FEL SNAFU

XxLT250RxX · Oct 25, 2011

I took my FEL off for the first time this weekend. Two days later I find it sitting flat on the floor. Any Idea how one man can ge it back "on it's feet"?

EMB5530 · Oct 25, 2011

bottle jack and lots of 4x4 dunage
cut the 4x4s about 1' long and stack them back and forth and keep jacking stack under both sides for saftey

Just mho
hope it helps.

Marveltone · Oct 25, 2011

Do you have access to two Handyman (or Hi-Lift) jacks? One on each side should do the trick. Much easier to operate both jacks with a helper.

Oops... You said one man. Alternate strokes on each jack.
Joe

XxLT250RxX · Oct 25, 2011

I don't think I can pull the tractor under it with jacks or 4x4s under it.

EMB5530 · Oct 25, 2011

humm
What about after getting it up makin a wood frame to hold it up from the outside.
I have not yet owned a tractor w/ fel but was led to believe that there is some sort of stand that is supposed to hold it up when you disconnect it. can you not reapply the stand after you get it back up and if it is due to bleed off of hydros then pull the tractor close enough to hook up lines and reapply presure to the cylinders?

I really dunno w/o seeing in person just brain stormin

Hope ya get it.:thumbsup:

Soundguy · Oct 25, 2011

block n tackle or a cherry picker?

Wayne_H · Oct 25, 2011

don't over engineer the solution. I hate to admit this but I did the same thing.... One of my cylinders was leaking internally, so I had to take the cylinder off to rebuild it. Guess what happens when you open the sealed system that holds the thing up...

Do you have an engine hoist? If so, use that.
Can you put a come-a-long in the ceiling and lift with that?
Do you have a friend to help lift it? It is not as heavy as you think.

Wayne

boxygen · Oct 25, 2011

Why couldnt you pull up beside the loader with the tractor and hook up the hydraulics. You should be able to get it back upright if you can get it hooked up. You would then just have to unhook and reset. Is there room enough?

XxLT250RxX · Oct 25, 2011

EMB5530 said:
humm
What about after getting it up makin a wood frame to hold it up from the outside.
I have not yet owned a tractor w/ fel but was led to believe that there is some sort of stand that is supposed to hold it up when you disconnect it. can you not reapply the stand after you get it back up and if it is due to bleed off of hydros then pull the tractor close enough to hook up lines and reapply presure to the cylinders?

I really dunno w/o seeing in person just brain stormin

Hope ya get it.:thumbsup:

Thanks, If you look close it has the stand's attached. It had an internal leak and slowly eased down without me knowing it. Hooking the lines to the tractor would probably be the easy way but I don't think I can get close enough to it. I really need two hydraulic lines about 6 or 7 feet long to do this.

billfires · Oct 25, 2011

How about making an "A-frame" and using a come along, one of those inexpensive pulley/rope systems, a chain fall or a boom pole? Bill C

swick1 · Oct 25, 2011

Use the 3ph and a chain for the first couple of feet

grsthegreat · Oct 25, 2011

if your wealthy enough, get 2 extension hoses made to extend the 2 hoses to connect to the tractor, and use the tractor to lift it back up itself. they may only need to be 5-6 feet long each

BMW · Oct 26, 2011

Looks like a good reason to buy another FEL tractor to pick that FEL up.

wedge40 · Oct 26, 2011

I'd either buy a couple of extra hoses, or put a couple of eye hooks in the ceiling joist. You're not trying to lift the whole thing up.. I think two guys, one on each side should be able to up right it. The problem is the cylinder that has the leak will need to be able to re-extend easily, other wise you'll be working against that as well.. I think.

Wedge

Army grunt · Oct 26, 2011

Its time to get a lifting pole for your 3pt hitch. An pick the dam thing up.
Army Grunt

miramadar · Oct 26, 2011

Could you just use a ratchet-style tie-down? If you have some structure above, like rafters, you could wrap it around the rafter and then around the back of the FEL and ratchet it up. You'd want to use a beefy one though.

k0ua · Oct 26, 2011

My little $32 chain hoist (harbor freight quality, but not bought there) would lift it easily. Might have to put a 4x4 accross about 3 ceiling joists and then have a pretty good eye bolt in it, It would be effortless to lift it, whether the cylinder retracted or not. The hardest part is getting a lifting point installed in the ceiling.. Of course some of the other suggestions may be easier done.

James K0UA

bcp · Oct 26, 2011

Engine Hoist / Shop Crane - 1 Ton

Lift the FEL with the engine hoist.

And for other uses, weld on parts to put the hoist on your 3-point hitch, add a couple of drop-down stabilizers, then a hitch receiver, so you can put it on your truck hitch, too.

Bruce

Ford850 · Oct 26, 2011

k0ua said:
My little $32 chain hoist (harbor freight quality, but not bought there) would lift it easily. Might have to put a 4x4 accross about 3 ceiling joists and then have a pretty good eye bolt in it, It would be effortless to lift it, whether the cylinder retracted or not. The hardest part is getting a lifting point installed in the ceiling.. Of course some of the other suggestions may be easier done.

James K0UA

If you have access to the joists I would follow K0ua's suggestion here. A 6' or 8' 4x4 laying on top of the the joists, and then another one one directly under that top 4x4 pinched up on the bottom the the joists with a couple upright 4x4 posts along the outside of the FEL. Throw a chain hoist or come-along (with a safety chain as a backup) around the top 4x4's and it would be easy to lift it. Afterall you are only lifting half the weight of the FEL since the bucket end remains on the ground.

Good luck