Grabber/Litter Picker

[niall Y]

I never really know what to call these, but I do find them handy for lifting things off the high shelves in my workshop. I have had umpteen of them over the years, however, the problem is that they keep breaking. They are not really man enough to lift anything above the weight of a piece of litter without snapping inside. Little wonder, as most of the working parts are thin plastic.

Does anyone know of a more robust version that is at least capable of at lifting something the weight and size of a can of beans off a shelf. We purchased six of them last time, to use around the workshop and house, and my wife broke the last one a few days ago. They seem to be nothing more than "Token objects" - they all look as though they should work, but are not really fit for purpose.

 

[Tris]

These look pretty robust
https://www.aspli.com/282/litter-picker-heavy-duty-with-curved-handle/

 

[JSW]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I'm sure this design could be improved upon and made more heavy duty, cracking little project to mull over.

 

[niall Y]

These look pretty robust
https://www.aspli.com/282/litter-picker-heavy-duty-with-curved-handle/

Thanks for the link. I would prefer the more hand -like grabber. This .though, is fairly robust, and with less parts to go wrong.

 

[niall Y]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I'm sure this design could be improved upon and made more heavy duty, cracking little project to mull over.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm sorely tempted. I could substitute the plastic for metal, which might allow me to pick up a brick with it.
I've just come across the "Unger Professional Nifty Nabber", which looks to be the part. Though I will have to get the price down somehow.

 

[ChaiLatte]

I read your initial post as 'Tolkien objects'.

If you look in a mobility/old people's/disabled type store you would likely find a higher quality (and higher price) grabber than on a general Amazon-type marketplace.

On the litter-picker side, look at a janitorial equipment supplier. Something that is used in a commercial environment on a daily basis would need to be better quality.

Distract your local council's street sweeper, grab his and run away fast.

Organise a litter pick at your local beauty spot and get the council to provide the equipment as part of the deal. Forget to return the equipment at the end.

Does the grabber need soft jaws? A set of blacksmith's tongs with the appropriate jaw shape (jaw tips that meet, but with a circular opening deeper in the jaws) would be robust.

 

[Cabinetman]

Just the sort of homemade design problem I like to solve.
Two shaped "fingers" which close up by pulling the string attached to the trigger, springs to pull them apart again, couple of Nylon bushes. lots of scope for an inventive person there.
Ian

 

[JSW]

Just the sort of homemade design problem I like to solve.
Two shaped "fingers" which close up by pulling the string attached to the trigger, springs to pull them apart again, couple of Nylon bushes. lots of scope for an inventive person there.
Ian

Yep, the site needs a UKW Scrapwood Challenge, This kind of thing is crying out for one

 

[niall Y]

From a design point of view, the linkage needs not to be cord,, as it is prone to stretch. It needs to be a thin metal rod or a thick wire. The use of plastic should be minimised as it is prone to break. On all the ones I have used so far I have managed to snap the linkage by grabbing too hard.

All the ones I have seen so far, for use by the handicapped make the obvious assumption that they won't exert any great strength while using them. Which means they may well have a delicate grab, but they are far from robust.

 

[flying haggis]

we have a couple of this style in the house that MIL used to have and they seem to grab quite well and being aluminium the "stick" part doesnt bend and the string can be replaced


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334736504663?itmmeta=01J4HTQYVWPVM92PSKT764Q0CD&hash=item4defd9b757:g:YUsAAOSwWTViJzH6&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAAwC/cq6vJffzWbyflzWtMWpYaGoGJcqx1koc9xc2ENPwJWAAEiQfrKW2JTJCJ9dUxb/guF4PZ3HxmGZ8luEjwu8K+ook69eyFE6c4BQBffmc+TVp6ZCDqgqlg66awq0j/+Wc9EaN/lj8p4SLNOh8MKgseJqCO9jpVgNLrcOzjy36l4U+HkZd8Ic998gJ3Gc7T9ax6Iw+zLAPVa3C4LLmpCLxLkIv2qhU6bvouOgW6Ah/qi/JM3L99FwaIbAlOjwue7w==|tkp:Bk9SR4bu37qkZA


edit: just very unscientifically grabbed hold of the kitchen scales and i could make the scales read over 1400G when i squeezed them

 

[ChaiLatte]

From a design point of view, the linkage needs not to be cord,, as it is prone to stretch. It needs to be a thin metal rod or a thick wire.

Please look up the "specific stiffness" (this is a narrowly-defined technical term also called 'specific modulus') of Dyneema and steel.

See graph here:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Specific_stiffness_of_materials.svg

 

[HamsterJam]

I bought one of these which gets regular use picking up tools and small pieces of wood that fall behind the workbench.
It’s holding up well especially given the low cost….

https://www.moleavon.co.uk/defenders-trigger-picker/p58705

 

[ChaiLatte]

It’s holding up well….

Being called a Trigger picker, does that mean you have replaced the handle twice and the grips three times?

 

[stuart little]

we have a couple of this style in the house that MIL used to have and they seem to grab quite well and being aluminium the "stick" part doesnt bend and the string can be replaced


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334736504663?itmmeta=01J4HTQYVWPVM92PSKT764Q0CD&hash=item4defd9b757:g:YUsAAOSwWTViJzH6&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAAwC/cq6vJffzWbyflzWtMWpYaGoGJcqx1koc9xc2ENPwJWAAEiQfrKW2JTJCJ9dUxb/guF4PZ3HxmGZ8luEjwu8K+ook69eyFE6c4BQBffmc+TVp6ZCDqgqlg66awq0j/+Wc9EaN/lj8p4SLNOh8MKgseJqCO9jpVgNLrcOzjy36l4U+HkZd8Ic998gJ3Gc7T9ax6Iw+zLAPVa3C4LLmpCLxLkIv2qhU6bvouOgW6Ah/qi/JM3L99FwaIbAlOjwue7w==|tkp:Bk9SR4bu37qkZA


edit: just very unscientifically grabbed hold of the kitchen scales and i could make the scales read over 1400G when i squeezed them
View attachment 185516

Got two of them, one is kept near my shipyard desk, for recovering tools & parts which will suddenly jump off onto floor. Mostly caused by CTS. (Carpal Tunnel)!

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I bought this ‘tongs’ version a few years ago for picking toys off the floor, it has been well worth it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helping-Ha...932772&sprefix=ranger+max,aps,286&sr=8-2&th=1

 

[Fergie 307]

If you look at the ones the council litter pickers use, they seem to have gone over to the type which is just basically an elongated U. The bend being springy and a retainer part way down to stop it opening too far. Not quite as easy in some cases as the trigger type, but far more robust and much better for anything heavier than an empty drink can.

 

[niall Y]

I bought one of these which gets regular use picking up tools and small pieces of wood that fall behind the workbench.
It’s holding up well especially given the low cost….

https://www.moleavon.co.uk/defenders-trigger-picker/p58705

Thanks for the suggestion but it does seem to be Identical to the ones I have been using. Inside the tube, at both ends of the metal wire linkage are sliding, plastic plugs that are in turn fused/glued into the handle and grabber respectively. The weakest point is where these parts step down in size. They go from being the width of the inside of the tube to being thin section of rod. about 3mm in diameter. It is, invariably, at this point that they break.

 

[niall Y]

Got two of them, one is kept near my shipyard desk, for recovering tools & parts which will suddenly jump off onto floor. Mostly caused by CTS. (Carpal Tunnel)!

Are you sure it's not CaTS ?

 

[Cobbs]

we have a couple of this style in the house that MIL used to have and they seem to grab quite well and being aluminium the "stick" part doesnt bend and the string can be replaced


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334736504663?itmmeta=01J4HTQYVWPVM92PSKT764Q0CD&hash=item4defd9b757:g:YUsAAOSwWTViJzH6&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAAwC/cq6vJffzWbyflzWtMWpYaGoGJcqx1koc9xc2ENPwJWAAEiQfrKW2JTJCJ9dUxb/guF4PZ3HxmGZ8luEjwu8K+ook69eyFE6c4BQBffmc+TVp6ZCDqgqlg66awq0j/+Wc9EaN/lj8p4SLNOh8MKgseJqCO9jpVgNLrcOzjy36l4U+HkZd8Ic998gJ3Gc7T9ax6Iw+zLAPVa3C4LLmpCLxLkIv2qhU6bvouOgW6Ah/qi/JM3L99FwaIbAlOjwue7w==|tkp:Bk9SR4bu37qkZA


edit: just very unscientifically grabbed hold of the kitchen scales and i could make the scales read over 1400G when i squeezed them
View attachment 185516

I've got two sets of those left from my Dad, regular use for years now and no signs of giving up. Particularly useful for picking shot squirrels from where they've landed in bramble thickets!

 

[HamsterJam]

Thanks for the suggestion but it does seem to be Identical to the ones I have been using. Inside the tube, at both ends of the metal wire linkage are sliding, plastic plugs that are in turn fused/glued into the handle and grabber respectively. The weakest point is where these parts step down in size. They go from being the width of the inside of the tube to being thin section of rod. about 3mm in diameter. It is, invariably, at this point that they break.

Oh, that’s a shame - At least I know where to look if (when?) mine breaks