Archive for the 'Hydraulic' Category

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It’s Just Cool: A Railroad Clip Installer

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

safeloc Installer_TM.jpg

Thankfully, today’s railroad workers don’t have to drive spikes John Henry style.  Tools like this dual railroad clip installer save time — and help prevent repetitive stress injuries — by automatically driving in clips to hold rails in place on modern concrete ties.  It takes an incredible amount of force to install these clips quickly, which this device receives from a separate hydraulic power unit.  The power units come in electric, diesel, and gas-powered versions.

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Posted in Fasteners, Hydraulic, It's Just Cool, Power Tools, Unusual Tools | 5 Comments »

Twelve Tons Of Green Crimping Fury

Monday, June 25th, 2007
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Greenlee’s new HKL-1232 crimping tool offers up (literally) tons of clamping force – twelve tons to be exact.  It’s a manually operated hydraulic crimper sporting a two-speed hydraulic pump that advances rapidly until it contacts the connector, then shifts to a lower speed to complete the crimp.  Wiring a main electrical box, or work on an oil rig?  This is for you.  For the rest of us, it’s just freakin’ cool.

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Posted in Electrical, Greenlee, Hydraulic | 3 Comments »

Moving Trees? Skip The Shovel, Use A Tree Spade!

Friday, April 13th, 2007
treespade.jpg

Pros use huge trailer-mounted spades to transplant trees the easy way:  hydraulics drive three blades into the ground around the tree, meeting at the center underneath to “dig” it free in a single motion.  The spade then lifts the tree and its root structure for transport.  Now Lemar offers a smaller version that’s portable — and can be operated with out a crew of spotters.

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Posted in Hydraulic, Lawn/Garden, Lemar | 1 Comment »

Finds: The “Dingo” Utlility Loader

Monday, November 6th, 2006
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Back in the day, nothing was cooler than the Terminator tanks from the future.  They rolled over the battlefield crushing humans and playground equipment (and whatever else found itself before the might of their tracked badness).  Now you can drive one around your yard — sort of.  Yeah, we know it’s supposed to be for Earthworks and construction, but admit it: You want to drive the Dingo.

Is that some kind of sexual reference?

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Posted in Hydraulic, Lawn/Garden, Power Tools, Toro | 5 Comments »

Easy Roller: Move Cars Around the Shop With Ease

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006

post-easyroller.jpgIf you don’t yet have the 10,000 sq. ft. shop of your dreams, you’re probably like us and sometimes have trouble moving the project car(s) around to get done what you need to get done.  It’s even worse if one or more of them don’t run.  The Stinger Easy Roller definitely improves things a bit by putting the car on casters, allowing you to roll it in any direction.

We’ve seen (and used) a number of such devices, but most of them require that you first jack the car up then drop it on the rollers.  The Easy Roller shortcuts the whole process by integrating a spring-guided hydraulic jack; Just roll the Easy Roller around the wheel and step on the lever a few times to lift the car, placing it on the rollers.

With four of the units, Stinger says you can lift a 6,000 lb. vehicle — each unit supports up to 1,500 lbs.  They work with tread widths up to 12″, and feature four heavy-duty casters.

The only real drawback is the price: Street pricing starts around $110 each, which puts you at around $500 for a set after tax and/or shipping.

Stinger 1,500 Lb. Easy Roller (Street Pricing) [Froogle]

Posted in Automotive, Hydraulic | 3 Comments »

Your Own Jaws of Life

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

post-hydrawedge.jpgThe HydraWedge is essentially a 60-ton jack with a very small angled (wedge) end that spreads under jack force.  Think of it as a hand-pumped version of the “jaws of life” that emergency rescue teams carry.

Sure, it’s not cheap — try $1,135 — but this strikes us as one of those tools that when you need it, you need it bad.  The company that sells it, the Jack-X-Change, says that they have thousands of them in operation in the field used for tasks such as lifting heavy machinery from a very low clearance (like on the floor), spreading pipe flanges, and (or course) for rescue.

We can imagine it coming in handy for all sorts of uses in the shop, though granted you’d have to find your own particular need before laying out the dough.

The 60 Ton HydraWedge - Standard [Jack-X-Change]

Posted in Hydraulic | 1 Comment »

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