Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Weightlifting Made Easy


...I hope. Here's the frame I built for lifting DB-15 contactors into place. The sheet metal cover of the box will be under the upper rails, and the lower rails will rest on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, which I can raise and level with scrap lumber. It's not quite done: I want to install carriage bolts in the tension stiles, and I can get those at the car shop. We've got lots.


The contactor itself is not designed to stand upright on a flat surface, so a piece of plywood with wooden strips is needed to keep it vertical, and also keep it from falling off. The jack I just took out of my car. I haven't had to change a tire for at least 20 years, so let's hope I don't have a flat in the next month or so!


This is the house that Jack built. The contactor rests on the plywood that sits on the jack, that sits on the frame, that goes around the sheet metal cover of the box. It actually balances. But don't sneeze!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Try using a battery drill with a socket in low gear to do all but the final lifting. Also high speed lower.

Anonymous said...

Nicely done. How heavy is that thing?

David Wilkins said...

It should be noted that the Hicks Car Works Contactor Lifting Device is Patent Pending and all rights are reserved by Randall Hicks.

Randall Hicks said...

The DB-15 contactor weighs about 70 lbs.

Unknown said...

Nice 60s Ford scissor jack!