Lifting Kubota BX24 with a crane

[check]

Is there an approved method for rigging a BX24 for lifting? I want to use my crane to drop it down over an 8' wall onto the shoreline of a river on my property. I think to make it a lighter lift I'll lift the backhoe and machine separately and reconnect them down below. Kubota has published methods for lifting their minihoes, but I haven't found anything for the BX tractors.

Well, the manual says that my BX25 weighs about 1500 pounds without the FEL or the backhoe on. So, depending upon the distribution of the weight, lifting at four points would only be about three to four hundred pounds of weight per lift point. Seems like a piece a cake to me!

Whatever you do, make sure you take pics for us!

 

[BLSXJ]

8ft? build a ramp.... do you have much room below?

or hire/rent a excavator with enough reach to work from above/

 

[Gcorron]

A great many unknowns here. Pictures, as always, would be a good help. Do you have a truly solid surface to place the crane? Will the pick be straight up, swing over, and set down? How big is the crane?
You can buy great tie down points for your BX that solidly put it on a trailer. Have you thought of getting a good solid trailer, tying the equipment to it and setting the trailer down? That would leave you to come up with a good set of spreader bars.

If it's only going to be once, or once every few years, it is likely less expensive to hire a rigging company that already has all the equipment and knows how not to trash your equipment.

Again, a LOT of variables here that cannot be legally answered without site visits, but for cheap internet advice, pictures would be a must.

Good luck, regardless of how you proceed.

George

 

[ruffdog]

You don't kid. A local attorney won an eight-figure verdict because of a frayed sling. Slings are downright cheap compared to that kind of liability, your life, or the lives of your family members.

Don't use slings from a big-box store. In the shops I've worked we had slings good for 60 ton+ (basket) that we would pick up parts with. Good slings have a red thread sewn into them. If it is frayed enough to see that thread, discard it.

 

[EricCR]

It's my crane. No worries about slings or crane operation. I was more curious about attachment points on the tractor.
I lifted it over the wall this evening. I picked it up by the BH pivot point and the FEL torque tube. All went well.
I had the FEL removed in the first pic. I changed my mind when I couldn't find any good points to sling it at the front.
Now I can dig the footing for my stairs down to the river! :thumbsup:

 

[Snobdds]

Good job and sweet crane.

From the angle of some of those pictures, it looks like your lowering it into the water.

 

[Gcorron]

Success is success! Congratulations Eric.
Now, just being nosy, what are you going to do down there?
Is that all you wanted to do was to dig a footer?

George

 

[EricCR]

Thanks! I'm going to dig the footing for a brick wall in front of the sheet pile to hide the steel and for the stairs beside the trees and then grade the beach area. There's a bit too much material down there so I'll probably take about 6" off the top of most of the area down there and push it into a pile against the wall. Then I'll reach over with my mini excavator to bring the material up to the yard. I'll throw some topsoil down at the end once the concrete is in.

 

[radioman]

nice! how did it feel moving that bx with that crane size and whats it rated for? there is nothing like having your own crane.

 

[EricCR]

It was a pretty stable lift. I'm rated for 7050 lb at that radius. I was originally planning to fly my 6600 lb excavator down instead, but I don't like to work that close to the edge of the load chart with such a precious load. The Kubota is a bit harder to maneuver down there, but it made for a really safe lift.
It's been quite a handy machine to have around. 70' boom length with the jib out.

Here it is placing 20' sheet pile at 2600 lb each. I placed a lot of them with my crane and then drove them with a vibratory driver under a hired 50T crane.