PDA

View Full Version : hydraulic lift for lawn tractor trailer



Bob Weisner
06-21-2004, 8:47 PM
Hi:

Does anyone know if it would be possible to install some sort of hydraulic lift on a lwn tractor trailer? I was thinking that it could be powered by the tractor's electrical system. Does anyone know if this would work?

Thanks,

Bob

Jim Becker
06-21-2004, 8:53 PM
Bob, I'm not exactly sure what you mean relative to a hydraulic lift for the trailer. A better description of just what you want to do would help. If you mean to handle the "dump" function, there are definitely ways to do that...depending on the trailer design. The pump equation is a little more complicated if your tractor isn't already equipped with a hydraulic pump. If you have a power take off (PTO), a pump can usually be added. I don't recall seeing any electric powered hydro pumps, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

I will warn you, however, that hydraulic gear is not inexpensive, even when purchased via surplus outfits.

You might also consider asking this question at a site like TractorByNet.com which like SCM, is an online community for compact tractor buffs. There are some really good hydo experts lurking there!

Charles McKinley
06-21-2004, 9:11 PM
Hi Bob,

Possible yes, cheap no. Northern and others sell kits to put them on pickup trucks. It is basically a starter motor connected to a hydraulic pump and oil tank. Most pull behind dump trailers you see work this way also. Surplus supply may also be a good place to look for parts to make this. As small as a cart that can be put behind a garden tractor you may be further ahead to put a hand pumped long ram like they use on the engine hoists. You can get a 3 ton ram that goes from 25" to 44 1/2" for $40.00 from northern

Jim Becker
06-21-2004, 9:16 PM
Additional thought...the electrical system of your tractor needs to be able to deliver enough amps to actually power such a device. That's doubtful if you are talking about a garden tractor rather than a CUT. (The latter would usually already have hydro capability)

Bob Weisner
06-21-2004, 9:22 PM
Jim:

Hi:
I do alot of garden work with the trailer, I also had to reseed my front and back yard. I had 3 truckloads of topsoil brought in when I had to reseed my lawn . I have been using the trailer to load the dirt in and spread it around the front and back yards. The problem is that when the trailer is full, it is almost impossible to lift the trailer up to dump the dirt out. What I wanted to do was to have something that would basically lift the trailer up so that the topsoil could be dumped out of the trailer. I was thinking that the lawn tractors electrical system could be used to power the lift.

Thanks,

Bob

Jim Becker
06-21-2004, 9:34 PM
Maybe you could rig up some kind of electric jack for this purpose. I think you're going to have a coronary when you figure out how much hydro is going to cost you between the pump, the lines, the valve and the cylinder.

But you might also want to consider renting a small tractor with a loader from your local "rent a center". It's the right tool for the job and can also be used to spread out that soil.

Daniel Rabinovitz
06-22-2004, 10:42 AM
Bob
1. How about a lift for a 5th wheel stabilizer?
2. How about a cylinder pulling a cable that has pulleys to the top of an arm?
3. How about an electric jack - made for camping trailers?
I'll quit now.
Daniel :D