Homemade Thread ( if it cost to much so you made it yourself, please show it off here!)

I'd love to see what people have come up with. If you wanted or needed something but the cost was unreasonable so you built it yourself, I'd love to see it!

could be specalty tools like a puller, or anything! The more pictures the better!

I have made a few things and plan to build a lift table in the next week or so.

darnit!!! i meant to post this in "" off topic builds""

can somone please move this thread there? sorry everybody

there ya are bud! And good idea for a topic! Ive got a couple things ive built in the past years and il get some pics.

sweet, thanks,

here is a crappy picture of a lift stand i built a looong time ago. It has a hand winch at the top and about 5.5' of lift. It is shown here ( the orange thing) holding up my new project. This stand is unbelievably handy. I have used it from mower, snowmobile, motorcycle work to pulling out fence posts set in concrete. It;s not the best design and the welding is not very good but this thing has been used soooo many times.

i wound up lifting things and trying to set them on saw horses or boxes to elevate both ends of say a riding lawn mower. This leads me to my next project coming up soon.

But here is a picture of the most used, best idea i have ever had!

Ok.

So here is a newest project i'm still in the thinking process, just getting started cutting/welding. Like i sated before I really want a lift table. It takes all the fun out of working on things when i have to bend and hunch over my project. If i can work comfortably, i tend to do a much better/ more thorough job on whatever i'm working on. I want to be able to lift my tank sportsman, motorcycle, whatever. I can drag a push mower or snowblower onto this thing and lift it up to work comfortably.

here is what i have been drooling over for the last several years. It's a table from Harbor freight. $499.00 plus tax and shipping. ( i just can't do that much)



So here is what i have. I realised i can reuse two frames that i had welded together for a snowmobile ramp for the back of my truck. the ramp ( going to be the table) is a few inches skinnier than the base. I need to try to figure out the best way to get6 this done. I cut and welded the legs but i had to stop and thi9nk about this a bit before i get to far. I hate drilling holes so i'm trying to use some old deck brackets and pins as pivots. i know it's going to allow some wiggle while the table is up but like i said i hate drilling holes.

I ordered a 110V winch from harbor freight and it should be here in 5 days. the winch is going to pull the table up. This thing is going to take up alot of garage space but I have lots of projects i have been putting off until i get this table done so i believe i'll use it all the time! here are the pictures i have so far.

I worked on my lift table all stinking day today. I'm so frustrated. The further along i get the more i'm getting burnt from not squaring or measuring anything. I know it's my own fault but i'm just a hack. my " geometry" won't allow the lift to start the upward movement. I need to redesign the rear legs. I have absolutely no room to work, mosquitoes biting me..... I'm done for the night. I have a few pictures from today.



I need to raise the rear of the rear legs to help the table get started ( the start angle ), then shorten the legs to account for the mount being raised. The table is wobbly, but it should work. The legs really should be cross-braced to eliminate sway but things are so out of square, i can't do it. it is what it is i guess.

next pic.

Ok boys. I was hoping to make my last post on this be the one that showed it finished and working like a champ but..... nuuuu.

I had to scrap the previous pivot design on top of the lift legs for several reasons. One, it was too wobbly, two, it bound, three i didn't leave enough room for the clevis pin and every time it lowered, it broke them. and three and the most important, i needed to increase the start angle on the legs. I really learned a lesson here guys. I changed it and i hope to god i have enough angle now but we will see. if you build one of these, i wouldn't do it the way i did, lol. I have alot of better ideas now but it's too late for me.

so i raised the rear of the legs to assist the start angle ( the higher the better). I drilled holes ( crooked as a sin) and i hope it works now. all these holes should be drilled in a drill press and the legs should be cross braced but whatever.

I'm waiting for my 110v winch from harbor freight ( must be on the slow boat from Taiwan) . i'll mount that and test it out. a guy should really use angle iron for the base so that the front of the legs can be mounted as low as possible to keep the drive - on height as low as possible. i'm hoping this thing works, i have alot of time ( most time spent starring and cursing) into this thing. some updated pics here>

a pic of the new leg hook-up


here is a pic of the mast for the winch


and here is a pic of the table so far


in the corner you can see the chair i sit in and grimice and curse this thing. i swear, it better work, lol. i cleaned the garage too, it looks nice.

yea, you have got to have your legs started in the upward motion ( or radius) other wise you pull the front and it binds and won't lift. so, when the lift is all the way down as low as it's going to go, the legs need ti be raised in the back, started on the way up... does this make any sence whatsoever? lol.

but if a guy used angle iron skids, mounted the front of the legs as looow as possible, started the rear of the legs several inches higher, that would be a mojor improvement. then build the legs square and cross brace them.

i'm very concerned about the intial binding before the table starts to come up.

most have a little tail flap on them (short ramps) any way

Very nice build man!!! nice idea!

I'm uploading a video now ( it says 58 minutes to upload, wtf). The table works kinda. i need to do several things before it really should be used. I need to weld washers around all the leg holes to beef up the metal, i need bigger diameter bolts in the rear. The winch needs more support and finish installing it better. plywood needs to be fastened, etc etc etc etc. as far as a ramp, the riding mower with deck needs such a low approach that i guess i'll drag out my long ramps to load it but i do want to fab up some sort of flap ramp deal for everything else.

I'm calling it done for now. i just don't really have any patience anymore. I used to absolutly love tinkering and fabricating. I'm just getting very lazy i guess. In this thread, I was hopping to see some other peoples homemade stuff to reignight my hobby so if you have some stuff please post it.

could just do some thing like this. I have pulled 1200 lb non runners up with a little muscle. just need some ramps.
might modify the boards to rails to get more room in the middle. just the right height to work on the low stuff with an office chair

I know the perspective is kinda crappy. dims are 23h 60w 77 l. just some homade scaffolding with tread plates on it.. but it works

if you are playing guess the mower... its a stretched and lowered '78 monkey wards, transverse mounted 16hp with a 5 speed

yea thats sweet rat. good idea with the scaffold too. it's so nice to get things up a little bit to be comfortable!

here is the video of my " lift table" lol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnmmDmjrtTo

a winch on a fixed table would do the same thing. not trying to a jackass.... but KISS ,engineer lingo. easier to pull it up the ramp than raise the table. what if the lift fails and you have your legs under it?

rat88 wrote:

a winch on a fixed table would do the same thing. not trying to a jackass.... but KISS ,engineer lingo. easier to pull it up the ramp than raise the table. what if the lift fails and you have your legs under it?

if something with the lift fails... well, down she goes.

yea, this was a learning experience for sure! i would do it very different if i were to start from scratch.

I can modify this thing and improve on it dramatically. I could make a safety leg to support the table if there were a failure of the winch or cable. but if a leg or critical weld broke, it would fall.

I plan to do most if not all my work with the table up and a large pin in place. I had one bolt holding the winch on and all the leg bolts were lose and it worked, i also lifted that pig wheeler to just to try to break it right off the bat.

like i said, i have lots of ideas how to make it work better, it's just a matter of doing it.

I just bought a hobart 187, i see you have a hobart. I'm still finding how to make mine work the best. The thing has plenty of power thats for sure but it's a very nice unit i feel.

good welder, you'll like it, especially if you have a walmart welder now. plug it into a 30 amp outlet and it will work better

the welder i have right now is a hobart 125 EZ it is great for projects it is flux cor which is all you really need and you dont have to mess around with settings you just chose how thick of metal you are using

rat88 wrote:

could just do some thing like this. I have pulled 1200 lb non runners up with a little muscle. just need some ramps.
might modify the boards to rails to get more room in the middle. just the right height to work on the low stuff with an office chair

can you do like a run down telling what you did on this rat rod lol id like a closer look at it

how do u get the lift to go up and down and can u put better pics