Lift Table

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Picked this up a few weeks ago.  It was used for pallets, had a 40 inch circle on top that would spin.  I've been assigned the task of making it a lift table for a commercial zero turn mower.  That being said, I'm needing to make the top 60 inches wide by 84 inches long.  I purchased 50ft of 3/16 C channel to make the top frame that you would drive up on.  My problem is what wolud be the best layout to go with?  I want it to be plenty strong enough to load a 1300# mower on.  I cut the round part off so I'm left with what you see in the last pic. Attached Images
Reply:I think a little bit more data is needed.  What is the purpose of lifting the zero turn lawn mower up?  Do you need to get to certain portions of it?  How low are the mowers to the ground...basically, do you need a very low clearance ramp to get them up on it?  Does the ramp need to be removable?  Moveable?  etc...?--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Just to do basic stuff, change oil, sharpen blades, change belts.  The mowers are right at 6 inches off the ground.  The ramps will need to be about 7 inches tall, haven't put much thought into if they should be removable.....up for suggestions.  Will also be used for ATVs as well.
Reply:Well, in that case, I'd try to keep the platform for them as low as possible.  Make the ramps removable (plate steel hooks just like a piece of excavating equipment so that they can be lifted off after the mower/atv is up on the lift.  I don't know how you'd build a platform on that type of lift that would allow you to get to the blades...for that kind of thing I would recommend building a lift that uses arms to pick the machine up from both sides instead.  Other than that, just make sure you make it universal enough that you can use it for multiple types of equipment.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:As far as getting to the blades, you can figure where most of the blades will be located when the mowers are in position and make a removable section out of the top to gain access to the blades. Also, is this going to be free standing or bolted down? If bolted down you probably won't have to make the base any larger. I envy you, that's a nice piece of equipment.
Reply:I can't believe it, I was looking at this completely wrong.  I will get much better access to the mower blades if I load the mower from the side and not from the front.  I don't know how or why I never thought of that but today I had welded what was to be part of the frame that would support the front and rear tires and I looked down, saw the obvious better way and laughed thinking it was in front of me the whole time, why I never thought of that is beyond me.  I thought I had it all planned out, I mean I spent 2 days staring at this, going through different ways to build this frame, but now it's gonna change.  Oh well at least I was completely finished and then have someone walk up and say, "I'd load it from this side so you would have better access. "  Looking back I think I was over thinking the whole thing. I'm not sure if I'm going to tie into the 2 blue tubes coming off the middle or not.  A few pics below Attached Images
Reply:I hope that you are planning to widen the base out a bit so that it doesn't tip over with a mower on it up in the air!!!Andrew
Reply:more progress....I put a 4wheeler on it to give it a small test.  I still need to bolt it down to the floor.  I want to figure up a way to have something like a stabilizer bar running from the bottom side of the lift to the floor at all four corners.  Also I would like to be able to adjust the width of the ramps, like to be able to slide them closer for something with a narrow wheelbase.  I'm not sure how I could secure the ramps to the frame and still be able to adjust them.  I was thinking of having something like how train moves on train tracks....a wheel on top and a wheel on the botton with a plate in-between them.Any suggestions........ Attached ImagesLast edited by mark12; 11-21-2010 at 09:32 PM.
Reply:Lookin' good there Mark "No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Well could you just take your ramps and put a strap around the back so as to make them able to slide around to different widths.Well you get the idea, my 2cents...Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:The rail / wheel idea for adjustable width is a good one, but not the simplest. A telescoping square tubing arrangement with holes drilled to pin in place would perform the same function. If not square tubing, any arrangement of channel, angle, or flat bar will work. Just an idea...JasonXMT 350 MPA Dynasty 280DXSuitcase 8RC / OptimaSpoolmatic 30AThermco Ar / C02 mixerAssorted O/A gear
Reply:Loaded my zero urn on it.  Weighs 968lbs  I need some ideas on how to stabilize it.  It will be bolted to the floor, but I would like something to put on the 4 corners to act as a stabilizer/safety catch incase the air bag fails.  I thought of something like what I have seen on other lift tables that has a bar/rod and as you jack up the table the rod passes over groves/notches that would keep the bar from moving backward.  Any other ideas guys? Attached Images