Shop crane woes need some opinions

JOCCO · Oct 7, 2016

Dealing with this situation. Need a new one and really like the ones that fold up for storage (which is part of the issue). What is your take on them? Seems most of them are a harbor freight item. NEXT is it possible to replace the caster wheels to make one outdoor usable with a rubber wheel?? Yes I get cheap hand cart type tires are not the answer. Years ago we dealt with some large a frame hoists with car tires for very heavy stuff and I do not want one as I would use a bucket loader. The a frame hoist will not work in the building and we cannot go to an overhead steel beam system. Thanks

RBoots · Oct 7, 2016

I have a fold up 2 ton one I bought from Car Quest years ago. It works real well. I would think you could put bigger wheels on it, you could probably find some online or in McMaster Carr. I'm guessing they'd be pricey though, and probably have to be at least 6-8" diameter and very heavy load capacity to work correctly, and iutdoors. Probably have to get the ones that are a cast iron or aluminum rim with just a skin of "tread" around the outside of the wheel.

glennster · Oct 7, 2016

castors off a dumpster will be heavy enough. heres a link
poke here

Leroy · Oct 7, 2016

Have had a HF 1 ton for several years with no problems and it has always been used outdoors. Don't remember if I ever folded it or not. 2 ton would be too big for what I can use. The short chain that it came with I replaced with a longer one for my work. I also have a homemade frame for overhead trolly for chain hoist, actually have 2 on it and I just roll it around to where I want it. I made it to fit in the vuilding but never have put it in. I use both together. The setup I have working on the steel wheel hay rakes that I do i cal lift the complete unit to work on it.

K-Mo · Oct 7, 2016

I have had mine for years and don't remember where I got it, but one thing I like about it is the hydraulic jack. It's double acting. It has two pump plungers and raises on the up stroke as well as the down.

tomturkey · Oct 7, 2016

Steel wheels with rubber from scaffolding might work for you. Could be a problem with the weight transfer to the wheels of pushing them down into the gravel/soil and being hard to move/roll. just a thought gobble

loko17 · Oct 7, 2016

Got mine from Northern Tool (google them if not familiar with them). Very satisfied with mine.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 7, 2016

As far as having it usable offroad, that's a tough one.

I tried to make a dolly for my slide-in camper so I could move it around on the relatively smooth gravel floor in my shed, using 12" pneumatic caster wheels.

Each wheel supposedly holds 300lbs, and my camper only weighs 1500lbs. I figured 10 wheels would be enough for the job.

When I first dropped the weight of the camper on the dolly, I couldn't move it. It just would not roll on the gravel. I had to pump up all the tires to 60PSI and manually steer all the wheels in the same direction, then I could BARELY push it around by hand.

The wheels wanted to dig in even on the hard-packed gravel.

The next spring all the tires were flat.

On concrete you can get away with very small wheels, but on gravel you need big tires if you want to be able to push it around by hand. Not real practical with a shop crane.

3000OH · Oct 7, 2016

You are talking about an engine hoist and not a gantry crane (HF sells both). If you're talking engine hoist, I'm probably stating the obvious here, but remember that bigger wheels are going to limit what the hoist legs will fit under (like a car or trailer). Then you'll also need to make a new set of wider legs to fit farther around whatever is being picked up.

gtractorfan · Oct 7, 2016

In the past week I did the very thing you're asking about--- used my engine hoist to pull out some bushes, roots and all. How I moved it around the yard was with a home made 2 wheel hand cart with 4" by 8" tires. It really helps the legs fold back making it easy to tip back on the hand cart. When in place I put wood pieces under it so the steel casters weren't on the ground.

2510Paul · Oct 7, 2016

Both my son and a friend of mine have one of these. I also have one that is almost the same but has the double acting cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder on the Northern Tool verson is not double acting which is nice to have as mentioned below. But, you could replace it at some point if you use it a lot.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200640934_200640934

If you have a tractor with a loader I am wondering why you need the otherwise indoor hoist to be used outside on a non-hard surface. Maybe it is access. I also have a set of forks on my compact tractor and I use them a lot for lifting. I put a chain between the two fork tips through an "I" loop on each fork so they share the load and then left with a chain from there. It is real handy.

Good Luck. Paul

Hobo,NC · Oct 7, 2016

I have a heavy duty one I made it a fold up model, I also added a three point hitch to it, it will go anywhere my tractor will go

Hobo,NC · Oct 7, 2016

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.c...arameter=hobo,nc&w=pieces&cc=1&s=

Shop crane woes need some opinions

JOCCO

Well-known Member

RBoots

Well-known Member

glennster

Well-known Member

Leroy

Well-known Member

K-Mo

Member

tomturkey

Well-known Member

loko17

Member

BarnyardEngineering

Well-known Member

3000OH

Member

gtractorfan

Well-known Member

2510Paul

Well-known Member

Hobo,NC

Well-known Member

Hobo,NC

Well-known Member

Similar threads