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Help w old towmotor

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Smokeonthewater

Plastic
Joined
Oct 31, 2021
I recently picked up a towmotor 501p... I'm going through it and fixing up neglected issues...

Worn steering, brakes, genny, gauges, carb, etc....

Will have a few questions as I go but first one, I pulled the counterweight and there is the remains of a pipe w holes behind the radiator...
Warm air intake? Surely not exhaust??? What is this?


It's about 1.5" dia, mounted diagonally across the back of the radiator w lots of 1/4" holes drilled at an angle toward the rad left and right, and the top end capped...20211031_173752.jpg20211031_173801.jpg
 
Smokeonthewater said:
I recently picked up a towmotor 501p... I'm going through it and fixing up neglected issues...

Worn steering, brakes, genny, gauges, carb, etc....

Will have a few questions as I go but first one, I pulled the counterweight and there is the remains of a pipe w holes behind the radiator...
Warm air intake? Surely not exhaust??? What is this?

Well apparantly I can't post pics yet...
It's about 1.5" dia, mounted diagonally across the back of the radiator w lots of 1/4" holes drilled at an angle toward the rad left and right, and the top end capped...
Click to expand...

Pipe with holes is probably the exhaust output after the muffler. My lift had a similar pipe.

First posts sometimes do not allow pics, maybe you can edit it to add pic or respond to thread and post pic.
 
Well I got the pics in but of course they flopped over on their side lol

Seems crazy that the exhaust would be against the radiator but not impossible I suppose
 
I would guess the radiator fan is blowing the exhaust away from the radiator, check your fan blades and the rotation of it to know if it is sucking or blowing through the rad. It could be there to warm up quicker?
 
So with almost 300 views and only Rob replying... does that mean everyone agrees that this is the exhaust or nobody else has any clue? lol

Also, does anyone know how much the counterweight weighs? I was told it was 2400 lbs but my little lift is rated for 2000 @ 24" and the rear was getting very light w the counterweight at about 12" so guessing it's 4000 plus
 
Last edited:
That pipe is definitely the exhaust pipe. I've been working on forklifts over 25 years, seen dozens of them like that standing vertical. Every IC forklift I've worked on has the fan blowing the air out of the engine compartment, could be some don't, but I haven't seen one.
That counterweight is hella big, definitely more than 2400lbs, not sure 4000, but it's a better guess. Be extremely careful with it, if/when the chain slips off the forks and that counterweight hits the ground, it will rock violently back and forth, crushing everything in it's path.
BTW, be very careful driving it without the counterweight on, hit the brakes a little hard travelling forward, and the back wheels will come off the ground. And DO NOT raise the mast, I've seen machines fall forward because someone took the counterweight off and raised the mast, even without forks!
 
Its 2400.....work it out yourself....500lb /cu ft .....Ive scrapped lots of crane counterweights solid cast iron......one that wasnt was a fueltank made of cast iron...still had 50 gals in it ,at least 30 year old...woulda saved it if I had known how much.
 
Thanks guys ... been using it the last couple weeks building a shed... made a jig for cutting steel siding and various angles from a pallet, plywood, and 2x4's...

The guy who claimed it would still lift 2000 without the counterweight was a little optimistic I think seems closer to 1000...


20211109_170854.jpg
 
Glock34 said:
That pipe is definitely the exhaust pipe. I've been working on forklifts over 25 years, seen dozens of them like that standing vertical. Every IC forklift I've worked on has the fan blowing the air out of the engine compartment, could be some don't, but I haven't seen one.
That counterweight is hella big, definitely more than 2400lbs, not sure 4000, but it's a better guess. Be extremely careful with it, if/when the chain slips off the forks and that counterweight hits the ground, it will rock violently back and forth, crushing everything in it's path.
BTW, be very careful driving it without the counterweight on, hit the brakes a little hard travelling forward, and the back wheels will come off the ground. And DO NOT raise the mast, I've seen machines fall forward because someone took the counterweight off and raised the mast, even without forks!
Click to expand...

I had the same lift, it is the exhaust mine was helpless on anything but hard surface always worked though


When I find it I don’t need it
When I need it I can’t find it!
 
Appreciate it... thinking of making a sheet metal hood and hanging 500 lbs or so off the back MAYBE on a telescopic rack of some sort.... it does pretty good now in my yard as long as I don't get on any sort of hill when it's not good and dry.... even with the counterweight it did great on my gravel driveway but really what I need is a rough terrain lift (preferably a telehandler)... making this one do for now

Either way, if I ever find an appropriate muffler I'll restore the tailpipe behind the radiator.
 
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I was doing an onsite repair on a H80,had to remove the counterweight,borrowed a small fork from the next door.......anyhoo ,soon as the little fork reversed ,the steer came off the ground.........guy yelled out to the office,and two fat wimmin came out ,sat one each side on the little fork....extra weight did the job no worries.
 
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