Man lift for fel

[jcummins]

I installed a nice flagpole year and half ago...well the rope broke. I was dreading that. Bought some Titan pallet forks, and want to build a man cage to fit on the forks. It will get me close....but I will need a step ladder on the lift to reach where the rope goes. I figured the step ladder would be secured via straps to the side of the cage.

I obtained a metal pallet used by Kubota to ship their tractors from a local Kubota dealer some years back. I've used it to pirate pieces of metal....not thinking about a possible man lift....so it's cut up some, but I think is a very good start to this man lift.

It is made primarily out of 2 1/4" x 1" rectangle light weight tubing. Has many tabs etc on it in places. The pallet is 45" x 115"...but I've got a good 2/3 of one side missing, as well as some bracing, which I cut out for some project in the past. I could make the lift that floor size, but I'd have to buy more metal, and not sure I want to do that. 2nd option is to cut in down to 45" x 56", but again a portion of one side missing...but I could scab other metal in, so that size I can do fairly easily. 3rd option is 39" x 56" and that would be the easiest to do.

BUT....what size. If this had not been cut on I'd be tempted to leave full size. I actually think either one of the smaller sizes would work fine, but before I start cutting/welding, I'd like as few regrets as possible.

Opinions of what size should I do from someone who has used one, given what I've got to work with?

 

[jeff9366]

I installed a nice flagpole year and half ago...well the rope broke. I was dreading that. Bought some Titan pallet forks, and want to build a man cage to fit on the forks. It will get me close....but I will need a step ladder on the lift to reach where the rope goes. I figured the step ladder would be secured via straps to the side of the cage.

I can hardly imagine a plan more likely to result in serious personal injury.

Wait, wait..... adding a chainsaw to the plan would make it more hazardous.

Can you afford three months laid up?

Lift out the flagpole, replace the halyard with some new age line which will last twenty years, then replace the flagpole.

 

[vidio1]

With a hinge for future maintenance....

 

[jeff9366]

What about renting an industrial extension ladder? Should not cost more than $30 for the day.

Position the Kubota M70 next to the flagpole. Lean the extension ladder against the tractor, possibly using the ROPS as an additional ladder contact point, then to the pole.

Spike the foot of the ladder, so ladder at ground is immovable.

Finally, send someone about seventeen years old up the ladder, preferably someone with aspirations to join the Army Airborne. Steady the ladder from the M70.

 

[Leejohn]

Creal Springs, IL is small enough that I bet you could get someone on the fire dept to bring out a ladder truck. Just tell them there has been a cat up there for 2 days. When they get there just tell them it just jumped down and ran away. Oh by the way while your here...........

 

[zzvyb6]

Most good flag poles are inserted into a female pipe shroud thats cemented into the ground. The pole fits kinda snug into this. You might be able to just pull it out of the shroud and catch it as it comes down. If its tapered spun aluminum and you let it fall, it will get kinked when it hits the ground and ruin the top brass ball or eagle. So, you catch it in your arms when it falls.

Putting it up is just as easy: you walk it up just like raising a 40' ladder. Best to have someone guide it into the shroud as it reache TDC.

However, if you just concreted it into the base, rent a trailer mounted boom lift from a rental agency (even Home Depot has them sometimes for rent) and go on up there. Brands are Nifty-Lift and JLG. I now own a JLG T-350 and could no longer live without one. My pole is only 24'. BTW: because of the tapered pole, a ladder resting up against the top of it is going to make it bend over quite a bit, even possibly fracturing it 2/3rds of the way up. That usually means the climber gets skewered by the remaining upright, so wear a bullet-proff vest just in case.

And make sure the replacement rope is sized correctly for the pulley that's up on top. That's often the cause of halyard failure.

 

[tommu56]

You would be better doing a church / auditorium ladder raise.

Ladder Auditorium Raise - YouTube

Church raise changing lights - YouTube

tom

 

[AlmostThere]

You would be better doing a church / auditorium ladder raise.

Ladder Auditorium Raise - YouTube

Church raise changing lights - YouTube

tom

I agree this is a decent option. I had the same situation happen about a year ago with a 20 foot flagpole. We used the extension ladder secured with 4 ropes to the decking to climb up and run a new rope through the flag pole pulley.

 

[bcp]

You want to build this, then put a stepladder on top?



Please don't post a video.

Bruce

 

[Steave]

I'm not sure what would be the optimal size but you do have to build it big enough to fit the ladder and space to stand with the ladder open. I guess just stand your ladder up and stand in front of it on the floor and measure. You wouldn't want to be on the ladder while somebody raised you up, not even on the first step.

The bigger the better up to a safety point of course. If you were painting you'd be able to take a few steps before having to move the tractor.

NOW you know of course this is a no-no trusting hydraulics like this. You're just a blown hose or a bad valve between you and the ground. Especially the curl circuit. I'm not going to discuss this with any safety police period. Oh we've all probably done some crazy things in our life but a few has not lived to tell about it. As they say in show business "break a leg" and by all means be extra nice to the driver.