Using Barn Door Track for a Gantry - Thoughts

[LifeLongWNYer]

I have a friend who has a set up in his garage, and I wonder what you guys think of it. ( I am planning to steal his idea)

He took a pair of overhead sliding barn door tracks and bolted them together, back to back. Then he hung those tracks from the bottom chords of his trusses by placing a 2"x2"x3/8" section of angle iron over 2 of those chords and slinging the barn door track with all-threaded rod. In each barn door track is two door trolleys, then he hung a small hand operated chain fall, or chain hoist, from the four trolleys. The threaded rod is pulling the track up tight to the bottom of the trusses, so it is solid, no movement.

He uses this to lift "things" from the floor, to his bench to work on them. As I recall, the heaviest item he lifts is a 4-wheel ATV, which he puts on the bench to service, change oil, etc.

Now this set up has been there 12 -15 years, with no problems, but I am wondering what the consensus is. I'd like to do the same, but I expect the heaviest thing I'll lift would be a mower deck.



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[NUTTSGT]

A quick search shows the track rated at 450 lbs and the trolley is half that. All said, they way he has it rigged should yield him 900lbs worth of lifting capabilty.

The next weakest link would be the all thread and the weight put on the trusses. Some people get away using stuff like this for a long time while others not so much.

 

[Lelandwelds]

I have been in shops that have 12 ft or 16 ft barn track in several spots. They work well but the trolleys eventually fail. The fix was raw bearings in a welded round stock trolley. There's a similiar but pricy product that uses unistrut. Butcher plants use a flat bar on edge hung from J hooks. It can be curved or straight.

I saw a hoist on a tractor forum that used a heavy wall 2 X 4 rectification tube with the bottom edge cut with a jig. His brackets to hang it were square sheet with a trapezoid cut in the center with the bottom bigger than the top. He drove a wedge into split and welded it to bracket. Then the wedge was removed. He took an angle grinder to the places that hung up on the shuttle. His shuttle was just a piece of flat with tapped holes. Shoulder bolts and spaces centered the bearings. It was slick but too much trouble.

 

[Lelandwelds]

A quick search shows the track rated at 450 lbs and the trolley is half that. All said, they way he has it rigged should yield him 900lbs worth of lifting capabilty.

The next weakest link would be the all thread and the weight put on the trusses. Some people get away using stuff like this for a long time while others not so much.

These diy jobs are similiar to the unistrut holding everthing imaginable in every factory , basement, parking garage , and bridge in the USA. They won't fall down as long as a 4 to 1 or 10 to 1 safety margin is planned.

No lifeguard on duty.

 

[dave_dj1]

I've done crazier things so..........
On that note, have you ever seen a hay trolley or a manure trolley or a butchers meat trolley? Some of that stuff has pretty large loads on it from time to time. As in all things, use your head and some common sense and you'll be fine. I have a HF 440 lb lifting hoist in my garage, it's lag bolted through the plywood floor above to a 2x4, you wouldn't evn believe the stuff I've done to/with that thing! LOL I can show you some barn doors on that track that are 12' or 14' wide and 16' tall, they've been up for years.
It seems to me they make a heavy duty roller? The only problem with the doors has been if someone either hits them with the forklift or forgets to chain the latch at closing time. I've found them laying on the ground before Job security I guess you could say.

 

[Stinger]

I put a single track version in the attic of my garage with a HF electric winch...works great. I've lifted transmissions, complete 4 cyl engines (450lbs) with it and it's fine as long as you don't bouns the load by turning the winch on/off constantly. Scroll down the page: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44846&page=2

 

[kbs2244]

His has been working for over 10 years and you plan on much less than his weights.
What is the question?

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

Well, KBS2244, I was just looking for input and opinions, like many others here.

Nobody said anything too derogatory, so I guess that ( with a little care when using it ) I'll go ahead with my similar setup. Thanks to those who replied.



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[matt_i]

One can probably plan on 400# on any given truss if the load is "dead" and not "live". Consider two men standing close together on one truss while framing. I wouldn't think anyone to consider this a risk that they were going to fall down. I think the method described of strapping over top of the bottom chord of the truss is the best way to proceed.

Bottom line is one must use sense with light duty hoisting systems to not keep pushing them higher and higher. Of some difficulty is transferring this knowledge to a future owner who may not be as experienced or knowledgeable.

Part of the problem is a lot of manual chainfall hoists have 1/2 ton and up ratings. (I have a HF 440# electric hoist and it is a good way to initiate some shock loads due to the on-off nature of the beast)

 

[wssix99]

The next weakest link would be the all thread and the weight put on the trusses. Some people get away using stuff like this for a long time while others not so much.

... We don't hear too much from people where this doesn't work out. We just get articles in the paper and Darwin award nominations.

One can probably plan on 400# on any given truss if the load is "dead" and not "live". Consider two men standing close together on one truss while framing. I wouldn't think anyone to consider this a risk that they were going to fall down. I think the method described of strapping over top of the bottom chord of the truss is the best way to proceed.

Two men standing on a truss have their weight transferred through the TOP chord of the truss. The bottom chord of the truss is a much weaker link and not designed to take these types of loads. (If those same two men took a step down and put their feet on the bottom chord, the thing would probably crack and fall apart.) If trusses are to take loads, they are going to be able to do so when the forces are transferred through the TOP chord. Special (uncommon) engineering is required for bottom chords to take heavy point loads.

 

[dave_dj1]

... We don't hear too much from people where this doesn't work out. We just get articles in the paper and Darwin award nominations.




Two men standing on a truss have their weight transferred through the TOP chord of the truss. The bottom chord of the truss is a much weaker link and not designed to take these types of loads. (If those same two men took a step down and put their feet on the bottom chord, the thing would probably crack and fall apart.) If trusses are to take loads, they are going to be able to do so when the forces are transferred through the TOP chord. Special (uncommon) engineering is required for bottom chords to take heavy point loads.

This is true but could most likely be overcome by installing a strong back to the top of the bottom chord. Or ask the truss company to build them for the weight.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Steel trusses, I beams, or bar joists sure work well.

The tree carcass stuff might work better if you built up a three dimensional truss to help spread the load across more members.

 

[ltcmontana]

Recommend googling "Meat processing rails" or Meat processing systems" These systems are built specifically for applications similar to your needs.

One example:
https://www.moundtool.com/Meat_Processing_Trolly.html

 

[rlitman]

A quick search shows the track rated at 450 lbs and the trolley is half that. All said, they way he has it rigged should yield him 900lbs worth of lifting capabilty.

The next weakest link would be the all thread and the weight put on the trusses. Some people get away using stuff like this for a long time while others not so much.

I’m surprised it’s that low. 4 wheel unistrut trolleys are rated for 600 lbs, and I always thought barn door track was stronger than unistrut.

I will agree that the shock loading from a cheap on/off electric hoist can be a problem.

 

[wssix99]

This is true but could most likely be overcome by installing a strong back to the top of the bottom chord. Or ask the truss company to build them for the weight.

Agreed. Sometimes, in exposed truss buildings, one can see such things. There is usually a backing plate at the top of the truss and at the end of the rod.

 

[wssix99]

While we are on the subject, here's something to oogle at...

We have a lot of these in the neighborhood - I-Beam trolleyways that articulate out into alleys and feed right through barn/garage doors and through warehouses. This one used to serve an engine/machine shop.

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