Work smarter not harder....

So put your stories up here of working smarter not harder.... Pics are good also... See how many cool tips and tricks we can uncover out there and some of the not so safe but functional ones also..


Mine of the day yesterday...
So unloaded my new 54 dodge pickup project in the yard by letting it roll back and bump the rear frame into the tree... then used the tree and drove the trailer out from under it... Now needed to pull it into the driveway.... so looked at my ole girl in the garage... hooked a strap to her frame and pulled the 54 right up into the driveway... forgot how much torque that ole 318 has...

 

Grandpa told that to dad, dad told it to me, I am passing it down to LilT. Not being a big guy I always have found that leverage is your friend. ALWAYS use it to your advantage.

 

Ive used my 4wheeler to move my 50 ford project in and out of the shop. Way to heavy to push around alot.

 

I couldn't live without me some hydraulics.

 

As my friend Burl, 80, says, Kuboda is my friend, swinging overhead electric winch is my friend, and YOU, 62, are my friend.

 

Looks like us hot rodders like Kubota tractors.....lol....

 

making me feel outdated using my 52 john deere....

 

I've used my 27 ton wood spliter as a press, a brake and a bender....think about making some dies....

 

Insnt that more hamb friendly.

 

Yeah Id say so...Ole 2 cyl never let me down yet... 6 volt still also..

 

Couldn't do without my hydraulics either.





Drew

 

is a cherry picker old school hydraulics ???

 

When I was installing the engine in an OT car project, I realized that by placing the rear axel on the overhead lift I could raise the rear of the car five feet, then the engine and tranny slid in straight without having to try and tilt the engine while it hangs from a chain on the cherry picker. Once the engine was past the core support I lowered the car (slowly) back down over the engine. Easiest install I've ever done.

 

Here is a pic of the above, unusual but effective.

 

^^^^ That's a good idea!

Mart.

 

Kubota for my 47 cab...

 

improvise

 

Putting rod bearing in the cummins.

 

This is deff getting good...

 

When my son and I were swapping the 216 for the 235 we needed a part off the 216. So being "smarter" we made a "custom" hand tool for the job. Only problem is that the 216 was mounted on one of those damn 3 point engine stands. So when sonny give a big reef to loosen the part the engine lands on his foot. The 216 weighed in at 500 lbs which netted us $29 which bought us hamburgers and fries with change toboot.

 

Agreed....hydraulics are a good thing!

 

I remember seeing the first engine installed using a forklift when I was 10 or 12. A few years later I started using a forklift in my own automotive endeavors, and have been using them ever since.

IMO Forklift > cherry picker every time. They work great from brutal dismantling all the way to delicate placement.

Thursday we had installed and bolted down an engine about as fast as a person could have lifted the engine high enough to clear the radiator support with a cherry picker, all this while touching absolutely nothing but mounts....

 

Some of us older guys have no choice but to work smarter. These days, I can still work hard...it just hurts more.

This is kinda turning into a heavy equipment thread...lol.

Me too...I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't borrow my landlord's/neighbor's skid-steer.

 

You know I always knew I needed a small tractor, now I know why! Well all these reasons, and all the dirt in my yard...

 

Done that on my nova but with jack stands you can't get em that high lol makes it much easier!

 

One thing to keep in mind when using heavy equipment with hydraulics...

This stuff doesn't have safety-locks like a true car-lift does. If a hose blows, (and they do from time to time) whatever is up, is comin' down...right now.

Don't bet your life that this isn't going to happen. Use precautions such as not getting under there in the first place, or using blocks of some sort as a fail-safe measure.

This has been a public service announcement. If this had been a real emergency, you would've been instructed to...

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled program.

 

Rickybop's post should be right at the top of the thread. I've seen too many old fork lifts and bucket loaders have the lift drop anything from a few inches to several feet when sitting in the air. Had a kid killed at a local sawmill last year working on a front end loader because he didn't support the bucket properly before working under it. That was either all his mistake or a serious lack of safety training.

Work safe while you work smart.

 

These days, I think the hardest part of working on my cars, is crawling under the thing...then out...then under...then out...whew.

And I try to do as little squatting as possible. A low stool or chair comes in real handy.

Also, a roll-around tool-cart is good. Bring the tools to the work...use the lower shelf for parts...and try to minimize the number of times ya gotta walk back and forth across the shop.

Headin' out there right now to beat myself up...lol. Later.

 

Save this pic from somewhere,

 

^ wow, talk about a "rotisserie" restoration.