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+--- Thread: Home made jib crane with photos (/thread-389.html)
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Home made jib crane with photos - Dave J - 05-10-2012
Hi,
This has been up for a few years, but I thought I would post it here.
I have been having a hard time lifting things on and off the mill and the lathe for some time and usually had to get a hand off someone (usually my son) to give me a lift. The problem is not age but a broken disc in my neck and after a MI scan and surgery (the operation was unsuccessful) the doctors told me I had an 80 year old spine at the ripe old age of 38 that was 4 years ago. A few years ago ago I had the son in-law help lift the 250mm (10) rotary and he nearly dropped it, so I decided to build a crane to do the lifting as I still wanted to lift things on my own but safely.
After some research on the internet (not much out there) I built this jib crane last year but only put it up at Christmas. It was made of scrap that I picked up in a dumpster and the main post a mate gave to me.
The beam is 150mm x 75 (6"x3") and is 2.3 mtrs (7.5ft) long made up of 2 pieces welded together. The vertical leg is 1mtr (3.2ft) long.
The bearings retainers are from the rear diff of a Nissan 720 4x4 pickup with a standard 30mm inner bearing in the top retainer and the bottom one with the original taper bearing from the axle. There is a 40mm (13/4) square trailer axle machined at both ends to suit the bearings welded to the back of the crane. I made plates up to go around them and welded them to the crane as extra insurance.
I made the brackets up to hold the bearing retainers out of 10mm (3/8") plate and they bolt onto the 100x100mm (4"x4") thick wall post. They bolt on to the post with 4 x 20mm (3/4) HT bolts top and bottom. I welded the nuts to a 300mm x 90 x 6mm ((1x 3 1/2x1/4) plates top and bottom and then slid the plates inside the post while it was laying on the ground. A couple of small countersunk bolts hold them in place until the post goes up and the bolts go in. The top plates are 150 x 150x 10mm (6x6x3/8) with the same 20mm bolts and the bottom plate is 300x175x20mm (1x7x3/4) with 5x 16mm (5/8) pins into the concrete. I made the dummy bolts at the bottom because it has to be removed to another location latter. They have a hex head but no thread and are hammered 75mm (3)into the tight fitting hole in the concrete.
You will see in the photo that I made up some temporary angle brackets with thread bar to do the final adjustments to the post when the crane was up, before welding the bottom. I was lucky I did that as when I first put it up it needed to go higher than I thought. So I lifted it 150mm higher and had to redrill more holes and plug up the old ones.
The beam trolley is made up to suit the electric winch my wife bought me for a Christmas present. I had an old beam trolley that I got the wheels off.
Just after getting it up I decided I needed a cable festoon for the electric wires so I found a deal on eBay plastic wheels and made some trolleys up out of 3mm (1/8) plate.
I made it so the controller is separate from the winch and left provision for the power controls that I will be fitting latter to move it in and out and side to side.
I havent used it much as I am doing renovations on the house but it will be a big help in the future.
All up it only cost me $25Aus dollars and that was for the stickers and the festoon wheels.
Davo
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Mayhem - 05-10-2012
I remember seeing this some time ago and saved the link, as I wanted to do the same thing. Then my PC crashed and I lost it (forgot the links are stored on the system drive, not on the data drive I back up!).
One question I have is with regards to the 100x100 post that the crane is attached to. Is that the original upright that form part of the frame of your workshop or is that a separate one that you installed?
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Dave J - 05-10-2012
Hi,
The post I put in just to hold the crane. The shed posts are 75 x 50mm RHS and I didn't think they where up to it. With 500kg on the end it will put around 1 ton push and pull on the post/bearing, so you want something beefy there.
If you look in the picture with the ugly bloke in it, you will see the shed corner post over the back.
Dave
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Mayhem - 05-10-2012
I thought that may be the case but didn't spot it until I zoomed in on the picture. The foot plate sort of gave it away but wanted to be sure. I like your safety boots :)
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Dave J - 05-10-2012
They are my Chinese safety boots.
I weld in them as well in the summer.I was going to tie the post into the shed post, but I really don't think I need it. I have picked up mu lathe at around 450-500kg and it was fine.
I did tie the top of the post with a 2 1/2 round pipe diagonal across the corner, you can just see it in the same picture at the top right (it's silver)
I hadn't tried it before but had planned to put it in from the start just to be sure. I might be an over kill, but better to be safe than sorry.
Dave
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Mayhem - 05-10-2012
I did note the pipe braces. I agree on taking all precautions on something like this. Not worth the risk for the sake of a few lengths of pipe and a little extra time.
How often do you do the fire dance in summer then?
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - EdK - 05-10-2012
Dave,
Wow! I thought you had bought that and here you made it from scratch, and for only $25. That's amazing.
Ed
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Dave J - 05-10-2012
(05-10-2012, 02:55 AM)Mayhem Wrote: I did note the pipe braces. I agree on taking all precautions on something like this. Not worth the risk for the sake of a few lengths of pipe and a little extra time.
How often do you do the fire dance in summer then?
I do the hot spark dance a few times, and I have the thongs to prove it, LOL
Thats why I like to keep the heavy welding projects for the winter where I am rugged up with steel caps on.
Dave
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - DaveH - 05-10-2012
Dave,
What a crane that is
A really pro job Dave - congrats
Next time tell that ugly bloke not to stand in the photo
All for $25
DaveH
RE: Home made jib crane with photos - Dave J - 05-10-2012
(05-10-2012, 06:25 AM)EdAK Wrote: Dave,
Wow! I thought you had bought that and here you made it from scratch, and for only $25. That's amazing.
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yes I did make it from scratch, just wish I had of taken a few more photos at the beginning of the build.
It was originally 3 pieces I picked out of the scrap bin, the boom has 2 pieces Z cut welded together for maximum weld length. Then ground to make it look like it was not there so the trolley wouldn't have any bumps. The cut is around the sticker portion of it but you cant pick it.
After welding it the first time it had a ever so slight bend in it (looking down on it) from weld shrinkage, so I placed some blocks of timber on the ground outside and set it up as a ramp with it laying on it's side, I then drove my truck up onto it hoping I could get the slight bend out. But as I thought it did nothings and I had to recut it and reweld it again on one side.
This was all done on the side of the beam so I thought if the weld holds the truck weight (around1.2-1.5 ton on it side, it will hold 500kg vertical no problems.
Dave