Bridge crane for 28x44 garage?

[sansbury]

I'm building a new garage, primarily intended to serve as personal shop space. I do some of everything but mostly machining and a bit of wood working. I don't really do auto stuff now but with a good space for it, maybe in the future.

I am starting to work with an engineer on construction drawings and one of the things I am considering is an overhead/bridge crane like the one below, with a rated 1-2 ton capacity. My usual needs are a lot less, mostly moving large pieces of material or assemblies weighing up to a couple hundred pounds, but the cost difference for 4000 vs 500 pound capacity isn't that big so I figure might as well go big.

The garage is being built with two 8x8 doors on the front and right now my thinking is to keep the interior wide open and have the crane cover pretty much the full floor area.

Before I go too far down the path, curious what others think.

PWI UltraLite Freestanding Bridge Crane

PWI’s UltraLite Freestanding Crane has the best in class hook height. It comes in lifting capacities of 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 2 Ton. Configure and order online.

hoistzone.com

 

[NUTTSGT]

Building it with 16' walls ? You're going to need some space above everything else for the bridge itself.


What is that going to add to the shop cost as far as just the crane itself $20K ? You will have to modify your concrete floor plan and thickness as well.

 

[Sumboodie]

We had one in a few shops I worked. Handier than pants pockets.

 

[sansbury]

What is that going to add to the shop cost as far as just the crane itself $20K ? You will have to modify your concrete floor plan and thickness as well.

Not cheap but I can swing it. I see it as an investment in both utility and safety as I work mostly alone.

Floor is already going to be 6” 4500 PSI as some of my machines are heavy. At these weights it doesn’t seem like there are many other requirements.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Not cheap but I can swing it. I see it as an investment in both utility and safety as I work mostly alone.

Floor is already going to be 6” 4500 PSI as some of my machines are heavy. At these weights it doesn’t seem like there are many other requirements.

Have you considered a Jib crane ? Only going to have one footprint and if put by the door, you can use it to load/unload.

Might even be easier to "swing it" financially too.

Maybe @zkdiesel will chime in with some experience.

 

[larry4406]

I think a bridge crane would be slick as ****!

That said, I am thinking I would be inclined to go with a less-intense approach, something similar to this from HF.

Benefit being you are not limited by the overhead rails meaning you can do your pick and drop from anywhere where it can roll - hell even outside!

Plus you can take it with you when/if you sell.

 

[Gutman]

Only input I have; if you can swing it and it fits within your plans and it's not too late: get get 10 x10 doors.

 

[wssix99]

Only input I have; if you can swing it and it fits within your plans and it's not too late: get get 10 x10 doors.

+ 1

If you really work with big things, 8' doors will be a disaster. My biggest mistake on my (concrete) house was putting in 8' doors. It's a daily regret. Not only are they narrow, but maximum vehicle/trailer width for roads is 8 1/2 feet. I can't get my trailers inside at all. I expect that you will want to bring heavy things inside on trailers for your crane. If so, you will need something wider than an 8' dor.

For a personal shop, the rolling gantry crane should have more utility. I would only install a fixed crane for a business where there is a repeatable process undertaken. The fixed cranes need foundations, which is going to segment the floor and create other challenges for control joints, etc.

 

[Sumboodie]

Only input I have; if you can swing it and it fits within your plans and it's not too late: get get 10 x10 doors.

Why so small?

 

[hh76]

Not much to add other than a bridge crane in the shop is great. I built mine myself, so not trusted to lift too much, but it is used all the time for lifting and positioning.

 

[bdbecker]

Before I go too far down the path, curious what others think...

If you can afford it, I say do it! If I ever get to build the dream shop, I will seriously consider doing something similar. It may be worth checking around your area for companies that specialize in this sort of thing to see if you can get a couple quotes. Heck, you might get lucky and find a deal on a used system.

Have you considered a Jib crane ? Only going to have one footprint and if put by the door, you can use it to load/unload...

Given the choice between a jib and a bridge, I'd go with a bridge in almost every circumstance. Jibs tend to be cheaper, but they also require a significant footing compared to a bridge, and that cost needs to be taken into account when pricing a system. Also, if they are not leveled perfectly, jibs tend to wander around on you. Nothing more annoying than having to stop to reposition something, only to reach for the hook and see it floating 4' away from where you had just left it.

 

[sansbury]

Have you considered a Jib crane ? Only going to have one footprint and if put by the door, you can use it to load/unload.

Might even be easier to "swing it" financially too.

I did but moving things around inside the shop is a bigger use case for me than just unloading things. I've come close to hurting myself a couple times ******* heavy things around the shop, so I see this as being kind of like a second set of hands.

As for cost, I won't say it's no issue (I'm not Elon) but I am a lucky guy who worked hard, took big risks, and got to see those pay off, so I get to buy nice stuff. I'll happily spend $5K more for utility, quality, not made in China, etc.

Only input I have; if you can swing it and it fits within your plans and it's not too late: get get 10 x10 doors.

That's fair, I can probably go wider. The only constraint I really have is on the footprint, due to a mix of zoning and siting/aesthetic concerns.

Ironically my current shop (in a rented industrial building) only has double man doors so like 6-7' wide, and everything I do fits through those easily, so I don't really think about width much. The garage I have now has 8x7 doors and the ROPS on my tractor is like 7'1" so I have to take them down every time I go in or out, so my main concern was height.

The fixed cranes need foundations, which is going to segment the floor and create other challenges for control joints, etc.

The ones I've looked at seem to only require a 6" pad, at least that's what the manufacturers say.

 

[bdbecker]

The ones I've looked at seem to only require a 6" pad, at least that's what the manufacturers say.

Unless you start to get into some serious weight (more than a ton), this is typically the case.

 

[rancherbill]

Your usage seems on the low side. One of these would do everything you discussed. Also when you move you can sell it and recoup some money.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I did but moving things around inside the shop is a bigger use case for me than just unloading things. I've come close to hurting myself a couple times ******* heavy things around the shop, so I see this as being kind of like a second set of hands.

As for cost, I won't say it's no issue (I'm not Elon) but I am a lucky guy who worked hard, took big risks, and got to see those pay off, so I get to buy nice stuff. I'll happily spend $5K more for utility, quality, not made in China, etc.



That's fair, I can probably go wider. The only constraint I really have is on the footprint, due to a mix of zoning and siting/aesthetic concerns.

Ironically my current shop (in a rented industrial building) only has double man doors so like 6-7' wide, and everything I do fits through those easily, so I don't really think about width much. The garage I have now has 8x7 doors and the ROPS on my tractor is like 7'1" so I have to take them down every time I go in or out, so my main concern was height.



The ones I've looked at seem to only require a 6" pad, at least that's what the manufacturers say.

No doubt, you have to be careful, especially when working by yourself. If you can afford it and the plans work out, it's full send.


As far as building size, it's cheaper to do it now that add on later. Go with some extra height if you can, that's the cheap part. What is your current plan for height ? When it comes to size, have you considered getting a variance to go bigger if you want ?

ROPS are hell on garage door panels. I found out the hard way after pouring concrete one cool fall day. If you have a tractor with ROPS, I'd assume you have a FEL ? Do you have pallet forks, they make life easier too.

 

[sansbury]

ROPS are hell on garage door panels. I found out the hard way after pouring concrete one cool fall day. If you have a tractor with ROPS, I'd assume you have a FEL ? Do you have pallet forks, they make life easier too.

Yeah I do. Fortunately the first time I made the mistake I was going at a crawl so only damage was to my pride

As far as building size, it's cheaper to do it now that add on later. Go with some extra height if you can, that's the cheap part. What is your current plan for height ? When it comes to size, have you considered getting a variance to go bigger if you want ?

Unfortunately this is the one thing I can't change too easily. It's a little complicated, but basically I'm hemmed in by topography on one side, sightlines on another, and zoning on the rest. The only way to easily go bigger is to block my favorite view, the next way would require massive earthwork and tree cutting, and the last would require me to spend a year applying for a variance that everybody has told me I am very unlikely to get. I am doing a basement on the back 1/3 of the garage to get bit more floor space so all told I'll have a little over 1400sqft. That is enough for what I want, I just can't have too many projects gathering dust in there at the same time.

It will also probably save me money because if I had 5000 feet, I would probably end up filling it with questionable decisions (everybody needs a bulldozer and an old fire truck sometimes, right?).

 

[LXCam]

I like the idea of the bridge crane, that’s a winner. But count me in on making a suggestion you rethink your door width. I did ten on my former shop and I won’t go that small again let alone smaller. The day will come you’ll need to get a full size trailer in there for a load or off load and ya ain’t gonna be happy. Even a full size truck with towing mirrors will become a cuss fess.

Good luck on your build.

 

[Walkers]

I built my own in my shop. It is one of the best things I have ever built as far as utility. I use it regularly.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I happened to watch this video the other day, it's about a semi-retired machinist building his retirement shop which includes a bridge crane. He goes into some detail on its installation, it may be useful reference information for you.

 

[ConCretin]

A less expensive and space consuming option would be to install the longitudinal beams on the top plate of your wall framing. Using undermount carriers for the lifting beam will maximize headroom to the point you'll have to use recessed light fixtures. I had an engineer run the numbers to give me a 2000 lb capacity in my 32x28 garage.

I haven't actually finished mine. The beams are in but I haven't got around to hanging the lifting beam and carriers so I can't share a pic of the finished install but I'd be happy to see what I have if your interested. I have a similar set up in another shop that has the longitudinal beams built into the concrete roof structure but is otherwise the same. You can check it out in my Concrete Underground build thread in the link below.

 

[loganb]

I've thought about this for a future home shop, we have a jib crane in the farm shop and have speced/bought/installed some free standing bridge crane setups for work. I think it would be super handy...few things to consider if you haven't already

As others mentioned, upside the doors to 10 x 10.

Closely lay out where the vertical posts for rail supports land and where you will put major tools etc.

You want maximum clearance under hook, so do a section view drawing of the crane and building to understand how this will work. Will scissor trusses allow more height? How much room does the trolley need at each end etc

With an overhead crane, you want to eliminate drops that prevent it from having free motion...so no cord reels, air hoses, sawdust hoses etc and as mentioned it can impact light fixture choice. cord reels etc can be mounted to the wall or to the vertical posts...just not preventing travel.

If you have a business with any business insurance, be aware you may need certified lifting equipment. Chains, slings etc all with inspection tags rated for overhead lifting as a condition of insurance. An inspection of the crane, by a qualified party on a specified frequency may be required as well

 

[Renegade1LI]

I would definitely go with the bridge crane, I have two in our main shop. They are perpendicular to each other so you can hand off a load and change direction. When I add on to my personal shop I will be building one.

 

[My Old Tools]

Mine isn't a bridge but its still handy as hell. 1 ton lift capacity, runs the full length of the shop, great for moving stuff to the loft. You need all the headroom you can get. By the time you hang the hoist, its hangdown length, and whatever you have your load in, it takes a lot of space to lift it off a truck or trailer. My door is 12x12, high lift.

 

[loganb]

Also consider your garage door tracks and how those will be done to prevent impacting trolley travel. I've seen pictures somewhere of where they did scissor trusses just so they could use angled, high lift tracks and run the tracks parallel to the ceiling and over the top of the bridge. Depending on access requirements, horizontal sliding doors or a roll up, metal door in the right climate may be an option as well.

 

[BillK]

One thing to keep in mind with the higher capacity one is the bridge will be considerably heavier and harder to pull around. Unless you get real fancy and get one with powered end trucks

I looked at these one time at a trade show:

SnapTrac - Kundel - Production Safety Systems

www.snaptrac.com

I cant imagine needing anything more than a 1 ton for most people. What would you ever lift that would be more than 2000 lbs ??

 

[sansbury]

One thing to keep in mind with the higher capacity one is the bridge will be considerably heavier and harder to pull around. Unless you get real fancy and get one with powered end trucks

I looked at these one time at a trade show:

SnapTrac - Kundel - Production Safety Systems

www.snaptrac.com

I cant imagine needing anything more than a 1 ton for most people. What would you ever lift that would be more than 2000 lbs ??

That's an interesting system. I'll give that a look.

The point about the bridge weight is fair. I was operating on the assumption that it was never bad to oversize but I see what you mean. I have had a couple occasions where I've had to single-point lift a machine pushing near 1 ton but I probably don't really need a full 2 tons. Most of the time I move machines it could be done with a pallet jack and skates.

 

[rancherbill]

I forgot the link

Your usage seems on the low side. One of these would do everything you discussed. Also when you move you can sell it and recoup some money.

They come engineered and ready to go.

https://www.wallacecranes.com/products/gantry-cranes/

 

[Sumboodie]

It will also probably save me money because if I had 5000 feet, I would probably end up filling it with questionable decisions (everybody needs a bulldozer and an old fire truck sometimes,

People that stop by ask me what I do.
Run a warehouse.

Uhhhh, so what's up with the heavy equipment and random "stuff".

Some people collect fooseball cards, I seem to collect equipment i guess.

Ups man said he remembers my place as the "one with the bulldozers"

 

[jmarkwolf]

I haven't looked at the prices of bridge crane but I'm pretty sure it wasn't in my budget when I built my 28ft x 30ft x 10ft about 10 years ago, but it sure would be nice to have one. I've got probably a dozen various lifting devices, including a roll around gantry, in my shop that would have been obviated with a single bridge crane.

I call my shop the "thumb puzzle" because it is pretty well jammed. Moving pretty much anything takes a lot of planning to move everything else out of the way.

Ah, in my next life.