Tanking down a 2 post lift....How to?

[77Mini]

I just purchased a 2 post lift but part of the deal is that I am going to remove it from its current location. Does anyone have any experience with this. What is the best way to get this down and how tough is it to do? Its a Ben Pearson Baymaster.

 

[malbojah]

The only time I've seen it done is near the end when it was time to drop the posts. Guy had a couple of tires stacked on the ground and simply pushed the post over after everything was properly disconnected.

 

[77Mini]

Sounds a little sketchy. Not sure if i would be good with that

 

[xpander343]

at the shop I work they moved a 12,000 capacity rotary hoist 2 post and they basically did it with like 4-5 big dudes and man handled that sucker down and up. They took it apart as much as they could, like the cross bar and arms. I don't recall if they took the upper extensions off. They also moved a 12,000lb forward 4 post by hand too. How big a hoist did you buy?

ours they moved looked like this http://www.purplewave.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?130228/E3739

 

[77Mini]

9000lb capacity

Older version of this
http://www.ben-pearson.com/model-baymaster-9cf_1013_p.aspx

 

[jlckmj]

My son and I put my 12,000 Rotory up by just walking the posts up until upright.

Taking it down, I would feel safer tying into about 3/4 of the way up with a cherry picker and a sling and then lower it down slowly.

Jim

 

[77Mini]

What do you figure the posts would weigh?

 

[Daedalus]

I've gone up and down by myself with a cherry picker. If you don't have to worry about clearing the anchors in the floor, then it's really not too hard, otherwise you have to lift the post up a few inches first. On my Bendpak the posts are 12' long, but the CG is only a couple feet from the floor. Each post is probably 4-500 lbs. I can lift the light end by hand, but not easily. I just wrap a ratcheting strap real tight around it near the CG, and hook the cherry picker to the strap.

 

[volaredon]

my '86 vintage Weaver there would be no way for a couple guys to walk the posts up. 4 of us nearly got squashed in one fell swoop when we took it down. I borrowed a tractor with a bucket, took the bucket off and used the tractor's bucket arms to stand them back up when we reinstalled it here at my home garage.
We wound up taking a 27' flatbed semi tie down ratchet strap, and tying it around the top of one post at a time, and had 2 guys push it over as the 4 of us held the other end of the strap tug-o'war style and tried to guide them down slowly onto my utility trailer,
I'm 6' even and 225 lbs and tried playing tug o'war "anchor" doing this and I slid as the post fell to my trailer.... luckily we were able to slow the fall down just enough to "not" smash the rails on my trailer. once it was past ~45* there was no holding it back.
We originally thought of walking them down, but there would have been no way 4 of us could have had room under that post, how ever many of us were under it as it came down would have certainly been hurt badly/ had we gone ahead and tried it that way.... and this was after taking the arms off and the lift cylinders, and letting the lift carriages all the way down.

 

[INTMD8]

Not sure what that weighs compared to a Bend Pak, but I was able to lift the beams up myself (with carriages and cylinders) and walk the top crossbar up on an extension ladder.

I think it may be touch to get it off of the anchors, hopefully you can pound them through.

 

[vision8]

I lifted the stripped columns of my 9,000 lb. Rotary with a 2,500b Superwinch to clear the existing anchor bolts using the existing overhead roof joists of the gas station bay (10" x 3" wooden roof joists ) hung with a single pulley on a short sling . The winch was anchored in the 2" rear receiver of my Dakota ( the truck was outside of the gas station bay ) and the weight of the stripped column pulled the truck into the garage rather than lifting the striped column up ( the column was free using pinch bar to break the base free from the grout ) . Blocked the truck wheels and lifted the column up ; put a 4" x 4" under the base and rolled the trailer under the column and lowered the column to the trailer bed.
Used my CUT to install the columns on my shop anchor bolts ( pictures in my Garage Photos) .

 

[77Mini]

I have watched a few online videos of guys putting up similar lifts and 2 guys stand the post up with no issues. Trying to determine if we can get away with that or not.

 

[bjcouche]

#1, find out how much it weighs. If you can find out the shipping weight of a new one of the same model, then the weight of one column will be slightly less than half the shipping weight. With the arms removed and the carriage at the bottom, the top will be lighter than the bottom. Knowing it's weight determines your course of action. If the shipping weight is 1,000lbs, then each column is about 500lbs. The one with the pump will be a little more, and the one without the pump a little less. If each column is 500lbs, then lifting the light end would be less than 250lbs. Knowing the weight is important, those Chinese lifts are light, my 10,000lb Mohawk lift weighed right at 1,000lbs per column and I had to use my tractor bucket to do the lifting.
#2, since you are removing it, find out if the bolts securing it to the floor will stick through the base plate when removed, or if you can pound them through the concrete. If they will stick out, then you'll have to lift the entire column vertically to clear the bolts, set it down vertically, then lay it on it's side.

 

[Kevin54]

Two to three guys should be able to take it down by lowering each post by hand. Diesel Dan and my neighbor Ashton took mine down and Ashton and I put it back up in my garage, but it was a 9,000 lb lift that was 9' tall. So three guys should be able to handle a 10,000 lb. lift with no problem I would think.

 

[lakeroadster]

Two to three guys should be able to take it down by lowering each post by hand. Diesel Dan and my neighbor Ashton took mine down and Ashton and I put it back up in my garage, but it was a 9,000 lb lift that was 9' tall. So three guys should be able to handle a 10,000 lb. lift with no problem I would think.

Like Kevin said.

I recently took down my Rotary 10,000 2 post lift. You remove the arms, lower the mechanism, disconnect all the hoses, remove the upper cross bar, remove the anchor bolts, then tip the columns over one at a time. We used 4 people... actually 3 did the work, the fourth just got in the way.

Used my engine hoist to lift the columns into my trailer for transportation... they are heavy.

Once the columns are laying flat be sure to clamp the mechanism so it doesn't slide during rigging or shipping.

Hope that helps.

 

[dlcwent]

We moved my 2 post Ammco 9000 this past summer. It was easily done with 3 guys (all of us over 55 years old) just take it easy. The posts aren't real heavy and can stood up or let down by hand as the last two posts stated.

 

[DieselDent]

Removed and put my 9k up with just me, a buddy and a tractor with loader. simply un did the wiring, removed the arms and removed the nuts from the studs then using a punch hammered the concrete studs down. Once it was all clear we tilted it down with the tractor and set it on the ground. once on the ground we removed the cross bar and moved the two post together and ratchet strapped them together and lifted it all as one unit on to the trailer. Back at my shop we pretty much just did the opposite. 2hrs down and up including a 30min drive.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I would leave the studs in to keep it from kicking out if possible. Never tried

 

[rockymnt]

Just did this 3 weeks ago, actually it went really well.
1. disconnected all electric, and removed Hyd pump
2. disconnected top channel between posts
3. disconnected hydraulic and stop switch from top of post
4. unbolted all six bolts to one post only
5. I cheated and had a skid steer with forks, wrapped a ratchet strap around post as a safety strap and skidded post 2 to post one
6. ensure that the posts are pushed tight together and put multiple ratchet strap around both posts and ratchet tight.
7. wrap just the strap around both posts and make a loop to and tie anto a knot to place over your forks
7. hook the strap thru the forks and remove the other six bolts on the base of the column
8. with the skid steer we just rotated the machine so the posts would fall over and be caught by the forks.
9. place on floor and lift both and put on trailer.
10. reverse order to erect

My lift is a 12,000 lift and 13 tall, two big guys could possibly erect but I used the machine. The whole dismantle took about 45 minutes.
The lift was not damaged and it now is in my shop being used!!

 

[zkdiesel]

Took my rollback and skidloader. Used skidsteer with forks to take off crossbeam a, then lift uprights off studs and tip. Then forked them onto rollback on each side, then drove skidsteer up between them and left

 

[Capt Crash]

I bought an older hoist at an estate auction. I watched some videos online of guys walking the uprights into place. This hoist was 12' tall and 9000lbs and no way could a couple of guys do it. I am 6'4" 250lbs and I couldn't lift one end by myself.
How I removed the hoist was to first take off the hydraulic tank with the fluid.
Next I removed the wiring.
Then I removed the crossbar at the top connecting the 2 uprights. This left the 2 uprights only being connected by the cable.
Now I could rock the uprights enough to get a prybar under them and lift them up, but it wouldn't come over the studs as it was hitting the ceiling. I ended up lifting the uprights as high as they would go and then used a angle grinder to cuts the studs.
Once both uprights were free I walked both of them together in the middle of the floor, and strapped them together so we had to lower one single very heavy column.
To do this I backed my trailer against the column, and strapped the column to the trailer so that it wouldn't kick out as we lowered it.
We had a ATV with a winch to lower the uprights, and a bunch of guys to help guide it onto the trailer.
Brian

 

[77Mini]

How much of a mess am I going to have with hydraulic fluid? Lots to collect?

 

[Capt Crash]

On mine, I had a clean 5 gal bucket with a lid that I emptied the tank into. Other than that there was very little that spilled out when we lowered it. Probably less than 1/2 quart that dripped while the tank was removed. The lines stayed connected so no loss there.
Brian

 

[77Mini]

Went this morning and got my lift. Had 4 of us to do it and it took about an hour and a half to get it down and loaded. It actually went really easy. Didn't remove any of the hydraulic lines just removed the hydraulic unit (lines still connected) to keep it vertical when the columns were put in the trailer. Zero hydraulic fluid to deal with the way we did it. Got it home and in the garage. Now just to wait until the warm weather in the spring to pour an appropriate pad in the garage for it.
Chatted a bit more with the guy I bought it from while we were there. Super nice guy! Nice to deal with someone like that.

 

[rburke65]

When I bought my lift we just unbolted from the floor and tipped the post over onto the trailer. The weight is all in the bottom. 2 or 3 of us pushed it toward the front. But be careful doing it this way the trailer was *** heavy!