moving 24' little giant elevator?

[Scottnj1]

I"m looking at a nice 24" little giant elevator I"d like to buy for my farm. It"s a two chain type that can handle bales as well as other stuff like sileage. It has wheels and a cable to raise/lower it. I need to move it about 100 miles to the farm. It"s too far and over major highways, so I plan to trailer it. With it cranked what appears to be all the way down, it"s still around 10 feet high at the top, which is taller than I"d like to have setting on top of my trailer. Any one know of an easy way to get it lower, or other easy options short of taking it apart?

Anyone know where I could get a manual for it?

 

[showcrop]

How about putting it upside down then taking the support frame off?

 

[thurlow]

If you've got access to a loader or hoist, you should be able to take a couple of bolts out of the support frame and let it all the way down to the axle.

 

[Tim(nj)]

On my 32' Little Giant, there is a moveable stop at the end of the rollers. Mine can go down to about 6 feet. If yours doesn't have that, then you'll have to lift up the flighting off the carriage with a loader, then disconnect the cable and lower the carriage so it rides flat.

 

[Oldmax]

I hualed one for my brother-n-law by turning it upside down then just un bolted one end of supports and folded them.

 

[paul]

If it's got good tires on it & you grease up the hubs well, they trailer really well, you can run 50 mph or better. Long wheelbase - put a few 100 lbs of weight on the front so it's not tail heavy, & they run well on the highway.. You might want to rethink towing it.

--->Paul

 

[Scottnj1]

Thanks to all who nave offered some ideas. I really don't have the equipment to turn the thing over etc. here at the house - it's all on the farm.

I think I will reconsider the idea of towing it. Having towed things all up and down the road for some time, I realize as Paul said, that if it has enough tongue weight, with the long wheel base, she'll sit there pretty straight. I'm going to check the tires/hubs a bit closes.

Anyone think this is a bad idea? If so, what's your concern?

 

[Tim(nj)]

I towed a Zimmerman elevator 50 miles no problem. I put new tires on and repacked the roller bearings. Now that Little Giant may only have bushings with grease zerks in the hub, depending on how it was ordered (there was a light duty and a heavy duty undercarriage setup). Towing that any distance would require frequent lubrication stops.

 

[Scottnj1]

Tim, Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll check the equipment to see if it's a real hub with bearings, or just bushings. Either way, I think I'll be OK, I have no problem stopping every 15 miles or so and keeping a feel on the temps while keeping them well greased. From the looks of this elevator, I'm guessing it's one of the later model Little Giants, and has little wear. So, even if it's the light duty one, there should still be some life left in the bushings.


A few years ago I towed an Allis All crop to the farm about 50 miles. It was more of a production getting everything ready and taking all the stuff with me in case I had a problem than the actual towing.

Are you the Tim in NJ I bought the old Papec corn chopper from?

 

[Tom from Ontario]

I brought home a 55 foot elevator behind the pickup. Just chained the support to the bed and drove under 30 mph. And yes, kept checking tire and bearings. And 4 ways on with flags on the end. I looked back once and there was some dolt in his Miata underneath it.

 

[Tim(nj)]

that'd be me.