I Beam as as a vertical upright?

[FL Guy]

Edit. I was able to source out some 7” square tubing yesterday. Bigger than what I need, yes. But for the price it was a no brainer.

When I thought I came across some square tubing on marketplace, it turned out being sold.

Original plan was to go with 5" square tubing, 1/4" walls for my gantry upright posts.
I really dont want to spend $650 on new tube.

I found a guy who has 4x6x1/4 and some 6x6x3/8 I beams. Would either one be sufficient for my upright posts? The most I'll ever pick up is 1000lbs. More realistically it'll be around 3-400 pounds but I would like a little play room.

 

[Pluribus]

Considering that a wood 4x4 can bear around 4,000# on end, I'm going to say that concern and analysis time would be better spent on the stuff that keeps the posts vertical. Your planned load is so small that even non-optimal materials/shapes will let you get away with all sorts of things.

 

[The Cobbler]

in the theme as mentioned above, for 3 or 400 pounds 2" schedule 40 pipe would probably suffice

 

[FordTruckWench]

I found a guy who has 4x6x1/4 and some 6x6x3/8 I beams. Would either one be sufficient for my upright posts? The most I'll ever pick up is 1000lbs.

I'm assuming the "4x6x1/4" beam is a W6x12 beam (6.03" deep, 4.000" wide, 12 pounds/foot). I'm also assuming the "6x6x3/8" beam is a W6x20 beam (6.20" deep, 6.200" wide, 20 pounds/foot).

For the first beam, "I", i.e. the "moment of inertia", is 22.1 in one axis, and 3.0 in the other. For the second beam, 41.4 and 13.3.

The beam buckling force in pounds, when the top is firmly attached to the cross beam, and the bottom end can roll, is:

F = 0.25 * Pi * E * I / L^2

E for steel is 29,000,000. L is the height of your column in inches.

Lets use the smaller I for each beam. Lets have a 10 foot (i.e. 120 inch) tall column. The buckling load for the first beam is 4,745 pounds, and the second beam is 21,036 pounds.

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What configuration are you planning for your uprights? Upside down T? Upside down Y? Right side up A? Upside down V? Just an I bolted to the concrete floor?

 

[jmarkwolf]

Buy the HF gantry. Plenty of capacity for your stated needs. If you need a wider stance, put your I-beam there.

 

[FL Guy]

Buy the HF gantry. Plenty of capacity for your stated needs. If you need a wider stance, put your I-beam there.

It takes up too much floor space. I never thought about using my I-beam on the harbor, freight or northern tool gantry frame
The whole purpose of me building a gantry is to pick up stuff off my trailer and put it in the work bench.

 

[FL Guy]

If you are considering using alternative materials for your gantry upright posts, it's important to carefully assess their suitability for your specific application.

The 4x6x1/4 I beam could potentially work for your upright posts, but keep in mind that it may not have the same load-bearing characteristics as the original 5" square tubing. The I beam is designed to distribute loads along its flanges, which may result in different structural behavior compared to square tubing. It would be advisable to consult with a structural engineer or an expert in gantry design to ensure that the I beam is appropriate for your intended use and can provide the necessary stability and load-bearing capacity.

Yesterday I found a sweet deal on some 7” square tubing with 1/4” walls.
They are 12’ long. Just need to cut them to length

 

[TRWham]

It takes up too much floor space. I never thought about using my I-beam on the harbor, freight or northern tool gantry frame
The whole purpose of me building a gantry is to pick up stuff off my trailer and put it in the work bench.

Maybe, just maybe, there's a reason for that. Like, say, stability under load when in motion. Physics doesn't care what you want- it just does its own thing.

 

[FL Guy]

Maybe, just maybe, there's a reason for that. Like, say, stability under load when in motion. Physics doesn't care what you want- it just does its own thing.

Theirs is for mobility mine is not. So it makes sense why they need a 5’ brace for each leg to roll around