OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Push Mower Scissor Lift - Or ????

Hi All

Does anyone use a push mower scissor lift to work on their mowers in their workshops ?
Any pics ?

Any cheap alternative for saving my back without the lifting ?

Thx
sab

Hi SAB,
There was quite a discussion on building one last year that the carbymaster was involved in but I'm not sure how to find it. I was going to make one ( I did a timber prototype to make sure it would work, then I built a big heavy one for a mates factory and I set that one up so it was battery operated hydraulic). That was very heavy duty but a lighter version is quite possible using the same measurements but it is a lot of work. The other alternative is to use a couple of timbers as ramps

Here it is Norm and SAB,
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/98582/1.html
Mine was cheapest and still using it .....
speedy

Thx NormK & Speedy

Lots of ideas to save our backs.

I think I will adopt a hybrid solution which should fit my space & budget.

I will use an old solid door as a ramp - at about 2metres long & a 0.8m height, the angle should not be too great to get up. And should just fit my available space.
I will also use an old small hand winch I have, which I will setup on the other end of my heavy bench to drag it up & let it down without too much effort. The winch should be easily setup/takedown.

Only need to think then of a suitable anchor point on the mowers ... without bending axles.
Maybe a cheap sling around the mower ...

Hi SAB,
How about you use the door as your bench, fix pivot it one end at your working height, push the mower onto it on the incline and then use the winch to wind the door up to horizontal so you can work on it.

G'day all,

I find it a considerable advantage to have an 'island' mower workbench, so that you can walk all the way round it, without having to spin the mower around. My family's OPE business built a couple of these benches out of timber packing crates, back in the day.

Mine is a simple timber worktop, which clamps on to a small 3-legged grid top welding bench I made up years back; as I can still manage a straight lift, to get my push mowers onto it. I don't work on gear I don't own, these days. Can take pics, if desired.

For a commercial equivalent with lift capabilities, what about something like these units?
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Lifter-Trolleys

These are very stable in the elevated position; my clay target club uses one such to mount their quite weighty hopper fed, electric motor powered target thrower 'trap'.

Would just need a 'stop rail' or two installed for mower use, to stop the mower rolling off the trolley top.

Just saw this on Gumtree.
Does not solve the slipped disc issue .....

Hi SAB,
That one pretty much follows the design drawing that was published in the Victa Workshop Manuals, as the 'Universal Mower Stand'.



As you say, it doesn't solve the lifting issue.

This ......

Hi SAB,
Looks a bit of overkill, looks more ride on but if it suits your purpose that is all that matters

Sorry NormK
This one wasn't mine - Saw it advertised for sale - Thought it would be good to have photo on file.
Agree it is better suited to rideons.

Mine is just a winch on one end of a bench and an old door jammed up as a ramp on the other end.
Does the trick - Up & down in a minute.

All good everything to just make it easier, nothing worse than trying to handle mowers when you have back problems

If you have a lathe and I imagine the majority on here are quite handy, when I was a kid my grandfather built their rotary clothesline which used to raise by the town water supply, it was basically acted like a hydraulic ram,

I never knew what was on the inside on the piston rod but could imagine it only being a leather bucket, and the gland seal which was adjustable would have been pump gland packing, to raise the line you just turned on a tap, to lower it you turned on another tap which drained the cylinder.

The other way would be to get an old hydraulic ram and connect your pressure washer to it, if you built a small scissor lift table you would only need quite a small cylinder.

Beech.

G'day all,
Don't have a pic of this unit, but an old auto engineer mate of mine built himself a jackscrew type scissor lift motorcycle workstand many years ago.

He set up reversible electric/hydraulic drive to the jackscrew, for power up/down. Just powered the hydraulic pump with a small 240V motor - but not a reversible one, though those are available.

Instead, it was hydraulic reversible, using a couple of Army Disposals items he'd picked up for cheap. They were the turret rotation motor and control out of a Sherman tank!

Hi Gadge,
My idea was to keep it simple when I was going to make mine, I was going to use a car scissor jack to raise and lower the table and use a battery drill to drive the scissor jack. If our lockdown continues and I get all my current projects done I might get to build one but at the moment just getting the materials to build one is difficult