Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | Speaking of lifts reminded me of the first style my Dad had. This was an "X" affair that went under the front of the barge box. You put a common hydraulic jack inside the linkage and pumped it up by hand. The jack was placed in the linkage sideways. The "X" linkage increased the travel of the jack to provide the lifting height. This of course increased the mechanical DISadvantage. This was very tough on the jacks and they didn't work very well or last very long.
These lifts were soon replaced with Midwest hydraulic lift kits. These were true hydraulic lifts where the oil was provided by a tractor. These could be run off of the old Ford or the Farmall "M". I remember running the hydraulics on the Ford when helping my older brother unload ear corn. The "M" was busy on the 2PR picker. |