Barn winch lift Design question

[s219]

I have this in my shop and I use it all the time, it will lift way more than it's rated for but with a double line @880 # it should lift anything you want to.
44 lb. Electric Hoist with Remote Control

I used one of those hoists in my garage for many years and it worked great. I had mounted it on a trolley that rolled on barn door tracks for a range of motion. Later when we moved, I took it down and gave it to my father and he's using it to lift a kayak on/off his car in his garage.

I agree with other posts that a winch is not good/safe for use in this type of application. So many issues. At a bare minimum, if I had to use a winch, I would be mounting a pulley (or pulleys) on the ceiling and putting the winch on a wall. Make sure the cable path is coming straight out of the winch. And be prepared to have no reliable control on the way down. You could trust it to raise stuff, but not lower stuff. Since proper overhead hoists are so cheap and available, I wouldn't even bother with a winch.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have two of those Harbor Freight winches... They ARE the way to go, as long as you don't over load them.

They sell three sizes now, and they aren't all that expensive...

SR

 

[blakester]

Ok, sounds like if I知 going to use it I should really lift only. Those hoists are fairly cheap so I might swap out my setup to be safe. How about the platform stability?

 

[BukitCase]

I can't answer on stability, sounds like there've already been good suggestions -

I do want to correct a previous post tho; those HF hoists are rated (by them) for double line operation ALREADY - so the 440 is MAXIMUM on the one previously posted.

They also offer hoists rated for 880,1100, 1300 and 2000 pounds, ALL are rated when using the included block hook and double line operation. Download ANY of their manuals on its product page and check the specifications.

Search results for: 'Electric Hoist'

Personally, and drawing on the last 34 years in heavy industry instrumentation before retirement, ANYTHING HF sells I automatically cut their ratings in HALF to see if they will do what I need. Even then, if their fairly short control cable doesn't allow me to stand somewhere that is NOT under the load, it gets extended... Steve

 

[BukitCase]

Sorry, my old xp box-o-rocks locked up before I could finish that;

Are you SURE you can't put a staircase in your barn? I did (AFTER I'd converted it to a wood shop), and it's been great - stows completely out of the way, took 5 sheets of 3/4" shop grade plywood and an 1100 lb version of the HF hoist, little bit of welding -

That mezzanine is 1-1/4 T&G ply over 2x12's on 24" centers, stair header is DOUBLE 2x12.

Treads are 3/4 ply 10" x36", with a 4" wide stiffener under each; stringers are DOUBLE 3/4 ply "glue-lams", cleats under every tread, cleats are glued/screwed, all else is just pocket hole screws (lots of 'em). In the next to last pic, those little "divots" on the bottoms of the stringers sit firmly on those lower cross-bolts when the stairs are DOWN, so the upper pivot bolts don't take all the weight.

Staircase is solid with me (190 lbs) and anything I can carry up. Later I added some removable "runners" of plywood up both sides, stairs open in the middle, so I could load a hand truck at the bottom, then pull it up the stairs. A few pics (I have dozens more :=)

 

[blakester]

Actually something I just checked with my winch is it doesn稚 have to freewheel to spoil out, it reverses on the controller. I have to manually engage the freewheel. Would this be considered an automatic brake that痴 the clutch style?

 

[blakester]

I did think about a folding staircase as well, The issue for me is that the floor space is nearly always taken up by tall stuff, wine tanks 8 feet tall, stacked barrels that kind of thing. Inly taking up a small amount of floor space to get that stuff up is kind of ideal. I saw some pictures or people who used black iron to build the taller rigid cage, that seems like a healthy way to update the design

 

[BukitCase]

I have a 120 volt electric winch that is the same way, (only one HF offers) - it isn't recommended, but I wouldn't have a problem using it that way (partly because I'm seriously programmed NOT to EVER be UNDER anything that's movable ) -

On the rigid cage, yes that'd be the way to go. Just remember that unless the 4 uprights are BRACED, the lift will try to pull them all into the center. If I were to do that, I'd make 3 sides permanently braced and the fourth (loading gate) so it becomes a brace when pinned shut. And I would NOT use angle, square tube is MUCH stronger even with thinner steel.

Also, lag bolts - NOT..... it's not a good idea to use ANYTHING that can pull out of wood. Your plan of large heavy washers BEHIND thru bolts is the way to go, ANYWHERE... Steve

 

[crazyal]

Could you put a set of stair on the outside of the building? Are you handy and can you weld? If there's a place near a wall I would make a platform lift that rests on the lower floor. Instead of the weight being carried by the rafters above the second floor it would be on the floor joists on the main floor. Would be a little more work but I think it would give you something safer and more usable. With the weight you are talking about you could even put wheels on it so you can roll it across the floor so you could unload a pickup onto it, roll it over to the place where the access is to the second floor, have some feet come down so it can't roll, then lift the load up. Here's a video but I wouldn't recommend using it as a manlift.

 

[mroldstyle]

I use a similar winch #4500 lb UTV winch to lift an ATV up to park another underneath of it. Its a four post design like a car hoist, but the winch is the same type as yours. In button on the remote for up, out button for down. I wouldn't necessarily stand under it during operation but would, and have ridden it up and down numerous times. Its all cable, but your chain does the same thing. Personally looking at your photos, the weak parts I see are the quick link your using to hold the chain together( I've had them blow apart, but I tend to overload things), I would want slightly longer bolts on that winch, either lock nuts or at least a lock washer underneath the nut. It could be the pic but it doesn't look like its pulled up tight to the 2x. Also I would have your chain going through the 2x crosspiece underneath your platform not just the one outside piece of 2x. Lag bolting into the joist probably not ideal, chances are it would hold, but I would make up some steel straps to go under your 2x6 and up the side of your joist and through bolt them. Trying not to be the safety police, personally think your outfit would easily lift 500 pounds, but if your gonna use it 10 times a day every day it could be improved. Then I would use all steel construction. :twocents: