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new implement has Donnybrook connection...
A revolutionary scissor lift is now in production in Fargo, and Collin Miller, a native of Donnybrook, is the operations manager.
3/19/19 (Tue)
Safer than a big ladder . . . Dave Miller of Donnybrook demonstrates one of many uses for the new Skid-Lift that is marketed out of Fargo. Miller says cleaning, lubricating and changing light bulbs have become easy tasks and it is far safer than a ladder.
By Marvin Baker
A revolutionary scissor lift is now in production in
The mechanism is called Skid-Lift and is designed exclusively for skid-steer loaders and tractors and features quick-coupling hydraulic hoses in order to operate it.
Miller, who is an engineer, helped with the design. Owners Guy Nelson and Paul Wick began working on the project five years ago until it was placed on the market about a year ago.
“I’ve worked with both of them on different business in the past, but decided to join the team in September 2017,” Collin Miller said. “They hired me as operations manager and put me in charge of design and production of the Skid-Lift.”
In its first year of marketing, the Construction Equipment trade publication added two of three Skid-Lift models to its Top 100 New Products in 2018.
“These are the two models we released after I came on board,” Miller said. “My expertise in design and manufacturing and the endless effort by the team, helped make the production release a success.”
It will work on any skid-steer loader that has the proper lifting capacity, as well as most tractors with the hydraulic capability. Miller said there are older units that don’t have the auxiliary hydraulic option, so there is no way to connect the hoses.
However, Skid-Lift already has customers with Bobcat, Case, Mustang, Gehl, Cat and Kubota loaders.
The lift can rise to a total of 28 feet, so is ideal for any farm.
“It’s hard to describe how stable it is to someone, but in my opinion, our lift feels more stable (less wobble) than other competitors I’ve been up in,” Miller said. “We actually increased the scissor strength to improve it from the first prototype.”
Miller said there isn’t a farmer out there who doesn’t have to climb a ladder at one point or another and this product drastically helps reduce ladder time.
“A ladder might be quicker sometimes, but everyone should be reminded that safety shouldn’t be rushed,” he said. “I fell off a ladder climbing up to a grain bin on the farm and it was a rush situation. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt badly.”
He calls the Skid-Lift handy because of its portable design, storage and maneuverability. It is quite unlike conventional scissor lift units because it doesn’t have to be operated on a flat surface and because of its small footprint, is easy to store.
“It’s treated like a Bobcat attachment where you can just grab it and go,” Miller said. “It doesn’t have a battery that needs to be charged and can be taken anywhere a skid-steer can go. Also, if you compare it to an all-terrain self-propelled lift you want to move long distances, typically it takes a much heavier trailer to move than what is needed for our unit attached to a skid-steer.”
Miller says maintenance is very simple. A track that the lower slides run in, must be clear of debris, so when leaves or other debris gets caught, an air hose or power washer will easily clean it.
There are a few grease points on the cylinders that need annual maintenance and with maintenance bars in place, they are easily accessible from ground level.
“We pride ourselves in keeping the lift very simple and easily maintained,” Miller said. “Any service and parts support that is needed is provided by your dealer and supported directly from our
Collin’s father Dave is sold on this unique piece of machinery. He says it’s a lot less expensive than conventional scissor lifts so people can afford it. The three models sell for $9,000 to $16,900.
“It’s easy to store and you can have it in your shop,” he said. “It’s 6x5-foot so it doesn’t use a lot of space.”
There are fork holes on both sides and on the back for ease of hooking it up and moving.
Miller has a demonstration model 2230, powered by a gas engine which he says helps market it to dealers. It’s the one that rises to 28 feet, has a 550-pound lift capacity, has enough room for two people, it has controls at the base and in the basket, there are two basket doors in a 5-foot basket length and has manual adjusting telescoping legs. It sells for $12,900.
“It’s just so simple to operate,” he said. “There are three hoses and one lever, plus an emergency lever. It’s a one-man operation and if you’re going up high, you want to put the outriggers down.”
As an example, he intends to use it a lot such as working on conveyers and augers and greasing bearings.
If it was a ladder, it would take a person at the top and a person holding the ladder to grease those bearings. This way, one person can do it in less time.
“The best thing about it is when you’re doing service work, it’s a one-man operation,” Miller said. “And the beauty at the end of your job is you can slip it into a narrow spot in your shop.”
Some of the other chores for the Skid-Lift include washing windows, painting of barns and buildings, cleaning gutters, installing TV antennas on the roof and hanging Christmas lights.
He says the Skid-Lift is great for livestock producers because it has the agility to go into a calving barn since it’s mounted on a skid-steer loader.
“There are so many things you can do with this,” Miller said. “You can wash combines, work on grain bins or trim trees.”
He added that over a farming season, the overhead doors in his shop become sticky from all the dust, so it’s easy to go up in the Skid-Lift to lubricate the chains and channels.
Miller has lights in his shop that are mounted more than 20 feet off the ground. This makes it a simple task to change light bulbs.
“When I first saw this thing, I thought we’ve got to get the word out,” he said. “I know now, there are a lot of people interested. I’ve been getting a good reception.”
Above anything else, Miller says the safety aspect is the most important and his son has designed the Skid-Lift with that in mind.
The levers, the lift capacity, the outriggers and a plate in the basket that can be extended to hold tools, are all good reasons to have this unit, according to Miller.
For additional information, log on to (www.skid-lift.com, call Collin Miller in
Dave Miller may be contacted in Donnybrook at 701-482-7873.
The mechanism is called Skid-Lift and is designed exclusively for skid-steer loaders and tractors and features quick-coupling hydraulic hoses in order to operate it.
Miller, who is an engineer, helped with the design. Owners Guy Nelson and Paul Wick began working on the project five years ago until it was placed on the market about a year ago.
“I’ve worked with both of them on different business in the past, but decided to join the team in September 2017,” Collin Miller said. “They hired me as operations manager and put me in charge of design and production of the Skid-Lift.”
In its first year of marketing, the Construction Equipment trade publication added two of three Skid-Lift models to its Top 100 New Products in 2018.
“These are the two models we released after I came on board,” Miller said. “My expertise in design and manufacturing and the endless effort by the team, helped make the production release a success.”
It will work on any skid-steer loader that has the proper lifting capacity, as well as most tractors with the hydraulic capability. Miller said there are older units that don’t have the auxiliary hydraulic option, so there is no way to connect the hoses.
However, Skid-Lift already has customers with Bobcat, Case, Mustang, Gehl, Cat and Kubota loaders.
The lift can rise to a total of 28 feet, so is ideal for any farm.
“It’s hard to describe how stable it is to someone, but in my opinion, our lift feels more stable (less wobble) than other competitors I’ve been up in,” Miller said. “We actually increased the scissor strength to improve it from the first prototype.”
Miller said there isn’t a farmer out there who doesn’t have to climb a ladder at one point or another and this product drastically helps reduce ladder time.
“A ladder might be quicker sometimes, but everyone should be reminded that safety shouldn’t be rushed,” he said. “I fell off a ladder climbing up to a grain bin on the farm and it was a rush situation. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt badly.”
He calls the Skid-Lift handy because of its portable design, storage and maneuverability. It is quite unlike conventional scissor lift units because it doesn’t have to be operated on a flat surface and because of its small footprint, is easy to store.
“It’s treated like a Bobcat attachment where you can just grab it and go,” Miller said. “It doesn’t have a battery that needs to be charged and can be taken anywhere a skid-steer can go. Also, if you compare it to an all-terrain self-propelled lift you want to move long distances, typically it takes a much heavier trailer to move than what is needed for our unit attached to a skid-steer.”
Miller says maintenance is very simple. A track that the lower slides run in, must be clear of debris, so when leaves or other debris gets caught, an air hose or power washer will easily clean it.
There are a few grease points on the cylinders that need annual maintenance and with maintenance bars in place, they are easily accessible from ground level.
“We pride ourselves in keeping the lift very simple and easily maintained,” Miller said. “Any service and parts support that is needed is provided by your dealer and supported directly from our
Collin’s father Dave is sold on this unique piece of machinery. He says it’s a lot less expensive than conventional scissor lifts so people can afford it. The three models sell for $9,000 to $16,900.
“It’s easy to store and you can have it in your shop,” he said. “It’s 6x5-foot so it doesn’t use a lot of space.”
There are fork holes on both sides and on the back for ease of hooking it up and moving.
Miller has a demonstration model 2230, powered by a gas engine which he says helps market it to dealers. It’s the one that rises to 28 feet, has a 550-pound lift capacity, has enough room for two people, it has controls at the base and in the basket, there are two basket doors in a 5-foot basket length and has manual adjusting telescoping legs. It sells for $12,900.
“It’s just so simple to operate,” he said. “There are three hoses and one lever, plus an emergency lever. It’s a one-man operation and if you’re going up high, you want to put the outriggers down.”
As an example, he intends to use it a lot such as working on conveyers and augers and greasing bearings.
If it was a ladder, it would take a person at the top and a person holding the ladder to grease those bearings. This way, one person can do it in less time.
“The best thing about it is when you’re doing service work, it’s a one-man operation,” Miller said. “And the beauty at the end of your job is you can slip it into a narrow spot in your shop.”
Some of the other chores for the Skid-Lift include washing windows, painting of barns and buildings, cleaning gutters, installing TV antennas on the roof and hanging Christmas lights.
He says the Skid-Lift is great for livestock producers because it has the agility to go into a calving barn since it’s mounted on a skid-steer loader.
“There are so many things you can do with this,” Miller said. “You can wash combines, work on grain bins or trim trees.”
He added that over a farming season, the overhead doors in his shop become sticky from all the dust, so it’s easy to go up in the Skid-Lift to lubricate the chains and channels.
Miller has lights in his shop that are mounted more than 20 feet off the ground. This makes it a simple task to change light bulbs.
“When I first saw this thing, I thought we’ve got to get the word out,” he said. “I know now, there are a lot of people interested. I’ve been getting a good reception.”
Above anything else, Miller says the safety aspect is the most important and his son has designed the Skid-Lift with that in mind.
The levers, the lift capacity, the outriggers and a plate in the basket that can be extended to hold tools, are all good reasons to have this unit, according to Miller.
For additional information, log on to (www.skid-lift.com, call Collin Miller in
Dave Miller may be contacted in Donnybrook at 701-482-7873... Read EVERY WORD on EVERY PAGE of The Kenmare News by subscribing--online or in print!