Workshop crane project

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

I kept postponing to build a crane but it is more an more difficult without. Two machines are outside my garage and I can’t bring them in. And on the milling machine that it is inside I can’t replace heavy accessories without inviting a friend. Or two in some cases. I wanted to buy one since the crane is not the most interesting project on my list. But I didn’t find nothing suitable within an acceptable budget. Since I went on a shopping spree recently I want a cheap solution 🙂
I’m oscillating between a gantry crane and a … let’s call it a cube crane like this:

 

The frame will be large enough to be pushed around the mill. Then I could lift it with two chain blocks. It will have four swivel wheels to allow it to move in narrow spaces.  And when not in use it will take little space since it will just sit around an unused machine.

The main problem is that I’m restricted to a maximum height of 220cm. It has to pass through the garage door. Because of this I don’t have enough room above the machine to put a block chain, like in the right picture. Fortunately the lifting points are at the bottom of the mill. I think it would be enough to use two block chains on each side.
I’m thinking to make the vertical beams long enough to almost touch the ground. For safety reason. If one wheel fails the frame will not roll over. This is the best design that crossed my mind.

 

 

 

 

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Since you are restricted on height, could you mount cable wiches at the bottom corners, (maybe 2)?

Each winch could lift a spreader bar, (with a sling, or two cables, preferably adjustable) by running the cable around a pulley in the top corner of the frame.

In this way you could lift a machine, as if with a block and tackle, but with minimum loss of headroom within the frame.

To move the machine, it only has to be lifted far enough to allow the frame and load to be moved on the castors., without fouling oin any lumps in the ground.

Howard

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

This is an interesting idea. By cable winch you mean something like this?

As far as I know this things can’t rotate back while holding the weight unless they have worm gear. And those are very expensive.

[JAParticipant @ja]

Your cube crane will need diagonal bracing on each side to stop it becoming a “mechanism”. This will obviously restrict access to the load.

As Howard says a trolley and castors allows movement. As for lift, simple sheerlegs with or without a block and tackle. A friend used them when moving big lathes. OK, head room may be a minor problem in the workshop but the machine can be slid off the trolly.

Bronze Age man did not use cranes and they built Stone Henge.

JA

 

[peak4Participant @peak4]

These can pull and release under control; bear in mind they are often sold as a puller, rather than a hoist, so safe working loads might need to be considered. They also come complete with the pulley to go at the top.
I use to use them for recovering rally cars, normally just to stabilise the stranded vehicle, with the Landrover mounted winch for extraction.

Alternatively, add some load bearing removable cross bars just above ground level
Your chain hoist can then go on a supplementary (folding?) frame above the cart.
Lift up the machine, lower onto the cross bars and lash down.
Lower crane part, wheel into workshop and raise the crane again.

Bill

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Bill –

Sonic Escape showed a trailer-winch, not a puller as you do.

I am not sure if trailer-winches are recommended as part of a crane, though I have done it on scaffolding sheer-legs to erect my own machine-tools. I do not know their typical SWL; but they are fitted with a ratchet. In my use I interposed a pulley to halve the load on the winch… and on me.

Really, unless your workshop has the headroom for a heavy-duty overhead crane, moving something like a milling-machine is better done using rollers. It’s as well to remember that although mobile straddle-cranes like that are used, e.g. in boatyards, they need very heavy-duty castors indeed to be at all maneouverable with a load as heavy as a milling-machine on them.

The puller is NOT a lifter, and should not be used as such, but it can be used in conjunction with rollers or sheet-steel skid-plates.

I have also used an ex-car screw-jack on its side against suitable structures to push a machine the last few inches into place.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Yes, I don’t want to build a “mechanism” 🙂 That was a simplified diagram.

I liked the idea to have a removable frame on top! The celling is 275cm high. And the milling machine is about 164cm. But then I remembered the band saw, it is taller …

But there might be a simpler way! Afterall it is enough to lift the mill only a few cm. Everything is flat here. So first I can connect each bottom lifting point of the mill to the corresponding top corner of the frame with chains. Then I can use something like this 3t lever chain hoist to lift one corner of the mill. Only a few cm. Then I tension again the chain from that corner. And then I remove the hoist and move it to the next corner. I’m not in a hurry.

The castors part is indeed the weak point. I already bought 4 without thinking too much. They suppose to hold 260kg. And I guess this is static load not a dangling machine. And if I add also the weight of the frame this doesn’t look good. Now I’m thinking maybe to by 2 more.

The rollers are super strong but I’m afraid it would be difficult to turn the frame with the mill hanging in the middle.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

As noted the ‘come-along’ as the Americans call them cannot be safely let down although they will lift. I have had two for many years and when letting out the rope they will suddenly let-go, in fact this feature is what I use to pull out the rope to set up for a pull. I mostly use it for tree stump removal – horizontal pull.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

How about a chain block then? I think they should be able to safely lower the load.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Hire some machine skates and a toe jack. If that fails, scaffolding tube used as rollers

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Chain blocks are indeed intended for duties like this (within their SWL obviously).

What you can do as you sort of hint half-way there, is use your frame to lift the machine enough to put it on and off rollers: steel scaffold-tube.

Now, you photo seems to show everything is standing on block paving, so you need think a bit how to roll everything so the rollers don’t treat the joints between the blocks as Vee-blocks, but that’s a matter of careful planning.

 

NB: You probably already know this but it’s always worth reminding each other.. 

Whenever using rollers to move a heavy load, never hold the tube with your fingers round it to put it under the load. If something slips you will lose your fingers, and we’ve all had our own digits for long enough to be rather attached to them.

Place the roller parallel to its intended location, roll it under by either the palm of the hand on its top projecting safely outside of the load, or more safely still, use a short piece of wooden batten to ease it into place.

[pieterParticipant @pieter]

Under no circumstances should a load be lifted from below the center of gravity, it will topple over.

I am a certified Engineer.

[pieter]

On pieter Said:

Under no circumstances should a load be lifted from below the center of gravity, it will topple over.

I am a certified Engineer.

I do it all the time. I’m a certified forklift operator.

Apart from that the TOS version of this machine shows exactly this in the handbook:

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Metal tubes used as rollers are not an option. They will work outside. But in the garage there are floor tiles. They might crack or get scratched. I have emotions every time I drop a wrench on the floor. The guy who built the house wanted to have the option to convert the garage to a bedroom. There is even floor heating there:)

I totally agree with the center of mass being above the lifting point. I was a little nervous when we lifted the machine. But this is how the manufacturer recommends. Anyway I can secure the mill inside the cube with additional rope to keep it vertical. It should be safe.

 

[Les RileyParticipant @lesriley75593]

I use tubes as rollers. Where I need to move things on delicate floors, I use scaffolding planks or thick plywood sheets to spread the load of the rollers.

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

You could jack up the mill and make a simple box section frame to bolt on top of the four through holes with wheels underneath. Minimum work and low risk to safety.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Yes, this is true. But I’ll still need to build something to lift the milling tables, slotting head and the other accessories. The cube can do both.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

To expand on Pete’s point, have a look at my photos on This Topic

It works well and can be moved from machine to machine.

Re my previous comment on a wire rope puller. The one I use can most certainly be used for lowering a load under control one full notch at a time on the ratchet; it’s inherent in its design and covered in the instructions; it also claims to be rated for lifting, albeit under US regulations not UK.

Bill

[pieter]

On pieter Said:

Under no circumstances should a load be lifted from below the center of gravity, it will topple over.

I am a certified Engineer.

Hi, well you don’t always have a choice about not lifting from below the centre of gravity.

It’s just a matter of knowing how to safely sling / rig what you need to lift, and yes, I’ve had proper training for this, by Lloyds British. I’ve even had training on wheeled mobile crane operations.

Regards Nick.

[pieter]

On pieter Said:

Under no circumstances should a load be lifted from below the center of gravity, it will topple over.

I am a certified Engineer.

It’s comments like that that get certified/chartered engineers a bad name. If you have to lift from below the CG you need to know what you are doing, but it happens all the time

[peak4]

On peak4 Said:

To expand on Pete’s point, have a look at my photos on This Topic

It works well and can be moved from machine to machine.

Re my previous comment on a wire rope puller. The one I use can most certainly be used for lowering a load under control one full notch at a time on the ratchet; it’s inherent in its design and covered in the instructions; it also claims to be rated for lifting, albeit under US regulations not UK.

Bill

I made a small wall/ceiling mounted swing crane for mine. The heaviest bit is about 50-60kg but I’ve tested the crane to 150kg so I know it’s good for that.

[Daniel MackayParticipant @danielmackay21455]

My workshop has nothing to anchor a chain hoist to for lifting, so therefore when iwas moving anything of a tall nature or somewhat unstable, there was two golden rules i did not deviate from ever The first one was do not move any machines alone, Have someone else on hand in case of emergency or an accident, Some years ago I purchased some tooling from a one man band guy in Glasgow, He took a chance moving a top heavy milling machine alone at night    He lived alone Sadly the machine came over on top of him, trapping him by his leg, By the grace of God a workbench saved him from being crushed to death,  He lay trapped suffering for about twenty hours

He managed by superhuman , desperation to grab hold of a pinchbar using his fingers to inch it over to himself and eventually ease the machine up enough to free his trapped leg got himself free before the whole damned thing came crashing down

The second hint I have, the old mining & shipyard riggers trick, Ease the machine up at each corner slightly more than 1/4 of an inch, and slide under flat strips of black steel about 1/4″x 2″ , have the metal strips lubricated by liquid soap or preferrably undiuted washing up solution, Simple,  After that you pinch or shove (or in my case I have a little 15cwt come-along , which I anchor to rawlbolts &anchor strips in the concrete floor, which i remove at the end of the excercise) your machine along on lengths of your flat strapping, till you get it into place Then pinch up your machine and remove your metal strips , Never would i use oil as a slippery medium , You can at finish of this chore, wash any of your soap from the workplace to avoid breaking your neck!     Remember care & caution is essential.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Sonic Escape, just noticed your link to that 3t Lever Chain Hoist, these work in much the same way as a chain block, and will lower things down safely, the advantage is they don’t have the pull chain that can tangle up with your load and or other things in the vicinity, the disadvantage though, is the lever has to be within reach, and the load chain isn’t normally as long as a chain block, but are much easier to use horizontally than a chain block.

Regards Nick.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Lever Chain Hoist is also my favorite choice. But are you sure it can lower the load? It has a switch to reverse the directions. But in the middle there is some kind of neutral position where it doesn’t hold the load. Or at least that is what I understood from a video.

Meanwhile I bought 3 x 6m long 80x50x3 rectangular bars for the cube. And 2 x 80x20x2 for the diagonals. For the horizontal bottom sides I have some 100×100 square bars. And since I had the truck there anyway I bought also 6m of 30mm round S235 JR steel. Just to have what to turn on the lathe 🙂

 

 

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I have a 250 kg Tractel chain hoist running on unistrut. To avoid the dangling chain problem I’ve hung a baked bean tin in the appropriate position to catch the tail. The little chain block can be easily lifted with one hand. The chap who put me onto it calls it the ‘jewellers chain block’

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