Shopsmith Forums

A number of years ago I started acquiring tools that I thought may be useful in our retirement and as we age. Remember of course that this is a farm and there are a lot of different things to be handled. Lots of horse stuff, lots of building materials etc. I now have a fair assortment of trailers, carts, hand trucks, lift forks for tractors, various jacks etc.
Last Saturday I had a chance to buy one of these right at an auction and jumped on it.
http://www.vermettlifts.com/512m.html

I already have a whole list of jobs for it, not the least of which is removing a no longer used big overhead hanging natural gas furnace from the farm shop. It hangs in an area of fairly low ceiling and is in the way a lot.
Right this minute the lift has a full roll of woven wire fence on the forks that I will back the truck under and haul the roll to another barn.
I am already wishing for a second one of these.
This one will reside mostly in the farm shop and will regularly be used for elevating things like large mower decks etc. up to a comfortable working height.
I could see one of these being a nice way to lift a Shopsmith up on a pair of sawhorses to roll it over and service the caster set. or moving lumber to racks... or...
The standard basic mast is 6'6" and will fit through a regular door upright. The 12' lift height is often used to elevate materials up to workers on roofs. This one does not have that extension, I "might" order one for it but I do have other ways to get stuff up on a roof.
This one needs a new coat of paint and I'm seeing it done in Rustoleum Hammered deep red...


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Looks like it will be right handy. Though, I'd be concerned about using it on other than a solid surface. Those front wheels look to be a bit small.

Gene Howe wrote:Looks like it will be right handy. Though, I'd be concerned about using it on other than a solid surface. Those front wheels look to be a bit small.

Yes, 3" casters are standard, 5" are an option. Around a construction site tossing down a sheet of 3/4" plywood is common. Of course they are more for lifting than moving a load around. I have seen such things used on a short section of metal track on 2" x 4" cross-ties across soft ground. A concept similar to the carriage on my sawmill. As you say, best on solid surface.
With shop made jigs you can use these as a drywall jack too.

Toss a board across the forks and you have an adjustable height shop stool...


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I have wished many times that I had something like this. I don't have sufficient space to maneuver one around the garage, but in the house, I could use it to use as a Hoyer Lift to lift the wife. LOL The price of this is better than a Hoyer lift, also.

Steve, the old swampgator