I just want to share this simple home made mower service stand made out from scrap metals. The stand is built with 65mm post off cut, concrete U bracket, old rusty 5kg weight and multi-purpose bracket. This is much cheaper than buying from Bunnings. I attach photos for your reference. I hope you will find this useful.
G-day Carbymaster, even I could make one. Simple and effective. Beats putting a weight on the handlebars and risking it shifting and falling back down. That will keep out nice and still. Exchanging ideas is what it's all about here.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I agree with you. This is the only base I can find but a cross base would be stable. Yes it does fall over easily when pushing the mower. I'm in a rush to build something to hold the mower up to service the blades. I use to hold the mower up with left hand while undoing the blades with my right hand. My arms getting tired so I think I need to build something to help myself. If you have one built please share your idea.
I reckon just weld 3 legs (square ERW or flat bar) to the edge of the weight (maybe round the end of the leg with grinder so it will weld nicely around. Gives that bit more safety.
I just used the one I bought at Bunnings - they had them out for clearance last week at one store only - was 25, down to 18, then down to 10, and finally down to $4. I couldn't believe it, but they went thru for $4
Nice work on the stand there carbymaster ! as I still service the family cars I find Jack stands are pretty handy also with mowers. The other mower stand came from my local mower shop when it closed down which was a bit sad as the boys there were always willing with helpful advise when asked and really new there stuff. The only upside was I was able to stock up well with parts at the right price and I was offered the mower stand free. The stand was made by them ages ago and it's very handy, the mower is at a great working height, you can put almost any wheel base rotary mower on there as one of the wheel supports slides on the angle so it is adjustable, it has a handy tool/parts tray and you can rotate the mower 360 degrees on the stand. The base of the post was bolted straight in the workshop floor of the mower shop so I had it welded onto a heavy steel car rim. If anyone would like to make one please pm and ill measure it up. I think if you squared up the angle which goes from the mower support frame to give it more depth from the underside of the mower to the top of the post it would be ideal for removal of blade carriers etc.
I'm more taken by your shelving in the background wce. That's very organised and keeps the mowers dry and clean. That was a boon getting that trade level stand for working on mowers. What a shame they're gone though.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Hi NormK, Haha. Yes not everyone has a workbench to work on. Like me doesn't have a workbench to work on or an expensive lifter platform. I only work on the floor. Don't have to lay down to remove the blades. Just kneel and reach the under chassis to remove the blade carrier with cordless impact wrench and work on the blades outside just on the concrete. I found other useful thing with the stand is to tilt the fuel off the tap/filter so it's easy to remove the carby without the fuel flowing out the hose. Like WCE uses the car jack stand to support the mower and work on the ground. There are also commercial service stand sold at Bunnings which you can work on the floor. Tyler also mentioned he purchased a floor stand from Bunnings. That's also a nice stand extending the base to the rear wheels. It's nice to work on the workbench but it takes so much effort and strain to your arms when lifting the mower into the workbench. Next is I will build a rectangular frame for the rear wheel to seat as a brake while supporting the from with the stand. Cheers.
To swap power torques, I have suspended the mower on two opposing lawn chairs and kneel next to it and reach under to fit the bolts. I can stick my head under there to check the alignment of the engine mounting bores. For removing the blade carrier I lift the rear and lean the handles against the fence and chock the front wheels to stop it wandering.
Last edited by Mowerfreak; 12/05/1901:09 AM.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I guess picking up mowers and putting them on the bench is partly to blame for me needing a hip replacement in the next few weeks, I have been using a ramp to get the mowers onto the bench lately, but even that has been a bit difficult. MF when I work on the 24's that is how I do them, I have a frame that the front wheels drop into then I can stand the mower vertically to change the motors and work on the blade carrier/belt.
I can't fit anymore shelving in the shed Mowerfreak, i can move about in there a lot better and the keepers will end up on the shelving. Hi Norm, I have a work bench there but has usually got work in progress on it . I find it just as easy doing blades to elevate the mower front on the jack stand, jump on the creeper, knock the blade carrier off with the air wrench, change blades on the work bench then pop the carrier back on, it's the crouching or kneeling that gives me a bit of grief, It's what works best for the individual is what determines how we do things i guess. Great idea's floated on the thread.
I have only ever worked on my Victa 2 stroke lawnmowers on the concrete or grass in the backyard...lol
I use the softer grass when I want to put the mower on it's side for replacing blades or cleaning the grass and mud underneath with the hose.
The only thing I look out for is not to bend the throttle control on the handle so I usually put that side of the handle in the air and not on the ground. Just sometimes if I have a bit too much fuel in the tank it might leak out of the petrol cap breather.
Yes you don't have to worry about putting the mower on it's side with a 2 stroke as you do with those 4 stroke mowers...lol
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 12/05/1902:06 PM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
I find it just as easy doing blades to elevate the mower front on the jack stand, jump on the creeper, knock the blade carrier off with the air wrench, change blades on the work bench then pop the carrier back on, it's the crouching or kneeling that gives me a bit of grief, It's what works best for the individual is what determines how we do things i guess. Great idea's floated on the thread.
Cheers wce
I still use the genuine good old Victa spanner when changing the blades on the 2 stroke, I must admit that's one handy spanner when working on Victa 2 strokes, the other end of the spanner I use for the spark plugs on the Victa 2 strokes. I always have this spanner hanging near the front door in the shed.
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 12/05/1903:58 PM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
My favourite old plug spanner (that I use to get the exhausts off) came from the elderly chap next door. He passed in 2007 and when they knocked down the house in 2016, the demo guys said take anything you want from the garden or shed.
14 50 year old rose bushes, a big 40L bucket full of the old brass sprinkler heads, dawn vice, hand tools, tin, wood, shade cloth and other things
His old prized rose bushes live on and the old dawn vice sees plenty of use, so I think Peter would be happy.
Here I use a two ton foldable shop crane. I initially brought for automobile engine work but have used it a lot in mower repairs. My back just let me lift heavy things like when I was a teenager due to a work related back injury. Yes I know it is over kill but I rather use it instead of hurting several weeks because I didn't use it. The only problem is the legs get in the way at times which is why I working getting a gantry type crane besides I needs to lift my truck bed so I can replace the fuel level sending unit in the 30 gallon tank.
It makes removing and installing engines easier and for lifting large ZTRs so jackstands can placed under them for dropping the transaxles. For smaller walk behind mower I made what is basically a solid top pallet sits on large lawn cart trailer. It can stand to a little higher but it takes less room and allows me to use the cart when I need to lawn supplies.
Anything you do to make the work easier and safer is a plus in my view.
But boy am I going to have fun Sunday. My air compressor quit working and now I got dig it out to find what failed. Appears to electrical in nature. Just put on a new motor and pressure reply four years ago but that doesn't they are still good. Boy do I have the compressor packed in place and with the rain I got to wait for it stop for few hours during the daylight hours to move thing out. Some might not go back.
To swap power torques, I have suspended the mower on two opposing lawn chairs and kneel next to it and reach under to fit the bolts. I can stick my head under there to check the alignment of the engine mounting bores. For removing the blade carrier I lift the rear and lean the handles against the fence and chock the front wheels to stop it wandering.
Hi MF, With PTs , I find the easiest way to take motor off or install motor is to just put it on bench upside dwn with handles resting on a milk crate.... install a PT motor is easy too, just put motor upside down, and put base on, you can see the holes to line up.....
Doing other work like changing blades or sharpening blades 4 strokes, I put mower on bench and tie down handle.... I don't like working on the ground or lifting mowers . That's why I made the bench and two ramps..... I use EPAL pallets as they are 20mm think planks and easy to disassemble. And free of course. I use that leaning the 2 stroke against the fence on its nose for sharpening blades,, easy.
cheers speedy
........................Keep your blades sharp......................
G-day speedie, that's a very ergonomic and much more pleasant way to work on the machines, all using pallets. I agree, working on the ground is one of the most off putting aspects to this hobby and your solution is the best so far but requires space. Thanks for the pics.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
It's a great thread to open up how everyone works with their mower and ways to do it. Lifting the 30kg mower into the workbench is not a good practice and there is always a price when we get old especially on the lower back, arms tendon and hip strain. Working on the ground sometimes difficult to kneel. We wish that there's an easy way to lift the mower into the workbench from the ground. One of the equipment we can use is a scissor lift trolley but it's not practical to purchase. Are you thinking of building one? After reading your comments, I was thinking how we can build a home made scissor lift with minimal cost? I attached a rough design that might be practical to build using steel post, steel rods, bearings and self tapping screws for bracket mounting. This rough design can lift a 30kg mower up to 0.9m high from 0.1m low.
Thanks for that Carbymaster, I will get my son to blow the drawing up and work out exactly how it works but I have wanted to build something like that for a long time and the bike lifts are too big and bulky
It's good to hear you like the idea. I attached a print screen of an Excel calculation of the initial force, angle of attack and maximum height travel. As we can see at 2 degree angle, it needs enormous force of at least 70kg to initially move the lift up with 30kg load plus the weight of the platform and to keep upright at only less than a kilogram of force. The maximum travel height of 90cm can be achieved with double scissors with at least 30cm horizontal travel for the cantilever, hydrolic or scissors car jack or an electric gate opener. Whichever you prefer to drive the scissors lift. It make sense to me that some design they rear arm to connect the hydrolic to increase the initial angle of attack means less force you need to initially move the lift. We can look into detail construction later.
Hi Carbymaster, I am certainly looking at building one but at the moment I'm struggling to get around, even the mower with the float clip in it is still on the bench. Hopefully once I have my hip replaced I can get back to doing things. Have you worked out any of the measurements on the length of the top and bottom frames. I should be able to work them out by drawing it out on the concrete but even that is a bit of an issue at the moment. I guess I could copy motorcycle lift plans and just reduce the size and material. I'm thinking for stability it will need a scissor on both sides and then it all starts to get heavy. I still need to work out what I can use for the channels both sides top and bottom.
Hi NormK, All arms are 50cm in length with 45cm between pivots. The drawing and calculation shown only on one but the actual design has to be two pares of dual scissors. The length of the arm is calculated based on the maximum height of 90cm and maximum angle of 60 degrees. From base to first mid of scissors at Max height is 23cm and possibly car scissors jack can be used to lift the mid up to 23cm high. The total weight of the frames or platform was taken into account on the design to calculate the initial force to lift the scissors at full load of 30kg. You can use a 50x50 or 65x65mm post for the channels where the bearings goes inside the post with side slot. The arms you can use a 50x25mm fence frame or similar.
I think I will see if I can make it out of 50 x 25 tube and see how it handles it. The scissor jack might help and it can be run up and down quickly with a battery drill
I will cut some strips of wood and make up a pattern of one side of the scissor so that I can see how it will operate and then I can work out the amount of travel along the top and bottom rails. This is a motorcycle one which has a height of 870mm and a low of 350mm . It looks like the arms might be about 500mm so at these measurements it will give me an actual lift of 320mm .The 870 deck height is achieved but the base being 350 above the ground. I might make the test arms 600 long to start with and see where that takes me, https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Mot...Jack-Hydraulic-135KG-Stand/202642800904?
I think I will see if I can make it out of 50 x 25 tube and see how it handles it. The scissor jack might help and it can be run up and down quickly with a battery drill
NormK, I recently tried lifting a corner of my car with an 18v cordless drill and scissor jack, and even on low gear, it couldn't do it. Maybe with this load, it could work though.
Great concept Carbymaster, but I don't have the confidence I could construct that myself.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I saw the bike lift also a double scissors. Looking on the scaling and based on my calculation at 60 degrees, max height of 87cm and min height of 35cm, with vertical travel of only 52cm, the arm is only 30cm long. When you use 60cm arm with 55cm between pivots, at 50 degrees angle, the vertical travel is 84cm plus minimum height of 10cm-16cm (for castor wheels and base frame), the total height would be 94cm-100cm. Good choice of arm length. You only need the car scissor jack to push by at least 15cm to raise to 1m height.
Ok so I made up a test piece using the 450mm centers and it works fine, it takes 180mm horizontal travel to get it to reach 800mm high which is all I think it needs to be. My only concern is that at that height it may be too narrow and then be a bit unstable.Using 40mm wide strips I can only get it to fold down to 200mm high but I don't see that as an issue because you can lift the front wheels up onto it and then lift the rear wheels on by lifting the handle. I think I will make up one with 600mm centers and see what that looks like.
I wonder if you could put lockable wheels on it so It could be used to load a mower into a vehicle. Thats about the only time I ever notice the weight of a mower. With something like a Victa 24, its a bit of a struggle to get it up into a 4WD ute alone. Here I back the ute into the kerb then load it front wheels up first followed by the rear with a bit of a grunt. Local traffic must wait for me but they do not seem to mind if its not very long.
Seems to me you need a rotisserie style stand in there as well so can easily rotate a mower. Handle would be a problem I suppose but I do most underdeck work with the mower on its side (on the ground of course). Always turn them spark plug up unless there is a sticker which says otherwise.
Hi Jeff I wouldn't attempt to put a 24 on a 4WD ute on my own, pretty easy with 2 people though. . They go onto the trailer easier than a PT because you drop the tailgate put the front wheels on it and then push/lift the rear of it on, very easy. I could/would not attempt to work on a mower on the ground. I made up another test piece with hole centers at 600mm. This achieves the 800mm lift height without it looking unstable. I used 25mm strips as I was thinking that I might be able to get away with using 25mm square tube for the scissor arms. Using the 600mm centers it means the bottom only requires 115mm of travel to lift the table to 800mm. I assume this will require a scissor jack to lift it
Great work. I've never thought you will start working on the scissor lift. I can see you're really determine to build one. The 60cm looks good and it proves the calculations. I think you can get away with 25mm square tube and it would be stable and rigid with cross members between scissors. The car scissor jack can be installed horizontally pushing the bottom largest cross member which takes most of the push. Also I've never thought about the drill the drive the car scissor jack. Just extend it on the side. Good idea.
My main concern at the moment is if the screw jack will be able to push it up from the fully closed position or will it just bend it because it is pushing in too much of a horizontal plane.
What sort of a deck will you have on that? Something that only supports the wheels or the edges of the mower I suppose. Will any mower fir includung a 24? Or will it just take 18-20 inch mowers? You would have to be able to get underneath to undo the blade disc. Neeed to use a rattle gun or the whole lot will come tumbling down. I keep trying to imagine a lifter with a rotisserie included. Difficult but not impossible. Might have to clamp to the front of the mower. Only needs to rotate 90 degrees so handle could stay on.
Assuming Mower = 25kg, Platform = 15kg, Arm Angle = 5 degrees, Gravity = 9.8 m/s
F = (25 + (15/2)) / (Tan 5 x 9.8) F = 38kg
Find a cross member that can withstand a 38kg of horizontal force of the scissor jack in the the middle of let's say 60cm long of cross member. It shouldn't bend.
Jeff Do you mean more of a Lazy Susan idea so that the mower can be rotated around on it. As for getting under the mower to get to the blades etc, I just tip the mower on an angle on the bench and I have a rope hanging down from the roof, I tie that around the handle with the mower at about 45 degrees and I'm good to go. I would not even think about trying to get a 24 up onto the bench, they are not too hard to work on, standing vertically isn't too bad. The ones I have real issues with getting onto the bench to work on are the Honda self propelled. Last one I worked on I lifted up onto the bench with a chain block CarbyMaster, I have plenty of heavy steel here, that is not the problem, it is when it gets to the point where the bottom scissor arm is nearly horizontal, once you start pushing on it it doesn't want to lift. The alternative is to stop it from coming all the way down and then that sort of defeats the purpose, although even if it was 300mm off the ground you could still get the mower up onto it with little effort
On reading a little more of the original posts I see that the reason you are thinking of this idea is that you are in a lot of pain at times and movement is restricted.. I'm sorry to hear that and offer my sincere wishes for a speedy recovery.
I was thinking of something more like a rotisserie. My mate made one for the chassis and the body of an old Chev he was working on. If you get the balance point right you can rotate the chassis with one finger so its easy to weld underneath, and paint etc. I do not think you would need to be so accurate for a mower, they are not that heavy. All I can think of is a solid post in the ground with a frame that goes right round the mower with a couple of sliding attachment points that clamp to the mower frame. This frame would rotate on some type of axle.
Lifting would have to by something sliding up the post maybe pulled by a boat trailer winch.
I wonder if we could adapt a rotating engine stand.
My concern with your idea is that it might be unstable unless the base is very wide, particularly if you are going to lift mowers on their side on it. If it is very wide you will have to step over the base rails when working. I suppose you could just use the scissor lift to raise the mower high enough so you easily push it on to your existing bench. That might work.
Even to change the oil in a Briggs you have to tilt the mower. I usually end up with it right upside down to get a complete drain after sucking the fuel out first and removing the air filter. Its a good idea to drain the tank anyway at service time.
Anyway I can not think of a practical way of building this thing yet,
We had a block and tackle and girder running along 3 mtrs off ground to move products........ in the factory. Worked well after years of two blokes lifting the things off our benches,,,, after too many back problems. Simple block and tackle $43. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/0-5T-Bl...-Hoist-Crane-Chain-Lifting-Pulley-500KG/ Girder Roller $59 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Girder-Trolley-1-Ton-1000kgs-Crane-Push-Type-I-Bar-Beam-Track-Girder-Trolley/392290824312?hash=item5b565af078:g:a8oAAOxy3NBSeyON Don't know how much 3 mtrs of old steel girder...... Those chain pulleys work well, easy lift and just roll along the girder to bench....... There is also a ute tray lifter thet would work pretty well, and can swing an item....... I met a cockie who invented his own with a boat winch and ran the cable through the upright pipe.......... My ramp and bench works for me and I often lay mowers on their sides , tie the down... Beats a sore back for 3 or 4 days. cheers speedy
........................Keep your blades sharp......................
Hi Jeff, Thanks, yes be glad to get this hip problem over and done with, it has got a lot worse since Christmas. Hi Speedy, I have a girder through the garage with a trolley and chainblock on it. million motors have been changed on that over the years. I also have a small electric winch I have never used, I was thinking of having my bench pivot on hinges one end and the other end drop to the floor, push the mower up up the bench, put a block behind it and then winch the table back up. All these ideas spinning around in my head at the moment
The pivoted bench sounds a good idea. It should be be very stable and nothing on the ground to fall over. As Speedy says a ramp would work but you would need enough room which I do not have
Hi Jeff, I tried the ramp idea which worked well for me getting the mower onto the bench, my issue was with the mower coming down the ramp it would nearly push me over because I am unable to walk backwards quickly enough, I had to give up on that idea. Hi Speedy , Those trolleys are good but a bit too expensive for my cost neutral hobby
I would like to correct my previous calculation on how much force you need to push the car screw jack in kg. This formula has a very long calculation and derivation and to simplify, here is the formula below.
Fh = (Wm+(Wp/2)) x cos A / (2 x cos (90 - A))
Where:
Fh - Horizontal Force of the screw jack Wm - Weight of the mower Wp - Total Weight of the platform/arms excluding base A - Angle of the arm with respect to horizontal base
Assuming: Wm = 30kg, Wp = 15kg, A = 5 degrees
Fh = (30+(15/2)) x cos 5 / (2 x cos (90 - 5))
Fh = 214.3kg or 2102N of force
The actual force is much higher and needs a cross member that can withstand 214kg or force.
Go ahead on building this one. This is for you to make your life easy to work with mowers. You only buying your time to build it. Use a welded rectangular angle bar for your base and platform and place a rail on the platform for the mower wheels to seat so the middle of the platform is clear to access the blades or engine mounting bolts if you want to work on the platform. Attach a flap on the front of the platform that will fold down when fully up or open up when it's full down for the mower to ramp up. Wish for your full hip replacement recovery.
Hi CarbyMaster, the 214kg of force is not excessive and the cross member will easily carry that. There is probably about $60 in materials that at the moment are a bit difficult for me to go and pick up. Thanks for the thoughts regarding my hip, just makes simple things so difficult at the moment
