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Posted by D Sherman [216.18.131.233] on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 03:42:31 :
In Reply to: Re: I'm gonna get me this gantry crane! posted by Paul ( in NY) [12.64.114.173] on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 22:19:14 :
A "1000 pound" Harbor Freight transmission hoist tried to kill me when a 400 lb transfer case crushed it and made it fall over towards me. That said, the kinds of things you'd be likely to lift on a light truck are generally well under 2000 lbs, probably more like 500. In my dream shop, I'll have a gantry crane running on I-beams running the length of the shop, but for now I use the bomb hoist on the M35. One large and active farm equipment shop I know of works on some big machines using nothing more than some swing-arm cranes attached to the walls of the shop. The arm consists of an I-beam with a chain fall and trolley running on it, and vertical pipe that serves as the pivot is well-attached to thick masonry walls.
The rolling gantry crane might be okay, taking into account its limitations (mainly, light construction) and your floor is very smooth. It would be a step up from the ubiquitous engine hoists. Still, $700 is a lot of money that could buy a lot of steel to build something better, or maybe find a cheap used one.