Topics include, Machine Tools & Tooling, Precision Measuring, Materials and their Properties, Electrical discussions related to machine tools, setups, fixtures and jigs and other general discussion related to amateur machining.
SteveHGraham wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 4:11 pm
The ad copy for gantries says never to move them when they're loaded. Is that just lawyer talk?
My thoughts?
With a gantry, there's a chance that you could topple the ganrty when it gets in motion, especially if the wheels hit a sudden stop. They tell you not to move it as a precaution. With the load held near the floor, it most likely could be moved without issue, but some folks don't have clear thinking and might try moving the gantry with the load held high. In any case, it would be important that the load not be allowed to swing.
H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
Not something I have personal experience with, and not useful for a shop, unless it's a large one, you might consider what harbor freight calls a "truck crane". Others sell them as well, but seem to be good for about a half ton or so. For your original issue with moving rocks, it would seem to be useful since you could move the truck to the rock and get it from the ground to the bed in one operation.
Since they bolt to the bed of a pick up, it probably wouldn't be hard to adapt to a tractor as well, if you have one available.
A gantry in the shop--any equipment in the shop--is not helpful when you take your lift table on the road. You still have to get it in and out of the truck.
Again, no magic bullet. And I've never needed to take a die table "on the road". If I did, I suppose I would put a swing arm crane on the truck bumper, maybe build a ramp and use a light winch, or get a lift gate. I sometimes take my engine lift "on the road". Not fun, but on the rare occasion I need to, I can manage. You can find a counterpoint to anything if you really want to. Or you can get set up for what you need most of the time, and then figure out how to deal with it as needed. Or you can complain that it can't do some obscure "X", and do nothing. I don't much care, I'm happy enough to have solved those problems that matter to me...
It is rare to see a New or newish truck with a bed mounted crane/ hoist. Nobody wants to drill through the bed or bolt the reinforcements required. Could have been real handy but scratches the paint.
BadDog wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2019 12:48 am
Again, no magic bullet. And I've never needed to take a die table "on the road". If I did, I suppose I would put a swing arm crane on the truck bumper, maybe build a ramp and use a light winch, or get a lift gate. I sometimes take my engine lift "on the road". Not fun, but on the rare occasion I need to, I can manage. You can find a counterpoint to anything if you really want to. Or you can get set up for what you need most of the time, and then figure out how to deal with it as needed. Or you can complain that it can't do some obscure "X", and do nothing. I don't much care, I'm happy enough to have solved those problems that matter to me...
I can't see where the issue has been covered. Maybe it's in there somewhere.
The choice isn't between lifting heavy objects or doing nothing. Deciding it's not worth it to find a solution because it's inconvenient is how I've always strained my back in the past. You say, "I'm only going to do this once," and then you hurt yourself. I can't recall how many times I've only done unsafe things "once."
A Hoyer lift could work well on the road. You could fix it up so it breaks into one or more light pieces.
The older I get, the more I think a van is a better vehicle than a pickup. The floor is closer to the ground, so lifts are shorter, and it's also easier to use a ramp when you have a van. I was surprised to find out that the payload for a Ford Transit is around twice the payload for my Dodge diesel pickup. A van also allows you to shelter things from the rain and thieves. It would be nearly impossible to load heavy machinery into one, but you could get a trailer or pay a rigger on those rare occasions.
A flatbed is good, but the bed is higher than a van's, and your cargo has no protection. Enclosed trailers seem smarter for most jobs.
I am now leaning toward getting a boom pole for my tractor, for taking things out of my vehicles when I'm at home. They're very cheap, and a coordinated person could use one to lift heavy things out of an SUV. I have brush forks, but in order to unload an SUV, I would have to remove three of them and attach a hook to the fourth. Swapping a Cat 1 attachment with my Easy Change seems smarter. The forks probably weigh 80 pounds apiece, so I would have to move three awkward, heavy objects twice in order to lift one object once.
This is a very important subject, well worth considerable discussion. People are always very interested in talking about what tools can do, but material handling, which is actually much more important, gets pushed to the side.
I think you need a range of lifting devices; inside and outside for sure, which should have some overlap [note how my shop crane can protrude through the door]. Then if you do the sort of work that requires it, a vehicle mounted crane or tail lift, or a winch + ramp, or whatever fits your needs.