A lift tripod used to hoist up stones which are too heavy to lift by hand. This one will lift up to about 2,000 Lbs and then above that the top poles will bend but never break. Base poles can take weights of about 10,000 lbs. The Hoist hangs from the top and a variety of cloth strappings' attach to that to raise and lower the stone after it is secured with the cloth straps. This tripod will raises a stone to a height of about 7-8 foot and is not tall enough nor strong enough to pick up a 15 foot or taller spire monument. The advantage of this style is the two sections of piping can be taken apart to make it into small enough pipes that one can add it to their truck bed. It will ride in a standard truck bed if the front pipes are weighted down and of course red flags added to what sticks out at the back. This style tripod is recommended for use in cemetery repair because it will not damage the historical value of the cemetery like heavy equipment will. The fastening mechanism (bolt) at the top is loose enough that the three legs can be moved one at a time so the tripod can be transferred from one stone to another around the cemetery without taking it down each time. This will also allow the height of the lift to vary. I call this a walking the tripod. Careful here though you will cause it to fall on you if not careful. The weight is about 150 lbs total, but one can lift each leg separately as the top bolting can be removed to make three separate legs.
Various add-on equipment to the tripod to make it usable. The chain is connected to the tripod at the top and used to hang the Hoist on. There are two steel straps to attach to the bottom of the hoist to act as a connector to the cloth straps which connect to the stones. You cannot have steel in contact with the bare stone without damaging it. Here you also see various tough rubber pads that cushion the strength of steel when it contacts the stone. Remember we leave no imprint on our historic stone.
Here we have the common 2,000 lbs maximum weight hoist. There are a variety of these around for the task but they work by extending and rolling up the steel cable using force within the handle. This process then raises and lowers or stands a stone up. Its a bit tricky to learn to release a weight of 1,000 lbs without causing harm to yourself or the stone. So practice that on 40 lbs item before moving to the heavy stuff. Its all in the way the gear latches are used and released though. It helps to keep this thing greased up. I have used the inexpensive C clamps to connect to stones with padding between, but they tend to support a limited amount of weight before bending out of shape enough to destroy them. A standard 6 inch clamp will bend and be destroyed at a weight of over at about 500 lbs. Therefore clean up or pick the stone up enough to get a large cloth strapping around it, tighten that, and you will be rewarded with a great lift.
Cloth Straps which can be purchased from any hardware store. These come in various sizes and you should acquire several of those sizes. Don't over size or undersize the lift equipment. Obviously the less the width the less the strength. These will lift up to about 4 tons but the tripod will fail long before the 4 tons will be reached.
Get the cloth straps in place around the stone and tighten them first then tighten the steel hoist connected to the cloth straps and once all that is secure begin slowly to lift the stone. If the stone is partially underground uncover it completely and don't risk breaking it or the equipment. Make sure when the stone swings clear off the ground it comes straight up and does not swing over or around and hit anyone causing injury.
Various tools needed in the making the stones readable though not a complete list. A Probe, chalking & cleaning equipment, Common Shovel, Lopping Shears for cutting limbs up to 2 inches in diameter, Bow Saw, and a common sling Blade for cutting weeds. Chalking is explained in another the O1 Category. OK so some energy required to use this equipment and also danger for the unwary.
A 3 foot probe used to look for lost monuments or parts of stones sunken below the ground. It is very sharp on the end for punching down usually no more than 4 inches and often less. You will hear an audible dink when the probe strikes a stone. Move over and probe down again and if the sound is found again at the same depth continue to move around until you identify the shape of the stone. Next take the below shovel and dig up the stone and set it back on top of the ground or stand it up if it is not broken. Be certain you put it on the west end of the grave unless it is a footstone. To do that figure out which grave row it belongs into by where it was found and who may be related to the interred. This discussion is covered in Option 02 main restoration menu.
The Common shovel used to raise fallen stones from the ground.
This common (pull) Bow Saw is usable for taking out small trees invading graves in old abandoned cemeteries up to about 4 inches in diameter.
This sling blade can be used to remove weeds and tall grasses from around the memorials but be careful not to strike the stone or yourself for that matter. You can injure the stone and yourself for that matter. Practice using this device somewhere else before using it around the graveyard.
