whateg01
Well-known member
I keep thinking that would be so cool. Then I think, what if it went haywire and bent my body backwards?
Raising and lowering items from shelves
- Thread starter Cecell
- Start date
Beerhippie
Well-known member
I want the one like Sigourney Weaver wore....
My Old Tools
Well-known member
It's pretty easy actually. Build a platform with inverted V arms on each end and a cross bar connecting them at the top. Off the platform have a fold down leaf like a table leaf that spans over to the shelf. It makes a ramp to slide the box across to the shelf. I have a lot of experience using an overhead hoist for lots of things. I often set a box on a 2x6 and tie down straps under it on each end hooked to the hoist to lift a heavy box to the loft. Of course, my hoist travels over the loft deck to unload.
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Beerhippie
Well-known member
Extra points if the I-beam rail for the rail hoist is also the bearing ridge beam of the building.
My Old Tools
Well-known member
In my case, the I-beam just carries the hoist. The weight bearing is done by the I-beam bents (frames), front, rear, and center. The building was designed from the beginning with the 1 ton hoist and traveler as a requirement along with the loft.
csp
Well-known member
Here's my progress thus far on a design.
It's overengineered because, why not? I expect this thing would handle anything I could possible throw at it plus some. This structural part isn't done. I have a few more additions to make.
My next goal will be to implement an actual power lift. I've decided to mount an independent hoist/winch to the elevator itself and am currently accepting any and all suggestions about how to implement that system. Since it will have very little actual vertical travel (I mean, I'm just one guy and won't be doing a crazy amount) a wide webbed strap riding over a well designed piece of HDPE plastic would be fine. It goes slow enough that there won't be any heat generation and the HDPE won't require any lubrication. Hooking to the platform is easy enough it's just where to put the hoist and where to implement the strap. Over a cross member up top and then down the front? That's the most logical anyway.
It's overengineered because, why not? I expect this thing would handle anything I could possible throw at it plus some. This structural part isn't done. I have a few more additions to make.
My next goal will be to implement an actual power lift. I've decided to mount an independent hoist/winch to the elevator itself and am currently accepting any and all suggestions about how to implement that system. Since it will have very little actual vertical travel (I mean, I'm just one guy and won't be doing a crazy amount) a wide webbed strap riding over a well designed piece of HDPE plastic would be fine. It goes slow enough that there won't be any heat generation and the HDPE won't require any lubrication. Hooking to the platform is easy enough it's just where to put the hoist and where to implement the strap. Over a cross member up top and then down the front? That's the most logical anyway.
I see you have headed in another direction but I built a trolly hoist with double unistrut side by side (5or6” on center) with a harbor freight hoist, was able to lift a Small Block Chevy (long block, oil pan to intake manifold) into my loft. Also loaded a big old copier into my truck.. I was happy with it, SBC was clearly close to the limit.. but that was really my “stress test” not S.O.P. The copier was going to recycling so if it crashed,, well it would be fun to watch!
New shop came with an old Toyota fork lift and has a flange beam I will put the Harbor Freight hoist on. Left the double unistrut “beam” in the old shop for the next guy to play with…
New shop came with an old Toyota fork lift and has a flange beam I will put the Harbor Freight hoist on. Left the double unistrut “beam” in the old shop for the next guy to play with…
I only decided to go with back to back because the load will be radial and I wanted that extra rigidity. I strongly considered either a side by side or a side by side/back to back combo even and just settled on this. Side to side has its benefits and at first I was sad to lose those but after visualizing it I saw that it's sort of 6 and one half dozen. I just wasn't able to fully visualize it. The one thing I hate about this design is the axial load being placed on the trolley brackets riding inside the horizontal struts but I've decided to live with it because if used correctly I'll only move the platform vertically when it is bearing a load. Again, the actual movement on this entire system will be negligible. I'll probably end up spending more time keeping it clean than actually using it. I can put covers over the struts with no movement but for the ones with movement my only experiences are with bellows type covers and I can't visualize how something like that could even be used in this application.
dave*99
Well-known member
She had some other outfits I preferred.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Opening the hibernation chamber scene? Yeah....