Thinking about a overhead I beam for lifting

[gtr1999]

Just throwing out ideas, maybe someone has done them already?

I am thinking about ways to lift 150 -200lbs in the garage without taking up valuable floor space. I have an engine hoist which is useful but I want to lift straight up not on a arc.

One thought is to back in a small pickup to the garage a few feet, ****** up 100-200 lb crates and drive out again. I would have to double check but I think I have 2x6's across the finished ceiling. If I suspended a 10' I beam from on top of the 2 x6's, using 1" threaded rod, installed a cradle to ride across the beam, with a small electric hoist what do you thing the safe capacity would be?

Another thought was the HF gantry but the outriggers would be in the way and I would have to cut the columns to have it able to push outside under my 7'9" door.

A genie crank lift might work but again it takes up floor space which is tight as it is now.

Any thoughts? Good or Bad.

Thanks in advance.

 

[GMCGarage]

Just throwing out ideas, maybe someone has done them already?

I am thinking about ways to lift 150 -200lbs in the garage without taking up valuable floor space. I have an engine hoist which is useful but I want to lift straight up not on a arc.

One thought is to back in a small pickup to the garage a few feet, ****** up 100-200 lb crates and drive out again. I would have to double check but I think I have 2x6's across the finished ceiling. If I suspended a 10' I beam from on top of the 2 x6's, using 1" threaded rod, installed a cradle to ride across the beam, with a small electric hoist what do you thing the safe capacity would be?

Another thought was the HF gantry but the outriggers would be in the way and I would have to cut the columns to have it able to push outside under my 7'9" door.

A genie crank lift might work but again it takes up floor space which is tight as it is now.

Any thoughts? Good or Bad.

Thanks in advance.

If you get a hoist good for 100-200lbs, that would be the safe capacity and it would not overload your ceiling. Oh, and dont do it if your roof is covered in alot of snow.

 

[gerryw]

Years ago i had a 10” ibeam in aluminum across my single garage.
I mounted it like i would if i replaced a wall with a beam (supported with a 4x4 and doubled up with 2x4’s on each side of existing stud)
Used a trolley with a ARO air hoist to lift my Harley(700lbs) onto a stand.
No issues at all.

Gerry

 

[strutaeng]

150-200 lbs in not a lot. Double or triple 2x8 or deeper additional ceilings joists alone will do that in a 2 car garage. There are on-line calculators that can figure this out. This is not more than someone climbing through an attic.

 

[gtr1999]

Thanks guys, I was thinking the same thing- I can walk on the joists without issue and actually have storage on the floor overhead. One thing I didn't consider was the overhead door. I would have to move the beam back to the center of the ceiling to allow the hoist to be used with the door all the way up.

What would work out nice is an electric pallet jack like I have at work- 1 ton rating, lifts 12', moves easily out of the way- but a bit out of my budget for a hoist.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I just picked up a large drill press that weighed several hundred lbs the other day by placing a 4x4 across several ceiling joists in a room added to my shop. I grew up in an older friend's shop pulling engines and transmissions with an old driveshaft across the rafters in the same fashion. With that being said, I am on my 4th shop hoist project. The latest is in my present workshop and can be viewed by clicking on my user name to access my albums.

Having a truss roof, on this one I beefed up two trusses with multiple bracing and tied them together with a floor similar to a wooden bridge. From that I suspended a 6" I beam supported with two end posts and 11 top hangers across a 25 foot span. I have cleared a 1500 lb milling machine off the floor as a test, but try to restrict lifting to 1,000 or less.

 

[nolimits76]

Doubt the weights you are talking will be an issue. I used a winch to hoist up a Jeep Wrangler hard top a few years back. No issues whatsoever. Of course I had engineered wood I-joists for my ceiling rafters.

See these threads for more info:

Full Thread:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=355432

My First Response (verbal description):
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6371592&postcount=15

My Second Response (confirmation & picture/diagram):
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6377057&postcount=19

 

[Rc_Guy]

I know it's not right but years ago we put a sling on a 5X6 laying across a few trusses and ran the winch cable from my jeep in a window, through a pulley and pulled a motor out of a car, not right but it sure worked good.

 

[lakeroadster]

It's never a good idea to use the bottom chord of a truss as a lifting device.

Options

1. Buy a gantry crane.. more capacity, portable, no chance of pulling down the roof.
   https://gorbel.com/products/cranes/...MI-vaVxpH02AIVSk1-Ch3UBw7BEAMYAyAAEgK3cvD_BwE
   
2. Or fix the beam at the wall, so it is supported by a fixed wall mounted post, and use a removable post at the other end of the beam. I did that in my garage for a Jeep Hardtop Hoist.

 

[69gp]

Check these out. Might be a good option for you. When my daughter was young and not walking yet I had 30' of this in the garage. She would zip from one end to the other. The good thing was she was with me and I knew she could not get into trouble.


https://eberliron.com/store/category/Unistrut_Trolley_Assemblies/1056.html
https://eberliron.com/public/files/Literature/Unistrut/Unistrut_Trolley_Broc.pdf

 

[My Old Tools]

I designed my shop with a center I-beam that carries a trolley and a 1 ton hoist. It runs from the overhead door all the way through and into the loft. My building is steel and was designed for that load.

 

[tarmy]

Here is mine. 4" x 4" I beam. It is attached at every joist. The load was designed for. I also welded up some very beefy plates in the joist well to spread the load laterally as well. Lift of 1500lbs...not one creek or groan...dead level and easy to roll with load.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

If you have a friend that can cut and weld (and I mean weld good not hang grapes), I'd buy the HF gantry and cut it down to your size. It's rated for 1000 lbs so its a few hundred overkill for what you need. Or better yet, browse craigslist or facebook marketplace, sometimes you can find real good deals with people moving, cleaning shop or relocating.

 

[JimNC]

Lots of great suggestions, but for so little weight a small block and tackle mounted to a 2x6 that is mounted across a few joists would get the job done.

 

[rsanter]

A 4” or 6” beam is all you need for what you want.
Having an Ibeam is the greates thing ever in the shop
I ave one and use it a lot

For lifting 200#s you may not need more than two unistruts with rollers in them

 

[gtr1999]

A lot of very good ideas, thanks guys.
I will be out in the garage all day tomorrow wiring machines so I want to get back up in the loft and check on the joint size again. There is some plywood down for storage and I might even have too much up there so I may be transferring some boxes to the basement. I like the idea of the overhead electric hoist I see on youtube. This is only for lifting corvette differentials (100lbs dead weight) crated up they are up to 150#. I have an engine stand for engines and may still go with a HF gantry for pulling a vette body off or my S10 p/u bed. The problem with that is footprint. I hate to leave things out in the weather and I like a clean yard. Inside I will be stepping over it going from bay to bay.
I like the unistruts too, a little ceiling crane would be nice.

Keep up the ideas.

 

[Jhoff310]

I have a 6" I bean running across my shed with a chain lift on it. I cut the beam just short of the width of my shed. I installed doubled up 2x4 to support it, and capped the open end with a 2x4 nailed to kingdom-*** . That bean hasnt moved.

 

[vavet]

It's never a good idea to use the bottom chord of a truss as a lifting device.

Options

1. Buy a gantry crane.. more capacity, portable, no chance of pulling down the roof.
   https://gorbel.com/products/cranes/...MI-vaVxpH02AIVSk1-Ch3UBw7BEAMYAyAAEgK3cvD_BwE
   
   
   
2. Or fix the beam at the wall, so it is supported by a fixed wall mounted post, and use a removable post at the other end of the beam. I did that in my garage for a Jeep Hardtop Hoist.

This is a really cool setup. I love how it's not pulling on the bottom truss. I guess the static weight of the beam itself is when you're not using it, but I guess thats been deemed acceptable. It takes a little more planning and time to get it ready to use, but man....that is trick!!!

 

[bad_idea]

I mounted an I beam 8' from the back wall of my 14x20 attached garage at my last house. I lifted 1500 lbs with it, no problem. I opened up the walls and rested the beam on posts within the wall cavity. Lag screwed the beam to the wall plates on each side. Was never comfortable side loading the beam, was concerned it would rip **** apart and come tumbling down. BUT, it worked great many times lifting loads straight up. Pulled engines, picked heavy items out of my truck, flipped welding projects, etc.

Added bonus, I installed a platform in the attic spanning the back wall and the beam. Hung it over the ends 1' each way. Gave me a 14'x10' storage loft in the attic that I stored axles on, no problem.

 

[Varty Yo]

PO of my house who built the garage put a 12" I bean running the length of the garage haha. He used to pull engines in the garage. Ive lifted a few heave things from it also

 

[NUTTSGT]

Although, technically, you probably shouldn't do it, most of us probably have hung more weight from our trusses than we should. 100-200 isn't much weight. How many times have you seen people jump up and hang from the bottom chord or walk across the trusses insulating or running wire ?

I'd just make sure your bottom chord is in nice shape (not built with some ****** lumber) and spread the weight out like already has been mentioned. Anything you can do to support the weight to bear down on the floor would be even better. But then again, you already know that.

 

[lakeroadster]

Any thoughts? Good or Bad.

How about posting up some photo's of the current truss set up. Are you talking manufactured trusses or home made trusses or rafters, 2 x 4 / 2 x 6 / 2 x 8 bottom chords, machine pressed splices, what's the roof pitch?

 

[gtr1999]

No trusses, I want to get back up there and see for sure if 2x4 or 2x6. I have been loading up the garage and blocked the loft stair pull down. I have to put things away before I can get up there again.

 

[lakeroadster]

No trusses

Yep, that changes the conversation considerably, likely not for the better.

 

[kbs2244]

I went back to the original post.
He is talking about 10 feet od 6 inch beam.
The beam will weigh more than the expected load!

Go with the paired 2x6's

 

[gtr1999]

You're right about the weight of the I beam, I think that's out now.

I was able to get some time in the garage and got up to the loft. I will have to rethink my plan altogether now.

No trusses, 2x6's on 32" centers, 24' long. I noticed the ceiling sheetrock was loose in some places, while this garage is only 15 years old the builder used sheet rock nails, not screws, and not a lot at that. I spent some time screwing in new screws to tighten up the sheet rock. I removed some interior part boxes from the loft and spread out the remaining boxes over the 2x6's. They didn't even use plywood decking, 1/2 OSB was used and in some places it is sagging between the joist.

So I will relook at options but for now I am wiring the phase convertor and sub panel to get my machines up and running again.