Wheels/Casters for Hoist Stand

[kbuhagiar]

Hello Folks,

I have a 2-ton under-hoist tripod safety stand which has been very handy. Unfortunately it it heavy and awkward to move around. I would like to put casters on it, if possible, to make it easier to move around my garage. I'm thinking of drilling a hole in each lower gusset and mounting some sort of stem caster on each leg. Is there any way to do that without sacraficing its load capacity?

 

[finn]

That’s going to make it unstable, although I thought about doing the same thing.

Best to find some sort of low profile spring loaded caster that fully retracts so you don’t raise the cg, or reduce the spread, so the stand doesn’t shoot out from where you want it to be.

 

[GeoBruin]

I would look at something like the Rockler Workbench casters. They flip up when not in use to allow the load to sit on the feet as intended, and flip down to roll around. They will have the added benefit in your case of making the effective base wider when in the rolling configuration to make it more stable.

For what it's worth, the little welds on that gusset likely wouldn't support the full working load of the stand when loaded in the proposed way. I really would shy away from that.

Here's a link to a similar but cheaper caster on Amazon.

SPACEKEEPER Workbench Casters kit 660 Lbs - Retractable Casters Heavy Duty Bench Caster Wheels Designed for Workbenches Machinery & Tables, 4 Pack https://a.co/d/fbRl1up

 

[tarmy]

Weld up a bottom triangle base…beefy one and use these…

They lock firmly…and if a good solid base is used would be an improvement over those flimsy looking legs bottoms. Weld those legs firmly to the base. Those look like if they got hit with a load hard (like the end of a car) they bottoms would flair out and fail.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Best to find some sort of low profile spring loaded caster that fully retracts so you don’t raise the cg, or reduce the spread, so the stand doesn’t shoot out from where you want it to be.

Upon further review I completely agree.

 

[kbuhagiar]

I would look at something like the Rockler Workbench casters. They flip up when not in use to allow the load to sit on the feet as intended, and flip down to roll around. They will have the added benefit in your case of making the effective base wider when in the rolling configuration to make it more stable.

I agrre, this would be the way to go.

For what it's worth, the little welds on that gusset likely wouldn't support the full working load of the stand when loaded in the proposed way. I really would shy away from that.

No question, and because of that I am definitely abandoning the gusset-as-mounting-point idea.

 

[The Cobbler]

I would weld an axle across two of the legs with wheels between the legs . positioned in such a way that they don;t touch the floor when in upright position, but when the stand is tipped back , they contact the floor, raise the legs off the ground and dolley it around on the wheels

 

[kbuhagiar]

Weld up a bottom triangle base…beefy one and use these…

They lock firmly…and if a good solid base is used would be an improvement over those flimsy looking legs bottoms. Weld those legs firmly to the base. Those look like if they got hit with a load hard (like the end of a car) they bottoms would flair out and fail.

I appreciate the suggestion.

I'm not a welder, I'm more of a drill-and-bolt kind of guy, lol.

Actually, that tripod is plenty solid, I have used it a few times, and when it's in use there will never be any moving vehicles in it's proximity.

 

[kbuhagiar]

I would weld an axle across two of the legs with wheels between the legs . positioned in such a way that they don;t touch the floor when in upright position, but when the stand is tipped back , they contact the floor, raise the legs off the ground and dolley it around on the wheels

Now that sounds like the best idea yet. Our patio chaise lounges have a similar wheel setup; works well and allows me to easily move them around when necessary. My metal-cutting band saw was set up that way, too.

Of course, as I alluded to in a previous post, I'd have to bolt the axle to the legs, not weld it.

 

[MarcSeattle]

For the tilt-and-roll design, I'd be concerned that drilling holes in the stand legs for the bolts would compromise the strength of the stand. Those legs look pretty thin. I wonder if you could clamp the crosspiece (with wheels) to the stand. Maybe this: use a length of L-shaped steel that stretches the full length between two of the tripod legs; attach the casters to this. At each end of the angle steel, drill a hole next to the tripod leg. Cut a 2" piece of flat steel, put a hole in it, then sandwich the edge of a tripod leg between the angle steel and the flat piece. Use a bolt through the hole to clamp the angle steel to the tripod leg. Simple, easy, and no welding.

Come to think of it, the design doesn't need to be steel. Wood is fine, just a simple 1x4. You could get fancy and cut a groove in the end that is the thickness of the steel of the tripod. Two holes + two bolts then creates a clamp of the end of the 1x4 to the tripod leg.

 

[kbuhagiar]

For the tilt-and-roll design, I'd be concerned that drilling holes in the stand legs for the bolts would compromise the strength of the stand. Those legs look pretty thin. I wonder if you could clamp the crosspiece (with wheels) to the stand. Maybe this: use a length of L-shaped steel that stretches the full length between two of the tripod legs; attach the casters to this. At each end of the angle steel, drill a hole next to the tripod leg. Cut a 2" piece of flat steel, put a hole in it, then sandwich the edge of a tripod leg between the angle steel and the flat piece. Use a bolt through the hole to clamp the angle steel to the tripod leg. Simple, easy, and no welding.

Come to think of it, the design doesn't need to be steel. Wood is fine, just a simple 1x4. You could get fancy and cut a groove in the end that is the thickness of the steel of the tripod. Two holes + two bolts then creates a clamp of the end of the 1x4 to the tripod leg.

FWIW the stand weighs 50lbs, and the legs are 1/8" angle iron.
I doubt if a single 1/4" hole drilled into each leg would compromise its strength...but I do like your idea .

 

[tarmy]

If you were up in NorCal I would volunteer to absolutely over build the hell outa that thing.

A man has got to have projects…

 

[tarbellb]

The tilt and roll method is your best bet

Couple of u- bolts, rod, and some simple casters since they won't be holding the weight when stationary

 

[The Cobbler]

I'm thinking a couple of non swivel casters could be bolted directly to the angle . maybe even cut one end of the mounting holes , put that end down with new hole(s) drilled , lined up vertical & parallel

 

[kbuhagiar]

The tilt and roll method is your best bet

Couple of u- bolts, rod, and some simple casters since they won't be holding the weight when stationary

This is the plan!

 

[HoosierMark]

Just put it on a small HF dolly If you need it to support a lot of weight remove the dolly or use a wheel caster like you put under car tires to move them around. How often do you move it, how much weight does it stabilize and how long do you want to work on the project.
thanks for asking the question, I have the same stand and after today it will be sitting on a dolly for ease of moving. Great question.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Just put it on a small HF dolly If you need it to support a lot of weight remove the dolly or use a wheel caster like you put under car tires to move them around. How often do you move it, how much weight does it stabilize and how long do you want to work on the project.
thanks for asking the question, I have the same stand and after today it will be sitting on a dolly for ease of moving. Great question.

I got beat to the punch again. HF dollies are a good bang for the buck. Atleast they used to be.

 

[kbuhagiar]

**UPDATE**

Tilt-and-roll conversion complete! It only took an hour or so, and the best part is I already had the casters in my spares stash.

MUCH easier to move around now.

Onward to the next project...!

 

[The Cobbler]

Looks great. I like how you cut the tabs off the casters & bolted them on to the legs

 

[Jgaz]

Just in case someone else wants a different slightly different solution, this was how a friend of mine approached the same problem

His thread San be seen here.

Hoist Stand Upgrade

Since getting the hoist, have been looking for some tall jack stands. Struck out on locating a decent set of used ones, so upon seeing a 30% off coupon for HF, I went down to look them over, and decided to pick up a pair of them @ $49 ea. They are not the quality I would purchase for a profession...

offroadpassport.com

 

[Rockable]

I am SO doing this to my stands!

 

[MarcSeattle]

For the tilt-and-roll design, I'd be concerned that drilling holes in the stand legs for the bolts would compromise the strength of the stand. Those legs look pretty thin. I wonder if you could clamp the crosspiece (with wheels) to the stand. Maybe this: use a length of L-shaped steel that stretches the full length between two of the tripod legs; attach the casters to this. At each end of the angle steel, drill a hole next to the tripod leg. Cut a 2" piece of flat steel, put a hole in it, then sandwich the edge of a tripod leg between the angle steel and the flat piece. Use a bolt through the hole to clamp the angle steel to the tripod leg. Simple, easy, and no welding.

Come to think of it, the design doesn't need to be steel. Wood is fine, just a simple 1x4. You could get fancy and cut a groove in the end that is the thickness of the steel of the tripod. Two holes + two bolts then creates a clamp of the end of the 1x4 to the tripod leg.

FWIW the stand weighs 50lbs, and the legs are 1/8" angle iron.
I doubt if a single 1/4" hole drilled into each leg would compromise its strength...but I do like your idea .

Yeah, you're right. Brain fart on my part. I overlooked that the stand legs have holes drilled for the cross pieces. Two extra holes for the casters aren't likely to compromise the leg strength. Those legs seem spindly for two ton capacity, but I'll defer to the expertise of the engineers and their computers.