Jib Crane attached to rolling table?

[Perrorojo]

I would think the only thing that limits you is your budget for this. The bigger the budget, the more options you will have. I am going to suggest something a bit radical and if you think this is a stupid idea then just ignore me.

There is a National Guard maintenance shop not too far from my house and I worked there for several months many years ago. They had an overhead crane system that was really super nice. Of course that system probably cost several hundred thousand dollars. I am not suggesting that you pay that much for a similar system. What I am suggesting is that you can maybe build a similar system on a much smaller scale for a fraction of the cost. Having a system like that would mean you could lift a heavy object to the h eight you wanted it and move side to side as well as front and back. It would let you move anything you wanted as high as you wanted and to any place in the shop and would do it safely. Of course the cost would be rather high, but you would have a system everyone who saw it would be envious of.

Here is a link to a short video to give you a better idea as to what I am talking about.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...8a103a30dfb240d150855b23ba06c968&action=click

Budget and skill are always my limiting factors. My wife and I have an agreement that whatever $$ I generate out in the shop is allowed to stay in the shop. I spent most of my secret funds on Ford parts last Christmas.

I think the one on the video would be perfect if I had more ceiling height. It's 9' to the bottom of the rafters and all my lights hang underneath so I'm about 8'6" everywhere. I really see something like that in the corner where the money is and surface grinder are. I'm going to have to do something over there because I can't move the vises or magnetic chuck without help.



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[Perrorojo]

Here are a couple pics of shop built rolling work benches with cranes. The smaller one still weighs nearly 2 tons but rolls around on concrete just fine on heavy duty casters and I've used it to lift up to about #600 with the crane pointing out away from the table. It set the big ceiling beams in the 2nd pic. My big table has a full out jib crane on it that will easily handle a ton. It had some damn heavy casters under it to get it in the shop and I used jack screws at the corners. I don't know what the big bench weighs anymore as it is stuffed full of steel but it is HEAVY. if you have enough mass in your table mounting a small crane works good. Ed.

That's a sweet setup. The "smaller" green bench is what I was envisioning. I wouldn't have come up with anything that nice though. It looks like that hoist rotates 360* and has an air over hydraulic system. That would be simpler than running a winch and pulley for me. I also like the big casters. I was thinking 4 steel swivel casters but I bet the two fixed would be more controllable. The table I'm starting with is around 3500#.

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[Oregon rock crusher]

Definitely go with fixed wheels on one end. Mine are 16" diameter and that really helps when moving a heavy table without struggle. Also very handy to be able to swivel the crane and have nothing but clear floor under the hook. I use mine for all kinds of things and have several attachments like an engine stand head that can bolt to the side to get more versatility out of it. Ed.

 

[brownbagg]

i use a fork lift dolley to move my stuff around, its like a refrigerator dolly with forks, its has a mechanical winch to pick up stuff

 

[Perrorojo]

Definitely go with fixed wheels on one end. Mine are 16" diameter and that really helps when moving a heavy table without struggle. Also very handy to be able to swivel the crane and have nothing but clear floor under the hook. I use mine for all kinds of things and have several attachments like an engine stand head that can bolt to the side to get more versatility out of it. Ed.

I hadn't really thought about that but I could use it as a "Swiss army knife" table and add mounts for a grinder, vise and engine stand and eliminate the need for some other flat surfaces I have.

 

[cvairwerks]

Find an electric pallet jack and make or buy one of the little forklift booms that slip on the tines.

 

[BruceMc]

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...6HMo2_roh_Q7H5DOJjcGVq1avkRkfgCBoCl1sQAvD_BwE

$600; 7'10" tall at lowest setting. Heck, I might buy one.

Another case of be careful and read the fine print. It's billed as being useful in tight spots where your forklift can't reach, but then there's this warning --

"Gantry crane is NOT to be moved while loaded. "

 

[sberry]

If a guy doesn't have a HF folding 2T cherry picker he needs one. Cheap, fast, can use it right out of the box.

 

[paredown]

I saw something like this for sale locally on Craigslist--it might work for your shop.

The ad made me laugh because in my teenage years I worked with Dad--and we moved everything with a hand forklift that he fabbed up. Heavy dies in and out of presses, all the countless stamped parts for customers, coil steel to load the presses etc, etc...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKNTQ5Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Perrorojo]

So, I think I've got about 10% of a plan. I picked up the big table I'm going to use and took some measurements. As goofy as it is, it's well built, flat and square. It weighs around 3000lbs because it will tip the 1845c when you lift it higher than 5'

34" wide, 108" long and 34" tall. 1" plate top and bottom and bolted to some home made legs.



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[Perrorojo]

After looking at what Ed (Oregon Rock Crusher) has done I'm going to attempt something similar. There are holes drilled in all the feet so I should be able to bolt a piece of 2 x 3, 1/4" wall tube to the top of each and mount a set of swivel casters to one end and solid mount a pair of 12" steel wheels on an axle on the other. Then I'll just have to find a 360 degree rotating hoist to mount to axled end. I have a couple of trailer hubs but I don't think they'll handle the weight I need.

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