I am putting in an overhead crane in my shop and have a question. The shop is 30' wide X 40' long. We have no problem supporting 4" I Beam by hooking on to 2" X 6" trusses spaced 7.5' OC. Lots of support especially since these beams will be alongside the walls. Now here's the problem. We will be running a bridge across the 30' width and hooking it onto the I beams running alonside the walls on each side. This bridge will roll on the two I beams with steel rollers rated at 1.5 ton. On the bridge will be another trolley (steel rollers) that will go back and forth with the lift mounted to it. The I beam used for the bridge can't flex much more than 3/8" when the lift is picking up a ton or the trolly will roll to the center. The idea is to be able to get this lift anywhere in the shop. I am also being told that we won't need any power drive on the bridge since the steel wheels roll so easy on the steel I beam. Anyone know how much 4" or 6" I beam 30' long will flex when supported by the ends and a ton is hung on the center?
DrDan
DrDan