# Excalibur engine hoist info Lrj3b



## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

I am looking for info on this hoist.  Maybe someone knows or have something like it.  The paint is gone so I don't see markings for each position of the arm.  The hydraulic bottle had 3 ton on it.  I wonder if it`s 3 ton hoist.  Harbor freight hoist says 8 ton for 2 ton hoist.  The bottle also has two different position to attach to the top bar.

It looks like this (not the one I have)


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

Some may wonder why I was asking about the tonnage.  It's very important for what I use the hoist for.  It's not for engines since my 2 ton can pick up a truck diesel engine no problem at all.

I have a rather long story of how I use engine hoist for loading and unloading machines.  My first time using it was for my Leblond lathe.  It was hard.  Even though removing both bottom cabinets, it was still supper heavy and unwieldy to deal with.  For example, once lift it up, I need to line it to the back of a truck, which means the two legs of the hoist and then the top hitting the beams.

I managed to get it on, but it was one of the hardest day I remember.  Taking it off was surprisingly easy since I do it at home.  Somehow, at home, I was always having an easy time loading/unloading big items.  I can always find a piece here, a stick there, just something that works for me that I can't when not home.

The second big move was my horizontal mill. I researched on the weight, welded up a bracket for anchoring it.  It lifted up the mill, but couldn't lift high enough and safely onto the truck bed.  It was rather scary.  One of the two legs of the hoist started to lift up a tiny bit.  That was it, but I got luck and someone with a forklift helped me.  It took 30 seconds for them to do it I think.

Once I got it home, I made a "tall" hoist by taking a U shape 2x3 metal tube from an exercise machine, turn it upside down.  I think it's about 6 feet tall.  I then have two long legs, probably 2x4 metal tubing each on each side.  On the back, I had 2 turnbuckles and 2 long 1/8" metal strips for pulling it back.  On top, I put the the engine hoist without legs on it.  That did the trick and it was tall enough to pick up the mill from a truck bed.

The 3rd big move was to get a vertical mill, about 2100 lbs.  Using the same "crane" above, it didn't work.  The legs bent a bit, and the point where I bolted the hoist to the upside down U metal tubing gave out and bent.  Out of extreme luck, a gentleman helped me with a fork lift.  I thought at home that if it couldn't do it, I could remove the motor and the head and even the bed to reduce weight.  But away from home, anything as simple as that became a big problem.  Time seems to fly by very quickly tool.  Just a blink and several hours went right through.  It would be a big problem because the crane was badly damage that I may not even able to use it for removing the bed or the head/motor.  They are much heavier than I thought when I removed them at home.  The motor was also very hard to remove because of stuck belt and odd way to remove a compressed spring (variable speed).

So when I got home, my mission was to build a crane.  It took some thinking and some design.  The constrains were what I got laying around, minimum purchasing, must work, and reusable in the future (not a one shot use).

Below is what I designed.  In the 1st try, there was no "bottom" diagonal supports.  That didn't work.  I test lifted a 270 gallon water container and the legs started to bend.  So I added the bottom diagonal supports for the two legs (I only draw partially below, and the dimension is not exact).
There are also 3 cables not drawn from top going down.  One cable goes from the rear to the bottom of the vertical beam.  Two cables, one each side, goes from top of vertical beams (you can a little dot there) down to rear most of the legs.  One more constraint I forgot to mention was to easily remove apart and carried around.  The arm also needs to extend far enough into the truck bed to pick up stuff easily.

At the end, it worked.  The crane is 13 feet tall at the top beam (it's taller if use total height).
The top beam/arm can extend out.  So the tensioner on the front must be adjustable to that length.
The 13 feet vertical beam has 2 segments.  One is approximately 7 feet and another 6 feet.  So I can remove the top, use the bottom only.  But  it doesn't work with the shorter version yet because 3 tensioner cables needs to be split in two to accommodate for different heights.

It's very heavy to set it vertically with 2 people.  I hope that with 6 feet section removed, it would be much easier.  I think 13 feet is just way too tall.  I added extra height for chain hoist hookup.


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

The real crane is pretty massive.  I made the two bottom legs much longer than designed.  Maybe 10 ft long total front to back.

They are 3 segments each.

These are the adjustable parts of the 3 long cables made from 1/2" rebars:



Tensioner for the top arm:



Rear bottom leg and rear diagonal support (hinged).  The extra part at the hinge is for anchoring the rebar cable down.


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

Hinge between front part of horizontal leg and front diagonal support.



There is also a tensoner pulling down the joint (hinge) of two diagonal support not shown in design:


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

The build took a lot of effort, since I had to design and made various hinges and tensioners.  Doing that, I can have multiple removable segments.  If not, they're just all welded up, but then it's one time use since it's too big to move around or even stored easily.

The top horizontal bar is also hinged onto the vertical beam.  So the weight pushed down along the beam, no lateral push (which is dangerous for a long beam).


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

You may wonder why this engine hoist, while I already got one and the crane.

This one is a US build, and I can quickly remove the three bars (two legs and the arm).  HF hoist needs to unbolt the bottom legs.  The Hf legs are not rigid when vertical.

3 ton is a big plus if it is so.  I think it extends farther also, but didn't check yet.  I originally bought just for the tubings thought.


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## RobertB (Nov 23, 2019)

It's a 2 ton hoist.  4000 lbs. Fully retracted - then 3000, 2000 and 1000 lbs fully extended


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2019)

RobertB said:


> It's a 2 ton hoist.  4000 lbs. Fully retracted - then 3000, 2000 and 1000 lbs fully extended


Yes, I think that's correct.  I managed to find an image of the model 3 Ton LRJ-3J that shows 4000:


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## markba633csi (Nov 23, 2019)

Be very careful with home built lifting equipment- I see some shaky looking welds there.  When using, be certain not to interpose vulnerable body parts in such a way that severe injury may occur-  in other words, stay well clear if something should break and fall- this is not a good place to do "beta testing" of unproven designs
Mark


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## Bob Korves (Nov 23, 2019)

Be careful, nnam.  When you make your own lifting equipment, you are the designer, the fabricator, and the test pilot.  Look at yourself seriously in a mirror and make sure you can convince yourself that you have the skills to design and make something that is first safe, and second able to do the job you want it to.  Lifting heavy and awkward machines and other shop stuff is inherently dangerous, often in ways that are not anticipated.  I personally prefer to use factory made lifting devices in only the ways the user manual calls for.  It only takes going outside the safe operating conditions for a few seconds to possibly have something go very wrong in ways you did not anticipate.  The downside can be maimed or dead.  Y'all be careful out there, ya' hear?


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## nnam (Nov 24, 2019)

Thank you all, my friends.  I will try to be careful and under no time staying under the load.  It is definitely dangerous.


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## RobertB (Nov 24, 2019)

As the others have pointed out be careful! In particular, do not trust welds on rebar. It is often made out of mystery metal and sometimes it gets incredibly brittle when welded.


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## markba633csi (Nov 24, 2019)

Agree with RobertB above- probably not a good idea to use rebar as a structural element, seeing how it is made from (I believe) recycled steel and iron and most likely would be considered one of the lowest grades of steel available- I'd much rather see you use something a bit better.  Also, test a few welds by cutting them open to check the penetration and strength.
M


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## nnam (Nov 24, 2019)

markba633csi said:


> Agree with RobertB above- probably not a good idea to use rebar as a structural element, seeing how it is made from (I believe) recycled steel and iron and most likely would be considered one of the lowest grades of steel available- I'd much rather see you use something a bit better.  Also, test a few welds by cutting them open to check the penetration and strength.
> M


I agree.  It's a hack.  I just needed it asap and used it.  It's probably 14 feet long each, so it became my choice.  Once I got some other metal, I will switch them.

Here's how I tested it and it helped, not saying it's scientific.
I filled a 270 gallon tank with water, which is about 2200 lbs.  Then I lifted it about couple of inches and let it hang there for a long time.
If it falls, it wouldn't hurt, but a snap of a beam would be bad.  I needed to lift about that much of weight.  So if I can double or 150% the weight for testing, it would help, but I didn't have it.

I have successfully used that to take down a mill.  My wife held a string from very far prevent the mill from rotating.  It was a bit dangerous for me to be near.  I used a ladder to stand and pulled down a chain hoist.  It's definitely dangerous thing to do.


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## Silverbullet (Nov 24, 2019)

I think you would be ahead of the problem by saving some money and possibly you life or others . And go to harbor freight with therefore coupon and buy there gantry crane around $700 . . It will fill all your needs and no accidents ,, I hope,, . Seems luck as been following you. I know it's a lot to spend but you think it's nothing if it's a mill or lathe. My point of view you get one life and one body. Pain sucks I live in it.


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## Superburban (Nov 24, 2019)

That single vertical member, gets weaker with every foot longer you make it. I second the idea of the gantry crane.


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## nnam (Nov 24, 2019)

Silverbullet said:


> I think you would be ahead of the problem by saving some money and possibly you life or others . And go to harbor freight with therefore coupon and buy there gantry crane around $700 . . It will fill all your needs and no accidents ,, I hope,, . Seems luck as been following you. I know it's a lot to spend but you think it's nothing if it's a mill or lathe. My point of view you get one life and one body. Pain sucks I live in it.



Yes, thank you for your concern.  It was definitely a high risk thing to do.  I was thinking about getting a crane before.  However, my problem was with storing it after use.  It's very big and I don't have room.


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