lifting cab without lift??

[JD3020]

Cabs don't weigh very much. We pulled a complete crew cab off our 99 7.3 parts truck with a skid steer. We strapped some 2x6"s onto the pallet forks for the skid steer to extend them. Then we took some more straps and secured the cab to the forks. Picked the cab up and set it on a trailer with no problems. We weren't worried about saving the cab so we did it pretty quick, but in the end nothing got hurt. Just make sure you have it balanced good on the forks, strapped well, and lift it straight up. Can be sorta tricky with a skid steer, but would be a breeze with a forklift or vertical lift skid steer that picks straight up.

 

[08Monster]

How big of a skid steer? I was thinking an overhead joist. I don't wanna do it with my skid steer, but it could definitely lift it

 

[Tree Trimmer]

if your thinking about hanging it from trusses overhead in your building, depending on the spacing, you might wanna reconsider, less you span several with a beam.

and his use of 2x6's to extend the forks, in essence was a spreader bar. so the straps went straight up, instead of to a single lift point in the center of the cab.

its when you use that single lift point in the center of the cab, that will potentially start to crush your cab.

 

[JD3020]

How big of a skid steer? I was thinking an overhead joist. I don't wanna do it with my skid steer, but it could definitely lift it

We have a Cat 236, i think its a 16 or 1800lb rated machine. Handled it no problem.

 

[08Monster]

Do 2x6s really have enough strength to lift and not break?

 

[Tree Trimmer]

your forks are.....48" give or take, unless you have the 42" ones, in either case, you only need to extend them 18" ish. so from the back of the fork, extended out say 2 foot, means you'll use a 6ft board.

and if your still concerned, you could make it a 4x6, 4x4, 6x6, 2- 2x6's on top of each other to make a 4x6, any of which will allow you to extend them 4'. personally i would use a 4x4, cuz almost all forks are 4" wide which will simply make it easier to strap the board to the fork.

piece of channel, piece of whatever you think is strong enough to hold.

just as long as you can reach from one side of the cab to the other, and have room to keep the loader away from the truck a foot or so.