# Baby back hoe/ loader



## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

I have decided to use some of my old wheelchair lifts to convert a Cub Cadet into a baby hoe and loader. I was studying the 'geometry' of the lift I was using yesterday at work and thought that it would do exactly what I was thinking. I have 3 WC lifts sitting outside rusting up. Each has electric over hydraulic and are 'certified' to 800 #. The gears are turning. Those lifts will be hauled to the welding shop as soon as the trailer is finished. 800# is way more than a Cub Cadet weighs!
I still have a new 'Braun' lift in the dry. Since the government is giving WC vans away like candy, the market has dried up on my conversions. Fire up the PLAZ!!

I KNOW of 25 WC vans that have been SCRAPPED in the last year. Those lifts cost over $5,000. each!
I tried to buy some, but was refused over 'conflict of interest'. It is better for those lifts to be sold by the pound for scrap, than a county employee be allowed to pay MORE for them and keep them around. ?????????????????? Screw it!! I'm cutting my stash up and building something I can use.


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

What is a WC van?


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I think that might be *W*heel*C*hair Van


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

pogobill said:


> I think that might be *W*heel*C*hair Van


Ok thanks. Sometimes the use of shortcuts for various terms gets confusing.


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

Cublover said:


> I tried to buy some, but was refused over 'conflict of interest'. It is better for those lifts to be sold by the pound for scrap, than a county employee be allowed to pay MORE for them and keep them around.


They have a point. Administrators must be sensitive to the fact that your status as a county employee gives you preferred access - something that might not set well with the general public. I encountered the same thing with city equipment that was no longer serviceable. It was either sold for scrap to the highest bidder, or sold at auction. If sold at auction, I could bid like anyone else.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

RetiredLE said:


> Ok thanks. Sometimes the use of shortcuts for various terms gets confusing.


Between my wife talking about her old job, she's retired now, and my son in the navy, everything they talk about is just letters! Not to mention all this facebook / texting stuff where the younger generation can't begin to know how to spell anyways, and just use SMS (short message system) or textese as they call it.
The only one I know is BTW (by the way)! Oh, and BTW I've cancelled my facebook thing as I really don't need to know what someone is doing each and every minute of the day.. no matter how important they think it all is! And I can't understand most of it anyways!
Glad I could help out, and man that was good to get out of my system!!!:lmao:


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

pogobill said:


> Between my wife talking about her old job, she's retired now, and my son in the navy, everything they talk about is just letters! Not to mention all this facebook / texting stuff where the younger generation can't begin to know how to spell anyways, and just use SMS (short message system) or testese as they call it.
> The only one I know is BTW (by the way)! Oh, and BTW I've cancelled my facebook thing as I really don't need to know what someone is doing each and every minute of the day.. no matter how important they think it all is! And I can't understand most of it anyways!
> Glad I could help out, and man that was good to get out of my system!!!:lmao:


Could you repeat that? (just kidding) I know what you mean about letters and codes for stuff. Then there's the myriad collection of number combinations as well. 10-4 was easy but that was just the tip of the iceberg. My favorite was 10-7 (out of service).


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

RetiredLE said:


> Could you repeat that? (just kidding) I know what you mean about letters and codes for stuff. Then there's the myriad collection of number combinations as well. 10-4 was easy but that was just the tip of the iceberg. My favorite was 10-7 (out of service).


OK, 10-4... BTW ways your 20?:lmao:


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

pogobill said:


> OK, 10-4... BTW ways your 20?:lmao:


Western WA. If things go as planned, soon to be Eastern WA.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I was interested in getting an old WC van so I could take my mom out and about now and again. She used a walker, but was not able to do much more travelling than from her room the the dining room. I was a long way! I used to get her to sit on the walkers seat and give her a ride to the foyer, then get her up so she could finish the last 10 yards. They frown on giving rides at the home. When I did take her out, I rented a car that was not too low, and not too high, but jsut right for her to get in and out... it was still a bit of a struggle, but she got to get out now and again.

Anyways, we lost her in November, god bless her, and I never did get a chance to find a way to get her out more often. Goes to show that if you need to do something, git er done, as you may never get the opportunity to do it over!

Now if cublover could get his hands on a few of those lifts, I bet he could make a few bucks making garage lifts for garden tractors!!

So RetiredLE, where are you headed? Out towards Spokane, or down towards Walla Walla? I lived in the Okanagan for many years when my kids were young.... north of the border of course, but made a few sight seeing trips to the south. Saw a B-52 bomber come in for a landing... must have been in Spokane... it was sooooo big, my son and I must have watched it coming it for 15 minutes! It was so big, it looked like it was hovering in the air until it finally settle down of the ground! What a piece of gear! That was back in the late '80's. I was a beautiful drive trough the northern part of your country heading back towards the great lakes. Loved it.
BTW, good luck with the move there RetiredLE.


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

pogobill said:


> Between my wife talking about her old job, she's retired now, and my son in the navy, everything they talk about is just letters! Not to mention all this facebook / texting stuff where the younger generation can't begin to know how to spell anyways, and just use SMS (short message system) or textese as they call it.
> The only one I know is BTW (by the way)! Oh, and BTW I've cancelled my facebook thing as I really don't need to know what someone is doing each and every minute of the day.. no matter how important they think it all is! And I can't understand most of it anyways!
> Glad I could help out, and man that was good to get out of my system!!!:lmao:


 I think I mentioned Wheelchair lifts in the first sentance.


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

I have 3 out of vehicles and parts from 2 others stashed.
I also have a 'new' Braun lift that was installed in a 94 Dodge weeks before it went to auction. (???)
They never even finished the install! Power wire was not even hooked up.
That one is safe.
I converted 3 vans for people over the years.


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## RetiredLE (Aug 8, 2012)

pogobill said:


> So RetiredLE, where are you headed? BTW, good luck with the move there RetiredLE.


Guess we might get into hot water for stealing this thread... My apologies to the mods and the OP.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your Mom Pogobill. It's something we all face eventually because Time waits for no man - or woman for that matter. My folks are getting on in years as well so this move is to hopefully end up a bit closer to them geographically speaking. I agree with your Git R Done philosophy. You just never know when...

We are headed to Okanogan County (Methow Valley) if things pan out. I love it there, mostly because of the elbow room and the slower pace of life. Yep, those B-52's are one big bird. The most interesting plane I ever saw up close was the SR-71 Blackbird. One landed at Whidbey NAS back in the mid 70's I think for some reason or another and they quickly moved it into a hangar before dawn. I remember the heat waves coming off of it as it sat in the hangar. 

Thanks for the good luck wishes. Will probably need some of that along with lots of elbow grease.


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

Watch this thread!! I hauled 3 WHEEL CHAIR LIFTS home last night. Plus 2 distressed Cub Cadets.

One of the lifts used a hydraulic motor with a chain drive to activate a 'slide' deal. Then it had an 'electric over hydraulic' cylender, power up and down. I have (2) of those.
Then there is the other (2) lifts that use 'electric over hydraulic', with 2 cylenders each to 'fold' the platform, and 2 cylenders each to raise and lower the platform.
(800# capacity.)
What I KNOW about 'capacity' is that a manufacturer will 'under-rate' stuff to avoid a lawsuit from idiots over-loading things.

My big concern is that the front axel of a Cub Cadet will not be strong enough to carry the weight.
I just want to be able to put a wheelbarrow load of mulch over the sideboards of the GMC at a time, without picking up a shovel.
All I need is 'what I have' and a dependable source for 12 volts! If I have to, I'll put a GM 1 wire alternator on it and just use the factory starter/generator to fire it up.

If I need BIG stuff loaded, There is always 'just-in-Case'.
This is a toy tractor idea that I can put on a trailer and move to small jobs.

Moving 'Just-in-Case' is a major production, since he weighs over #8,000.

PS. The new trailer worked well. I guess that it had over 3,000# on it when we pulled out. I'm not sure that I want to haul over 4,000# the way it is, but have ideas on how to make it better.


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

Sliced and diced the oldest one. Took pics of the others. Gathered some of the 'hoardings' for a photo shoot.
Here is what I'm putting into 'inventorey'.
I saw that each of the 12 volt motors connected to the pumps have a velocity fuse to keep lifts from slamming to the ground if a line failed. The one pic shows the 2 spare cylenders, plus the black one that is a 'closed loop' system with a 12 v pump and 16" of travel, power both ways. I have 2 of them.
With all this 'hydraulic wonderfulness', I'm sure that I can build something useful!


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

All the 'warning' lables said "Don't adjust the pressure on these lifts without consulting the manufacturer".

I KNOW that they are 'rated' at 600# + capacity! I also know that lawyers are waiting for their product to fail, so they build stuff to handle stupid people doing stupid things. (and 'rate' their product about 1/2 of what it will actually DO)
Since they are at their 'end of life', and there is no danger of me sueing them, I can turn those screws to crank up the pressure, and I can remove the 'velocity fuses' if I chose to.


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