Simple 360º Trailer Crane

Simple 360º Trailer Crane WAGONS/TRAILERS Accessories “It saves my back ” says Dennis Schmenk about the handy trailer crane he built He uses it to move spruce trees he grows and sells off his Ottawa Ohio acreage but adds that it would work for lifting and moving other things such as hay bales He built the single axle trailer with a steel frame and secured a wheel rim in the center It is welded to an angle iron frame bolted to the trailer A stub axle bolts to the rim to support a 2-in steel pipe that Schmenk beefed up with angle iron and slid over the top It’s welded to a boom with a rail from an industrial plant which allows the winch to slide in and out A barn door track would also work he says “The crane spins manually in a 360-degree circle ” Schmenk says “You can move the winch in to the base and push it out 6 ft and swing it around wherever you want and raise it up to 5 ft high with the winch control Controls hang from the winch and move with the boom so it’s always within reach ” Schmenk secures the winch’s cable with chain in two places on the basket around the tree’s root ball to move it from his field or warehouse to load it on the trailer then into a customer’s truck or trailer A 12-volt battery powers the winch to lift 30 to 40 trees before it needs to be charged The trees weigh about 120 lbs so Schmenk says he didn’t need a very big winch With counterweight in the trailer it could probably handle up to 400 lbs It’s a simple but effective piece of equipment he says for anyone who needs to move heavy items and wants to save a lot of backaches Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dennis Schmenk Ottawa Ohio

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