Tools Made To Handle 55-Gal. Drums

Tools Made To Handle 55-Gal Drums MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Forklifts When it comes to handling big 55-gal drums Ron Paustian has pretty much figured it out He recently sent FARM SHOW photos of several different drum lifters and tools he’s come up with to make handling drums an easier job His lifters can lift drums either vertically or horizontally using a chain attached to an overhead crane or forklift He also has a drum tipper tool that’s used to stand a drum up by hand and a bung cap tool that eliminates the need for a wrench “I collect used oil from farmers in our area who store the oil in 55-gal drums I used to have to maneuver drums onto pallets by hand or wrestle them into the back of a pickup ” says Paustian Vertical drum lift He used the fuel tank strap from a 1970’s International cab-over semi truck and a 2-in “load-securing” ratchet strap to make a handy drum lifter that lifts the drum vertically The tank strap surrounds about 3/4 of the drum and is attached to a short length of ratchet strap which Paustian cut down to 30 in long He looped one end of the ratchet strap to the tank strap and bolted the other end to a metal loop already on the tank strap He then welded three 3-ft lengths of chain spaced equal distances apart onto the tank straps A big washer welded on where the chains meet at the top serves as a hook The strap is placed just below the drum’s top rib and tightened up using the tank strap’s closing device Horizontal drum lift It consists of a 4-ft long chain with a big washer welded onto the middle and a pair of curved metal brackets welded onto both ends The brackets fit against the lips at both ends of the drum and tighten as the drum is raised Drum tipper It works like a big prybar and lets Paustian grab onto a 55-gal drum that lays horizontally and stand it up by hand It consists of a long pipe with 2 short pieces of 3/4-in angle iron spaced about 10 in apart One angle iron is welded onto the end of the pipe and serves as a stabilizer The operator catches one angle iron on the drum’s lip and then raises the pipe A washer welded onto one end of the tool makes it easy to hang up for storage Bung cap tool Two different size pieces of flat metal are welded onto the ends of a pipe One piece fits 2-in bungs and the other 3/4-in bungs The operator inserts the metal piece into the bung and then rotates the pipe to open or close the cap Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ron “Skinny” Paustian 6404 Old Pipestone Road Eau Claire Mich 49111 ph 269 461-6449; paustianinc@yahoo com

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