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Thread: Gantry build
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31st Jan 2022, 11:52 AM #1New Member
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Gantry build
Hi new here.
I have had a little look around on the site for gantry builds and will have more looks in the following nights.
Now i'm not the smartest tool in the workshop esp with math and English so go easy on me.
I am thinking of making an adjustable gantry to lift my ski boat hull 400kg.And also other items around the yard outboard engine for the ski boat.Chicken coop, logs etc.
I would like the gantry to be able to lift max weight of 1000kg
I have looked about at different designs on the interweb.Videos and pdfs
I cannot find information regarding the difference between A frame set up and a one leg setup.(i'm sure there is another name for the one leg setup but i cant think what its called)
I will mostly use the gantry outside so im thinking A Frame.
Can someone tell me the differences in strengths and weaknesses between the designs?
Cheers.
And off subject a little do many people use oxy equipment these days or is that out of date?
I was given some old oxy equipment gauges torches etc looks to be in good nick. (looking forward to learning)
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31st Jan 2022, 12:55 PM #2Most Valued Member
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Be really careful with used oxygen gear, one bad seal and bam. Leak test everything three times.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
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31st Jan 2022, 01:27 PM #3New Member
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31st Jan 2022, 01:30 PM #4Most Valued Member
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I'll second Ralph's warning about old oxy gear. Aside from the obvious leak aspect, there's also a variety of other things that can go wrong.
I learned to weld using oxy-acet, but these days its pretty much dead - generally replaced by TIG welding.
I couldn't justify the cost of 2 bottles (either rent or buy) to have it around these days, so I got a oxy-lpg kit and use that for heating and anything thats too thick to cut with the plasma and wont fit in the bandsaw.
Since I've always got LPG around home anyway for BBQ's etc, its only an oxy bottle that I had to get.
Have you found the thread with some pictures of the gantry I made: https://metalworkforums.com/f303/t20...-height-gantry
Not sure if you're asking about the difference between a gantry supported at both ends - but the ends being either an A or an upside down T, or if by single upright you mean a cantilever gantry (usually a single upright with a swinging arm or where the whole upright can rotate).
Steve
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31st Jan 2022, 01:46 PM #5New Member
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Hi,Steve
Thanks for the reply
As you can see I'm new to all this so thanks for your very helpful reply without putting me down.
Thanks for the information I shall look into the lpg how to.It was only two days ago I said to myself oh an oxy would be good at the moment(when i needed some heat)low and behold without telling an older friend he rings up and asked if I know anyone who wants some equipment.
The gantry upside down T and the A differences.
Thanks again.
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31st Jan 2022, 03:02 PM #6Most Valued Member
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We're a pretty friendly bunch around here - definitely not a "smash the newbie" sort of place
Generally an A frame end will be made from lighter sections than the upside down T style, as it has more members to share the load.
There's a whole lot more to it than that, and various ways of constructing each style.
Unless you're able to do the design calcs, the best thing is probably to find a design that has the features you need - and use that to construct your own. Although most of us like to make stuff and not fork out for pre-made things like this, often you can buy a perfectly acceptable version for less than the materials to make one of your own. Thats not including the time involved.
Some thoughts.
- with a 2 piece telescopic upright design like I used, you're limited as to min/max height you can use. You can get a higher maximum, but then the fully lowered height will be increased.
- the lifting gear itself chews up height pretty quickly. As does lifting something off a trailer - and even worse if its higher (like my landrover ute tray). Keep that in mind when you're deciding what height to make the gantry.
Mine was made to be able to go through the door between the 2 parts of my shed, and extends up to 3.6m. - a beam and trolley is more useful than just having a fixed lifting point in the middle of the beam - but consumes more height.
Keep in mind that if the trolley is all the way down one end of the beam then the upright on that side basically carries all the load. Likewise the wheels/casters at that end. - Always have the beam level when you're lifting. If you've got a trolley and the beam isn't level then the load will likely roll by itself, and then bad stuff happens. Pack the low side up somehow, and if you can't get it perfect then lock the trolley somehow to stop it rolling by itself.
- If you're planning to lift something and then roll it around hung on the gantry - DON'T. There's a whole lot of bad stuff that happens when you do this due to dynamic loads and inertia etc, and unless the gantry is well over-engineered for normal lifting its likely to fall over, snap off a caster (and then fall over), or just fail structurally.
If you have an A frame style and were for example lifting the engine out of a car and needed to gently roll the gantry away from the vehicle on a good surface - then maybe OK. Better to roll the vehicle out though if possible.
For the up to 1T you're talking about - if you need to move heavy stuff around - buy a pallet jack. Lift the item off your trailer, put it on a pallet and use the jack. - I made mine 2.5m between uprights - as it will fit across the mudguards of a typical car trailer. The longer you make it the heavier beam you need to use, but I wouldn't go any narrower than about 2m or you won't get it over a 6x4 trailer.
- Make it so that it can be taken a apart for transport. The beam on mine is bolted to the uprights, and the telescopic section can be removed from the lower legs. Its not a 5 min "pull it apart by yourself and throw it in the ute" situation, but can be done if needed and makes transport much easier. Transporting a one piece 3.5m tall gantry isn't trivial.
I'm really happy with the one I made, but for 1T it could be made much lighter.
The raise/lower mechanism is very simple and effective.
The only things that I would like to add would be a gear driven trolley, and some wind down supports for the ends of the legs (currently if I'm doing anything over about half its capacity I pack blocks of wood under the bottom beam so that if a caster fails its only going to drop <5mm)
Steve
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31st Jan 2022, 08:27 PM #7
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31st Jan 2022, 08:55 PM #8New Member
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31st Jan 2022, 09:00 PM #9New Member
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31st Jan 2022, 09:51 PM #10Diamond Member
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Going to throw this into the mix as a reference point in terms of what you can buy for $900:
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/C188
Inverted "T" design, but with lightweight diagonal braces and adjustable height. Rated for 1t with a 2300mm span.
Only mentioning this as it's an interesting design, and have been tempted to get one.
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31st Jan 2022, 10:19 PM #11Senior Member
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I am slowly building a gantry 'engineered' for 2 ton SWL. Based on some plans and careful examination of many many pictures.
I would buy one if it fit my requirements rather than build. I put some value on my time, or at least prefer to enjoy my shed time. I did not enjoy drilling 100 18mm holes in RHS and plate (just for the adjustment pins).
But I needed one that fits in my low ceiling height space. And wanted very adjustable - large range, 50mm increments.
A frame allows more adjustment range than inverted T generally.
Inverted T is easier to build.
My design involves a 65 degree angle in 125mm RHS, which certainly does not fit in my bandsaw. Pain in the backside cutting four of them with an angle grinder.
I have designed it to have wind down feet.
If you are a mug like me, try to make it such that no single weld is critical. Welding plate to tube - add pins or bolts through both etc. I have two 5/8 hitch pins on each post - redundancy.
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31st Jan 2022, 10:25 PM #12Most Valued Member
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Looks good Rusty.
Pretty much the same design as the one I built. Mine is heavier, stronger, and less refined
Steve
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31st Jan 2022, 10:53 PM #13
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31st Jan 2022, 11:00 PM #14
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Again welcome
Grahame
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1st Feb 2022, 08:24 AM #15Most Valued Member
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89x5 for the upright and bottom beam, and 75x5 for the inner.
I used 16mm pins which weren't anything special. Likely got them from eBay or farm supplies place. They have a 90deg bend on one end which acts as a handle (and also makes a good hook for hanging lifting straps on if you turn it upwards). I didn't bother with any secondary retention method as the lower pin has the gantry weight on it so can't come out and the top one just sits there.
Steve
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