Chemical Tote Manlift

Chemical Tote Manlift CROPS Weed Control With an empty chemical tote a couple of ratchet straps and square tube beams Leland Heuchert made a handy manlift for his skidsteer “I wanted to change the yard lights to LED But it’s not safe to climb up 30 ft on a ladder against a power pole ” says the Saskatchewan farmer He welded square tubing pieces on the outside of a 4-in square tubing frame The tubing pieces are big enough to slip in the skidsteer forks and distribute the weight on the front and back of the forks He welded angle iron on the other end of the beam to support the 1 000-liter chemical tote An opening allows him to climb into it easily on the ground “I knew I had to set it at an angle about 30 degrees so when lifted it would be level at the height I needed ” Heuchert says To add stability - and safety - to the tote he hooked two ratchet straps to the end of the beam and strapped them to the skidsteer forks The tubing slips over the forks just like a pallet so putting it on and taking it off doesn’t take much time The project was worth it because Heuchert installed about 25 lights around the farm It’ll come in handy for tree trimming as well With a 13-ft pole saw in the bucket he figures he can reach just about any branch Heuchert notes that his manlift is on a fairly large skidsteer Anyone building something similar needs to keep in mind that any time something is extended equipment can become tippy and unsafe So it’s important to have big enough equipment to handle the job Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Leland Heuchert lelandheuchert@gmail com

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