I've got this metal line on my excavator misting the air with hydraulic oil. Is this a pretty easy fix. Just hit the cat dealer and get replacement?
Just get the machine set so there's no pressure in the line and no way the stick can move unintentionally and swap it out. Probably be a good idea to get some containment for the oil so it doesn't end up on the ground. Probably lose a gallon or so.
Removing should not be a problem so long as you follow the suggestions of @92U 3406 above. Just make sure there is no pressure in it and even if you are sure loosen the bolts on the flanges slowly and evenly until you are sure that there is no residual pressure. Depending on the location of the leak it might be possible to have the tube repaired by welding. It would need a good welder to do it though. The price of a replacement tube might just shock you. $2k would not surprise me in the least.
That's a $2k line..... What the...
I assume of I open the the hydraulic tank then it can be safely assumed there is no pressure in that line?
Does anyone know what this line is called? I can't find it on Cat's website.
It’ll be called a Tube As. Where exactly is it leaking.?
No, the tank to atmosphere has no relation to residual pressure in the line. The weight of the boom and dipper and the pressure to move it all from the control valve, retains pressure in the line. Hence, the warning above about relieving pressure. If you don't know what you are doing here, you can really hurt yourself. It costs money to play with big toys. Wait until you need a undercarriage or engine and main pumps.
Only in stock @ Cat Miami...
Nige beat me to it. That tube is a specialized piece bent just for that machine. Had to replace both the small metal lines on the C frame on our D5G 8-9 years ago and they were almost $300 a piece. Small line couple feet long and big around as my finger. X3 on follow the advice given on R&R. The bigger the iron the more it can hurt.
I was basing my estimate on being quoted UK£1400 ($1750) for a quite short Tube As on a D9R tractor only a couple of weeks ago. Worse still, it was on backorder worldwide. Needless to say the leaking one was weld-repaired for far less, and far quicker, than what Cat wanted for a new one....
Here is the leak. I was looking online and some people have said you can braze it. Thoughts?
I wouldn't recommend brazing considering the working pressure and flow rates of a 345. My first thought would be to have the leak area TIG-welded then have a reinforcement manufactured from a piece of tube with an ID the same as the OD of the existing tube. A kind of splint over the top of the repair weld if you will.
Just a thought, but you could try seeing if offroadparts.com has one by chance. It's a long shot, but I just lucked out and saved a bit of money on a Cat brand tube from them for my dozer that was new old stock from somewhere. Even with the cost of shipping, it was 1/2 the cost of one from my local Cat dealer. Just got lucky on that one, but you never know what they might have.
Did you mean Offroad Equipment by any chance.? They would certainly be worth a try.
lol yes exactly Nige you’re correct. I’m tired today. Sorry to the OP didn’t mean to send you on some wild goose chase.
I shot them an email. Appreciate it.
Just reposting this comment by crane operator on the chance it was missed the first time through. I might modify that last statement from "hurt" to "kill" yourself. If for no other reason that not ruining some first responders day make sure you know what you are doing before attempting to disconnect any hydraulic line that could be under pressure! Sorry if that is a bit harsh but things as they say can "go South" fast. Even if nothing moves when you disconnect the line there can be enough pressure in that line to inject hydraulic oil right into your body and that can kill you or cause other damage.
@crane operator beat me to it. That line could have anywhere from 0 PSI to whatever the relief is set to. Even just the weight of the boom on the stick can generate a few hundred (or more) PSI depending on the angle of the stick. In your situation I would fully crowd the stick and set it on the ground, positioning the bucket so you get it low as possible. Shut down the engine, then key on, flip the pilot lockout to the operate position and cycle the stick function. That should hopefully vent out any possible pressure in that circuit. Still use extreme caution when loosening the fittings. Reason I would fully crowd the stick is that there will be the least possible amount of oil to run out of the cylinder when you remove the tube in that position.
Another option is to remove the tube and cut out the bad section. Then have the ends of the 2 pieces flared so you can fit a short section of hose or hyd. tubing to make up the difference. Probably have to cut out about 6 inches min. to have enough room for the spliced piece and fittings. I had a complex steel tube develop a leak on my track loader. There was no way to remove the line or replace it without having to take half the machine apart including taking all the hyd. lines at the control valve off. I used a small hacksaw to cut the line in 2 places so I could get it out. I had the 2 ends with complex bends flared and replaced the long L middle section with 2 compact hyd. hoses. I used 2 hoses in case 1 developed a leak it would be easier to replace. I needed a 90 deg. on 1 of the hoses anyway. If you considered welding it oxy/acetylene with a torch would be a good option if you knew someone experienced. O/A basically stress relieves the steel because it is a slower process and the tube will be red hot. Brazing has worked but needs to be about 4 times thicker to handle the pressure. I wouldn't recommend brazing on a big machine like you have. Tig welding could work but would probably want to heat the tube red hot afterwards to stress relieve it. If it were mine I would have the ends flared a fit a splice in the middle. The BIGGEST issue with trying to weld it is contamination. The tiniest bit of oil residue will cause pin holes you could be chasing forever.
If you have an earth bank somewhere close by where you could have the machine down below and set the bucket/stick down on top of the bank you could possibly work from (upper) ground level to remove the tube.
Appreciate the words of caution. I was always under the assumption (it sounds like falsely) that if I opened the hydraulic tank all the pressure was relieved from the entire system.
Not after the control valve. Consider if the bucket was off the ground. You could open the hyd. tank and add oil and it wouldn't make the bucket come slamming down. Hyd. tank doesn't hold 2500+ PSI that the system produces. Most hold a few pounds of pressure (3-5) but excess pressure is vented. With the bucket on the ground you still want to relieve any pressure before loosening any fittings. Simplest way is with machine off and cycling all the functions. 92U posted the procedure for your machine.
Or a trench or a ditch that would allow you to drop the boom low enough to be able to easily reach the line.
My property is on a hill. The leak seems minor at this point. Couldn't I face the excavator downhill, dig a hole until I get that boom flat? Or is it not good to temporarily use it with the pinhole leak? I also want to confirm this is the proper procedure for getting the pressure out of the lines, "Shut down the engine, then key on, flip the pilot lockout to the operate position, and cycle the stick function." @92U 3406 I also got to thinking. If it has a pinhole leak in it and I set it on the ground for a few days I imagine that leak is slowly going to release all the pressure. I was also thinking. Couldn't I clean this up and braze or weld this small area as best as possible, then CNC a circle block of steel with an ID of the OD (1.68") of the steel line about 12" long and braze or weld this around the seems? If I went down this path what would you all recommend as the thickness of this machined circle of steel?
The price doesn't surprise me. My opinion, all manufacturers have lost their mind with the pricing of parts.
How are going to get a 1 piece circle block around the line? If you're thinking of trying to weld or braze the line in place on the machine I don't think you could ever get it clean enough that you wouldn't have pinholes to deal with. It wouldn't be too expensive to have a hyd. shop flare the lines so you could splice in a short section of hose (or tube). I'd guess an hour labour at the most and the cost of the hose. The advantage of a hose is the length isn't as critical because the hose can flex a bit. Most fittings attached to factory hyd. lines are silver soldered. Silver solder isn't cheap. You could dig a hole but you don't want to be shooting oil all over the place or risk running the hyd. tank low.
Should also add to NEVER check for leaks with your bare hands. Like if you tried to weld it and wanted to check if it leaked. This is a major hyd. line. Short of replacing it with a new one, you want to do the best repair possible. It's a very high pressure line.
That's the general procedure the majority of excavators will use. Might not work if your pilot accumulator is shot (assuming your machine has hydraulic pilot controls). Like you said though, with that hole in the tube it will eventually bleed off the pressure but still use caution, stuff happens. I've done weld repairs to those tubes before, you will have to remove it. The oil in that line will give you all sorts of issues with porosity. Remove it, let all oil drain out of the tube. Then hit it with the torch to burn off any oil residue.
Your picture looks as if it's been welded before, or is that oil that makes it look lumpy? Were it mine I'd cut it, silver solder fittings on the ends and have a hose made to fit. I can think of a lot of possibles for $1000. And be careful https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_pressure_injection_injury Don't be this guy. Joe H
If oil can get out, contamination can get in. Think rain and dirt. I wouldn't braze it, but I stink at brazing. I might weld it if nothing else was available, but that's not the case here. Are you a good enough welder to hold 3,000psi? Just replace the line. Its not likely your going to wear it out.
maybe a lead on one I don't know the company use your due diligence https://aftermarket.express/caterpillar/1346844
Flaring the 2 ends for JIC fittings would easier than silver soldering. I don't know if many hyd. shops do silver soldering or if the fittings are common. It would be a good option if you could find a shop that did it.
How did you weld it? It's an option but not for someone who's inexperienced.
Ground out the crack hit it with the MIG. I have no idea how long it lasted or would have lasted. Customer couldn't afford to have the machine down while waiting for the replacement so we did what we had to so they could keep running.
For safe pressure removal, all my 345B & C had "purge screws" on them circuits. I dont recall seeing them on my 336 or 330 or lower.
One shop I worked at tried silver solder on a few ORFS fittings onto stainless tubes one time. Key words being "one time." The ends wouldn't stay on more than a day or two when running at 5,000 PSI.
I did not see it mentioned, but I would get the right fitting and O-ring to properly cap the soft line that is connected to it. The cylinder will leak out what it has on that side of the piston, but the line could drain a lot more.
I recently painted it. If I had to guess the paint held together for a slow leak that bubbled up the paint until it got bigger.
My thought was to machine a 'sleeve'. I could then slice the sleeve long ways. Then weld the sleeve back together in place. Once that was done braze silver solder the ends of the sleeves to the line. Horrible idea?
This excavator is on my property which is a ways from my house. I guess that's why I was trying to figure out a way to fix it onsite. Based on the comments it sounds like the easy fix is to take it off, bring it back to town, slice a piece out of the middle and join it back together with rubber hose and connectors. I'm not super familiar with this type of stuff. Are there mobile companies that will go up there remove it and fix it on site? Or would this just be absurdly expensive?
whatever happens somebody is going to pull the line off there. If you are not comfortable doing it, get a mobile service mechanic to do it. If you find one they will be able to give you a quote for that, it is a straightforward job.
Just a lot of extra work and no guarantee it's going to work. It doesn't appear the line is that difficult to remove. Just need to make sure all the pressure is released before you remove it. If there's o-rings on the flange fittings it would be a good idea to replace them. The hyd. shop should have them and they'd be cheap.
I guess it was good fix in your situation but if a machine can be down for a couple days it's better to do a repair with the best chance of long term reliability. It sucks having to fix the same thing again and again. The OP's line looks pretty simple to take off too.
Jeremy, you're in a major metro area, there are probably a dozen hydraulic shops that can fix this line. Here are 2 https://hydraulicrepairphoenix.com/ https://kennedy-hydraulics-of-az.business.site/ From their web sites either one could repair or fabricate your line. Call them & send a link to this thread so they know EXACTLY what it is you're trying to explain and they will have a solution for you. Stop over thinking and get 'er done. Joe H
I agree with Joe. Get the excavator into a position where the tube is comfortably accessible. Ensure the pressure is released (look for the bleed screw that HMC suggested) and remove the tube. Plug the lines to make sure contamination cannot enter the system while you’re doing the repairs. Haul the tube to a specialist hydraulic shop and see what they suggest. IIRC the line relief pressure in those circuits is 5500psi, so make sure you mention that to them. The feasibility of a weld repair will depend a lot on the condition of the tube and if there is any corrosion present. Refer them to this thread if need be. IMHO try to flange the tube and replace the damaged area with a hose is not a good idea for this particular tube. For my “splint” repair let’s say your tube measures 2” O/D. After the damage/crack/whatever has been welded and ground to get the surface smooth, then find a piece of tube 2” I/D about 6” long. Slice it lengthways and slap the two halves over the top of the repaired area. TIG weld the 2 pieces of the splint back together over the top and weld them to the tube at both ends. Simples….
@TCat nice!
This post got me thinking about something when someone mentioned the cost to replace undercarriage or hydraulic system. My property is down a dirt road with low power lines (I don't think a large crane could get in there). If this thing were to have catastrophic failure and I didn't want to pay to fix it how would I get it off my property?
Gas axe and cart it away in small pieces. Buy shares in your local compressed gas supplier first....
Any meth heads around? Amazing what they can do to metal with very little tools.
Ha!
Make sure to tell them that's the model with the catalytic converter buried way down in the bottom of it to give them a little extra motivation.
Free ad on CL & Facebook, someone will want it. I would if it wasn't in AZ. Joe H
they don't pick them up with a crane, unless they are polluting a river. There is a thread about that somewhere here. Lots of good used parts there. Best plan is to keep it running until you are done and walk it back on a lowboy
I didn't know how much pressure goes through the line but if you can get a new line for $375.00 that's the route to take.
Appreciate all your advice in this thread. Placed the order today. Try not to lose my hand while replacing
That's the goal. I was just starting to get a little nervous.
Heading up to replace this tomorrow. I was able to find the rubber seal for one end. Not really sure what to expect on the other end and didn't want to be emptied handed. I bought an extra one of the same rubber seals but not sure if that's what is going to be on that other end. Any thoughts?
Pull sun gear in final drives, push onto lowbed.
Is there a rubber seal on the opposite mating surface of the new line or a groove for one? Make sure to put a little oil on the rubber seals before installing the new line. It lubricates them and helps protect them from getting damaged during installation.
I'm not sure because I haven't pulled it apart yet. I was hoping someone knew this answer. I have to drive up to my property which is a couple of hours away and was hoping for no surprises.
They are different sizes. The seal for the back end of the tube where it connects to the hose is a 1P-3704. That seal fits into the flange in the end of the hose. The seal for the front end of the tube where it connects to the head of the cylinder is a 1P-3705.
1P-3704 is a rectangular seal with the following dimensions; Inside Diameter: 1.5" Cross Section Height: 0.13" Cross Section Width: 0.19" 1P-3705 is a rectangular seal with the following dimensions; Inside Diameter: 1.76" Cross Section Height: 0.13" Cross Section Width: 0.19" Both seals are made from Nitrile rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber.
This is a generic illustration of what the rectangular seals look like. They are not O-rings, being designed for much higher pressures. In the case of the 345 probably in excess of 5000 psi.
A little off topic but those 1P370* seal rings have been known to be incorrectly installed in the place of "normal" orings. Actually found that to be the case on a 980G loader's main hydraulic pump. And this was done at the factory! I worked on that machine from the day it was new and due to the difficulty getting to that connection know that it was not something someone would have done on a whim! Someone must have been very determined to get that seal in there! Just dug through the file on that machine and believe it or not this was found while fixing leaks at 18,000 hours!
That^ The other end has the groove in the part you are attaching to. Just be careful as you put it together to not pinch it out of the groove. I like silicone grease in that situation myself. Anything tacky to hold the O-ring in place.
Would it be foolish to leave the old one in? It's either that or cancel my trip today as I haven't ordered it yet.
Your dealer should have one in stock. They are a very common part. Won't the Parts Dept at the Empire branch in Mesa be open this morning.? If you cannot get one to take with you today then cross your fingers and put the old one back. I would still suggest that you change it at the earliest opportunity because they go hard and flatten with age and disturbing it is quite likely to make it leak.
Yea the issue is that they don't open until Monday at 8. Looks like I have 2 of the 1P-3705 already. It's the 1P-3704 that I didn't order.
Buy a kit if you can.
If the existing ring isn't visibly damaged, re-use it. Having umpteen Cats and 3 345 machines, just re-use it. Of all the seals utilized on hydraulic hoses, the Caterpillar "D" ring is the most reusable.
Very good idea if you are going to be using this machine for any length of time, I'd also get a standard oring kit if they use them on that machine. Dealer or someone here would probably know if it does.
I wouldn't bother with a "D" ring kit...just have a 1p-370_ (3,4,5) on hand. You'll never use the rest of the D ring kit, EVER. My D ring kit is a hand me down from 25+ years ago, and have never used any of the other sizes. The only reason I used the rest was because our guys like to shear off the auxiliary plumbing and valves, and cylinder lines. In those 25+ years, I've only ever seen 2 torn, not reusable, D rings. If you're gonna get an "Oring" kit, that's a different story. A ORFS/ STOR kit is invaluable.
I guess I might agree in part as back in the day as they say there were small kits that had the most common sizes in them for the orings and the D rings, maybe half a dozen sizes but I seem to recall kits now have sizes to fit every application to man. If someone is working on only one or two machines then they could spend time with parts book or online looking at the hoses and pipes they can picture replacing and come up with a customized kit. Actually three or four sizes will do 80% of the lines.
I'd never guess a 4 or 5ft tube would cost that much. We had one loose on a Hitachi 200 that I fixed one day and pretty much got told I wasted time "***** with it". I figured spend 30 mins fixing it or hours/days of downtime when it broke off
i don't get that. It's not broke now because you DID fix it. I think the tellin fellers have big feet and little guns, because they can shoot lots of holes in their feet. I tried to tell one of those guys the 235 Cat had a bad vibration, and he told me to get back at it. Things got all smooth and quiet and still when that pump drive let loose all the way.
Well everything was going well until I busted my ass on this bucket. For your viewing pleasure. https://photos.app.goo.gl/my9K7gTuUyU7NYBv6 In all seriousness everything went pretty smooth today. I appreciate all the help and support as always.
You're not 20 anymore, be careful. Your picture looks like you've got some years left but it all catches up with you later. Joe H
Yeah, have to be real careful climbing on machines. Good job. So it's back together and working without any leaks?
You made a near-fatal mistake. When climbing around and over machines, keep at least 2 points of contact at all times. If one point of contact slips, the other stops the fall. You have to remember that machinery is out to kill you at every single opportunity it gets, when it sees you adopting a relaxed attitude! Seen waay too many guys injure themselves seriously - even turning themselves into living vegetables - and also simply killing themselves, in relatively small falls, where they land on something that does a lot of bodily damage.
That looks as sketchy as ***k, especailly when you are heaving on bolts that from experience I know are going to be really tight.... Working off a set of steps in those circumstances is a big no-no. Consider yourself very lucky that nothing bad happened and give yourself a metaphorical slap round the head with a warning not to do **** like that ever again. I have no idea if you were alone up at your property but if you were and something bad happened, who were you gonna call.? Ghostbusters.?
these guys are busting your arse a bit Jeremy because they care. Falling off that iron can ruin your day, and falling onto the sharp edges and unforgiving steel is worse, ask me how I know. It is one of the marks of an old dozer hand. Many of them are crippled from falling getting on and off in slick conditions. I know I have been banged up climbing on the Cat high drives. Those things are treacherous! Based off what nige said above, I would dig a hole to set the bucket in, then back your pickup alongside the boom after you fold it up and knuckle it over. You could probably get the whole work area where you could work it off the pickup bed. I know you are done now but it is just a suggestion. working off the pickup bed is priceless. You can put a blanket on the roof for the wrenches and parts and pieces.
Yea. After taking the old one off you guys were right. Someone attempted a repair and I probably would have been chasing these leaks forever. I appreciate all the guidance. I didn't realize from my pics originally that the other end used hex bolts. My impact wrench would have been nice but all I brought were some hand hex tools. Turning these out by hand was a bit of a pain in the ass but I got it at the end of the day. I ran into one issue with the rubber seal on the side with 1p-3705. It's diameter was slightly larger than the groove so I left the old one in there. I'm not sure if this is normal or if you're supposed to squish it in there(I've never seen this before but never worked with this high psi) . I knew if I attempted to take the old one out it would be toast so I just left it alone.
There are neighbors that are always around I had my phone so if anything happened I guess that was my plan. Working off steps is a no no?. Meaning no ladders? I didn't realize this. How does some one do this more responsibly? I know you said to dig a hole and place it in there. I was planning this but curling the bucket got it pretty low..
I appreciate all the feedback even if it is critical. I love learning new **** and part of that is taking advice from the guys who know what they're doing. I've done some stupid **** in the past. I'm honestly not sure how to realize in the moment when I'm doing something stupid. Nothing leading up to this point felt the least bit dangerous until it is. Always working to improve.
If that's #3 here That is to be a 1p-3704
And if you’d knocked yourself unconscious.? It’s one of the reasons why in general mechanics at large organisations are not allowed to work alone on a customer job site.
Yea. I guess I just never gave it much thought. It's a good point. I'm building a house up there though. Not exactly sure how to fix this problem. I don't have someone to bring with me every time I go up there.
Guess I could give my wife the camera app. But wouldn't alert her if something happened.
You just made me realize what happened. The company that sent me the replacement line put the 3704 on the other end and now that I'm thinking back it fit but seemed small. I had a 3705 so I just assumed this was the other end. After reading this post I realized that they were reversed.... Those bolts were in bad shape anyways. I think what I'll do is order the replacement bolts and swap all of this out at a later date.
I'm honestly not sure how to realize in the moment when I'm doing something stupid. If you figure that out you'll be way ahead of most of us. Joe H
A lot of times an injury happens after doing the same thing you've done many times before. I almost knocked myself out just backing out of the skid steer. I had the boom up with locks in place but was working on the batteries behind the seat. Normally you get out facing forward but I had to back out this time. I backed out and turned to walk forward and bang! I banged my head on loader boom that you step on to get in the cab. Brought me to my knee's and I had a big bump on my head. My mistake was forgetting the boom was lowered to the boom supports which puts it at head level. I think if someone remembers it's good to wrap a towel or something around any part that you could bang into. The boom support pins are a good idea and stupid at the same time. If the boom is all the way up it's high enough you won't bang I to it. The pins are more of a safety so the boom can't come down and crush you.
I work alone 3 weeks at a go at work, and often alone at home as well. Get used to it. I guess if I die, I die, dunno.
I've worked alone a lot, and in some pretty isolated places, too. You simply must ensure you don't take any chances or make stupid moves when you're on your own. I can tell you some horror stories of guys I knew, or were associated with, who got trapped or injured when working alone, and several of them died horrible deaths. It's no so much, "if I slip and fall", it's more like, "sooner or later, I'm going to slip and fall", so you need to take steps to meet that scenario. Two points of contact, one foot and one hand at all times, has always served me well. I've had some falls over 58 years of owning and working on machines, never had anything more than some bruising. Steel is slippery, handholds and foot placement areas are rarely to hand, and repair and maintenance points are nearly always in awkward positions, so you need to be always alert. I find most accidents happen in late afternoon when you're getting tired and concentration is lapsing. Mornings, when dew and moisture is still present, is a deadly time - some types of dirt contain really greasy clay particles and present major slip dangers. Ladders feature prominently in falls, they're banned on mining sites here, where safety rules are extreme. Ladders have their place, but the important thing is securing the top and bottom of ladders so they can't possibly move - and to ensure that whatever the ladder is placed against can't move, either. A good buddy had a fall from a ladder in 2017 and did major damage to himself. He was fixing door tracks on a set of bi-fold doors that were on a large fertiliser shed on a farm. He set up the ladder on one door and tied it at the top against the wind direction, then climbed to the top, 4 metres up. Problem was, he tied the door and ladder from movement in one direction (against the light-to-moderate wind) - but didn't tie them against movement from ANY direction. While he was at the top of the ladder, the wind gusted 180° from the opposite direction to where he thought it was always going to be coming from. The wind gust caught the door, threw it against the unsecured direction, this flipped his ladder back, and he fell 4 metres - onto a concrete slab. He landed on his left side and he broke his femur (upper leg bone), shattered his left elbow, and knocked himself unconscious for about 5 mins. He was fortunate, there was no major bleeding, he came to within a reasonable time period - and he had his phone in his pocket. But the other problems were - he was working alone, his employer was miles away, the phone signal on the farm was patchy, and it took him 20 mins to reach emergency services. Then the rescuers had to get organised, and come from town about 20 miles away. It was 2 hrs before they reached him, and were able to give him pain relief and support. Then it was a 100 mile trip in a road ambulance to the nearest big hospital, where a surgeon was available. End result was he ended up with a full length stainless 3/8" rod in his femur, steel plate and screws in his elbow - about 3 months in a wheelchair, and another 2 months on crutches. He's O.K. now, but it was a hard and painful lesson for him, not helped by the fact he was 70 when the accident happened.
Part of the problem for a lot of people is there isn't a safety course for equipment like a contractor or mine might have. Accidents happen and it's impossible to predict a lot of them. However any time you aren't on the ground you have to try to think of what could go wrong that could injure you. Another key is to never be in a hurry. I think everybody has got some bumps and bruises in the weirdest of ways.
Probably 60% of my working life was alone. Have a plan and use a check in system. You can be alone in a plant with lots of people around by being behind an MCC or a machine. We would set up a call in if there was a task like ladder work that had a higher hazard. Miss the call in and don’t answer the call back from your partner/dispatch Initiated a 911 call.
I’m tired of working off ladders and now that I’m retired with a lot of high work to be done on this acreage, I bought an old Genie lift. I love that thing. My wife even uses it to pick apples. Had it 3 weeks and put 20hrs on it. Got all my eavetroughs cleaned and repaired and a big maple tree trimmed back yesterday afternoon
^^We had an old 3 wheel thing left over from the orchard that I wish I had today^^ That was 50 years ago. It looked sorta like this, only old and red. Holy heck I think it was a Brownie Lift! They started making them in 1964, that pencils out. https://www.philbrownwelding.com/index.php/the-new-brownie