Home built rotisserie from cherry pickers DONE new pics!!!

[liquidh8]

I am building a rotisserie for all the projects that I have going on here. I did not want to spend $1000.00-$1400.00 for one with the features I would like. There are threads everywhere on how some guys make theirs, wood, engine stands, etc. I decided to use Engine Hoists/cherry pickers for mine. Since there is a tone of square tubing in them, they have a hydraulic ram, and they are rated to like 1k, I figured the steel is plenty strong enough.

I am shooting to build this for under 400.00, including hardware, welding wire and paint. I did not buy the cherry pickers new, I scoured Craigslist for the kind that had the legs that slid into one another, since there was more steel. The newer pickers from like Harbor Freight have the legs on a pivot, and fold up.

• Here is what I got so far:
• I spent some time, and found 2 Cherry Pickers on Craigslist, one for $80.00, the Other for $100.00.
• Then, I hit the steel place and bout an 8 foot section of 2"x2" 3/16" wall tubing for the bottom spreader for $20.00.
• I bought 2 more 3' sections of the same tubing for braces for $20.00 on a different trip.
• I bought some 2.5" and 2" schedule 40 galvanized tubing for the pivots, $30.00.
• Then, I got 3 cans each of Rustoleum primer, and red paint in the rattlecan, about $36.00.
• I bought 2 pieces of 5/8" all thread, 36" long, with 10 grade 8 nuts $3.50, and 6 flat washers, $2.00.
• I had hardware laying around, like the grease fittings, and some other bolts and nuts to weld on for cinching the slid-able tubing.
• A ten pack of 4" inch cutoff wheels for my angle grinder from Harbor Freight, $5.00 .
• A few flap wheels from Harbor Freight for the angle grinder, $8.00.
• 2lb spool of .030" flux core welding wire, from Harbor Freight, $20.00
  
  Total So Far (3Apr2014), $324.00

I looked around the internet, and found a rotisserie that caught my eye as far as design and features.



Now some pics of the stuff I bought. I didn't take a ton of pics, but you can figure out what is happening.

As a side note, not all the welding was complete in every picture. Allot of the stuff is/was double passed, just to be sure.

I am uploading pics now.

I used the cut off wheels to cut the cherry pickers apart at the joints, as close to the welds as possible. I also cut off the casters for re-use.

Good rams. Just these at Harbor Freight alone are like $60.00 a pop.

Here is the start of the work. Using my little Lincoln WeldPak 100 with .030 flux core wire.

:Edit: Updated materials used and money spent.

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home build auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

I have full ram extension, an then some tube left to cinch down the bolt on when I get to the height I need.

The flat stock used is all cut offs from the cherry picker.

Here is where the short 3 foot pieces of square tubing come into play, one piece cut in half for each base.

Here is the round pipe for the pivot, with more flat stock wrapped around it to make sure it doesn't go anywhere.

After sanding smooth, and some primer and paint.

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home build auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

reserved

 

[pontiacgp]

Re: Home build auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

this is going to be an interesting project to watch..

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

I have been making progress the last few days. I went and cut all the other steel. I was welding up the cinch nuts to the tubing last night, along with making the adapters for the body. I have to blast them and paint them red also.

Pics in a few days. I am almost done.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

I am liking this project a lot. I always wanted one too, but never had the ambition to fab one up. Yours looks very doable and affordable.

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

Bonnewagon, it is affordable. It is taking me longer than I wanted because of weather, and figuring out the dimensions. I am 308 bucks into it so far. I may have to buy more paint and some bolts. I have recycled most of the steel and hardware from the cherry pickers. But I have used my Lincoln WeldPak with flux core wire, (I do have a TIG and Shielded gas MIG), just because the wire is cheaper and I was doing it outside. I also took some time finding the cheapest used cherry pickers, hit the steel supply for the "scraps" or cutoffs. A simpler one can be made without all the hydraulic rams and the center of gravity adjustment. By why go through all this work and not have those features?

 

[Bonnewagon]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

How are you going to rotate the car body? Unless it is balanced perfectly, you will be fighting the heavy side. I can see where some sort of stop has to be used after you get it rotated where you want it. On a side note, I couldn't help noticing your swimming pool. PM on the way.

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

How are you going to rotate the car body? Unless it is balanced perfectly, you will be fighting the heavy side. I can see where some sort of stop has to be used after you get it rotated where you want it. On a side note, I couldn't help noticing your swimming pool. PM on the way.

On the "T" that has the pivot and bolts to the body, there is a piece of all thread, so I can crank on that to raise on lover the body to find the CG. You can kinda see it in the picture of the blue one I posted.

Here is a picture from the Eastwood rotisserie, you can see the thread rod.

 

[liquidh8]

Re: Home built auto rotisserie from cherry pickers

I did more welding last night. I am hoping to have all the fab work done, and the unit in paint, be the end of the weekend. Weather permitting for the paint.