Gantry

[Gary R.]

Anyone ever use a small 1/2 I beam gantry for pulling engines, bodies, etc? I want to setup a small overhead in my garage and didn't know if anyone had good/bad experiences with size or brands?

Thanks

[David H.]

Re: Gantry

Gary,

One of our chapter members has a Harbor Freight gantry that we (chapter members) used putting a body back on. Seemed to work ok (STURDY) but is LARGE - need storage space for assembled unit as (IMO) it is too heavy to disassemble/assemble. Once you have it assembled you would want to keep it that way. (I don't frequently use a gantry, so body lift/drop for me is via a sturdy wood gallows I built. Disassembly/assembly is infrequent and the wood pieces have manageable weight so storage is not a problem.)

Some thoughts: The winch - friend (with HF gantry) used an electric winch lowering the body - push button on/off. To me it was too "jerky" on start and stop and "bounced" the body more than I liked. I prefer a manual chain winch - much smoother. Also put some "stops" on the I beam to limit sideways travel of the winch.

Consider getting some 4 castor wheel dollies (again HF) for body drop alignment. With the chassis on the wheel dollies, you can lower the body to get it roughly into position, then push/pull the chassis via dollies into final position. Saves "swinging" body around to get it aligned on frame.

Dave

[Gary R.]

Re: Gantry

Thanks Dave. I am thinking about a Garage machine shop since I am tired of spending 12 hours a day in the shop. I want a nice way of lifting heavy objects like 150lb crates. I was thinking the gantry would work and also come in handy for a body off on my 69 whenever I get back to working on it. I want to keep everything within a 16 x 24 bay if I can, it will be tight with a Bridgeport, lathe, and surface grinder but doable I think.

[David H.]

Re: Gantry

Gary,

My friend built a similar (16x24) shop with Bridgeport, lathe, etc attached to his house. He installed a 10-12 inch i-beam that ran the 24 feet across the garage. He built hell-for-stout supports for beam support and set it particularly for engine lift. Very nice for engine lift, but not practical for moving heavy objects around. Problem with body lift is ceiling height for the gantry - his ceiling is too low for that.

Dave

[Peter M.]

Re: Gantry

Gary,
I have a gantry crane that came from my son's shop as the result of his divorce. He really liked it for all of the uses you mentioned. I have not used it yet, it takes up a lot of space. If you have the ceiling height I would think an overhead traveling crane would be ideal for your shop, probably pricey though.
Kind regards.

[Gary R.]

Re: Gantry

Thanks guys, I am still in the planning stages. I have the lathe and mill sitting in there now but I might have access to steel columns from an old mezzanine that I might be able to cut down to fit in the area. I am thinking possibly of a 4 post type with rolling I bean and hoist over the bay as one option but I will keep on planning. I have an engine hoist now but it's awkward moving in a tight space like I have unless I put it outside and cover it up when not in use.