Help, removing hydraulic lift!

[AlexVega360]

We hit a spark and not in a good way in the process of removing our hydraulic handicap lift. The red wire with the metal cap grazed a metal part of our bus and sparks flew. Everyone is fine but we want to move forward safely. Any advice?

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Do you have a voltmeter you can test for voltage? If you do, you can see if it’s still live.

Put a bunch of electrical tape on that terminal end

Remove the negative terminal from the starter battery/batteries and make sure you have no power.

Trace that cable back to where it starts, probably under the hood. Disconnect it and then remove the cable.

 

[EastCoastCB]

That positive lead runs to the positive side of your battery(s). Unhook it from the batteries before doing anything with the lift. The lift is grounded to the bus.
I left that lead in case I ever want to run anything powerful in the rear of the bus right off the batteries.
No need to unhook anything from the starter unless that lead runs to the starter but it doesn't it runs off the battery.

 

[AlexVega360]

Thank you so much EastCoastCB, is it okay to just put the plastic case back on and get to work on it tomorrow? My husbands a bit worried about more sparks and a fire hazard.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Thank you so much EastCoastCB, is it okay to just put the plastic case back on and get to work on it tomorrow? My husbands a bit worried about more sparks and a fire hazard.

Yeah, just don't let the end of the big red lead touch metal on the bus.

If you open up your battery tray you'll likely see it connected. Follow it to make sure.

 

[AlexVega360]

Awesome, thank you so much! We really appreciate the quick reply.

 

[EastCoastCB]

No problem.
Did you already unbolt the lift?
I've had a much easier time lowering the lift and taking the pins out of the arms to remove it. They come off quick. I cut the lines and chuck it all to the curb.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

No problem.
Did you already unbolt the lift?
I've had a much easier time lowering the lift and taking the pins out of the arms to remove it. They come off quick. I cut the lines and chuck it all to the curb.

Thanks for the tip. I’ve been wondering how I’m going to drop it single-handed

 

[matthews2001]

I sold mine on ebay, $400, took a while cause they had to pick it up, hard (nor impossible) to ship.

Used the 12vdc wire for my inverter. It went to a relay and switch on the dash

 

[EastCoastCB]

Dang, I'd sure love to get $400.
I've tried giving them away and had no luck.

 

[AlexVega360]

We did, but we'll put some work into it this week. Probably get it out to the dump soon. What did you end up doing with yours?

 

[peakbus]

i just sold a second one for $250 on Craigslist. The buyers backed their pickup up to the wheelchair door and we slid it right in.

 

[EastCoastCB]

We did, but we'll put some work into it this week. Probably get it out to the dump soon. What did you end up doing with yours?

Dragged it out to the road and eventually some scrappers came and got it.
What part of central FL are you in?

 

[AlexVega360]

Deltona area, the dump isn't too far here in Volusia County. We've done some downsizing so the neighbors are used to seeing stuff out every once in awhile.

 

[EastCoastCB]

thankfully since most bus refuse is steel the scappers have kept me from ever having to use the dump.

You should come over some afternoon. We could talk buses. I'm in the Eustis/Sorrento area.

 

[AlexVega360]

We would love that, we'll keep you posted on how the lift works out. Hoping to put some hours in before the weekend and make some more progress.

 

[BTimmer]

For that large red power wire, slide a length of hose over it to insulate it. You may want to tape it with electrical tape to keep the hose affixed.

 

[6windowsNadream]

On our bus we had a 109amp breaker that we simply shut off. It was attached to the wall of the battery box. We cut our red cord before it entered the bus at the back and bugged the end off. We also then made sure that the underside of the bus would never come in contact with the end even though it was taped, protected and taped again. When we want to use that power, we can turn the breaker back on. We’ll have to figure out what we want to power first.

 

[popper]

FYI
When ever working with electric such as this your best bet is to always disconnect the negative cable at the battery or batteries first. Then if you happen to touch something that is on the positive side of circuits it won't arc. Then always hook up the ground cables at the battery last.
You can get a cheap voltmeter at any hardware store or even a test light if you need to check for power.

Popper

 

[Sp6saz]

Disconnect the battery power before proceeding