When the industrial battery in his tractor needed replaced, the space next to the tractor was blocked off. Unable to position a loader for lifting the 200-pound battery, Wesley Jarvis of Stinnett, Texas, outfitted his ATV, which could drive in close enough, with a hoist.
The new lift has continued to come in handy, he says, since that “little winter project.” All the components, including the bolt-on hoist, were already on hand, he says.
“The crane was once on a small utility trailer I used for barrels of herbicides and other heavy items. I found the jacks in a ditch while fixing fence about 25 or 30 years ago, and I was glad to finally have a chance to use them!” he says.
The 2-inch receiver hitch keeps the assembly from twisting, says Jarvis. He drilled 5∕16-inch holes in the 4-foot-long thick-wall tubing for mounting the two jacks at 14 inches and 46 inches from the hitch. The hoist is mounted on a flat strap assembly.
ROTATION
The cherry picker (hoist) will rotate 360° for greater ease in depositing loads into the bed of an ATV.
SCISSOR JACKS
A second auto scissor jack bolted onto the assembly adds greater stability and support.
TUBE ASSEMBLY
After the jacks are mounted to the tube, the assembly slides into the ATV’s hitch receiver.
Wesley Jarvis
Texan: Now leasing out over half of his land, Jarvis remains involved in the day-to-day decisions on his farm in Stinnett, located in the Texas panhandle.
Career educator: Jarvis began teaching computer science at high school in the early 1980s. The ham radio operator says, “It wasn’t that I knew a lot; it’s just that I knew more than anybody else at the time!”
Family: He and wife Cheri have been married 48 years. They have three grown children.
Hobbies: Besides hunting and fishing, Jarvis is a member of the Texas Archeological Society, and he calls himself the family historian.
Email: [email protected]
