessible with the mower deck in the down position," says Coffey.
á "The only problem we have is when we put a tractor on the lift table with an under seat-mounted, rear filláfuel tank. Ifáthe tank is full and we raise the front end of the tractor, fuel pours out the fill neck. So we try to do any service work after we're done mowing, or before we fill the tractor with fuel."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Coffey, Sr., 221 Post Rd., North Hampton, N.H. 03862 (ph 603 964-8902).

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Tractor Lift Makes Service Work Easy TRACTORS Accessories 34-5-39 James Coffey,áSr., keeps his lawn tractor in great working condition, thanks to his home-built service lift. "It lets me access the blades and change the belts or motor oil without having to remove the deck," says the North Hampton, N.H. man. á Being a big fan of Harbor Freight tools, he ordered one of the company's manually operated motorcycle lift tables. A foot pedal is used to pump a small hydraulic jack that raises the platform. An electric/hydraulic version of the same table is available, but costs more. á The platform had to be widened to accommodate the tractor, so he used 1 by 2-in. channeláiron to build a frame and bolted it to the platform, then bolted 1 by 6 pressure-treated planksáto the frame. Welding angle iron to both ends of the ramp, and then bolting more planks to the angle iron widened the lift table's ramp. á He bought a smalláelectric winch and bolted it to a homemade mast. The mast consists of a length of 2 1/2-in.á sq. steel tubing welded to a sq. metal plate with gussets, and is bolted to the lift's deck. A cross-armáon top of the mast supports the winch. A friend in the sheet metal businessámade a metal box to keep rain and snow off the winch.á áá The tractor had been modified years before with a front drawbar that's now used to lift the tractor. á "The pedals thatáoperate the lift had to be lengthened,ábecause the modified platform is now over 50 in. wide and the pedals would have been covered and inaccessible with the mower deck in the down position," says Coffey. á "The only problem we have is when we put a tractor on the lift table with an under seat-mounted, rear filláfuel tank. Ifáthe tank is full and we raise the front end of the tractor, fuel pours out the fill neck. So we try to do any service work after we're done mowing, or before we fill the tractor with fuel." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Coffey, Sr., 221 Post Rd., North Hampton, N.H. 03862 (ph 603 964-8902).

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