Show off your tools! (2 Viewers)

[John Young]

Then I had to make some adapter plates out of 3/8" cold rolled

The dry fit worked out

And I was satisfied that this would be much stronger than the original

 

[John Young]

This has been exhausting

But I am not going to put this thing together without making it look decent

Two down, two to go

 

[aztoyman]

What was the process to get the tire back on?

 

[John Young]

What was the process to get the tire back on?

The repeated heat cycles had degraded the rubber and detached it right where it met the cast aluminum hub. It was easy enough to detach the areas still holding and then sand off the degraded rubber down to good rubber. Then I used a high-grade construction adhesive spread on both sides to put the tire back on. My past experience with construction adhesive is that it is very tough stuff. I think it should be ok. Here are a couple of photos:

Apparently the local wildlife approves of the structural integrity of the refurbished casters

 

[Waorani]

Quality casters are expensive. I keep a running search on ebay for a couple of brands and there are often deals to be had.

 

[aztoyman]

Nice work on all that. There are definitely some impressive adhesives on the market. I hope it holds up for you.

 

[aztoyman]

The "tires" on my casters of my bottom tool box are crumbling and splitting. It's from the 90's and I'll need to find some replacements. Good ones are definitely not cheap.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Gosh John; if only you had had a forklift you could have lifted that battery easily.

 

[John Young]

Gosh John; if only you had had a forklift you could have lifted that battery easily.

I blame @cruisermatt. He pinged me about the 800 USD Toyota forklift on FB. I asked him why I needed a forklift, and he said trust me, you need a forklift. I have to say that it is really cool. I've started to get into it and the engineering on a forklift from Mr. Toyoda is really solid. The manuals look just like our FSM's.

It occurs to me now that if one forklift is good, maybe two would be better, just for the reason you suggest.

 

[cruisermatt]

I blame @cruisermatt. He pinged me about the 800 USD Toyota forklift on FB. I asked him why I needed a forklift, and he said trust me, you need a forklift. I have to say that it is really cool. I've started to get into it and the engineering on a forklift from Mr. Toyoda is really solid. The manuals look just like our FSM's.

It occurs to me now that if one forklift is good, maybe two would be better, just for the reason you suggest.

That is absolutely NOT how that went

I definietly I sent you two or three links to RUNNING AND DRIVING $2-3K units, and heavily disuaded the $800 one that WASN'T running

Do not blame that disaster on me

 

[John Young]

Oh, I'm not complaining Matt. I really like the Toyota forklift. And I am enjoying the process of getting it back to shape. And I really wanted an electric lift not a gas, diesel or propane forklift.

But now that you mention it, it is true that you did not point me at this particular forklift.

And it is not a disaster. That's just about the best forklift out there.

For me it is about the process, not the end point. I'm really enjoying taking apart the giant milspec casters and learning how they work and bringing them back, and bringing the gantry crane back. Playing with the mill and teaching my son as I relearn things I have forgotten. Kids today are are a real disadvantage. They did not have metal shop, electric shop. print shop or wood shop in middle school / junior high. I am eternally thankful that I did in LA public schools in the 1970s.

 

[Waorani]

Every shop needs a forklift or two or four.

 

[John Young]

So I'm told that the replacement battery for the forklift will arrive tomorrow. I've just been cleaning up the forklift. I just did not want to put the 'new' battery (it is refurbished with a 6 month warranty) in the rust and dust.
I

I decided to put a lick of black rustoleum on it so a bit of rusty metal primer seemed like a good idea

There was a decaying sheet of plywood under the battery when I took it out and I decided to replace it with pressure treated planks instead.

 

[John Young]

So I'm waiting on the battery truck, all ready to receive.

 

[pb4ugo]

A friend is a GM Tech. He had to do a warranty replacement for a Hummer battery. In the crate is the 3000 pound battery that has a $32,000 core on it. Warranty cost $3000 along with 14hrs to replace and crate @ 185.00 an hour.
@

 

[John Young]

So the refurbished battery did arrive today!

And it went in relatively easily

 

[John Young]

Then it was time to put all the panels back on

And the forklift came to life

 

[John Young]

And it was time for a little roll around the neighborhood.

It is our family's first 100% electric vehicle!

 

[knuckle47]

I’ve never been exposed to this kind of battery service before….how long will this battery be in service for before needing this again?

 

[John Young]

I’ve never been exposed to this kind of battery service before….how long will this battery be in service for before needing this again?

Well, that's an interesting question. I need to ponder that.

But I expect to get several years. Our use is only occasional. The big question is how often and how long to charge the battery. I was able to buy what I think may be a high end charger from the forklift seller, but need to research it.