Question on Mounting Electric Hoist

[ml504]

A friend of mine used this method to mount his electric hoist in his metal building. It is bascially 2 3ft pieces of 3/4" black iron pipe that the hoist mounts to and then two pieces of chain hanging it from the beam (connectors on end are just in case it slides which it has never done). He has used this for a couple of years and regularly lifts big block engines with it.

Before I go and do this in my own shop, I wanted to get opinions on how sturdy is this setup and is there a better/safer way without having to buy an actual beam that the hoist mounts to? I am not planning on lifting more than 500-600lbs.

Suggestions welcome...thanks.

 

[cyamaha2007]

Besides using black iron pipe i think its ok. At work they are mounted on unistrut. I believe its due to its established safety factor. Of coarse if you offset it from center of the peak it would be easier on the building. Im sure some one will chime in but there is a risk loading the truss differently than designed.

 

[BD1]

That pipe looks larger than 3/4'' .

 

[wnstwolf]

ML I am undertaking a similar install but using a steel I-beam for the trolly then two verticle I beams to take the load to my foundation. All that I still worried about the thing staying up in the air. Looking at what you have shown just made me feel a lot safer!

Not saying the pipe method will not work but gravity is tough to avoid.. As mentioned 3/4may not be the size. if you can get a hold of some 2" square tube or solid stock it can only add to the safety factor..

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Are you using a hoist designed for lifting? or a wench designed for pulling and not lifting?

The building is not designed with any additional loads in mind. I have used my building structure once to lift a furnace unit that probably weighed 400 lbs or so, but I don't make a practice of it as I have a portable gantry crane (which was not tall enough for the heater lift).

Charles

 

[ddawg16]

I have the same hoist.....the C brackets on the top side don't leave a lot of room for material. When I was using mine to lift beams, I used a 2x2 chunk of wood.

Pipe would work....but I don't know about those chains. I think I would prefer something more rigid so it didn't swing around.

 

[rlitman]

I too have the same hoist. I believe the C brackets will fit unistrut. That is much stronger than pipe or wood.

If you have the option, installing a beam and trolley is the best choice. With that, you can also move the load after lifting it. That can be really handy.

 

[79mudbugg]

there is a guy on this forum named HAP from nc (name is something to that nature ) but i always thought he had a great idea on his setup! i wouldnt trust this, just for the fact there are to many things that can go wrong, me being a rigger/ electrican guess makes me like this

 

[HAP]

there is a guy on this forum named HAP from nc (name is something to that nature ) but i always thought he had a great idea on his setup! i wouldnt trust this, just for the fact there are to many things that can go wrong, me being a rigger/ electrican guess makes me like this

Hey Mudbugg. Thanks for the compliment.

 

[ml504]

Hey Mudbugg. Thanks for the compliment.

Do you have a link to your setup information?
Thanks

 

[andyb6]

HAP, sounds like you have this one figured out. I sure don't, so I'll second that humble request to let us duffers in on how you figured it out.

 

[nine4gmc]

if you can get a hold of some 2" square tube or solid stock it can only add to the safety factor..

I may be wrong, but isn't hollow, round pipe stronger than any solid stock or hollow square of roughly the same diameter?

 

[sublimate]

I may be wrong, but isn't hollow, round pipe stronger than any solid stock or hollow square of roughly the same diameter?

Nope.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Unless your building was designed to handle the extra load, you should most definitely NOT be doing something like that. You can very easily cause the beams to buckle and collapse!

My good friend does structural steel detailing and designs metal buildings for a living (has done so for the past couple decades)... Any time I have a question about my metal buildings I go to him. I was wanting to do something similar but he talked me out of it pretty quick after explaining design, load, etc... One time I was needing to run conduit and a column was in the way, I asked him if it was okay to drill a hole in the column, and again he explained to me why that couldn't be done without bracing.

A regular metal building is designed for the load of the roof, that's it... If you live up north I'm sure there is a *little* extra for the weight of heavy snow. During construction yes there are people walking around on the roof so you could say that about 200 pounds would maybe be okay. But lifting 400lbs+ (plus the weight of the hoist and rigging) is definitely playing Russian roulette. Especially if you are concentrating the load at one point of attachment.

 

[mdbeck1]

I may be wrong, but isn't hollow, round pipe stronger than any solid stock or hollow square of roughly the same diameter?

Hollow pipe will be weaker due to the hole in it. As the hole gets smaller the strength gets higher. In reality the only reason to drill a hole in solid stock is for attachment or to save weight. I'd have to go dig into my engineering books for hollow square pipe but would expect that the strength is not close to a similar sized solid rod.

BTW: Don't confuse a solid shaft with a hole drilled in it with black iron pipe. Black iron pipe is cold rolled and has a seam. If overloaded the seam will most likely break first. A solid shaft with a hole drilled in it does not have the seam and will be harder to bend/break (than gas pipe). It's also harder to get a 20 foot length of pipe made from a solid shaft with a consistent wall thickness.

 

[albaran]

I have a HF hoist that has a 440 lb rated max load. This is mounted with a lag screw in three joists to spread the load.

 

[grego]

I have a HF hoist that has a 440 lb rated max load. This is mounted with a lag screw in three joists to spread the load.

What kind of material is that which is screwed to the roof? Is it just c channel?
I am looking to do something similar.

 

[carhunter]

Another option is sliding barn door channel from tractor supply. Is rated for several hundred lbs.

I bought a HF electric hoist off CL awhile back and the seller had it set up that way. Since it was just a utility hoist to lift bulky items into the mezzanine, I mounted it in betwen two trusses on angle iron crossmembers every 2 feet. Works great.

If I had to do it over again I'd go with unistrut and a stronger crossmember mounting arrangement. Its too tempting to use it lift a block or something heavy out of a truck, which would overload the track (and the little HF hoist would gladly do it too)

 

[albaran]

To answer Grego's question: It is a C channel about 1/4" thick mounted with spacers that allow you to slide the hoist into position with one lag screw attached and then attach the other two.

 

[Mikeman1]

I was wondering to install six bungee cords from the trusses, The steel and metal ceiling would it hold at least 800 pounds

 

[mike93lx]

I was wondering to install six bungee cords from the trusses, The steel and metal ceiling would it hold at least 800 pounds

800? I don't know what kinds of bungee cords you are using, but that sounds like a setup good for at least a few thousand pounds.

 

[Mikeman1]

Bungee for people, I have six bands everyone is under 200 pounds. Wondering if I connect the bungees to the top truss if it will hold?

 

[mike93lx]

OK, so I was joking, but you seemed to have missed that.

I wouldn't even think about it. The dynamic load is a huge problem. A 200lb person bouncing off the end of a bungee is a huge load on a building.

 

[Mikeman1]

How many pounds do you think it would hold? What if I wanted to hoist up two engines

 

[mike93lx]

How many pounds do you think it would hold? What if I wanted to hoist up two engines

Hire an engineer

 

[Mikeman1]

Thanks

 

[rlitman]

How many pounds do you think it would hold? What if I wanted to hoist up two engines

From a bungee? I'd guess zero.

 

[Mikeman1]

I’m not talking about hoisting two engines on a bungee I’m just wondering about the weight and what it would hold. I guess that was a joke as well LOL

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you're lifting an engine and something fails, you'll need to fix the engine. If a person is bouncing on a bungee cord and something fails, that person is going to get hurt. I'd get some real analysis done before trying it. Remember, those trusses are designed to carry a constant load from the roof above; they may or may not be able to carry a jerking load from underneath.

 

[Mikeman1]

Yeah, I’m going to get an engineer

 

[Mikeman1]

Thanks

 

[mike93lx]

Please report back. I bet he says it is a no go

 

[racecougar]

I was wondering to install six bungee cords from the trusses, The steel and metal ceiling would it hold at least 800 pounds

Assuming the building in question is the one in the photo, I would not place ANY additional load on the roof framing. Those buildings are designed to be as inexpensive to produce and erect as possible; there isn't structure present to accept additional load, especially a live load swinging around on a bungee cord.

 

[CraigStu]

I used a huge eyebolt through the ceiling drywall, and through a 4x4 that spanned 3 of the 22 ft trusses. I put the 4x4 right where some of the diagonals joined the bottom piece.
I used that and a come-a-long to pull a 351W no problem.

 

[billconner]

If the building is engineered to support the roof and its snow load - 60 psf where I live - you can probably support a lot on a hoist in the summer.

 

[rayra]

Unless your building was designed to handle the extra load, you should most definitely NOT be doing something like that. You can very easily cause the beams to buckle and collapse!

My good friend does structural steel detailing and designs metal buildings for a living (has done so for the past couple decades)... Any time I have a question about my metal buildings I go to him. I was wanting to do something similar but he talked me out of it pretty quick after explaining design, load, etc... One time I was needing to run conduit and a column was in the way, I asked him if it was okay to drill a hole in the column, and again he explained to me why that couldn't be done without bracing.

A regular metal building is designed for the load of the roof, that's it... If you live up north I'm sure there is a *little* extra for the weight of heavy snow. During construction yes there are people walking around on the roof so you could say that about 200 pounds would maybe be okay. But lifting 400lbs+ (plus the weight of the hoist and rigging) is definitely playing Russian roulette. Especially if you are concentrating the load at one point of attachment.

Northern snow loads are calculated for 50-60# per square foot. So a 400#+ engine load is kind of minor. sure sure, trusses, top load bottom load etc etc...

 

[oldcpecdr]

OP is probably long done with this project, but here is another take. This hoist is positioned over a bay one floor down, so I can use it as an engine hoist OR a way to move things up into storage.

I used the 880 pound Hoist from HF, it has been a work horse. I always use it in double cable mode and limit lifts to no more than 450 pounds. I kept the hoist control cord short as it makes me get a helper to either push the hoist button or to help guide from below.
I did have to change the cable at about the ten year mark.

YES the hatch is only open while lifting.

I don't have trusses so it was easy.... but most could probably do what I did. I used a short, maybe 7 feet of I beam with a trolley to mount the hoist. Makes it much easier to unload and control whatever you are hoisting. Lift, slide over to a clear floor, unload. I laid a 2 x 8 across the third floor joists and spread the load among 5 or six joists, there are about 8 pairs of 3/8 threaded rod sandwiching the beam and the 2 x 8. A stop at either end of the beam keeps it from rolling off the track. This picture is about 12 years old now .... there is LOTS of stuff upstairs now.

Mike B

 

[My Old Tools]

If you're going to do it, do it right....engineered with the building for 2000# actual lift.

 

[billconner]

My old tools has it right - order the building with structure built in. I've designed several theatres in pre engineered metal buildings with allowance for dead and live loads of catwalks and stage rigging, including impact loads of high speed motorized rigging, and no problems. The just put the loads into the program and it spits out the steel sizes.

 

[BukitCase]

MyOldTools, I see you added the anti-tilt mod to your trolley (Pic#3) - pretty much mandatory IMO, I still gotta do that one to BOTH my cranes... Steve