Lift Makes Mower Repair Easy

2022 - Volume #46, Issue #3, Page #33

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Gale Wells raises his riding lawn mower instead of lowering himself when repairs are needed. With a little fabrication, he turned his shop winch into a lift with the help of two chains and a ratchet strap.
“At 85 and with both knees replaced, getting down on the floor and up again is a big problem,” says Wells.
He solved the problem with a simple solution using his 5,000-lb. fabric winch hanging in his shop rafters. He normally uses the winch to drag equipment into the shop for repair.
“I made a spreader bar from 1 1/4-in. square tubing about the width of the mower and put an eyebolt in the center,” explains Wells. “I welded a 1/4-in., 1 1/4 by 3-in. flat bar with a 5/16-in. slot, 1 1/4 in. deep, to each end of the spreader bar.”
Wells slipped links of 3-ft. lengths of 1/4-in. chain into the slots and attached hooks on their ends. He also glued rare earth magnets to the hooks, so once attached to the mower, they would stay in place until the chains pulled tight.
With the riding mower in place beneath the winch, Wells attaches the spreader bar, lowers the winch cable and hooks it to the spreader bar. After raising the cable just enough to tension the chains, he loops the ratchet strap under the rear fenders of the riding mower. Slipping the strap hooks around the winch cable, he puts it under tension also.
“When I push the button on the winch control, the mower goes to the rafters,” says Wells. “To remove the deck, I roll a small table under the mower. I lower the mower until the deck touches the table, pull the pins on the deck, raise the mower and wheel the deck away.”
For safety, Wells fabricated two 3-legged jack stands with angle iron top bars. The pipe-in-pipe stands adjust in height from 24 to 36 in., in 1/2-in. increments.
“When I’m working on the mower, I place them under the axles to stabilize it when it’s hanging from the cables,” says Wells.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gale Wells, 710 Trinity St., Orland, Calif. 95963 (ph 530-865-2377; gdwells7100@att.net).

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Lift Makes Mower Repair Easy FARM SHOP Maintenance Gale Wells raises his riding lawn mower instead of lowering himself when repairs are needed With a little fabrication he turned his shop winch into a lift with the help of two chains and a ratchet strap “At 85 and with both knees replaced getting down on the floor and up again is a big problem ” says Wells He solved the problem with a simple solution using his 5 000-lb fabric winch hanging in his shop rafters He normally uses the winch to drag equipment into the shop for repair “I made a spreader bar from 1 1/4-in square tubing about the width of the mower and put an eyebolt in the center ” explains Wells “I welded a 1/4-in 1 1/4 by 3-in flat bar with a 5/16-in slot 1 1/4 in deep to each end of the spreader bar ” Wells slipped links of 3-ft lengths of 1/4-in chain into the slots and attached hooks on their ends He also glued rare earth magnets to the hooks so once attached to the mower they would stay in place until the chains pulled tight With the riding mower in place beneath the winch Wells attaches the spreader bar lowers the winch cable and hooks it to the spreader bar After raising the cable just enough to tension the chains he loops the ratchet strap under the rear fenders of the riding mower Slipping the strap hooks around the winch cable he puts it under tension also “When I push the button on the winch control the mower goes to the rafters ” says Wells “To remove the deck I roll a small table under the mower I lower the mower until the deck touches the table pull the pins on the deck raise the mower and wheel the deck away ” For safety Wells fabricated two 3-legged jack stands with angle iron top bars The pipe-in-pipe stands adjust in height from 24 to 36 in in 1/2-in increments “When I’m working on the mower I place them under the axles to stabilize it when it’s hanging from the cables ” says Wells Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gale Wells 710 Trinity St Orland Calif 95963 ph 530-865-2377; gdwells7100@att net

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