SFBD square with a Cummins and custom chassis

Well I got the engine and trans broke free as a unit and started pulling them together. I had 3/4" plywood under the hoist. After getting the load on the hoist 2 guys couldn't roll it. If anyone ever tried to roll an engine with a cummins and 47rh on plywood your in for a treat. It took pulling it with my 20 HP garden tractor with atv tires and 100 pounds of wheels weights on the rear to pull it. The little garden tractor was even barely pulling it.

And than a horror story developed right in front of my eyes. We had it pulled out to about where the torque convertor area was right above the front bumper when I heard a cracking sound. I knew something had gone very wrong. The front engine hoist wheel busted through the plywood sending the drivers side one way into the ground and the entire engine hoist almost fell over. Luckily we got it saved before it fell over. I took a car hauling strap and got it secured enough I felt safe letting go of it. Now I can't move it forward or back ward and it about to fall over. Before I could try to find a solution it got dark on me. So now everything is dangling just like that in the air. Hopefully i can find a solution tomorrow.

i think it wouldve been better if you layed concrete gardentiles and then plywood on top , glad everything whent without people getting hurt
maibe you be ok if you put a second layer of plywood under the hoist so it doesnt bent as mush , might make it eazier to roll around as whell

it allso might be an idea to roll the chassis under the motor instead of trying to move the lift

Well I can't move the dodge out from under the engine. I screwed up and didn't leave myself enough room behind the truck.
Tonight I'm gunna try and get something under the engine to let the hoist down and get something else under the hoist wheels. If I can reposition the hoist on some thicker plywood and get the engine to roll another 2-3 feet I'll be clear of the truck and lower it down to the ground.
This sucks but I think I can get it. Just gunna take some thinking outside of the box.

As luck would have it I ended up meeting a guy a few days ago through a friend and learned that he loves messing with 12 valves and has a bobcat with a backhoe attachment. So I asked him if he'd stop by and pull this engine the rest of the way out for me sometime and he said sure no big deal. So last night about 9 he got over here and we got it all hooked to the engine and after a little battle with the stubbern engine we had it out. Just as he's setting down to reposition and slide it into the dually the entire backhoe attachment rips off the front of the bobcat. Luckily no body got injured and the engine was only about 3 inches from the grass when it happen. But now I have my engine stuck in my yard and a bobcat. WTF!?!? Is this engine cursed lol. I'll post a few picture in a little while.

Unloading and about to get started pulling the engine and trans.


Figuring out the engine is a little heavier than the backhoe attachment was intended to move.


Ripped both of the upper links out. They were only held into the 1/8" body of the bobcat. I was up till about 2am fabbing some brackets out of 1/2" plate. We're going to try and finish it up with the new brackets.

seeing metal around the atachements and the length of that crane i'm not suprized it broke out of its mounts

i dont think that crane was made to be mounted on a bobcat or to lift that kindah load that far away from it (i think he upped the hydraulic pressurebleedoff a bit to be able to lift it at all ), he prolly need to mount some pretty heavy plates to keen that crane in place or keep the end of the arm realy close to the root of it to keep everithing where it should be

You need to get a real machine in there that attachment is made for planting shrubs. I think the cummins ways around 2000 lbs you need to use a engine hoist just to move a bare crank. Dont want to see anyone get hurt.

The new plates we made are all 1/2" so that shouldn't be a concern anymore. As for the lifting capacity it says 2,300 lbs but I don't believe it. The engine is at least on the ground right now. If it would have been my machinery I would have just used the bobcat without the back how attachment. I'm just glad to have it here to at least get the engine and trans out.
Here's a picture of the new brackets I fabbed up real early this morning. Not the prettiest thing I've ever fabbed but at 2 am I wasn't to worried about how pretty it was. Much stronger than whoever mounted those upper link with a single bolt into the 1/8" body. These are all 1/2" with 1/4" tabs. Hopefully they'll at least make this thing safer for his future use.

yeah a small bar atached to the bucket and a chain shouldve been enough for the job

Well I didn't think it would ever happen but it's finally in the truck.


I'll post a few better pix tomorrow. Enjoy.