# BEHOLD! THE FRANKENPICKER!



## rc63 (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi Folks,

I'm in the midst of converting my garage into my dream hobby machine shop. So I had to be creative in what equipment i need to move machine tools around and figure out the best placement. ( shop layouts on paper don't work for me, as I have no imagination with that kinda stuff.)  With that being said , I purchased a pallet jack which is super handy for the mill to move around, but... it was  pretty useless when my lathe came in from Quality Machine (Matt). So I went to Harbor Freight and purchased a cherry picker for a smokin deal. (179.00 with a extra 20% off!) After my buddy brought his back hoe and set it in the former garage, I needed to move it to the other side and see how that would work. problem was the picker was to wide and to tall to go up the center mid ship so I had to come in from the end. OMG! it sucked! I chipped the bondo on the castings and it was a real PITA to get it where I wanted it. So I got to thinking.... Why not build a hybrid pallet jack picker! And so I did today. I can pull the boom off if needed, and put it back on the picker frame, but really it would do just fine as a cherry picker in its new form. So I present to yall.... The Frankinpicker! BTW, that's my bud Max, super welder>

Thanks!
Bob C.


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## xalky (Jul 12, 2014)

I like it a lot! I have the HF pallet jack and the HF 2 ton cherry picker. You posted this just at the right time. I have some machine juggling to do this coming week and the frakenpicker looks like exactly what I need. The wheels on the pallet jack should make it so much easier to roll things around, rather than the small wheels on the cherry picker. :thumbsup2:


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## rc63 (Jul 12, 2014)

xalky said:


> I like it a lot! I have the HF pallet jack and the HF 2 ton cherry picker. You posted this just at the right time. I have some machine juggling to do this coming week and the frakenpicker looks like exactly what I need. The wheels on the pallet jack should make it so much easier to roll things around, rather than the small wheels on the cherry picker. :thumbsup2:



I must say it worked really well. I'm glad your inspired. Although it was a down and dirty build, Im sure the design could be improved.


Thanks!
Bob C


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## Marco Bernardini (Jul 12, 2014)

… and now all the Board of Directors of companies producing pallet jacks and and cherry pickers are keeping emergency meetings with this agenda: "Why did not we think of that?".
You'll be responsible for the firing of many CEOs, Bob!
:roflmao:

Jokes apart, this is an excellent idea, and I'm sure many people here will build his own Frankenpicker!
I think to patent the idea would be a waste of money, since we all know how these things work for small inventors with limited budgets (limited if compared to multinational companies like Hyundai, Sumitomo or Komatsu who have their own "lawyers farms"), but I suggest you, at least, to buy the Internet domain *frankenpicker dot com*, which while I'm writing is still available: if you don't become rich of money you'll become rich of friends


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## thomas s (Jul 12, 2014)

Wow I like it


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## minugs (Jul 12, 2014)

Great idea, I have bought HF stuff in the past and strengthened or modified them to my needs.


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## Uglydog (Jul 12, 2014)

Another idea in my bag of tricks!

Thank you,
Daryl
MN


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## SWARFEATER (Jul 12, 2014)

cool !!!!


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## Bradman (Jul 12, 2014)

Great idea. I did something similar with an old bumper jack but it can't pick up the weight that your idea can. Thanks


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## rc63 (Jul 12, 2014)

Thank you guys very much for the kind words! I'm so happy I can contribute. This is what this fine forum is all about.







Bob C


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## cnewb (Jul 12, 2014)

Good Job !!
When I got my Grizzly mill I had to use a neighbor's small tractor with front loader. Tedious.
A few months later for my Grizzly lathe, I rented an engine cherry picker. Even more tedious.

Lifting that much weight from the floor to the top of the work benches was scary !

I wanted to mount a ceiling hoist track above the work area, but that hasn't happened yet.


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## markknx (Jul 12, 2014)

Bob, That is great I like the whloe concept. It is not a good match for me right now but once I retire and get a shop with enough room It will be on my build list. Space being an issue keeps me from buying a pallet jack.

The only thing I could see that could improve this simple genius design would be a way to add some out riggers at the third wheel end in case you have to take the jack up higher. other than that whats there to improve. Oh yeah a Beer/cup holders could be added.:lmao:


 Mark


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## glockster (Jul 12, 2014)

A marvalous idea and a great build


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## GarageGuy (Jul 12, 2014)

Great idea!  I would add markknx 's outriggers at the single wheel, and some braces for the upright beam going to those outriggers.  If you look at the standard HF cherry picker, you'll see what I mean.  With no reinforcement, any failure in the upright beam could be instant and catastrophic.  With braces, any failure would happen more slowly, and you would see it deforming before anything bad happened.  Just a thought.  

Necessity is the mother of invention!

GG


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## rc63 (Jul 12, 2014)

GarageGuy said:


> Great idea!  I would add markknx 's outriggers at the single wheel, and some braces for the upright beam going to those outriggers.  If you look at the standard HF cherry picker, you'll see what I mean.  With no reinforcement, any failure in the upright beam could be instant and catastrophic.  With braces, any failure would happen more slowly, and you would see it deforming before anything bad happened.  Just a thought.
> 
> Necessity is the mother of invention!
> 
> GG



Hi Garage guy,
Your absolutely right. Yesterday it worked great. Today I almost has a failure as the joints in my floor are so frickin huge, I tweaked the forks. Back to the big shop to straighten them out and and build this thing properly. I did get the lathe set where I wanted it though. 


Thanks,
Bob C.


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## bstarling (Jul 12, 2014)

Good thinking there. I really could have used one of those when I set my lathe. Maybe next time.

Bill


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## dualquad (Jul 13, 2014)

That's Awesome!!!! Great Idea!!


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## dan12 (Jul 13, 2014)

rc63 said:


> Thank you guys very much for the kind words! I'm so happy I can contribute. This is what this fine forum is all about.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



that is bad ass!
wish the pallet jacks were not $250
can't spend that much unless I need it now:thanks:


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## Marco Bernardini (Jul 13, 2014)

With such a useful device, now it's time to add lifting bolts to lathes and mills, rather than to deal with straps, cords, etc. … :biggrin:


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