4 post Lift & Gantry Beam

[ThumperNZ]

I have a need to be able to lift engines out from above whilst the car is on the hoist. For this reason, I'd need the hoist to stay relative to the lift level (lifting hoist mounted on the lift).
I have had an idea to mount some external rails to the outside of the lift runners, and run a 1T rated gantry beam on these rails.
This will mean I can use the lift to work under the car, and also lift and support the engine without needing to disturb the rigging.
My 4 post Lift is very sturdy, its rated at 5.5T so it has plenty of reserve rating.
Has anyone else done this?

 

[BobRae]

You shouldn't ask for advice for this here. If I were you I'd send the same question to the lift manufacturer. Just because someone here may have done it doesn't mean it is safe or safe for your lift.

 

[kirkkw]

Can't imagine why it wouldn't work, but the critical part is to securely and safely attach the gantry to the 4 post lift rails. Compared to the capacity of the lift, separately lifting the engine sounds like a minor load and the only additional weight is the gantry and its paraphernalia.

 

[kbs2244]

I would rather see the engine lift divorced from the auto lift.
Maybe an extra tall gantry, or something from the building?

 

[matt_i]

You would have to create something like a bridge crane system for this to work. 2 runway rails on the sides, a bridge beam for the hoist.

I believe it can work, but not without a lot of work. There are a lot of details to getting a bridge crane system, even a miniature one to work properly. It needs to be level and parallel inside of 1/8" across the entire plane.

 

[MagKarl]

Also think a stand alone rolling gantry would be much more useful.

 

[scotty t]

Can't imagine why it wouldn't work, but the critical part is to securely and safely attach the gantry to the 4 post lift rails. Compared to the capacity of the lift, separately lifting the engine sounds like a minor load and the only additional weight is the gantry and its paraphernalia.

i agree, with some careful planning it should work fine. i would spread the weight of the gantry/engine out so thats its not too concentrated in a small area. maybe some plates or bracing.

 

[Steevo]

I would think that you could easily mount I-beam "tracks" front to back on each side of the lift, resting atop the cross beams that the vehicle ramps sit on. Then you could make or modify a gantry to have trolleys instead of casters, allowing it to traverse front to back the length of the tracks/beams.
This does raise questions though:

Do you have the height needed to have a gantry above the vehicle height when the lift is raised high enough to work under the car on the lift?
That would be about 9' ~ 10' above the top of the vehicle ramps.
You also need to consider how you would get the hoisted item (engine?) off the hoist once you have it above the vehicle engine bay. If your gantry tracks run alongside the vehicle ramps, you can't go sideways far enough with a hoist to lower anything beside the vehicle, so you'd have to back the vehicle off the lift to make clear space under the gantry to lower something.
I like the concept, but the logistics need to be fully worked out, to be sure you will get the functionality you are looking for.

 

[BobRae]

Wouldn't it be better to just build the engine lift into the ceiling of the garage? Why does it have to be mounted to the hoist?

 

[waynus]

Backyard Buddy lifts have this as an option. You can look at how they did it for ideas

 

[jdsac]

late to this but-

By the time you buy all the materials & fab up an add on to the hoist you could buy this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-telescoping-gantry-crane-41190.html

adjustable in height - check to see if the width will work for you ( clear the O. D. of your lift)

 

[Nexussian]

Naturally I can't find it right now, but there is a company marketing a 4 post lift with a bridge crane built in.

As it's designed to work together, it should be the safest option.