DIY Gantry Crane

[garagedude116]

Hi,

I recently started building a gantry crane for my garage. Halfway through, I realised I wanted it to be mobile (obviously) but I don't know what kind of wheels will handle the weight/last long enough to get a good use from them.

I've found these: https://www.castercity.com/automotive-industry-casters/ but they're all 8" tall. I think that's a bit excessive for my needs. So I was looking and found these: https://www.castercity.com/product/specialty-casters/vending-machine-caster/ but they don't look like they're worth the price.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[mike93lx]

A few questions come to mind...
How much are you planning to lift with this crane?
how many casters are you planning to use?
how rough is the surface that it will be on?
Are you looking to be able to roll it with a load on it or just when it isn't in use?

 

[PCustoms]

A few questions come to mind...
How much are you planning to lift with this crane?
how many casters are you planning to use?

This!

OP, the caster you link range from 500lbs per to well over 1000 per.

Assuming 4 casters, at 500lbs each and NO safety factor (2:1 is minimum IMHO, 3:1 or higher is typically used) your gantry can hold a ton. This does not include the weight of the gantry and hoist, so your lift capacity is much lower.

Again, NO factor of safety there.

 

[ItsNemo]

Do you want to roll it with something lifted? Or just lift static and move it around to different things?

I think most commercial gantry cranes say no moving while lifted...if you go the same approach, just put screw down feet that can pick it up when you're lifting. Then you just need casters that can handle the weight of the gantry itself (or maybe a 100-200lb lift at most).

 

[kbs2244]

the yard built ones I have seen at the wreckers just use the front spindles off one of the wrecks
good enough for a engine/trans combo in a muddy yard

 

[MushCreek]

When I had a gantry crane, I needed it roll when loaded. That was the whole point- pick it up at Point A and move it to Point B. My homemade gantry had 1200 lb. phenolic casters as they were the cheapest. If I'm moving something close to the limit, I lower the load to just off of the floor so it won't fall far in the event of a problem.