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Go Anywhere Shop Crane
"It's less expensive than an overhead mobile crane and it's handier to use," says Butch Uhnken of the mobile crane he fashioned from an old Jeep truck chassis.
Uhnken, a mechanic and farmer from Jacksonville, Illinois, says his "go any-where" crane can reach into shop corners where an overhead crane couldn't. And
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Go Anywhere Shop Crane FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 12-2-11 "It's less expensive than an overhead mobile crane and it's handier to use," says Butch Uhnken of the mobile crane he fashioned from an old Jeep truck chassis.
Uhnken, a mechanic and farmer from Jacksonville, Illinois, says his "go any-where" crane can reach into shop corners where an overhead crane couldn't. And, this crane can be used outside his shop. "We can run this rig out to the back lot where we have machinery parts, pick up something weighing up to 1,400 pounds, and carry it into the shop to work on it," says Uhnken.
A two-cylinder antique Deere engine powers the transmission, hydraulic pump and cable winch. The hydraulic pump provides power for steering the caddy from the rear for extra mobility, says Uhnken, who used the Jeep's old trans-mission and transfer case to drive the rig. The crane rests on 15 in. tires taken from an old pickup. The hoist, which extends 4 ft. forward and has a lifting height of 7 ft., was built from 3 x 3 in. tubing reinforced with rod trusses.
The cable winch, which runs off the transfer case, provides up to 1,400 lbs. of lifting power. "An overhead crane can lift more weight but it's more expensive," says Uhnken. Old cylinder heads mounted on the rear end of the rig act as counterweights.
To operate the cable winch, Uhnken turns an auxiliary transfer case to neutral and puts the main transmission into one of two gears. The transmission turns the winch to operate the hoist.
Uhnken says he's used the rig to lift and carry pickup engines, axles, field cultivator sections and even dual wheels. "We can pick up two 20.8 x 38 dual wheels weighing 1,200 pounds and install them on the spot."
What's More, he can hold an object in stationary position above the floor for up to a week at a time. A worm screw makes sure everything stays put.
If he could build the rig over again, Uhnken says he might make it taller to lift equipment higher.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Butch Uhnken, 25 W. Fair, Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 (ph 217 245-4359).
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