Over trolley crane

[M. MYERS]

Love this web site.

Has anyone built their own lightweight overhead trolley crane.

Planing a new shop and would like to try to find plans for one or talk to someone who has constructed one to exchange ideas.

Mel
Louisiana

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Try this link to an earlier thread on this subject. Not an easy task, requires some engineering expertise to insure having a strong and safe bridge crane.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2122&page=6

Charles

 

[PAToyota]

Putting one together now using the support beams for the second floor of my shop - they were sized accordingly during design. I'm scavenging wheels from a couple 4-ton trolleys and welding up the trucks with a suspended wideflange beam for the crossmember.

 

[Bisqwik]

Here is a photo of the one I built. The main part of my shop is 40' x 50' with 16' walls. I have it spanning the shop and rolling the full 50'. Using the support polls I built racks off one side over workbenches. I ordered my wheels from Granger. They a replacement wheels off one of their trolleys. I set all three beams in place with the front-end loader on my tractor. I made a jib pole and a set of beam tongs to use. I put a truss across the top of the beam. The truss is the same pitch as my center beam roof column in my shop they clear by less the a 1".

Here is the rack with a little weight on it. The part of the rack you cannot see is full with engine cores. The drum I can pick up with the crane also.

Here is a pic of me rolling my ski boat over to paint the topside.

I have a 2 post lift also. The use of the crane and the lift are very useful. I use the crane so much I gave my cherry picker away to a friend.
John

 

[PAToyota]

Yale's Beam capacity chart - figure out what capacity hoist you want and the span and this will give you the size of the beam that you need.

http://sales.hoistwarehouse.com/joomlaclone/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=466&Itemid=48