All Around the Farm: Forklift Shop Elevator

“I was picking up some items at a local junkyard when I saw a forklift, but I didn’t give it much thought until a couple months later, while I was carrying heavy items up the stairs to the mezzanine in my shop,” said Jason Reis of Lime Springs in northeast Iowa. He went back for the junkyard forklift to create a lift/elevator. 

Reis removed the existing staircase and brought the newly recovered forklift to stand in its place. He welded 4×6-inch tubing to the top of the lift, and welded joist hangers to the tubing, attaching it to the mezzanine floor. He welded tabs to the base that he then firmly lagged into the concrete floor. He attached used skid-steer loader pallet forks, and built a 3×3-foot platform for the lift. 

To power the unit, he purchased a 12-volt hydraulic pump, a 120-volt maintenance charger, and a dump trailer switch. Once installation was complete, he found the lift incredibly helpful, and not only as an elevator. When adjusted to the right height, it can also be a makeshift extra workbench.

“I like the functionality of the lift and the extra strong support it gives the mezzanine floor,” Reis said. “My only complaint is that I wish it moved a touch faster. I’m working on that.”