How did you spend your New Year Weekend? I spent this long weekend and the last catching up on many ToDo's around the house and yard. I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last post. Work has been beyond crazy. Really hoping back on normal track now and can reclaim some time for myself again.
One of my weekend efforts was putting this Heavy Duty ATV/UTV/ZTR mower Jack together. Some may call it a Lift, while it does lift up heavy things, here in the U.S. we call it a Jack. Not sure really why, perhaps a spin off of the old car jacks that were used to jack up a car to change a flat tire.
This one is designed to be able to lift heavier UTV's (Side by Sides), ATV's and large Zero Turn Radius (ZTR) Mowers or other. It is rated for over 750 lbs.
The side wheel holders are adjustable in and out, or the entire bar can quickly be removed with a single pin to just put the Center "H" part under the ATV frame for lifting. I found it challenging last year to get underneath the Swisher pull-behind mower, or under the Toro ZTR to sharpen or change the blades. This will make quick, easy work when it needs to be done. I found the grass getting pretty beaten up towards the end of summer last year from dull blades.
Making it easier to get underneath both should allow me to easily sharpen or replace the blades at least 2-3x a season. This will make it easier and faster to mow, and also leave much healthier grass behind by cutting cleanly instead of just ripping the grass up.
I also got to put the electric space heater to use. It did a good job keeping the garage reasonably warm while a chilly 15 degrees F outside.
The Jack will also allow me to easily change the tires on the UTV, get underneath to mount other items, perform other maintenance like oil changes, etc. One of the main reasons was to attach a mounting plate underneath so I could attach a new front mounted 6- inch snow blower (more on that in another post soon).
It supposedly has over 23 inches of lifting capability. When I measured at it's highest point (no load) it was actually at 27 inches. Assembly wasn't bad, took less than an hour, maybe half that. It was a little tricky installing the last pin on the pump, but otherwise went together very smoothly and feels very solid.
Stay tuned for more upcoming posts this week on the UTV Snowblower, and the massive Workshop project for Desi's Threads that we've been working on.