HELP? Try to lift cab on new frame??

[csdineley]

Hello

I'm in the middle of a frame swap. This is the first time I've ever done this. I managed to get the cab off the old frame using a wooden contraption (I copied from searching online) attached to my engine hoist. It worked well getting it off. But now ever time I try lifting it again, to put it on the new frame it isn't doing so well. Can't seem to get it more then a foot of the ground before something goes wrong and I put it back on the ground.

I doing this pretty much by myself on grass in the backyard. I have the doors and bench seat out. I've read mixed statements of the cab weight. Any where between 200 and 750 lbs. I don't know either, but it seems pretty dam heavy. I'm looking for advise on other ways to get this thing up on the frame.

Please help!!!!

[csdineley]

Pic 1: Cab
Pic 2: New frame waiting

[andyh1956]

I use a 2 x 10 thru the cab door opening to wrap my lift strap around it & a spreader bar between the lift strap. I can't picture how a cherry picker type engine lift could get a cab high enough. It may be time to go buy a case of beer & call your buds over.
Whatever you do be careful!
OK I see photos now!
You tied the picker to the floor of the cab. Seems like that should work.
I would for sure remove those shift levers before I went any further.
Are you having a balancing problem? That's where the buds come in! Or the wife...

[csdineley]

Today's thought on the matter. Get 2 4x4x10 pieces of lumber and about 40 cinder blocks. Lift one side at a time and build pillars the blocks in a 2x2 fashion under the 4x4's. Until I get it high enough. 40" should do it I think. Then roll the new frame under it. I will remove the shift levers when I get that far. Thoughts???

[Dead Parrot]

Looks like you are in a rural or near rural area. Might see if any of your neighbors have an A-frame or tractor with a front end loader setup with pallet forks. For what you will wind up spending on lumber and blocks, could well cover the cost of borrowing the a-frame or services of the front end loader.

[benny27]

Originally Posted by csdineley

Today's thought on the matter. Get 2 4x4x10 pieces of lumber and about 40 cinder blocks. Lift one side at a time and build pillars the blocks in a 2x2 fashion under the 4x4's. Until I get it high enough. 40" should do it I think. Then roll the new frame under it. I will remove the shift levers when I get that far. Thoughts???

I would use 2x4s thay are plenty strong. just put a few 2x4 cross braces so your long 2x4s stay parallel.
Sawhorses would be much safer than cinder blocks I would be worried about cinder blocks tipping over.
If you can get enough pallets to stack up they would be stable to build up as high as you need. plus they are free when you find them.

[joedoh]

if what I think is going wrong is going wrong, then keep lifting when "something goes wrong". the wood lift frame you are using will hit the passenger door frame first and start to tip the cab to the drivers side, and the lifting frame wont hit the drivers door frame until it gets higher. you just have to keep lifting, it will tip to the drivers side then balance back out as it gets higher.

I have used the lifting frame/cherry picker method about a hundred times and it works perfectly, the cab will eventually balance (or close to balance) when the cherry picker arm gets past level with the ground. I have swung stuff around lifting side to side once it was balanced. its a great method for working on your own.

[csdineley]

Originally Posted by benny27

I would use 2x4s thay are plenty strong. just put a few 2x4 cross braces so your long 2x4s stay parallel.
Sawhorses would be much safer than cinder blocks I would be worried about cinder blocks tipping over.
If you can get enough pallets to stack up they would be stable to build up as high as you need. plus they are free when you find them.

Thanks
I was thinking of using something for cross braces and some cargo straps to tie the cab to the lumber.
Sawhorses are possible, still think I would need some blocks to work up to the height of the sawhorses.

[csdineley]

Originally Posted by joedoh

if what I think is going wrong is going wrong, then keep lifting when "something goes wrong". the wood lift frame you are using will hit the passenger door frame first and start to tip the cab to the drivers side, and the lifting frame wont hit the drivers door frame until it gets higher. you just have to keep lifting, it will tip to the drivers side then balance back out as it gets higher.

I have used the lifting frame/cherry picker method about a hundred times and it works perfectly, the cab will eventually balance (or close to balance) when the cherry picker arm gets past level with the ground. I have swung stuff around lifting side to side once it was balanced. its a great method for working on your own.

Thanks

You could be right that I just need to keep going. Could explain why it worked so well getting the cab off the old frame. But now that I'm lifting from the ground. It's getting sketchy. Another problem I'm having is the ground I'm working on isn't level. So lifting from the passenger side. The cab wants to tilt back into the hoist or roll back. And from the driver side it starts to pull the back wheels of the hoist off the ground. Seems like a good setup if I had a hard flat surface to work on.

[joedoh]

I have done it on angled dirt. sounds like you just need to change the center of gravity more to the drivers side.

52460585116__4A2B7141-0FBC-48C2-A74B-D3484934F8CB by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[csdineley]

The 4x4's and blocks worked out well.

[csdineley]

Pic

[dmack91]

Amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. Nice work.

[Danmcg]

Nice Job!!!

[csdineley]

Thanks, today I got it off the 4x4's and blocks. And on the frame. Still need to wiggle it around a little. To line up the cab mount holes. Also I still have a broken off bolt on the front passenger side. That I need to figure out what to do with.