Rotisserie to Make Life Easier

[Liam Mahoney]

Hi all,
I have had interest in the rotisserie and I have redesigned it to be more robust and more adjustable. If anyone is interested I will be selling the complete units for AU$450 plus freight.

[Robert E Morey]

Liam,
That is a very cool design and handy looking stand. Unfortunately I have blown all my "tank money" for a while now. Would the brackets be adjustable to accommodate other tanks? Looks to be specific for a Tiger1 <through the tow shackle points>? Great idea and nice workmanship.

Best regards,
Bob

[Liam Mahoney]

Hi Bob,
Thanks for your message and I apologise for my late reply.
Yes I have tried to design it to be a uni-fit system with the corner mounting brackets bolted in slotted holes. I do not have access to any other tanks to check the actual mounting but it would not be difficult to modify the corner mounts and redrill the cross bar holes.

[Liam Mahoney]

Hi All
I have one rotisserie left if anyone is interested.

Thanks
Liam

[Greg Stephens]

Liam, amazing design! Are you interested in selling plans?

[Liam Mahoney]

Thought you would be interested to see the latest addition to my assembly assistance tools - a low profile scissor lift.
A while back I modified a jack I’d been using under our tanks for a friend to help with lifting his tank so he could work on the running gear. Unfortunately it proved to be less than adequate, rocking badly from side to side and as it was only a centre lift design it became quite scary once the tracks came off the ground. I looked at motorbike lifts (12.3kgs) and saw on the forum that they are used by some members, but they are just too high and if you need that lift out in the paddock you need a low jack. So after a very interesting prototyping I finally arrived at a jack that I was happy with. Depending on the option of timber for the top and bottom plates (3mm, 6mm) it will lift from 50-150mm or 60-160mm. To test the side rocking I deliberately located the jack as far to one side under my Tiger (167.4kg) and the photos shows the result - it looks a little off but I was quite happy. It is very solid and did not shake or rock and only weighs 5.5kgs.
One of the little issues that became a challenge was the jack handle as the jack is very low and the access to the screw is covered by the cross bars with just 9mm between them. This is not an issue if you are happy to only turn the handle ½ a turn then, unlock, turn back, relock and then turn another ½ turn (the handle hits the ground because it is so low) but for an alternative I made a hinge handle that will swivel at ground level. Also rather than use a hex type drive which is hard to lock to the jack so you can position the jack under the tank I used a fork and pin attachment.
Unfortunately the design became more complicated as it evolved which pushed up the material and part count and cost, with the final price ending up at AU$525 (plain handle, 6mm MDF) plus freight and fees. I know that there may not be much interest at this price but I thought I would let you know.

Thanks
Liam

[Marco Peter]

Very nice, such a low profile! I use a regular motor lift, slightly too high to slide under my Panther or Tiger, so I made a hole in the platform that the wheels are mounted on. Works like charm! (but yes I need a small ramp (20 cm or so?) to drive onto the platform.

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

Awesome design! You have addressed all the issues and made it lightweight, too!

[Gerhard Michel]

Nice design, indeed!


For my tanks I use customary hydraulic car jacks with a simple plywood plate for working and for storage with released drive train springs. These jacks are a little too high to drive over; therefore I move the tank upon 2 wooden beams with the jack between. Then I jack the tank up, remove the beams and let the tank down again into its storing position.

[Liam Mahoney]

Hi all
I have had some interest in my Rotisseries, unfortunately the MOQ for the parts required to make these is 5 anything less make them even more expensive. PM me if you are interested and if I get enough interest I will make these again. The standard mounting if for most Germany tanks but I have had enquiries for brackets to fit the SdKfz 7 which I would offer as an option.

Thanks
Liam

[Paul McMartin]

I can attest to how well these work, and you can turn your tank with 1 hand.
You won't regret getting one.

[Damon Resch]

I’m interested in this for both the SdKfz 7 and King Tiger. Of course Armortek will come up with something else that will make me buying this a great investment for my future projects.

[David Battson]

Hi Liam
The rotisserie looks like a very useful tool for accessing all parts of the build and a great way of checking that everything is bolted down properly ! But more impressive for me is the incredible suspension detail on your Panther. The prototypical swing arms look superb, how did you make them? Have I missed a build blog somewhere?
David

[Chang]

Hi Liam,

Is it possible for the next rotisserie to fit the longer FAMO and other bigger models as well?

Thanks
Lerh Chang

[Simon Peck]

I could be interested. Do you have an idea on price?