Elevator !

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Has anyone ever built an elevator or man lift type device to go from bottom of shop to second floor ? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Got a customer that wants one built, 156'' travel from floor level to floor level thanks kwMM 251MM 135Lincoln Pro cut 55Bobcat 250Miller Thunderbolt ac/dcolder ac forneyJackson nexgen 3n13-Smith OP setups97 Dodge dieselMakita chopsawJet swivel head bandsawlincoln tig 300/30030a spoolgunpuma port. gas air comp.
Reply:you're not just messing with heavy liability there, but building code, structural engineering, and human stupidity. I'd walk away post haste.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammeryou're not just messing with heavy liability there, but building code, structural engineering, and human stupidity. I'd walk away post haste.
Reply:To me if someone says elevator, the first thing that comes to mind is how much insurance do you have?  Just because of the nature of what an elevator is, minor issues will bring down litigation that could easily bankrupt most medium size companies.  There is also criminal liability when something goes wrong with an elevator, not just civil.  I wouldn't touch that job if it paid a million dollars...find your nearest Otis or ThyssenKrupp office and give him their number.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Originally Posted by ksweldermanHas anyone ever built an elevator or man lift type device to go from bottom of shop to second floor ? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Got a customer that wants one built, 156'' travel from floor level to floor level thanks kw
Reply:thanks. its for cargo. thats it.MM 251MM 135Lincoln Pro cut 55Bobcat 250Miller Thunderbolt ac/dcolder ac forneyJackson nexgen 3n13-Smith OP setups97 Dodge dieselMakita chopsawJet swivel head bandsawlincoln tig 300/30030a spoolgunpuma port. gas air comp.
Reply:I've seen some pretty neat shop lifts/elevators in some personal shops over the years. Some are downright genius. I've tried out several. There's always one or two a year in Farm Show also. The most common farm built method employs a forklift mast and a small hydraulic unit. Here's a great write up for a personal elevator: http://michaelruppe.com/home_made_elevator.html Converting this to freight should be easy enough.Another option would be a scissor lift.Last edited by forhire; 01-23-2013 at 01:36 PM.
Reply:i have assisted in an inclinator build but not a vertical lift. How much weight is he wanting be able to lift?What is the desired lifting source? cable hoist, hydraulic ram, or some other typeAny packaging constraints to keep in mind? is a pit allowable?Personally i'd use a pit with single Hyrdo ram built to a 5:1 safety factor (or more if you can) with a anti drop valve. a cart that is on a pair of vertical beams with guide wheels.Myself if the upper floor is capable of holding the weight it would have the room to accommodate a pallet and jack at once.
Reply:i do like forhire's thoughts on a forklift mast, all the hard parts are done already. just build a good base and anchoring layout and plumb it up.And yes CARGO ONLY.
Reply:Look around for an old scissors lift, all that you want is the scissors section and controls, no need for the wheels. A shallow pit to sit it in so that the deck is level with the floor and good to go. Although most are only rated to 500 pounds I know for a fact they will lift WELL over that.miller... 225g, s32p, 250x, 304, 12vs, MSW41     victor o/a thermal dynamics cutmaster 50 lenco panel spotter        hobart hf-boxG3 Farms.....raising cattle, hay, kids and hell, ...oh yeah I'm a fire sprinkler contractor by trade.
Reply:forklift mast is where i was at. only looking for 500lb capacity. same thing i told the guy, all we will need is a hyd. powerpack, and fasten the mast.MM 251MM 135Lincoln Pro cut 55Bobcat 250Miller Thunderbolt ac/dcolder ac forneyJackson nexgen 3n13-Smith OP setups97 Dodge dieselMakita chopsawJet swivel head bandsawlincoln tig 300/30030a spoolgunpuma port. gas air comp.
Reply:That certainly looks a great idea, never thought about using a forklift Ram and Mast, and you'd only need a small powerpack at that, brilliant idea
Reply:Even cargo only I'd pass. if something fails and someone is close enough to get hurt it's no you.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:To put it in perspective, a single person wheelchair 2 stop lift runs anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 and required a small booklet worth of paperwork and inspections to even turn the power on to them.
Reply:As a business owner of 3 separate entities I fully grasp the liability issue and deal with it every day.  This is on my mind constantly.   However, if your in the job shop business, you should have the knowledge to engineer and insurance to cover whatever you get into.  If everyone never assumed risk, NOTHING would get built.  A simple forklift mast cargo lift would be very easy to design safely.  Some people on here, no offense, either are not or have not ever been around the dirty job-shop side of getting things done and engineering on your feet.  This is revealed to me by all the engineering questions I see posted here.   Only the OP can judge whether the people and situation he is dealing with is something he wants to mess with.   RISK=REWARD and the guys that can best balance the two are the one making bank.
Reply:Is a conveyor belt out of the question?
Reply:I had a friend that built something similar to get firewood up from the basement to the main floor in his log cabin.  It was basically a rectangular cage (too small for a person!) that ran along four vertical posts (~2" pipe, one in each corner).  He used a chainfall hoist to raise it and let it back down.  The cage came up under a counter so he actually had to run a cable over a pully and mounted the hoist off to the side, but if you used an electric hoist you could probably mount it directly abov ethe "elevator".Worked well enough that we ended up being able to load the cage with firewood and then stack more in on top till the whole shaft was full of wood - then raise it up a little at a time till all the wood was used up.  Didn't go up or down too fast though...http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-c...ist-30324.html
Reply:My suggestion is to find out exactly what the need is, then contact a company that sells and services elevators that meet that need, and form a partnership for the sale.  You get a clip for the referral and perhaps some added fees for assistance with installation.  This could be a win-win with no lose situation!- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:or dig a pit with a ramp and purchase a grove scissor lift to put in it---then cover the ramp with steel plate or grate.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:Hey kswelderman, here is a thread I posted a while back. Maybe this will give you some ideas, http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ighlight=hoist"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:I built a cargo only lift from a forklift mast for moving motorcycles up to the second level of a showroom.  even had an engineer do some as built drawings run some calc's and put a stamp on it.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:I've designed and built cargo only elevators where I work.  Like was stated earlier, have a PE sign off on the design before you build.  The ones we did here had a cable hoist pulling a platform inside a framework.  Had gates top and bottom that were interlocked into the controls so the lift can't operate with a gate open.