I beam chain hoist & two post lift question

[cederholm]

Perhaps a dumb question - not my first.

I'm looking to install both an I beam chain hoist & a two post lift in my garage. What is the most practical orientation of the two for a hobbyist? Across both bays so a motor can be lifted and moved to the other bay? In the same bay as the lift? In the free bay?

Thanks!

 

[firebirdparts]

I find the lift very very handy for pulling engines. I have total freedom in the order of dismantlement up to the point where something is propped up or suspended from the building. It's great. So I do think it makes sense to couple the beam with the lift around that job. I also use my lift to unload things (like, say, a milling machine) so you may wish you had the beam running down the middle of the lift. I don't have either, but I will say I pull engines with a regular engine hoist, so necessarily out the front. I have room for that.

 

[cvairwerks]

I prefer a hoist to be mobile if possible, otherwise if it has to be built in, then like a bridge crane. If the hoist is fixed in location and direction, invariably, whatever you need to do with it, will be in the wrong location and need to move in a different location.

 

[cederholm]

I prefer a hoist to be mobile if possible, otherwise if it has to be built in, then like a bridge crane. If the hoist is fixed in location and direction, invariably, whatever you need to do with it, will be in the wrong location and need to move in a different location.

The plan would have the hoist on an I beam so it can be moved in, but only along one axis.

 

[nadogail]

Without pictures I am totally lost. No matter what you do, someone will tell you that you should have done it differently.

 

[slidehammer]

Perhaps a dumb question - not my first.

I'm looking to install both an I beam chain hoist & a two post lift in my garage. What is the most practical orientation of the two for a hobbyist? Across both bays so a motor can be lifted and moved to the other bay? In the same bay as the lift? In the free bay?

Thanks!

For (longitudinal) motors, the ability adjust the chain hoist position fore-aft is important. Side-to-side not so much. I'd suggest the same bay as the lift.

 

[cederholm]

...very true

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Money and space no object a bridge crane would be ideal.
My second choice would be a gantry crane.
IMO a jib crane would be more usefull than one limited to 1 direction.

For pulling engines a cherry picker works fine.

 

[PoorUB]

I have an overhead hoist in my garage. The rails bolted to the ceiling are 3" channel iron. The bridge is 3" I beam. I have 15 feet left to right and about 8 feet front to back. All the "tire" are inexpensive 3/4" bore ball bearings with a flanged bronze bushing in the center and 1/2" bolts. (I used the flanged bronze bushings because I got hem cheap! Any material would have worked to space out the bore for the 1/2" bolts.) Fortunately the person that built my garage put floor trusses in that area of the ceiling so I had good structure. I generally don't lift more than a few hundred pounds, but I have had about 2,000 pounds on it one time, by accident!

It is great to have three axis travel!

 

[t_brown]

Not a great picture, but I'm happy with how the gantry works with the lift. Also gantry can move anywhere, and stores against the back wall out of the way.

 

[67CarGuy]

Not a great picture, but I'm happy with how the gantry works with the lift. Also gantry can move anywhere, and stores against the back wall out of the way.

Do you recall where you got that gantry from? It looks significantly...sturdier... than the HF version. I'd likely go overkill and look at a 6 or even 10 ton version, if available.

I suppose if no-one makes one that's commercially available, I can always call up a steel supplier and build one, but I'm not an engineer, and don't trust myself to design or build it correctly. And with those kinds of weights and forces at work, I don't want to chance it!

 

[nadogail]

At a Printed Circuit Board Shop where I was a former employee, I was able to convince them to pay for a free standing bridge crane to pull and reinstall the hydraulic cylinders from a Vacuum Laminating Press.

What used to take an outside contractor crew several days to do could now be done "in house" on a Saturday.

 

[BukitCase]

You can get at least a 4 ton gantry thru amazon

Vestil AHS-8-15-12 Steel Adjustable Height Gantry Crane, 8000 lbs Capacity, 15' Length x 10" Height Beam, 91"-145" Usable Height: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Vestil AHS-8-15-12 Steel Adjustable Height Gantry Crane, 8000 lbs Capacity, 15' Length x 10" Height Beam, 91"-145" Usable Height: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Vestil AHS-8-15-14 Steel Adjustable Height Gantry Crane, 8000 lbs Capacity, 15' Length x 10" Height Beam, 103"-169" Usable Height: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Vestil AHS-8-15-14 Steel Adjustable Height Gantry Crane, 8000 lbs Capacity, 15' Length x 10" Height Beam, 103"-169" Usable Height: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

When I got my first gantry (Haven't built the second or third yet) I figured my OCD level would make it take a LOT longer to build than buy (boy was I wrong) - so I got the HF 1 ton - I ended up doing enough mods due to its sortcoming I'd have been better off just starting from scratch;

Things I considered shortcomings -

1 - Barely 8' between uprights, and NOT adjustable width
2 - Very little bending resistance at the post/beam joint
3 - REALLY crappy "system" for changing beam height (Still not fixed, but I got a plan AND the parts )

Pic 1- the original beam is 1/2" narrower and 1 inch less vertically than the 6" 12.5 lb beam I replaced it with, + the new beam is 12' long so I have just over 10 feet between posts - plus my mounts are a teeny bit stronger

Pic 2 - Unfortunately the original beam mount plate (welded to the post) is still there, so...

Pic 3 - I added adjustable gussets from 4" channel and 2"x .250" wall square tube - the tubes are far enough apart to accept either a 1 ton electric hoist or a chain fall WITHOUT limiting travel along the I beam nearly as much as a single in-line gusset each end. Also, the gussets I built can be loosened and slid ANYWHERE along the beam if necessary.

Pic 4 - You can see that with the gussets in place I can't use the two LOWEST beam height settings - if this EVER becomes a problem, I'll mod the lower "clamp" by making it wide enough to clamp on the OUTER post tube - otherwise, if it ain't broke...

Pic 5 - One of the gussets ready to mount.

Pic 6 - Ready to go - until I get another shop area with a 48 x 60 slab, it'll live where it is (a 15 x 24 area under the roof I built over the 20' container) (see pic 7)

Not shown - the original beam from the crane is now bolted between the double trusses, perpendicular to the gantry, with its own 880 lb hoist - I've had over 500 lbs on it with ZERO deflection of the roof trusses, I've used that hoist for the front of my zero turn and two separate chain falls for the two rear corners giving me a 3 point support (with 3 of HF's underhoist safety stands of course) - did the same thing with my little 5x8 2000# rated utility trailer when re-doing the wiring.

Yeah, I AM old enough to remember the phrase "Run whut ya brung" ... Steve

 

[t_brown]

Do you recall where you got that gantry from? It looks significantly...sturdier... than the HF version. I'd likely go overkill and look at a 6 or even 10 ton version, if available.

I suppose if no-one makes one that's commercially available, I can always call up a steel supplier and build one, but I'm not an engineer, and don't trust myself to design or build it correctly. And with those kinds of weights and forces at work, I don't want to chance it!

I bought it from a guy who pulled it out of a factory. It is rated for 2 tons with an 18' span. In a previous life I built one, around 16' span, and had a 5 ton chain fall on it.

 

[CraigStu]

WOW, what are you guys planning to lift w/ a crane? 6 to 10 tons? I really like the gantry crane idea. No need to worry about how to attach a beam w/o pulling the roof down. It can be moved easily so no need to have more than 8ft or so width. I would double check the usual 2 axle car trailer total width and have the crane just wide enough that it could span the trailer.

 

[BukitCase]

"I would double check the usual 2 axle car trailer total width and have the crane just wide enough that it could span the trailer."

That's EXACTLY why I modded the HF one; between posts is just BARELY 8', one of my trailers is 8'3", and the outriggers on my 580B are at least that wide. Some of the complaints on the HF crane specifically mention it too... Steve