Garage Gazette

TOOLS AND THE SHOP => WELDING & METAL FABRICATION => Topic started by: gtermini on January 12, 2019, 09:37:25 PM

Title: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: gtermini on January 12, 2019, 09:37:25 PM
I fitted a 3 stage mast on my forklift to allow it to go through a 8' door and have have ~6' of free lift vs the 2 stage lumber yard mast it came with. I bought a triple mast off a Hyster E50XL of about the same vintage as my H50XL. It mounted on rings around the axle, whereas mine has ears and pins that sit in slots cast off the axle housing. I scarfed the old ones off and made up some new ones out of 1 1/2" plate. They take a 50mm bushing. I also had to make and mount ears on the side for the tilt cylinders to attach. They are fabbed up from 1" plate.

New mast
(https://i.imgur.com/KB57RDTl.jpg)

Old Ears
(https://i.imgur.com/RYHCX37l.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/qsNU3KNl.jpg)

What it needs to look like. This was back when I rebuilt the trans.
(https://i.imgur.com/TpGrWixl.jpg)

Pulled the mast to take measurements
(https://i.imgur.com/zpls2irl.jpg)

Chicken scratch cad drawing
(https://i.imgur.com/qAzrkPHl.jpg)

Burned off
(https://i.imgur.com/6hI2qjQl.jpg)

Que 2 yr hiatus

Snag Wheeled off flush
(https://i.imgur.com/NLsBFk6l.jpg)

Filled and ground where I gouged in with the torch. I wish I had used the AirArc instead. Everything was welded out with Lincoln NR-203MP .068 self shield fluxcore
(https://i.imgur.com/OF7evCZl.jpg)

Burned ears out on the electric eye torch. Slugged them 1 3/4 and bored to .002 over 50mm
(https://i.imgur.com/Ma5Lb3Ql.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/RkIM5IZl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/JI7Og6sl.jpg)

Set up to weld. I love those Cruise Industries mag burning squares. Whipped up a couple bushings and length of pipe to keep everything square and spaced
(https://i.imgur.com/vJasjgNl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/zFWd3uel.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/E134AnFl.jpg)

Goose schitted on. That wire never looks like it ties in on the toes, but that's just a weird trait of T8 structural wire. I was a little hotter (240 amps) than I could have been, but it's not going anywhere. All 2 pass welded.
(https://i.imgur.com/tWE3sYEl.jpg)

Tangled mess that always shows up when I start dragging leads and air hoses. And yes, it does require 5 grinders to do one little job. lol
(https://i.imgur.com/8lCzm51l.jpg)

Side ears. Sorry for the greasy camera lens.
Decked to height
(https://i.imgur.com/f1114sJl.jpg)

Slugged 1 3/8 with a rotabroach
(https://i.imgur.com/xJhrvEUl.jpg)

Positioned by referencing the main mounts and mast front edge. The rotabroach is my temp pin so I didn't have to make one.
(https://i.imgur.com/9n6LwxGl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/aHPd5ZBl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/bSoB4RNl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/dx8smNxl.jpg)

Squirt some paint. I hope the gloss fades.
(https://i.imgur.com/gNadG4Il.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/Q7Zy9Pxl.jpg)

Now I need to reassemble it with new rollers and shims.

Greyson
Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: goodfellow on January 12, 2019, 09:59:38 PM
Heavy duty work -- looks great Greyson! Don't know diddly about forklifts, but it looks impressive.
Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: skfarmer on January 13, 2019, 11:07:29 AM
nice work. my forks are both on loaders and nothing close to those but still handy and a necessary.
Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: jabberwoki on January 13, 2019, 12:33:05 PM
Mad skills Boyo.
Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: muddy on January 13, 2019, 01:59:12 PM
Nice work. I probably could have got you a mast off a H50 trade in and save you some work lol

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: gtermini on January 14, 2019, 12:37:37 AM
Nice work. I probably could have got you a mast off a H50 trade in and save you some work lol

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

LOL free shipping on all orders right?

The hardest part of this job was the shims and rollers. They were a metric cocksucker to get setup without an overhead crane to run the sections back and fourth to check clearance. This "new" mast had 20K+ hrs on it and the rollers were junk.

Greyson
Title: Re: Forklift Mast Re-Ear
Post by: muddy on January 14, 2019, 08:45:34 PM
Nice work. I probably could have got you a mast off a H50 trade in and save you some work lol

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

LOL free shipping on all orders right?

The hardest part of this job was the shims and rollers. They were a metric cocksucker to get setup without an overhead crane to run the sections back and fourth to check clearance. This "new" mast had 20K+ hrs on it and the rollers were junk.

Greyson
Yeah getting the shimming just right is the crappest part.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk