How do you lift big stuff in your shop?

[Alan Douglas]

I made this tripod crane for repairing stone walls, using telescoping aluminum pipe and tubing from Speedy Metals and a 1/2 ton chain hoist. It had to be portable since some of the walls are in the woods with no vehicle access. The photo is a trial run moving a 650-lb rock in my neighbor's back yard.

 

[tommied]

Put in overhead lift. Also manual job in yard. tommie

 

[Rangerjoe2]

When I bought my grizzly 14x40 we used a pallet jack to move it into place. For my south bend 13x40 we used my neighbors 3 ton engine hoist to get it off the trailer and into the garage. Kinda scary but better than 250 bucks for a fork lift. Of course if I would have dropped it I would be on here advocating for everyone to use a fork lift!

 

[artyart]

I don't usually have help to move things around, also don't have any equipment heavier than about 4-500 lbs. So far a 2 ton engine hoist I have, along with some heavy duty dollies get it done without damaging the machinery or me.... Anything bigger and I would be getting help and better lifting equipment.

 

[joe kozak]

steel bar joist gantry?

so I've been looking at building a portable gantry for moving lathes on and off the back of my old international harvester dump truck, for when no forklift is available, like at home.

why always i-beams and H-beams ?

Anyone use a steel bar joist?

Being tresseled it should be light and strong. Easy for portability setup. Wide enough for dump truck drive thru.

 

[AR1911]

Depends on what it is, and where.

1 - I have a 2-ton chain hoist where the I-beams meet in the peak of the shop roof. I can back under it with my truck and load or unload.
2 - Engine hoist - when i can't get under the chain hoist, or I need to retrieve something I bought.
3 - Pallet jack
4 - I bought a couple of Sky-Hooks the other day. I'm figuring out how to mount them. Lifts up to 500 lbs (rated)

 

[epanzella]

I made a pair of dollies and bolted them to the crate my lathe came in, wheeled it into the shop and then picked the lathe out of the crate with a chain hoist on a beam to set it on the bases. I've since bought a shop crane and although it's intended purpose was to lift my boat engines, it should come in handy moving machines around.

 

[sniggler]

Joe

Bar joist sounds like a bad idea to me the flanges or more correctly the bottom cord is made of 2 lengths of angle iron back to back with a combination of vertical and diagonal struts connecting it to the top cord. The problem is that the trolley will be prying down on the angles in between the struts the angle may deflect and then your only option may be to dive out of the way. I won't say that a fabricated truss could not be designed and fabricated that would be sufficient for the task.

Bob

 

[markknx]

A bar joist can be used as a pick point But one most Follow some very strict rules. 1st one most know the load rating of the joist, 2nd one most never rig to the bottom cord. You should always rig at a panel point of the joist. Never should a side load be added. All of this means a straight pick up and down, And I do not see how you could get much trolly room on one. Bar joists are very flimsy side of side, and so they need some form of side bracing. Rigging a trolly to the bottom cord is just asking for trouble.

 

[Something]

Being a home tinkerer, and requiring the best "value" for my money. In the order of importance...

#1 Chain Host (Under $100 new) I use this the most. I have a couple of them mounted in strategic places so I can back my truck under them or perform different tasks.

#2 Pallet Jack (Under $100, craigslist used) I bought this to move one thing and now I use it for EVERYTHING. After unloading something with the chain hoist I can drop it on a pallet and roll it around. (Before this I used a pallet with 6 small casters mounted to it)

#3 Pickup Truck Crane (Under $100 new) I made a removable mount for it. It's a cheapo Harbor Freight unit but if you know how to work around its limitations (thin materials) then it's a great unit.

#4 Portable crane/engine hoist. I have an old home made one (not by me) that is HUGE. I use it rarely but when I need it nothing else will do. It lives outdoors because it takes up too much space. I am thinking of re-engineering it to be foldable so it can be stored more reasonably inside.