Shop Elevator?

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mguner

mguner

How many is too many?
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Amarillo,TX
Part of the "deal" on getting my 60 x 40 shop was that mama got a 20 x 20 exercise room. So... I went with 16 ft eaves and built a second floor over the space. I went with 8" C purlins on 24" centers braced in the middle with 25/32 floor plywood with the dovetail. I'm not planning on putting engine blocks up there but will be storing some bulky stuff like tires and wheels etc. My "elevator" platform will be about 7' x 4' framed from 2 x 3" square tubing and lifted by a 1500 LB A/C winch through two snatch blocks bolted to the side frames. It will "roll" in two 8" red C channels on each side with two 8" hard rubber casters with upgraded sealed bearings mounted on grade 8 5/8 bolts. Any of you guys make anything similar? I will post pics once I get started. The elevator will be on the wall to the left in this shot.
vbpgimage.php
 
I'm havin' a hard time visualising what you are doing.

Some advice. Don't ever ride on the thing.

Design for about 3 times the expected load, and take "wench" specs with a huge amount of "salt." If it's built by someone with names like Northern something, Harbor something, I would triple the figure on the winch.

Consider some sort of ratchet brake / safety anti fall mechanism. The ones on the two post hoist are pretty simple. A great big ratchet pawl which "clank clank clank" engages every slot on the way up so you can HEAR them
 
67Dart273 said:
I'm havin' a hard time visualising what you are doing.

Some advice. Don't ever ride on the thing.

Design for about 3 times the expected load, and take "wench" specs with a huge amount of "salt." If it's built by someone with names like Northern something, Harbor something, I would triple the figure on the winch.

Consider some sort of ratchet brake / safety anti fall mechanism. The ones on the two post hoist are pretty simple. A great big ratchet pawl which "clank clank clank" engages every slot on the way up so you can HEAR them
Click to expand...

Great advice! Using the snatch blocks is supposed to double the winch capacity as opposed to a direct pull. I think it will be fairly easy to weld some bars across the outside of the channels to engage a ratchet stop system. I'll see if I can make a simple diagram on paint to show basic design and cable routing.
 
I think it's humorous that there is going to be an elevator to an exercise room. :D
Let me guess, the favorite exercise machine is a stairstepper?

Sorry, it just struck me as funny even though I realize getting the equipment up there will be a lot easier with it.
 
The exercise room is the ground floor. The elevator is for overhead storage so I don't break my neck on the stairs.... :) Don't look for any structural integrity in this drawing it is only to display the mechanism.

vbpgimage.php
 
So you are only going to have supports on one side? What kind of total weight you thinking, IE cargo + elevator weight?
 
67Dart273 said:
So you are only going to have supports on one side? What kind of total weight you thinking, IE cargo + elevator weight?
Click to expand...

The channels actually bolt to the wall and rafters. Probably 1200# total max.
 
A snatch blocks increase capacity because it cuts the actual load lifted by the winch in half but require the winch to pull twice as much cable than if it was a direct pull. It is called mechanical advantage. The work done by the winch is basically the same if you neglect the friction in the pulley. Every extra supporting cable that you add, you increase the pulling force. In your drawing you essentially have two support cables even though there is only one actual cable. That gives you a mechanical advantage of 2 which in basic terms doubles the pulling capacity of the winch. I am not an engineer just a high school physics teacher so my explanation is by no means an engineer signing off using a snatch block to automatically double the winches lifting capacity in an elevator application but in a physics based explanation that is how mechanical advantage works. Your design functions the same as the snatch block picture you posted.
 
BGTLS said:
A snatch blocks increase capacity because it cuts the actual load lifted by the winch in half but require the winch to pull twice as much cable than if it was a direct pull. It is called mechanical advantage. The work done by the winch is basically the same if you neglect the friction in the pulley. Every extra supporting cable that you add, you increase the pulling force. In your drawing you essentially have two support cables even though there is only one actual cable. That gives you a mechanical advantage of 2 which in basic terms doubles the pulling capacity of the winch. I am not an engineer just a high school physics teacher so my explanation is by no means an engineer signing off using a snatch block to automatically double the winches lifting capacity in an elevator application but in a physics based explanation that is how mechanical advantage works.
Click to expand...

That's kinda how I figured it. I'm not going for the capacity as much as an even and slower lift. However the capacity issue does increase safety.
 
how about this, why not install a car lift adjacent to the exercise room?
then just build a floor you can put on the lift and use it as a cargo lift while you are putting the exercise gear (or the misses chunky exercise buddies) in the room

kind of like a once in a blue moon deal right?

then remove the floor section once the exercise room is done and use it as a car lift
 
The car lift is another 20ft forward. I wanted to be able to park vehicles side by side in this section and the lift would not allow that.
 
I had originally wanted the lift here but it was just too narrow that way.
 
I don't know what your budget is for the lift, but I have a suggestion... I absolutely will never be without my forklift. I have two of them, one LP, one electric. Rather than a hoist, a forklift can be used for many other lifting purposes, all over in your shop! You can store all your heavy, bulky stuff on pallets and hoist 'em right up! Used forklifts can be gotten around here for as low as $1,500.00. I would recommend going with an electric unit since it won't be "ran" on a regular basis.

Anyway, good luck with your project! Looks like an awesome shop / exercise studio!
 
I would not configure the winch as you drew it. using a block is a good idea, tho. I would revamp the structure so you can lift from the center, either construct a ^ at the top of the frame, or brace the frame so you can pull from the center of it. Good idea to run a vertical member from the pull point down to the bottom of the frame. Then just use one snatch block. Use a nice big one with ball bearings. You can buy them "cheap" at the various importers. Be sure to "re rig" the block with permanent bolts, etc, so it won't come open

The popular "orange" blocks have been around a while, and are a pretty good buy

Red-SnatchBlock-Eye_M.jpg


I thought I should post this, LMAO because I happened to find it in a search

ARB_9000_Snatch_Block_Action.jpeg
 
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