Recommendations for a good/decent mobile hoist?

I can still stagger about with weightier items but it's not going to get any easier over the next few years

So this is me asking our ME collective if they have any suggestions for a floor based unit for shuffling 40KG to 100KG plus items about and lifting bits to working height

(Will have a look about myself of course)

ta

I’m not in your position - no space for moving things around a great deal and most of my usual kit comes in at less than your weight range. But if I did, I might consider two items:

1) A hoist to lift things from the floor to a trolley. (see 2)).

2). A scissor trolley operating from the minimum height required to the maximum - possibly just below workbench height to the highest operating level required.

The reasoning being that scissor trolleys are more stable if the raised height is not too much above the minimum level, allowing better stability at the highest setting and picking things up from the floor is the most difficult (or likely the most injurious).

I keep a pair of 'A' frames to lift things straight up & down. I assemble them around what I'm lifting/moving. The actual moving is done either on a dolly or steel rollers (my large mill and shaper are kept on them and wedged). I don't have room to get an engine crane into the workshop and the roof is creaking already (no hoisting from it) - so this was my solution.

My table saws, bandsaw, router table, sander (woodworking machines) are on wheeled tables, so can be moved around and used outside whenever possible.

Here I'm lowering my Warco drill onto a dolly for moving. It normally sits on a cabinet, so the drill was lifted, cabinet removed and then the drill is being lowered onto a dolly. Steel toe-caps and great care are recommended (don't get anything you want to keep under the lump being lifted/lowered). The two A frames just stack against a wall when not needed.

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 11/11/2020 21:28:23

This is an electric (battery) operated powered floor crane that can lift up to 140kg. Made in Australian by Makinex and has an outlet in the UK. **LINK**

Paul

Thanks chaps

There are also things called mini lifter stackers for shifting stuff about

My office is on the 2nd floor of my house, and with the virus thing going around, nobody is willing to come over and give a hand to carry equipment up and down the stairs.

I purchased new equipment this year, and had to take down the old equipment, and it was beyond what I could do.

I built a hoist using a 2.5" piece of EMT conduit (IMC would have been better but they were out of that).

I made a trolley, and bought a 120V winch.

I did not want to get fancy until I could prove it worked, and thus the rough arrangement so far.

It actually works every well, and I moved 5 pieces of equipment at 250 lbs each easily by myself up and down the stairs.

Next on my list is a mini-lift truck that is light enough to be folded down and put into the minivan.

It will be manually powered.

I will post a few photos in a minute.

Having built this hoist, I think I could build a mini-lift using similar construction.

Edited By PatJ on 12/11/2020 02:01:52

Edited By PatJ on 12/11/2020 02:03:11

For a mini-lift truck, I think I would build it where I can add weights to the back (perhaps a container with water), in case I cannot have feet protruding out forward, and then have feet with wheels that can be slid out forward, if the event the back weights were not being used.

I would want it as light as possible, and so that would probably be a monopole with 2.5" IMC conduit.

And I would have it fold down, and also disassemble into at least two pieces.

Hi, I have used a Genie lift similar to this Genie Lift Hire on a few jobs during one of my day jobs. They do work well, but make your arms ache cranking the handle with a good load on, but the wire rope from the winch, is a bit in your face and is a bit disconcerting should it suddenly snap with a load on. I always wore my visor when using one.

Regards Nick.

Ian

Facing similar issues I'm rather partilal to the Sky Hook lift on a work cart concept **LINK** (https://www.skyhookmfr.com/premium-mobile-cart-sky-hooks.html).

The permanent stuck up pillar layout is effective but I'd prefer something more compact when not in use. My back of the envelope sketches put the pillar at one corner of the cart with a bent L arm, rather like those used on mobility scooter hoists, folding down the back when not in use. Besides storage compactness this arrangement should be able to (usually) operate over the cart, load in front, crane at the rear, so minimising the need for counterweights and stability feet.

Disadvantage of doing it my way is that you need both a chain or cable hoist and an arm angle adjustment. May also have a limited height range so a higher lift would need to be in two stages with an intermediate stop at cart top or bench level to reset the arm angle.

The other device on a different set of envelopes is a car loader crane to get hefty stuff up into my Range Rover. Concept is a basic low level hydraulic jib crane sat on a bipod with a stabilising beam hooked to the towbar. The internet is lousy with (mostly) American versions both home made and commercial. See truck bar crane or tow hitch crane. All bigger and heftier than what I need, heck lots oft them look as if they need a crane to load them back into the truck which seems counterproductive, but plenty of inspiration.

At the sort of loads I'm interested in 'monkey see, monkey do" with a quick sanity check is plenty good enough engineering. Basically if its stiff enough it will be strong enough. I backwoods, redneck, good ole boy ,shade tree mechanic can manage I'm sure I'll be OK.

Clive

Hi Ady1

A few years ago, I made a lifting barrow based on a design seen in MEW.

There are photos of it in my album, it,s nothing fancy but it works, can lift from ground level to lathe or drill table height. Chucks or heavy workpieces are no problem. Can be used as an extra table if required, was cheap to build and great for loading/unloading stuff from cars/vans..

Would be happy to send you more photos or details if required.

This is a back and a toe saver, believe me !

Hi Clive, you've just reminded me that we used a similar thing to take out a coupling in a cabin between the diesel engine and a pump, it was a much older model, but came with a load of weighs that you put on the trolley. If I remember correctly, the one we used was operated by a 240V electric motor.

Regards Nick.

Been pondering something similar since I acquired an old 46Kg dividing head and although I've taken just over 4Kg out of it by removing excess metal during its rebuild I still find its on the limit of what I want to comfortably lift. Storage of whatever device I go for is my main problem so something overhead would be best for me but I will need to move strip lights to span across a few floor joists so will be it interesting to see what others suggest. I did make a gantry type lifting beam for getting my old Super 7 out and putting my new lathe in place, pallet racking beams with the ends cut off and suitably modified for that, but its too heavy for occasional use and lives on the wrong side of the workshop.

Edited By Henry Brown on 12/11/2020 10:13:58

Looks pretty good to me

Once on board you can drop the load to the floor and move it about, only lifting it up for the initial and final part of the operation

Edited By Ady1 on 12/11/2020 10:20:15

The pic is of a bodged up unit based on a used mobility scooter car lift - so weight limited to that sort of range. Base mounting is a 7" x 7" steel plate and I clamp it to a castered trolley/table for mobility.

rgds

Bill

Bought a cheep 1 tonne engine hoist from Ebay to move and install my new lathe. Worked OK, but for the cast iron castors on a bumpy garage floor. Plan to sell it when I'm happy the lathe is going to stay where it is.

Oops! cheap not cheep.

Edited By Bo'sun on 12/11/2020 10:43:08

I like the idea Clive. My main machines are all in-place (or on mobile stands) now but lifting "smaller" items (vertical mill heads, larger vices, surface plates) around is a more regular occurrence these days and is getting noticeably harder.

I think a mobile worktable with a swinging (fixed angle/height) arm might be very handy. I have a 200kg boat hoist that will do for the actual winching - far more than I'd try to lift with this device.

Thinks.....If I make the top surface removable, I can swing my big lumps around and lower them down to a lower deck to store them there and also add weight & lower centre of gravity (to help stop tipping) - then pop the top back on for normal use. Could be a repurposed commercial table but maybe better to dig out my old MMA welder and make it a bit heftier.

Have to lose something else to make room for it maybe but well worth considering...

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 12/11/2020 12:38:29

Hi Ady 1,

This lifting barrow is perfect for dealing with chucks, vises, rotary tables, large workpieces, bottled gas, concrete blocks ect, as long as the floor is good.

When it came to lifting my lathe and LUX mill into place, I used an engine or workshop crane, bought from Machine Mart years ago. Had no problem lifting my planer or spindle moulder either, both big machines, and it folds down to take up very little room. Would not be without it at this stage, a bit too old for that game now !

Trying to manage my 4 jaw chuck set me thinking, toes are bad enough as they are.

PS One other point-----Keep round bars, tubes ect off the floor !!

Dont even ask why !!!

Take care everyone.

Hi Ady!

before I bought a folding 1 ton crane, I made a gantry from warehouse staging. The beams are actual,ly, each, two

Smaller section beams, with pieces welded in to make a Warren girder. On the top of the beam is a runner made from the same 3 x 1.5 box section. The uprights are on castors, so once the load is lifted, everything is mobile.

Obviously, it is not certified, and I have never used anything heavier than a 5 cwt capacity chain block on it.

If you are anywhere within reasonable reach of East Anglia, you have only to collect it if you want it.

Howard

IanT

Reflecting on the desirability of counterweighting for crane on cart devices my current favourite scheme is to get a set of drawers or rollcab Snap On style (but not price) and shift a sensible amount of my smaller tooling into it. Which should provide ample, pretty consistent, counterweight as individual items won't be that heavy and only a few will be out at any one time.

The existing "planned" storage scheme having conspicuously outgrown all vestiges of planning over the last couple of decades starting over might be a good idea anyway.

Lift off tops never seem to work as planned. If made flat they accumulate stuff which needs to be moved to temporary home before the top can be removed. I made not flat or sloped so stuff won't stay on they get sworn at for about 3 days max before being replaced with a flat one!

Nature abhors a clear flat table, bench or functional equivalent in a workshop even more than she abhors a vacuum!

Clive

I'm very pleased to hear that Clive - I've always thought it was just me being lazy

IanT