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I figure I need at a minimum a 2 ton shop crane. Probably a gantry
crane would be the most useful. At over a dollar a pound (minimum) for
a commercially made crane and must are just wrong for what I consider
ideal I've had a hard time opening my wallet. I've been more mouth than billfold on this subject I guess.
Ideally I want one that will just barely fit through a 10x10 ft doorway
AND fit around an 8'6" trailer. A little taller and only being able to bring it in through the 10x12 ft door might do more work, even if it
might be slightly less convenient. Telescoping might be an option (vertically).
Nobody seems to make one exactly like that. They meet some specs, but
not others etc.
So anyway, since my dad passed I've been managing my parents properties.
One is a commercial property (4 good sized lots together) that's had a renter in it since about three years ago when I arranged it while my dad
was recovering from having a brain tumor removed. Looking at their
finances It looks like the rental on that was making the difference
between living and just surviving for them. Anyway, since my dad passed I've been managing it again. The renter called me on Monday and said
they were completely out, and let me know where I could pick up all the keys. Good renters. I had to remind them rent was past due a few
times, but no worse than some renters from when I had rental houses.
Anyway I headed out a few days ago to pickup the keys and give the place
a once over to see what I want to do with everything.
There are trucks (one left behind by the renter (with permission)) and a couple of my dad's stored in the back. There is that 42 Willy's Jeep
I've mentioned. A pretty nice fifth wheel trailer "abandoned" by a
previous renter and various assortment of junk, tools, and equipment.
The renter was a solar installer working on one of the big solar
projects out in the desert, and they were mostly using the property to
park a fifth wheel for their crew, using one of the buildings to receive shipments, and storing construction equipment inside and outside in the
large fenced yard. It worked out really well, because they got what
they needed in a rural area, and my dad didn't have to remove/move all
his junk. He left that for me. LOL.
Anyway, out by the back fence I found several fairly large I-beams
setting up off the ground on wood beams. I think I just found my gantry crane. Now if only I can stumble across some big steel casters out
there somewhere I'll be set. Maybe they are under the old gas pumps
over by the south fence. ;^)
On 12/21/2024 5:35 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
I figure I need at a minimum a 2 ton shop crane. Probably a gantry
crane would be the most useful. At over a dollar a pound (minimum)
for a commercially made crane and must are just wrong for what I
consider ideal I've had a hard time opening my wallet. I've been more
mouth than billfold on this subject I guess.
Ideally I want one that will just barely fit through a 10x10 ft
doorway AND fit around an 8'6" trailer. A little taller and only
being able to bring it in through the 10x12 ft door might do more
work, even if it might be slightly less convenient. Telescoping might
be an option (vertically).
Nobody seems to make one exactly like that. They meet some specs, but
not others etc.
So anyway, since my dad passed I've been managing my parents
properties. One is a commercial property (4 good sized lots
together) that's had a renter in it since about three years ago when I
arranged it while my dad was recovering from having a brain tumor
removed. Looking at their finances It looks like the rental on that
was making the difference between living and just surviving for them.
Anyway, since my dad passed I've been managing it again. The renter
called me on Monday and said they were completely out, and let me know
where I could pick up all the keys. Good renters. I had to remind
them rent was past due a few times, but no worse than some renters
from when I had rental houses. Anyway I headed out a few days ago to
pickup the keys and give the place a once over to see what I want to
do with everything.
There are trucks (one left behind by the renter (with permission)) and
a couple of my dad's stored in the back. There is that 42 Willy's
Jeep I've mentioned. A pretty nice fifth wheel trailer "abandoned" by
a previous renter and various assortment of junk, tools, and equipment.
The renter was a solar installer working on one of the big solar
projects out in the desert, and they were mostly using the property to
park a fifth wheel for their crew, using one of the buildings to
receive shipments, and storing construction equipment inside and
outside in the large fenced yard. It worked out really well, because
they got what they needed in a rural area, and my dad didn't have to
remove/move all his junk. He left that for me. LOL.
Anyway, out by the back fence I found several fairly large I-beams
setting up off the ground on wood beams. I think I just found my
gantry crane. Now if only I can stumble across some big steel casters
out there somewhere I'll be set. Maybe they are under the old gas
pumps over by the south fence. ;^)
Hmmmm.... I wonder if I 'll get lucky and stumble across a big piece of thick wall steel tube I can use to make a jib crane over by the mills
and lathe in the back of the shop.
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:vk7mtd$9buc$1@dont-email.me...
...
Anyway, out by the back fence I found several fairly large I-beams
setting up off the ground on wood beams. I think I just found my gantry crane. Now if only I can stumble across some big steel casters out
there somewhere I'll be set. Maybe they are under the old gas pumps
over by the south fence. ;^)
Bob La Londe
------------------------------------------
If you don't need to roll a loaded gantry you can use trailer tongue
jacks for retractable casters. Position them so you can crank both at
one end up and down simultaneously. You can still travel with a load
above their rating in steps, moving the load and gantry alternately.
Adding outrigger wheels to the casters lets them roll better on dirt but
then they don't swivel well. They can be linked and controlled with
steering knuckles made from strap steel, drilled to go on the axle, with
a pull handle.
Custom axles are a use for a lathe.
I've seen boat trailer winches on commercial gantries to raise and lower
the unloaded beam. I use them on my tripod supports, attached to a leg
with muffler clamps. I would want a lowest beam height that allows
hooking on the chainfall without a ladder, they are heavy and awkward. I modified my trolleys with connecting rod sleeves that the chainfall hook
fits over (endwise), increasing the working height and allowing the nuts
to be tightened without restricting the hook. I put the chainfall on a
table and lower the beam to match so I have both hands free to assemble
the trolley to them.
Unbreakable rubber farm buckets are good for storing and carrying a chainfall, and in use they can keep the hand chain out of the dirt/mud.
The sleeves were a lathe job, water pipe bored to fit over the trolley
rod. Much of what I make could be done on a small inexpensive hobby
lathe, the shafts and bushings, but not the gears and pulleys. My small
lathe turns much faster than my larger one, which is handy to drill deep grease holes in axles. I use the little one for grinding, sanding and polishing to keep grit off the ways of the good one.
The tripods stand upright without the beam, which makes one-man assembly easy. Published specs suggest that some sizes of water pipe, EMT and
chain link fence post may telescope together, I haven't tried with the
2" sizes appropriate for a tripod gantry support. You can check their
column strengths with on-line calculators, I know what loading my
rigging gear has proof tested to but can't guarantee it for someone
else's likely different construction. Single post uprights with free
rolling bases would need to be much stronger. The conventional rolling
design makes sense on level pavement, mine is for uneven ground outdoors
and disassembles for storage. https://www.amazon.com/Klau-Industrial-Hanging-Display-Factory/dp/ B0CFFCSFJW/ref=asc_df_B0CFFCSFJW?
On-line calculators can give you the load capacity of a simply supported standard structural beam with a single centered load, the worst case.
The first number is the nominal height of the beam, the second the
weight per foot, determinable from the dimensions. I used 1/240
deflection as the limit, the beam can handle more but the load may roll toward the center.
I didn't specifically include loading the truck in my gantry design
because the towable shop crane that moves in all directions is more convenient for slung loads, the platform lift for others. Plus I can
mount the bed crane to lift on or off anywhere.
For the heaviest log loads (>3000#) I moved and secured the trolley with
two blocks-and-tackle, operated from outside the danger area. They gave
fine control to center a maximum sized log within 1/2" on the sawmill
and should help to position a heavy lathe chuck or workpiece.
jsw
"Snag" wrote in message news:vk8144$f4q8$1@dont-email.me...
On 12/21/2024 6:41 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
Hmmmm.... I wonder if I 'll get lucky and stumble across a big pieceDepending on the load capacity needed ... I built 2 swiveling jib
of thick wall steel tube I can use to make a jib crane over by the
mills and lathe in the back of the shop.
cranes with a portable base* for handling firewood . My first out of 2x2
thin wall square tube and I've handled up to about 400 lbs with it using
a hand crank . Then I got some thick wall and built another with a 2500
Lb electric winch mounted on it . *I also built a pivot mount in the
front corner of my 5z8 utility trailer . The light unit with the hand
crank stays on the portable base , been useful for tasks like hanging a
truck door out of my way while I replace hinge pins . The other stays on
the trailer for handling firewood rounds and dragging logs out of a
tangle .
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:vk9gnn$mv2t$2@dont-email.me...
Actually their individual load times four. Just like any other caster. Trailer jacks is not a bad idea, and I have seen this sort of thing done
on other equipment. They are also available (at a substantial cost) at
much higher ratings. Having seen a few failures generally the
limitation of most lighter ones is the plastic wheel. I've seen them
break.
--------------------------------
I found tongue jack replacement wheels in a discount store to add on
with a longer axle.
Steel wheels aren't that hard to make. I welded crossed plates for
spokes into a slice of 6" stainless pipe, bored the center a snug fit
for pipe and welded it, then bored the pipe to accept needle bearings
cut from stainless welding rod. These are the oversized all-terrain replacement wheels for my platform lift which is stored on sometimes wet ground.
The HF 1300 Lb electric winch starts with a considerable jolt
meant to mount on horizontal pipe with the included straps. The cable
would bunch up at an end instead of winding evenly if the winch was
somehow hooked to a trolley hoist and could tilt.
I scratch-built a trolley with a flat bottom the winch bolts to. That
was the project behind my posting of a few years ago about boring a
recess to press in a bearing. Mostly I use this trolley with a chain or
lever hoist hung from a central eye bolt because the electric winch is
too hard to control precisely. When positioning a log or partly cut cant
on the sawmill I lift it only enough that it can be slid into position
and will stay there.
The electric winch was good for stacking logs because I could stand
clear in case the pile shifted. Stacking cut timbers with it was a
nuisance because it wouldn't partially support them while I aligned the stack.
On 12/22/2024 11:45 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe"á wrote in message news:vk9gnn$mv2t$2@dont-email.me...
Actually their individual load times four.á Just like any other caster.
Trailer jacks is not a bad idea, and I have seen this sort of thing done
on other equipment.á They are also available (at a substantial cost) at
much higher ratings.á Having seen a few failures generally the
limitation of most lighter ones is the plastic wheel.á I've seen them
break.
--------------------------------
I found tongue jack replacement wheels in a discount store to add on
with a longer axle.
Steel wheels aren't that hard to make. I welded crossed plates for
spokes into a slice of 6" stainless pipe, bored the center a snug fit
for pipe and welded it, then bored the pipe to accept needle bearings
cut from stainless welding rod. These are the oversized all-terrain
replacement wheels for my platform lift which is stored on sometimes wet
ground.
The HF 1300 Lb electric winch starts with a considerable jolt
That could be an issue...
and is
meant to mount on horizontal pipe with the included straps. The cable
would bunch up at an end instead of winding evenly if the winch was
somehow hooked to a trolley hoist and could tilt.
I am sure the winch could be hooked to a trolley even if mounts had to
be fabricated. As to the cable, I've seen it done with a series of mini >rolling hangers. It would/could bunch up, but it would roll out and
roll back just fine. Te real expense if it were used often would be >replacing the cords with high flex cord.
I scratch-built a trolley with a flat bottom the winch bolts to. That
was the project behind my posting of a few years ago about boring a
recess to press in a bearing. Mostly I use this trolley with a chain or
lever hoist hung from a central eye bolt because the electric winch is
too hard to control precisely. When positioning a log or partly cut cant
on the sawmill I lift it only enough that it can be slid into position
and will stay there.
The electric winch was good for stacking logs because I could stand
clear in case the pile shifted. Stacking cut timbers with it was a
nuisance because it wouldn't partially support them while I aligned the
stack.
--Use a DC winch with a speed control or "soft start" or get all fancy
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N St