Handy Work Lift Platforms

Handy Work Lift Platforms Dale Freeman’s work platforms are compatible with front-end loader forks. He built one with a safety rail on one side and another with a safety rail all the way around. Both are on solid-floor pallets. “I used 4 by 4-in. lumber for the sides of the pallet on the single-rail platform, but 4 by 6-in. lumber on the four-rail platform,” says Freeman. “I wanted the extra height so I could run in easier with tractor forks.” The uprights on the single-rail platform are 2 by 2-in. square steel tubing, with 2 by 2-in. angle-iron cross rails and 3/4-in. Schedule 40 steel pipe bracing the safety rail at 45-degree angles. Hooks at both ends of the top rail provide handy holders for tools or pails. “I can lift the pallet up from one edge and have a work platform with a safety rail,” notes Freeman. “If I pick it up from the opposite edge, I have an adjustable-height workbench with open sides.” When he designed his four-rail work platform, he added an extra 5 ft. of height with a 3-ft. high railing. He used salvaged steel, including 8-ft. long, 1 1/2-in. steel tubing for the support frame and ladder uprights at one corner. He topped out each railing with 1 1/2-in. steel pipe. “I used 3/4-in. Schedule 40 pipe for the ladder cross bars,” says Freeman. “The ladder and frame uprights are bolted to the pallet. I also used lots of gussets to stabilize and strengthen the frame. The only thing I bought new was the 5/4 decking for the raised floor.” Freeman used industrial storage racking to fill in the scrap steel frame and hangs a chain across the gate for security. He can lift his loader arms to their full height and work safely behind the guard rails of either platform. “With the raised floor, the four-rail work platform puts my feet 13 ft. above the ground,” Freeman says. Freeman has used the work platforms for various tasks, including insulating the trusses in his shop, trimming tree limbs, and mounting a trail camera on the side of his barn. “If my wife is around, I have her lift the stand with me on it,” says Freeman. “If not, I throw a step ladder across the pallet for climbing in. We live on a dusty road, and she really likes it for cleaning windows. I can lift her up with the platform instead of having to balance on a ladder and reach across a window.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Freeman, Monroe, Va. 24574.

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