New shop build, beginning stages with questions

rangerfredbob · Jan 5, 2025

I'm with you so far, I only had so big of a piece of steel on hand... it's spanning 3 joists (4x4's so a little sturdier in some ways) and lag bolted at the front and has threaded rod at the rear through the joists and in the center it's through the top plate of the wall at the junction.

I'm going to run with it for now but will likely add a support going back further in the middle, might be just an eye bolt and cable...

BackRoad · Jan 6, 2025

Any chance of running a metal pipe up through the center of the hoist, maybe up to 7' high, and then cable from the top end back to your outside wall post as a top anchor?

rangerfredbob · Jan 6, 2025

That's the type of thing that's been running through my mind lately and would be functionally cleaner than lower mounted cables... even if I put a 2x6 across the angular supports (probably 5' above the crane) to catch the top of a post welded to the top of the pivot it would help a lot... I'm not planning on testing any limits of the thing, the heaviest engine block I plan on dragging up there for now is only about 500 pounds and I'm not in a rush on that... for the smaller bulky things to get out of my way I'm not worried at all up to 300 pounds or so.

rangerfredbob · 2025-10-03T02:26:41-0400

So many things since the last update... For a while there I kept on the loft project, built a giant 12' wide by 7' tall shelf so I could get stuff up there, sheeted the rooms, wired them for electricity, used more of the 3/4" plywood and mounted it on the ceiling (oh and insulated everything), the plywood really stiffened it up. I built a ladder since I was tired of the extension ladder. To ease some thoughts on the crane, it works just fine, I moved 3 engines and a few transfer cases up there without an issue.

Since I built the loft I rebuilt the floor in my jet boat and rebuilt the transmission again for my F350 since 5th gear literally cracked... oh and changed the clutch in a tractor for my brother... I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other stuff that was done in there...