A DIY 4 Post Storage Lift

akdiesel · Apr 26, 2009

For about 1 month I have been investigating the possibilities of building a 4 post free standing storage lift that can support two snow machines on two sepperate shelves.
I have finally found the set up to do it easily with a simple bolt together system.
How many of you use Unistrut? This stuff has actually been around since the 20's and was orriginally made for electrical support. But now there is a wide aray of uses for this stuff.
I have been working around it for a few years now but just recently I wanted somthing that was easy to use, tried and true with a safety factor astablished, and fairly easy to purchase.
This is it
OK. So who would want to have a free standing 4 post storage lift that has the abiltiy to have two or more storage shelves that can be lowered/raised and all for less than $1000.
This is not a sells pitch at all. I am just letting those of you that are interested in this that it is very easy to do.
More to come with picutures...

akdiesel · Apr 26, 2009

Now I am not trying to take buiseness away from BendPak or any others out there, but I have not been able to find a lift that can do what I have been able to build easily.

The Unistrut, Unistrut pieces, bolts, cable and and hooks are all rated for a 2000 lb shelve each. This is due to the four cables which are 3/16 rated at 840 each giving a approx 2500 lbs of capacity. The 3 1/4" 12 gauge Unistrut at a 10' span is rated at 1070 lbs but there two at that length for each shelve so that also allows for the 2000 lbs.
The only item that is not rated for 2000 lbs is the 12v winch. It is rated at 1500lbs when the drum is at its last wrap. I found the winch at a local hardware store for $69 so I am giving this a try with a 12v battery and a charger as well that I had in the shop.
The four hooks are rated at approx 500 lbs each. The eye bolts are 1/2" and did not a have a rating on them but I am more than sure they are adequate.
I am only expecting to lift 1000 lbs max per shelve. With a 3-1 Unistrut safety factor they have established I feel more than happy with weight limit on all of the parts involved.
The Unistrut comes in various lengths and and can be purchased at Lowes or Homedepot. Now they only have 1 5/8 strut and smaller and very limited accessories.
I live in Alaska and was able to locate a local Unistrut sales office that carried all of the items I needed, so for those that live in the lower 48 I am sure you can find a Unistrut dealer close by. Electrical shops sell this as well.
The locking mechanism is still being worked on. I am trying to come up with a simple bolt on pin system for each leg, but I like the BendPak spring loaded locks and I have an idea for it here but it will mean welding and bending of the pieces to make it work which is dueable since I have a welder and a bender but not everyone has this.

The total deminsions of the lift are 12' high / 10' wide / 5' deep. I am able to lift the top shelve approx 9' high. I am just using my sons little 120 to trials right now and I still have to put the other shelve together, which when fully lowered will simply stack on top of each other and if need be I can back the trailer up to it and transfer the sleds to the trays.

lojim · Apr 26, 2009

Very nice looking! Can you show a close up pictures of the cables? I can see how this would work for multiple shelves in your case. Lock the one in place, unhook the cables, release the winch, hook up to a second and away you go. Again - very nice!

Dragster Racer · Apr 26, 2009

That is a great project! I have been thinking about how to get bulky/heavy things up onto my loft. That would be just about perfect.

autoclassicnut · Apr 26, 2009

It'd be nice to get the riding mower inside and out of the way too! Anything...I have to add this to my to do list now...I only have to live to be 125 now to get all that I have planned done....LOL Nice work!

e-tek · Apr 26, 2009

Brilliant idea and execution, though I'm sure most would caution not "under-specing" or "underbuilding". I know you said you where happy with the load specs, but the last thing you need is for a brilliant idea to break a pin and send it all crashing down on someone or something. From your calculations above it would seem you're close to your maximums, esp. when taking into account friction. I would guess (and hope) that the motor would fail first.

But again, GREAT work!

gsport · Apr 26, 2009

pretty cool idea....

akdiesel · Apr 26, 2009

I can get some close up of the cable ties I made. I have the cable crimp tool, along with the aluminum ties.
I tried to get the cables as close to the proper length as possible, then when the shelve was loaded I adjusted the eye bolts to level it all out.

e-tek: Safetly is the first concern. I do not recommend anyone underneath the shelves. As I stated in the other post I have an idea for a spring loaded lock system, but it would only be in use when lifting items and not for lowering them.
As for friction the guides are four Unistrut dual wheels on bearings.
I started making this with two cable drops and found that the shelves were to unstable, and if the loads were not evenly destributed it would lean to one corner more.
Sometimes you have to take two steps back to advance.

akdiesel · Apr 26, 2009

Here is a close up of the cable crimp and the tools used.

I also needed to corect the hight. It is a total of 10' high. I had the 12 gauge of the Unistrut on the brain when I typed it in.

Holedgr · Apr 27, 2009

I personally would like to see some side support where the eyebolts go into your connector bracket(so they don't bend over) and double up on the aluminum ties(this from experience).

Aside from my paranoia about thin items failing.....

AWESOME PROJECT!! I am impressed with your innovation.

I made a cable/pulley setup for weight lifting when I was in high school out of unistrut, so youre project hits home!!

Keep enhancing your design till youre happy and don't worry about us "engineers"

-T

krooser · Apr 27, 2009

Intersting build. I'd be very careful to engineer all the brackets to be overbilt... just good enough isn't...

The same goes for the hardware. Those ChiCom hooks work well enough under normal loads but what happens when one breaks while you're walking under that shelf? Buy quality stuff as this is no time to cheat on quality.

1320stang · Apr 27, 2009

I'd suggest tying the tops of the two posts closest to the wall, to the wall and the feet to the floor maybe add a diagonal brace at the front. My biggest concern is how spindley it looks, with that much weight, I'd be concerned with the whole thing twisting and coming down.

But I must say, great innovation.

e-tek · Apr 27, 2009

akdiesel said:
I
e-tek: Safetly is the first concern. I do not recommend anyone underneath the shelves. As I stated in the other post I have an idea for a spring loaded lock system, but it would only be in use when lifting items and not for lowering them.
As for friction the guides are four Unistrut dual wheels on bearings.
I started making this with two cable drops and found that the shelves were to unstable, and if the loads were not evenly destributed it would lean to one corner more.
Sometimes you have to take two steps back to advance.

I certainly didn't mean to look like a "safety cop"!! (that used to be rampant here at GJ...). Looks like you've thought it out well - I'd stand under all day! :beer:

revlover · Apr 27, 2009

I think this looks great! I've got a weird hoist in my garage that uses ropes and pulleys... get's caught up a lot, so I don't use it as much... this is a much better solution!

akdiesel · Apr 27, 2009

Thanks for all of the good comments and the feed back to correct problems.
The first attempt to raise the shelf was by a hand crank winch. I wanted to try somthing that was not going to be expensive if this did not work.
It lifted the shelf but with the motion of your body cranking it up made the whole system shake. I did not like this at all, but I was still intending on using a power winch for ease and a smooth operation.
Now that I have the power winch there is no shaking at all. Smooth operation up and down, and since it lifts at each corner equally there is no friction with the use of the wheels and bearings. The wheels have a 100 lb capacity but since they are only being used as a guide this is not an issue.
I can take a video if you want and try to post on here, but I am not sure if this site will allow that large of file and I don't have a web site.
Again I am not trying to sell anything here, just giving an idea to those that are interested.

bowanna03 · Apr 27, 2009

Do you have some step by steps and hardware you used to do woudl love to do something like this for my riding mower awesome idea.

akdiesel · Apr 27, 2009

I have been talking with my son who is wanting to go to school for architecture when he graduates so he is willing to sketch it out on a computer program. I am not computer savy to this.
I will try to get somthing together soon with deminsions parts list and tools needed.

nonhog · Apr 27, 2009

I have a friend who is an electrician and he built his "Quad" rack out of uni strut.
He winches 2 on top with ramps then parks 2 below. Pretty nice set up .
He and a friend of his built a shop out of uni strut also.
Your set up looks awesome :thumbup:

akdiesel · Apr 30, 2009

Here is a list of items needed to build the lift for a two shelf system.
I am still trying to get the layout to show how to put it together and in what order for ease of installation.
The bolts to hold the pulleys were welded to the brackets just to keep the bolts from slacking too much in order for the pulleys to be able to freely rotate on the bolts. This is not really needed but it makes a cleaner pulley system.
The cable needed will need to be cut into two seperate lengths as well.
All of this will be in the instruction I am working on.

Dragster Racer · Jun 13, 2009

Finally found this thread. Any more picts of upper pulleys or diagrams? Oh, picts of the wheels too? This is a fantastic item for getting thing up into my loft area, so I want to do something similar.

akdiesel · Jun 22, 2009

I have been out of touch for a while. I also have some modifactions to do to the pulleys and as soon as I can get that done I will take some picutures of the pulleys, the winch I am using and a part number for the pulleys used.

Jey · Dec 10, 2009

This is very nice.

I have been thinking of something i can do like this to store my motorcycles over top of the bed of my truck. With the provided locking mechanisms in there, you could easily have two shelves above the rear end of my pickup when parked in the garage.

I would love to see more pictures!

akdiesel · Dec 10, 2009

Thanks for the input.
It has had these items on it now for about 1 month in this position. I do not have all of the snowmachines on it now since I am using them for winter.
A comment was made about safety while being underneath the lift, and I completely understand the concern for personel safety and equipemnt, that is why I included the for auto locking pins that support each corner in case of cable failure when lifting or stopping the tray in the desired location.
As any lift I would make sure the pins are in place before going under.
This is the only picture I have of the final job with the lift in use.

6t7gto · Dec 10, 2009

is this lift/storage device certified?

is it made in America?
is the steel American made?
or imported?
How about the winch? import or domestic?

JK
david

p.s. looks great!

akdiesel · Dec 10, 2009

Yes to all, but not certified... yet.

Colonial Cobra · Dec 10, 2009

Just the info I've been looking for. I was planning a similar lift in my storage area behind my garage. I like this much better. Looks like the closest dealer is several hours away. Hopefully I can find it closer.

Thanks
Brad

ksbee · Dec 10, 2009

akdiesel said:
Thanks for the input.
I included the for auto locking pins that support each corner in case of cable failure when lifting or stopping the tray in the desired location.
QUOTE]

akdiesel- Can you provide some detail on the locking pins? I've been trying to come up with something exactly like what you built to stack 3 or 4 lawn tractors up and out of the way. Thanks for posting it.

kbs2244 · Dec 10, 2009

I know unistrut is pretty strong stuff.
I surprises me what they hang from the ceiling joists with it in commercial buildings.
But I would feel better with an additional, vertical piece at the midpoint of the span.
You could make the front one removable.

akdiesel · Dec 10, 2009

ksbee said:
akdiesel said:

Thanks for the input.
I included the for auto locking pins that support each corner in case of cable failure when lifting or stopping the tray in the desired location.
QUOTE]

akdiesel- Can you provide some detail on the locking pins? I've been trying to come up with something exactly like what you built to stack 3 or 4 lawn tractors up and out of the way. Thanks for posting it.

Click to expand...

It took me some time to come up with the current set up. I was going to go with a 1/2" pin that rolled on a cam and was pulled forward with a spring but this is easier and less moving parts.
They consist of four Unistrut hinges and four 5 x 1/2" bolts grade 8. The welds to hold the hinges are simply to keep the hinges in place and do not aid in hold the trays. The Grade 8 bolt is sandwitched between the Unistrut verticle leg and the bracket riding along the leg. There is a simple magnet to hold the bolts back when lowering the trays.
The Lead weights are to aid in lowering the hooks when disconnected from the top tray and to lower for the next tray.
There is some welding involved to get things to stay in place for the locking pins, winch bracket, and the pullies. Other than that everything else is simply bolted together.

I know unistrut is pretty strong stuff.
I surprises me what they hang from the ceiling joists with it in commercial buildings.
But I would feel better with an additional, vertical piece at the midpoint of the span.
You could make the front one removable.
Today 11:46 AM

Click to expand...

You could easily include another two legs for additional support in the middle. You would simply have to add two more cable runs. You would not have to remove it if you used the ends as your entry/exit point.
Unistrut is very impressive stuff. Their website states that the 1 5/8" strut slotted in the veritcle position at 10' high can handle 1380 lbs. times 4. This gives you approx 5500 lbs of support. The 3 1/4 horizontal beams are rated at 1050 lbs at 10'. This time 2 for each beam gives you over 2000 lbs of support not to mention the additional three cross beams.
I allowed for only 1000 lbs per tray for a safety factor, but I am sure Unistrut calculated some sort of safety factor in their product already.

cletus123 · Dec 10, 2009

I think it looks great, but I do have a small critique of your cable terminations. Here is a pretty good pdf that describes the correct type of Nicopress sleeve for overhead rigging, and the correct number of crimps to make to the sleeve. http://www.jrclancy.com/Downloads/Nicopress1.pdf
It's an ingenious setup, I just thought you might want a little more information on making the Cable Eyes

akdiesel · Dec 10, 2009

cletus, thank you for the infomation. The crimps are one area I did not fully investigate due to using them in the past and having no issues (assuming is a killer). I have used these same crimps for my 4 wheeler's 2500# winch. The cable says that it is rated for 880lbs and the only crimps they sell for that size are aluminum. I assumed Lowes was comining equipment for the correct use.
The web site you show appears to be spacific for Nicopress tools and equipment. I am not sure of the manufacture of the ones that Lowes sells.

autoist · Dec 11, 2009

Motorcycle storage!!!

fireball 440 · Dec 11, 2009

I am planning to make a 4x8 table on casters out of wood and hoist 1 snowmobile up on it and park another underneith it. Then in the winter put the motorcycles under it and lawn mower and stuff on top.

Jey · Dec 11, 2009

fireball 440 said:
I am planning to make a 4x8 table on casters out of wood and hoist 1 snowmobile up on it and park another underneith it. Then in the winter put the motorcycles under it and lawn mower and stuff on top.

I made a table, just didn't make it tall enough! Mine is 3' x 7' though.

Flathead Youngin' · Dec 14, 2009

I really like this idea....a buddy of mine that collects ATVs (250r's, quadzillas, pilot, etc) has been looking for an easier way to store them......

for those that question your eye bolts, to make them MUCH stronger for very little work, just put a good solid tack weld where it bends back around and touches it's self .......

looks good

akdiesel · Dec 14, 2009

Thanks. The eye bolts are rated for about 400# each. So times that by 4 and it is more than the weight allowed for the shelf and the load.
But, I have thought about closeing the bolts or just getting closed loop eye bolts. If that is the correct term.

Cargo · Dec 15, 2009

Great build! I would like to make something similar, so I am seconding Dragster Racer in asking for pictures of the upper pulleys and cable guide arrangement. Do you have the modifications for the pulleys done?

------
Quote:<Dragster Racer> "Finally found this thread. Any more picts of upper pulleys or diagrams? Oh, picts of the wheels too? This is a fantastic item for getting thing up into my loft area, so I want to do something similar."

------
Quote:<akdiesel> "I have been out of touch for a while. I also have some modifactions to do to the pulleys and as soon as I can get that done I will take some picutures of the pulleys, the winch I am using and a part number for the pulleys used."

Hammerdown · Dec 15, 2009

That is awesome! What a great DIY project. This is why I love this site, so many great ideas, good advice and inventive people.

akdiesel · Dec 17, 2009

Cargo,
I don't have the pictures with me right now and I am at work for a while. I will try to get them posted when I get back.
The pieces I used to hold the pulleys were
-Two P2484 on the inside corners with the corners of the brackets welded for support and two bolts tack welded on each one to hold the pulleys.
-Two P1026 at the outside corners with a bolt tack welded on each for the pulleys.
http://www.unistrut.com/Browse/cat_pg.php?P=S05_Angle

79stang514 · Dec 21, 2009

Very nice, AK. I have high ceilings with pallet racking, but without a fork truck I am very limited in what I can store on them. I can only store what I can carry up and down a ladder with one hand-it's fun taking 50cc dirtbikes up and down, and even 32X14.5 slicks with rims are quite a challenge. I was going to make a long ramp and use a hoist until I found a cheap forklift, but now I have a new project that just moved pretty close to the top of the list. I'm just planning to simplify it by welding a bunch of 2X2X1/8 square tube together. Thanks for the great idea.

A DIY 4 Post Storage Lift

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