Top of the day, all, So I have...

[Steele_y_Tutz]

Top of the day, all,

So I have searched high and low with no reguards to this. How do YOU lift your drive units? Our "other" boat has the pre Alpha drive and Mercruiser put that handy lifting eye on the top. My back isn't up to lifting the drives off our 1992 300DA with twin Alpha one Gen II drives. We went and bought a Kabota tractor so lifting won't be that much of a problem but that little lift point looks weak to say the least. And a hook doesn't look to fit there anyhow. I worry about squeezing the drive with a sling but that looks to me to be the only viable solution at this point. Or do I hire some strong backs and weak minds to remove and lift them?

John

[Nater_Potater]

I'm in the same "boat", but, if you look at the two different drives, you'll find the Alpha is actually quite a bit thicker in the vertical plane than the pre-Alpha. I used a motorcycle tie-down as a go-between from the outdrive to a cherry picker. Worked a treat! When it comes right down to it, the outdrives aren't all that heavy, so no worries about that lift point.

[Steele_y_Tutz]

Thanks Nater Tater. That does help. I know that pre Alpha wasn't all that heavy. I got it off the boat and couldn't get help so I got a little pissed and picked it up and carried it to the barn. I did regret it for a few days. So with that, I would just as soon use the tractor. I have some of those hooks from broken ratchet straps around. I hate throwing them away and just cut the strap off of them.

[Kylesray]

I made this from a "lawnmower lift" from Harbor Freight. I put casters on the bottom so I could roll it around. $130 - 140 all in 🙂 nice as it has a stop that won't allow the piston to go too far down. The skeg can't touch the ground even though my skeg is already wasted away.

[Steele_y_Tutz]

That would work great. But being as I'm in gravel, I am going to have to use the new tractor to lift the drive. I was just worried about the lifting point being strong enough. I'll get out there and get the first one done as soon as it stops pouring rain and gets to the typical Oregon heavy mist. Even the dry fall weather would be a welcome sight right now. Three days is not asking too much, I think. LOL

[Kylesray]

You could put bigger tires on it like the beach/sand buggy type. Not sure how far you're moving it. I think the drives are around 80 lbs. If you create a lift/fork for your tractor you only need to carry the drives. The tilt rams actually just popped the drive out if you put about a 5 inch 2x4 at the top in between the top of the drive and the transom mount. I found a video on YouTube that taught me that, so easy.