Home built gantry cranes.

[87bob]

Has anyone built their own gantry crane? I need to install an engine and trans in a car and my boom crane won't get close enough. I'm looking for a set of plans! I'm not an engineer and want to build one heavy enough to carry at least a one ton load 2 tons would be better.

 

[matt_i]

The answer is yes.

5 critical things in my opinion.

1. Must do engineering calculations to size the I-beam necessary for your weight and span. If unsure, copy the sizes from the catalog of people who manufacture these things. Wallace is one such company.

2. Must have mastered the critical skill of full-penetration welding. Back bevel everything and run wide open on a 250A mig if you are not stick-welding, 7018 preferred.

3. Load transfer from the beam to the columns is critical. Cannot be just a perimeter weld on a tube. Consider the lever arm on that joint should the gantry start to flex out of square and parallel as its loaded up.

4. Casters must be sized for load in #1 above. Consider the case where you trolley the load all the way to one end of the beam.

5. Strongly urge you to consider where/how it will be stored. As, 99.99% of the time after the first job that you build it for, it will sit around. I built this one to straddle this bench by 1" either side. Also make it height-adjustable (mine is not) if intended to roll outside. Also good to make it straddle your favorite trailer in case you have to unload machine tools or other forms of heaviness.

I'm sure there's more but that's all still stored in my flash drive

 

[bullnerd]

Great tips Matt!

And that's a gorgeous lathe!

 

[gearhead1]

Matt, how'd you cut the angles on the A-frame legs?

 

[Gotcha640]

Depending on what you're installing (1300 beetle or 502 merlin or???) and how much more reach you need and how crazy you are, you might get away with wood.

Before everyone tears the idea apart, I worked with friends starting a farm fab and repair shop, and they had no good way to get the engine in their forklift. We built a gantry out of 6x6, mortised the joints, gusseted the beam to the columns, and did not have it on wheels (lift the motor, drag the vehicle under). The frame weighs about 400 lb, and it's since been used to lift a HF trailer for extra welding, as scaffolding to repair the eaves of the barn, and to hold a pinata at a neighbor kids birthday.

 

[pepi]

The answer is yes.

5 critical things in my opinion.

1. Must do engineering calculations to size the I-beam necessary for your weight and span. If unsure, copy the sizes from the catalog of people who manufacture these things. Wallace is one such company.

2. Must have mastered the critical skill of full-penetration welding. Back bevel everything and run wide open on a 250A mig if you are not stick-welding, 7018 preferred.

3. Load transfer from the beam to the columns is critical. Cannot be just a perimeter weld on a tube. Consider the lever arm on that joint should the gantry start to flex out of square and parallel as its loaded up.

4. Casters must be sized for load in #1 above. Consider the case where you trolley the load all the way to one end of the beam.

5. Strongly urge you to consider where/how it will be stored. As, 99.99% of the time after the first job that you build it for, it will sit around. I built this one to straddle this bench by 1" either side. Also make it height-adjustable (mine is not) if intended to roll outside. Also good to make it straddle your favorite trailer in case you have to unload machine tools or other forms of heaviness.

I'm sure there's more but that's all still stored in my flash drive

Great intelligent post with facts

Well said, love the shot of the lathe floating..

 

[sberry]

That is well overbuilt.

 

[sberry]

I have built several.

 

[James-W]

Some of the stuff you guys make is truly amazing. I am really impressed.

 

[PoorOwner]

Is that for lifting the turret off an m1 Abrams tank?

The answer is yes.

5 critical things in my opinion.

1. Must do engineering calculations to size the I-beam necessary for your weight and span. If unsure, copy the sizes from the catalog of people who manufacture these things. Wallace is one such company.

2. Must have mastered the critical skill of full-penetration welding. Back bevel everything and run wide open on a 250A mig if you are not stick-welding, 7018 preferred.

3. Load transfer from the beam to the columns is critical. Cannot be just a perimeter weld on a tube. Consider the lever arm on that joint should the gantry start to flex out of square and parallel as its loaded up.

4. Casters must be sized for load in #1 above. Consider the case where you trolley the load all the way to one end of the beam.

5. Strongly urge you to consider where/how it will be stored. As, 99.99% of the time after the first job that you build it for, it will sit around. I built this one to straddle this bench by 1" either side. Also make it height-adjustable (mine is not) if intended to roll outside. Also good to make it straddle your favorite trailer in case you have to unload machine tools or other forms of heaviness.

I'm sure there's more but that's all still stored in my flash drive

 

[Hondarancher4435]

Excellent fab work guys

 

[sberry]

I would be figuring something simple for 1 off. Most 2 ton cherry pickers would work. If I had only one piece it would be one of those.

 

[matt_i]

Angles on the A-frame legs...I actually had to cut those on a vertical bandsaw, holding a long piece of tubing on the table as best I could. The horizontal saws will only miter to 45 degrees and a very acute angle like that could not be clamped by the vise nor fit between the saw guides.

I liked that lathe more after I fixed the clunky gear in the headstock. But, eventually sold it. Currently running all Monarchs in my shop.

I designed for 2 tons working load. Of course it has a safety factor built in. Have come close to that, but no complaints.

Wood is not terrible if you simply measure deflection < span/360. That said, you have to "proof test" it to measure the deflection under load to see what's going on. I set an I-beam header recently, made the temporary hoist beam above it, laminated from triple layer of 2x10s salvaged from the footing forms. Scabbed together as none of the pieces actually spanned the opening without a joint. Lots of deck screws and support structure. Lift the I-beam up 1/2" with the chainfall and measure 1/2" of deflection in a 17' span. So the 17 * 12 / 360 = 0.56" of deflection allowed. Measured 1/2" comparing tape measurements before and after, and it presented no problems during the lift and place event. The conundrum of woood is that its more challenging to attach the beams to the columns as strongly as one can do with metal. Bracing for sure, but it requires more care and more thought. Of course I had stud walls up both sides with diagonal bracing in two planes.

 

[wellvrsd]

Harbor Freight currently has a one ton adjustable height gantry crane for $730, and a 25% off coupon that will take you down to $548 + tax. They will accept the coupon for the gantry crane, at least they did for me a few years back. It's pretty tough to build your own for that price.

 

[G McKay]

Excellent fab work guys

2nd that!! Great job guys!!

 

[birmingham]

im not a structural engineer but I'm thinking those uprights would hold up the world and that I-Beam is weak compared to the uprights. hugely overbuilt, I like it.

 

[Jeff95TA]

I do structural (not architectural) analysis, so if anyone ever wants something like this checked for strength, I'd be happy to help out.

 

[Aberdale]

I built a small gantry crane with a x-y transom. Travel is 8 feet by 12 feet, with a height of 10 feet. I put it on wheels with leveling legs at each corner to allow me to move it from inside my shop to outside on the concrete slab.

I really don't know what the capacity is, but it sure has come in handy.