Walked into a small GA hangar last week and found an engine stand made from an old shopping cart

I was down at the local airport in Murfreesboro helping a buddy pull a Lycoming off a Piper Cherokee. Some guy had welded a steel shopping cart frame to a heavy base and bolted engine mounts right to it. It held a Continental O-470 perfectly steady while he worked on the accessories. I had to laugh because it was ugly but totally functional, probably cost him 20 bucks in scrap metal. Has anyone else seen a homemade shop tool that actually worked better than the expensive version?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.jake2d ago

Yeah that line about "ugly but totally functional" pretty much sums up half the stuff in my shop. I've got a tire changer made from a welded up truck rim and some pipe fittings, cost me maybe 15 bucks and it works better than the fancy Harbor Freight one my buddy has. The shopping cart thing is genius though, those things are built tough for what they are. I bet the guy who made that stand spent more time welding than money on parts. Its funny how sometimes the ugliest tools end up being the ones you use the most because you're not afraid to get them dirty or beat on them a little.

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sarah_brown2d ago

I read somewhere that old shopping carts are made of 11-gauge steel, perfect for welding projects like this one.

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