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Tell us about yourself:“I am a career pilot: Air Force, Airline etc. but a bush pilot at heart. I am very passionate about flying, and like to surround myself with equally passionate people.”
A floatplane truck is often the front half of a pickup truck (converted to front wheel drive) fixed to a trailer frame, and fitted with lifting equipment. The truck and trailer are fused together, and the rear half of the truck is discarded to reduce the overall weight and maintain balance. The truck is carefully steered between the floats (under the spreader bars), where it then lifts the plane high enough to safely roll it out of (or into) the water.
But if you don’t have a floatplane truck at your disposal, or a vehicle to convert into one, what do you do? Perhaps something like Steve did - a hydraulically powered platform that hitches to the front of a truck.
Great project, Steve! Thanks for sharing it with us!
What is it? It’s a floatplane lift (beaching gear) used to lift, transport, and lower my floatplane (Jenny) to/from the water. I needed a way to get my floatplane from its parking spot on land to the water launch area; I found inspiration for this project from an online resource.
What is the main power source for your project? (e.g. electric motor, gas engine etc.) An electric switch starts the 12V DC powered hydraulic pump, which powers the hydraulic cylinder. All hardware, pumps, actuators, and electrical equipment were found at PA.
What design/build challenges were overcome? I am a very hands-on guy, and when my neighbour and good friend suggested we solve my floatplane transport problem together, I knew the project would be successful. Many parts were unavailable, so I fabricated them. But machining the link arms required expertise; fortunately, my good friend owns a steel fabricating shop (Ermeltek Inc.). His expertise with metal fabrication, coupled with readily available parts from Princess Auto, ensured that Jenny would have a robust and reliable ride when transiting back and forth from her home on land to the launching ramp on the Fraser River.
If you had to build it again, what would you do differently? Use lighter gauge steel; the gauge of steel I used was overly heavy.
Which Princess Auto location do you visit most? Langley, BC