# Lets Talk Gantry Cranes



## coolidge

I'm on the edge of purchasing a gantry crane but can't seem to pull the trigger. Ahaha basically I'm looking for you people to talk me into it. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight 1 ton, $583 with a 20% off coupon so cost wise its not prohibitive.

I have an immediate use for a gantry crane, lifting a knee mill off its pallet and onto a stand. I have some other upcoming lifts and there are some tractor implements where the gantry crane would come in handy. But if I'm honest the crane would frequently gather dust which is probably why I'm on the fence.

*First question* - Who has/had a gantry crane and is it worth owning one? Pro's, con's?

I have an engine hoist...

*Engine Hoist Pro's* - It folds up into a 2x2 foot cube of shop space so its out of my way most of the time and on wheels should I need to move it around.

*Engine Hoist Con's* - The problem is the engine hoist is frequently FAIL at lifting things other than engines. You can't life a machine off a pallet due to the narrow legs. Yes you could re-inforce the pallet in the center, hack off the outsides with a sawsall, etc. etc. but that's not using the right tool for the job. I get highly annoyed when I know a job would be easy if only I had the right tool. It also has only one lift point which can get precarious when lifting a lathe or something that really needs two lifting points.

*Gantry Crane Pro's* - Bring on any width pallet that becomes a non-issue. I will equip with dual hoists so I'll be a lot more comfortable lifting just about anything with two lifting points. 2,000 lb capacity which would cover anything I would lift. R&R of tractor implements like my behemoth Landpride rototiller would be much easier. No limitations on the size of machine or stand the thing has about an 8 foot width. If I need to lift something onto a trailer or truck I could now do this.

*Gantry Crane Con's* - Its for lifting not for moving, while its on wheels you are not supposed to move it under load. But I tend to put everything on wheeled stands so not really an issue. Its BIG but I think I have that figured out.

For those of you like me who's shop is your average 3 car garage I think I have overcome the main issue with gantry cranes which is ceiling height. This HF gantry crane is about 100 inches high, my ceiling height varies from about 103 inches to 106 inches but there's all manner of shop lights and garage door brackets and stuff hanging down in the way.  I thought it wasn't going to work until I got the idea of assembling the crane above the garage door tracks and opener in the 3rd bay.

I'll only be able to move the crane back and forth about 6 feet but it will clear everything and straddle the bay. One side of the crane will be up against a wall out of the way, the other side will be in the dead space between the 2nd and 3rd bay so mostly the crane will be out of my way. The Kubota tractor lives in this bay so its easy to park the tractor outside when I need to use the crane. How I'm going to fish that I beam up above the garage door tracts and opener during assembly...I'm still working on that.


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## JimDawson

Hmmmm, here's what you need.  Low clearance type.




An engine hoist might be a better option.


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## Terrywerm

I would have a hard time justifying a gantry crane, but I can definitely see the advantages to having one. I also think that if you had one, you would find more uses for it than you would expect, especially if it is in a handy, easy to get at place in your shop.

On the other hand, maybe modifying your engine hoist would be the ticket. Refer to this thread:  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/a-real-shop-crane.38135/


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## Ulma Doctor

if you need some nudging, 
a Gantry can lift things a lot higher than a cherry picker.
you can spend a few extra bucks and get a trolley, that would make it a lot more versatile
plus you can be the only guy on the block with a GANTRY!

other uses:
you could use it to skin game
Hang a Pinata for parties
Inside Clothesline
Hockey/Soccer/Lacrosse Goal
Makeshift rack for curing jerky in the sun
Hang a bug zapper from it
the hook will make a perfect place to hang stuff from while spray painting


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## coolidge

JimDawson said:


> Hmmmm, here's what you need.  Low clearance type.
> 
> View attachment 109866
> 
> 
> An engine hoist might be a better option.



Is that an IED on the back?


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## JimDawson

An old version of Mr. Fusion


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## Tony Wells

Ulma Doctor said:


> if you need some nudging,
> a Gantry can lift things a lot higher than a cherry picker.
> you can spend a few extra bucks and get a trolley, that would make it a lot more versatile
> plus you can be the only guy on the block with a GANTRY!
> 
> other uses:
> you could use it to skin game
> Hang a Pinata for parties
> Inside Clothesline
> Hockey/Soccer/Lacrosse Goal
> Makeshift rack for curing jerky in the sun
> Hang a bug zapper from it
> the hook will make a perfect place to hang stuff from while spray painting




You forgot an emergency inversion table to traction your back.

I have a rolling gantry with a fixed lift point. It is shop built, and I have had about 3,000 lbs on it without a creak or groan. One day I would like to calculate its real capacity. As mentioned in the OP, I am locked into a single bay in the shop. In short hindsight, I found out that it would have cost very little to have opted for 10'0'' wall height, and countless times I wish I had known. At any rate, my routine is to back a load under it, lift and drive out from under it, then lower the load onto the floor or whatever. Of course, it will pull an engine, break a tractor in half, or many other things. It rolls against the wall, legs straddling my mill, so really isn't in the way. I have had an engine hoist, and of course it will go other places in the shop, but I find them awkward with the load boomed out where it needs to be to be useful. I no longer have an engine hoist.


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## coolidge

Tony's avatar "Sons of arthritis" lmao!


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## Tony Wells

Ibuprofen Chapter


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## samthedog

A gantry is a good thing to have. I am 35 and appreciate having to do less and less heavy lifting since injuries are starting to act up. This is only going to get worse as this earthen vessel deteriorates. I went to great pains to have a crane in my shop. Still not finished but I can see it being a huge energy and stress reducer when completed.

Paul.


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## tomh

I went with a friend to look at the HF gantry and advised him to buy it. It is well made and for the price you can't go wrong.  
The engine hoists that are for sale are purpose built for getting under cars so they are  limited  when it comes to other tasks, in some instances down right dangerous.   
Building a hoist with a square base to fit around a pallet, a lathe or a mill  is something to consider and would be a good project.  Having the gantry and hoist  in your shop will be an asset. I hope this helps.
Tom


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## gi_984

I've got a nice 2.5 ton engine hoist.  I've  used it to move my first vertical mill (Burke Millrite @ 1,200 pounds) three different times on and off of a small trailer, 400 pound surface plate, and a lot of other things.  Mine has legs that fold up for storage along the wall.  I also have a good pallet jack and pallets.  I  wouldn't be without either one.  That being said, the engine hoist has a lot of limitations as have already been pointed out.  Mostly lack of lifting height and the legs stick way out.  Which makes it a challenge to get it under anything to lift straight up.  So a good gantry with chain hoist and trolly is on my buy list.  I've found several nice used ones (US made) in my area.  But all have been too tall for my shop area.  I'm seriously considering modifying one to make it adjustable.


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## jpfabricator

Buy it. You will find more things to do with it. Soon you will wonder how you got along without one!
I have all the material to fab one, I just lack the time. I have a vacation coming up, but my wife wants to go out of town.
I would just send her and the kids, but there's a 80 gallon air tank in the near vicinity of our trip that can be had for free. So not a complete loss.

Sent from somewhere in east Texas!


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## Tony Wells

Jake, if you don't take that air receiver, I might be interested. I can't seem to get mine down to the sandblaster for a cleanup.


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## coolidge

I drove past HF today...without stopping. Ugh the flaw in my plan to position the crane above the garage door tracks is the door has to be closed to use it so I couldn't back the truck or trailer in and get the door closed. There is one last spot at the front of the bay where I would have about 6 feet of forward/reverse motion for the crane. I would have to completely reorganize things to put it there however.

So for now I'm holding off on the buying the crane, I want to have a look at this mill first which arrives tomorrow.


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## jpfabricator

Ditch the track doors and get rollup doors. There's a place in Huston that can build them custom for cheaper than you can buy standard rollups.
Called DBCI Doors. 

Sent from somewhere in east Texas!


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## Andre

I started building one in my shop but it's on the back burner. I need to make a better mount for the support cable/wall connection but just never got around to it. It's around 10' long and can support 100 pounds at the end, however the max load will stay around 50 pounds at the end, 100 half way out. Used to lift stuff on and off the mill, and chucks on the lathe. 

No more convenient than an engine hoist for what I'd use it for, but I put it together for free so I can't complain.


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## Firestopper

I purchased a 5 ton Shaw box gantry crane with v-track for $700 at local auction. Used the hell out of it until the Hyster 50 came into my life, yes its a love affair for my back.haha Now the large owls perch on the GC hooting all night.
Honestly, for the same cost of the HF gantry, you could probably build one custom for your needs. Do you weld?


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## Cheeseking

If its the same HF gantry were talking about doesnt it telescope in height so you can raise and lower it to clear the obstructions???   I bought mine several years ago and sure it collects dust 99% of the time but boy is it the schnizzle when I need it.   One of the better $500-600 I've spent.   I would just buy it.  You wont regret it!   I probably costed out the materials to build one myself 10 times and there's just no way to justify the cost.   
That 1 ton HF gantry enabled me to get a BP, Lathe, Surface grinder,  band saw, Tormach 1100 mill and lots of other heavy stuff off of rental trailers and down a stairwell to my shop in the basement.   I took the casters off and blocked it into position where it pretty much stays.   If need be I attach the wheels and can roll it around the garage but frankly its a pain and done only as a last resort if thers no other way to do a job.   
I keep my boat in the third car bay but the crane fits back there and just clears the back of the boat and door way.    Nice to hang vests and wet boating equipment from to dry.


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## Cheeseking

Coolige, how high are your ceilings?   I just measured mine and its about 10'    The crane looks like it will drop to about 8' so you should have no problem as long as you avoid the door and tracks.


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## kd4gij

Some how I knew Jim would pop in with a fork lift. They always follow him home.


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## coolidge

Cheeseking said:


> Coolige, how high are your ceilings?   I just measured mine and its about 10'    The crane looks like it will drop to about 8' so you should have no problem as long as you avoid the door and tracks.



My ceiling eight varies from 102 to 106 inches back to front due to the slope of the garage floor so not quite 9 feet. The crane fits but I have all manner of garage door tracks and openers hanging down in the way plus a big beam that holds up the 2nd floor of the house.

No matter I pulled the trigger this morning on the HF crane, plus 2 of the 2 ton trolleys and a 2nd 2 ton chain hoist, out the door for $834 using a 20% off coupon. It looks like I could hack off about 8 inches to lower the minimum height of this crane to clear some of my obstructions. As it telescopes to like 12 feet high I can always raise it when needed.


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## Cheeseking

Your going to love having it!


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## kd4gij

need to see pic's when you get it set up.. I think a bridge crane would of been better. Abet a couple of more $


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## coolidge

After careful measurements it looks like the gantry crane will fit under the beam in my garage, barely with like 1/4 inch to spare. If I pull the pins it settles another inch and will clear easily. Phew now I won't have to chop it with my bandsaw and redrill those big holes and I'll have pretty good maneuverability.


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## brino

coolidge said:


> Phew now I won't have to chop it with my bandsaw and redrill those big holes and I'll have pretty good maneuverability.



Excellent. That will be a great addition to any shop.
I am jealous.
-brino


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## brav65

samthedog said:


> A gantry is a good thing to have. I am 35 and appreciate having to do less and less heavy lifting since injuries are starting to act up. This is only going to get worse as this earthen vessel deteriorates. I went to great pains to have a crane in my shop. Still not finished but I can see it being a huge energy and stress reducer when completed.
> 
> Paul.



35!  I'm 50 and have enough stainless and titanium in me that there will be a fight over weather to take me to the scrap yard or funeral home when I go up to the great shop in the sky!  Your still a puppy!


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## hman

I myself have reached that metallic age - silver in my hair, gold in my teeth, and lead in my ass ;~)


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## coolidge

I added gantry crane assembler to my resume today with the help of a friend of mine. I got lucky on a couple of things, first that my Kubota front end loader could lift it high enough and second that it slides under that beam in my house with the cardboard cover just rubbing I literally have about 1/4 inch clearance heck yeah!

I did not have the ceiling height to assemble it on the floor then tip it upright so here are some assembly tips.

1. We installed the casters on the legs while on the workbench.
2. We laid the vertical posts and I-beam on the floor and bolted them together.
3. We lifted the I-beam onto the front end loader bucket and strapped it in place.
4. We lifted the I-beam and post assembly vertical with the Kubtoa then up off the floor about 9 inches.
5. We slid the legs with casters under and bolted them on.
6. I replaced the I-beam to posts and posts to legs bolts with 1/2 inch grade 8 vs the grade 5 metric supplied bolts. The 1/2 inch bolts were larger than the supplied metric bolts and just barely fit the holes, I'm talking .006 clearance. I was concerned that if they had not accurately drilled all these holes the 1/2 inch bolts would not fit, I mean there was no slop left in the bolt holes. Surprisingly they drilled the holes spot on and this was not an issue except for one hole which we just drilled out to 1/2 inch.
7. I used the supplied metric bolts for the casters as they were actually larger than 3/8 inch and 7/16 inch bolts were too large for the holes.
8. I ended up using the supplied metric bolts for the angled tubular supports. The reason is even the supplied bolts were tight fitting on the back supports and the front supports flat did not fit at all. The bolt hole was about 1/8 inch off center and we had to drill them out to 5/8 inch.

Honorable mention - the HF air wrench made tightening all these bolts a breeze!

Next I'll get the trolley's and chain hoists hung.


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## countryguy

I love mine.  Consider a chain fall to put on.  The tractor supply 2ton was the longest reach I could find. Even bested Amazons selection for price point.     We lift a bunch with it.  

Jim,  I told the wife I wanted a fork lift like you.  She told me to come live with you then. Hahah.  Guess she does not yet see the value.    
Coolidge,    Congrats sir.


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## hman

Jim -
Just be sure not to sell the Kubota ... or you'll never get the crane disassembled, and you'll have to sell it with the house ;~)
Great job of adapting the assembly sequence!


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## Harvey

Guys,

At first, the thread confused me until I realized I was visualizing a jib crane!

Harvey


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## Highsider

coolidge said:


> I'm on the edge of purchasing a gantry crane but can't seem to pull the trigger. Ahaha basically I'm looking for you people to talk me into it. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight 1 ton, $583 with a 20% off coupon so cost wise its not prohibitive.
> 
> I have an immediate use for a gantry crane, lifting a knee mill off its pallet and onto a stand. I have some other upcoming lifts and there are some tractor implements where the gantry crane would come in handy. But if I'm honest the crane would frequently gather dust which is probably why I'm on the fence.
> 
> *First question* - Who has/had a gantry crane and is it worth owning one? Pro's, con's?
> 
> I have an engine hoist...
> 
> *Engine Hoist Pro's* - It folds up into a 2x2 foot cube of shop space so its out of my way most of the time and on wheels should I need to move it around.
> 
> *Engine Hoist Con's* - The problem is the engine hoist is frequently FAIL at lifting things other than engines. You can't life a machine off a pallet due to the narrow legs. Yes you could re-inforce the pallet in the center, hack off the outsides with a sawsall, etc. etc. but that's not using the right tool for the job. I get highly annoyed when I know a job would be easy if only I had the right tool. It also has only one lift point which can get precarious when lifting a lathe or something that really needs two lifting points.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Pro's* - Bring on any width pallet that becomes a non-issue. I will equip with dual hoists so I'll be a lot more comfortable lifting just about anything with two lifting points. 2,000 lb capacity which would cover anything I would lift. R&R of tractor implements like my behemoth Landpride rototiller would be much easier. No limitations on the size of machine or stand the thing has about an 8 foot width. If I need to lift something onto a trailer or truck I could now do this.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Con's* - Its for lifting not for moving, while its on wheels you are not supposed to move it under load. But I tend to put everything on wheeled stands so not really an issue. Its BIG but I think I have that figured out.
> 
> For those of you like me who's shop is your average 3 car garage I think I have overcome the main issue with gantry cranes which is ceiling height. This HF gantry crane is about 100 inches high, my ceiling height varies from about 103 inches to 106 inches but there's all manner of shop lights and garage door brackets and stuff hanging down in the way.  I thought it wasn't going to work until I got the idea of assembling the crane above the garage door tracks and opener in the 3rd bay.
> 
> I'll only be able to move the crane back and forth about 6 feet but it will clear everything and straddle the bay. One side of the crane will be up against a wall out of the way, the other side will be in the dead space between the 2nd and 3rd bay so mostly the crane will be out of my way. The Kubota tractor lives in this bay so its easy to park the tractor outside when I need to use the crane. How I'm going to fish that I beam up above the garage door tracts and opener during assembly...I'm still working on that.





coolidge said:


> I'm on the edge of purchasing a gantry crane but can't seem to pull the trigger. Ahaha basically I'm looking for you people to talk me into it. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight 1 ton, $583 with a 20% off coupon so cost wise its not prohibitive.
> 
> I have an immediate use for a gantry crane, lifting a knee mill off its pallet and onto a stand. I have some other upcoming lifts and there are some tractor implements where the gantry crane would come in handy. But if I'm honest the crane would frequently gather dust which is probably why I'm on the fence.
> 
> *First question* - Who has/had a gantry crane and is it worth owning one? Pro's, con's?
> 
> I have an engine hoist...
> 
> *Engine Hoist Pro's* - It folds up into a 2x2 foot cube of shop space so its out of my way most of the time and on wheels should I need to move it around.
> 
> *Engine Hoist Con's* - The problem is the engine hoist is frequently FAIL at lifting things other than engines. You can't life a machine off a pallet due to the narrow legs. Yes you could re-inforce the pallet in the center, hack off the outsides with a sawsall, etc. etc. but that's not using the right tool for the job. I get highly annoyed when I know a job would be easy if only I had the right tool. It also has only one lift point which can get precarious when lifting a lathe or something that really needs two lifting points.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Pro's* - Bring on any width pallet that becomes a non-issue. I will equip with dual hoists so I'll be a lot more comfortable lifting just about anything with two lifting points. 2,000 lb capacity which would cover anything I would lift. R&R of tractor implements like my behemoth Landpride rototiller would be much easier. No limitations on the size of machine or stand the thing has about an 8 foot width. If I need to lift something onto a trailer or truck I could now do this.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Con's* - Its for lifting not for moving, while its on wheels you are not supposed to move it under load. But I tend to put everything on wheeled stands so not really an issue. Its BIG but I think I have that figured out.
> 
> For those of you like me who's shop is your average 3 car garage I think I have overcome the main issue with gantry cranes which is ceiling height. This HF gantry crane is about 100 inches high, my ceiling height varies from about 103 inches to 106 inches but there's all manner of shop lights and garage door brackets and stuff hanging down in the way.  I thought it wasn't going to work until I got the idea of assembling the crane above the garage door tracks and opener in the 3rd bay.
> 
> I'll only be able to move the crane back and forth about 6 feet but it will clear everything and straddle the bay. One side of the crane will be up against a wall out of the way, the other side will be in the dead space between the 2nd and 3rd bay so mostly the crane will be out of my way. The Kubota tractor lives in this bay so its easy to park the tractor outside when I need to use the crane. How I'm going to fish that I beam up above the garage door tracts and opener during assembly...I'm still working on that.


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## Highsider

Coolidge, I bought the HF gantry and have been pretty happy with it, although mine is in a high ceilinged area, so no problem w/ overhead clearance or  door tracks.    My lathes and other equipment are out far enough from the N. wall that I can run the wheels on that side between the wall and the machinery, even tho I have lots of hanging storage on the wall.  (come-alongs, grinders, drill motors etc.)
The S. side requires an open runway down the floor for the depth of the building.   The only fly in the buttermilk that I noticed was that, due to having 4 castor type wheels, it required lots of jigging back and forth to roll it the whole depth of the shop when I'm alone.   I replaced the 2 castors on the W. end of the frame with solid wheels, and that helped out a lot.  I'm also thinking of shooting down to the floor, a channel iron guide track on the N. side where it wouldn't be a tripping hazard.  Mine is wide enough that with my shop layout, I could drive a vehicle in under it, just outboard of the lathes, for either unloading or vehicle maintenance. 

Glad you bought yours, you won't be sorry.

BTW, If you'd like to look at it, I live in the North Image neighborhood of Vancouver, not too far from you.  
larrybates42@comcast.net    360-258-1648


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## doug11k

I got this aluminum Spanco 2 ton crane with trolley for $400 from Craig's List. It comes apart into three pieces by pulling two pins.  It also telescopes to several heights.


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## Kay

Small World ,I went to local H.F. today and bought one .The price was the same with special discount .Will pick it up tomorrow  . Nice to read all the replys


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## Spring Hollow

I built my own rolling bridge crane for the shop.  One of the best things I ever did.  I use it much more than I ever thought I would.  For safety, I welded and bolted the connections to form the "I" that is the bridge crane.



I also purchased a HF gantry for outside use.  For that one, I replaced HF I-beam with one I had that was much more substantial.


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## Cheeseking

That bridge frame looks awesome!   I like the idea of using the HF trollys.


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## Swarf S

Bought a portable hydraulic, 2 ton rolling crane  (collapsing "A" frame spreads is on the floor) form HF for under $200.00, which I used to move my equipment from receiving crates in my car port to the resting work place. very good. It folds up for a minimum of storage space. Also bought a balance bar for $39.95 to balance the lathe due to the heavy side where the head stock is worked very well, also worked well, I since then have used it for may other things like picking up my garden tractor, etc.


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## Michael B

coolidge said:


> I'm on the edge of purchasing a gantry crane but can't seem to pull the trigger. Ahaha basically I'm looking for you people to talk me into it. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight 1 ton, $583 with a 20% off coupon so cost wise its not prohibitive.
> 
> I have an immediate use for a gantry crane, lifting a knee mill off its pallet and onto a stand. I have some other upcoming lifts and there are some tractor implements where the gantry crane would come in handy. But if I'm honest the crane would frequently gather dust which is probably why I'm on the fence.
> 
> *First question* - Who has/had a gantry crane and is it worth owning one? Pro's, con's?
> 
> I have an engine hoist...
> 
> *Engine Hoist Pro's* - It folds up into a 2x2 foot cube of shop space so its out of my way most of the time and on wheels should I need to move it around.
> 
> *Engine Hoist Con's* - The problem is the engine hoist is frequently FAIL at lifting things other than engines. You can't life a machine off a pallet due to the narrow legs. Yes you could re-inforce the pallet in the center, hack off the outsides with a sawsall, etc. etc. but that's not using the right tool for the job. I get highly annoyed when I know a job would be easy if only I had the right tool. It also has only one lift point which can get precarious when lifting a lathe or something that really needs two lifting points.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Pro's* - Bring on any width pallet that becomes a non-issue. I will equip with dual hoists so I'll be a lot more comfortable lifting just about anything with two lifting points. 2,000 lb capacity which would cover anything I would lift. R&R of tractor implements like my behemoth Landpride rototiller would be much easier. No limitations on the size of machine or stand the thing has about an 8 foot width. If I need to lift something onto a trailer or truck I could now do this.
> 
> *Gantry Crane Con's* - Its for lifting not for moving, while its on wheels you are not supposed to move it under load. But I tend to put everything on wheeled stands so not really an issue. Its BIG but I think I have that figured out.
> 
> For those of you like me who's shop is your average 3 car garage I think I have overcome the main issue with gantry cranes which is ceiling height. This HF gantry crane is about 100 inches high, my ceiling height varies from about 103 inches to 106 inches but there's all manner of shop lights and garage door brackets and stuff hanging down in the way.  I thought it wasn't going to work until I got the idea of assembling the crane above the garage door tracks and opener in the 3rd bay.
> 
> I'll only be able to move the crane back and forth about 6 feet but it will clear everything and straddle the bay. One side of the crane will be up against a wall out of the way, the other side will be in the dead space between the 2nd and 3rd bay so mostly the crane will be out of my way. The Kubota tractor lives in this bay so its easy to park the tractor outside when I need to use the crane. How I'm going to fish that I beam up above the garage door tracts and opener during assembly...I'm still working on that.



I use my cherry picker engine hoist & have had good luck with it. My shop has a 36" wide entry door off the garage. Gantry crane wouldn't do me any good. My hoist is an earlier Harbor Freight 2 ton that doesn't fold-up which is fine for me. I have a 42" Bridgeport that I took it thru that 36" door by only removing the bed & flipping the head. After lifting I pulled the mill over the legs & set it down with 2x4 supports. With it stable I used a 2x4 to jockey it thru the door. I also brought my 16" Atlas lathe in the same door. I first lifted the tail stock end & set it on a 1000 lb piano mover from Harbor Freight with wood on top & strapped down. I moved to other end with carriage & tail stock move toward head stock, then use the same 3" nylon strap to lift head stock end to sit on hoist legs as before. In both instance I left the hoist hooked up to prevent an accident. When you have to make do, you may surprise yourself. Your needs may differ from mine, but an engine hoist will do the job. How often do you move heavy stuff? Moving something with gantry crane & swivel casters & hanging weight can be a chore. Hope this helps you make up your mind.
Michael


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## geoffm

I made my gantry crane from steel from the scrapyard. It was made originally to move my late father in laws lathe (seen in the pics) from his garage workshop 300km away from home. It needed to be assembled outside, be low enough to roll inside and then jack up to have the lifting height, so it uses 2 long stroke  3T engine crane jacks to lift the top up and down. It uses industrial bin castors (500kg each) for wheels. the uprights are 100mm SHS, with the inner part 90SHS.
	

		
			
		

		
	





It lifted the milling machine in the photos (1350kg) and has been very useful for a number of jobs. One day I will extend it so it is higher, as this was limited to get it under the garage door, but it limits the height for lifting off trailers or tall machines such as the mill.


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## coolidge

Goeff your gantry crane looks brilliant! If I had the ceiling height I would so copy your use of hydraulic jacks.


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## NCjeeper

Found this thread by doing a search. So it seems everyone that has bought the HF one is happy with their purchase. I will probably go that route unless I can run across some free steel to fab my own.


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## tmarks11

Watch craigslist closely.  I see them crop up frequently.  I got a killer deal on a 2 ton gantry with a 2 ton electric chain hoist a couple years ago.  Built like a rock.  No wimpy 5" I-beams on this baby.


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## Highsider

My HF gantry works well, except that I couldn't put down a channel iron track for the rubber faced wheels it so it seesawed a lot going from one end of the shop to the other.  ( All 4 wheels were castors)     I replaced  the wheels with 2 cast iron fixed wheels and 2 cast iron castors and it helped a lot.   The Ideal solution, if you can use tracks, is to lay 2 flatbar tracks with angle iron stitch welded open side down to it.   Then you turn a 90 degree Vee groove in the face of *cast iron* wheels to ride on it.  (They don't have to be very deep)


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## NCjeeper

tmarks11 said:


> Watch craigslist closely.


Good tip. I will start checking it.


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## jocat54

The only problem I have with the HF gantry is they should have made it a couple of inches wider. My 16' utility trailer won't fit between the legs. Not really a deal killer, you could modify it pretty easy, but I'm old and lazy these days.
I still look about every time I go in HF in Tyler


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## Cheeseking

I agree the width is a tad narrow.  Had the same issue with a trailer not quite fitting under it.   Of course if they made it wider people might say too wide!!   The HF one I have came with all cast iron wheels.   I wonder if they switched at some point or if it varies by batch?


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## Kay

I have bought two two H.F. Gantry Cranes This Year  Both had the cast iron wheels . I have a friend that wanted to hold a ski lift chair and the H.F. would work great  Great price ,Under $ 500.00 . All I  had to do was remove the I beam end plate and cut  4 foot off the I bean & Re well the end plate  in the correct position. It now works great


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## BGHansen

hman said:


> I myself have reached that metallic age - silver in my hair, gold in my teeth, and lead in my ass ;~)


My wife liked your comment.  She added rust in my underwear . . .


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## catoctin

I ended up renting a gantry crane from AAA Rentals in Redwood City, CA when my PM935 mill arrived.  My garage is getting to be space limited for new toys so I decided to rent versus buy.  The crane is portable and is all aluminum which really surprised me.   The rental yard's advertisement for the crane are a bit off.  My concern was the maximum height so I went to the manufacturers website for the correct dimensions.  Matt at Precision Matthews and I went through the height stack up ahead of time to verify the mill could be moved off the shipping pallet and on to a mobile base.  The shipping company threw me a curve ball and double palleted the mill and it lifted at an angle since it was front end heavy.  I used my HF engine lift the front end off the pallets.

The neat thing about the crane is it can be easily broken down and put in the back of my pickup.   However, it is a few more bucks than the HF model.

-Joe


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## glenbjackson

GET ONE! I read you already bought it but for anybody else second guessing the buy....GO DO IT!!! It can not only save you money but it has "opportunity value". I have a gantry from the junkyard and I've never regretted the space it's taken up assembled(you can always take it apart to get it out the way). With it I was able to take advantage of a machine shop getting rid of a carlton drill, $450 and a K&T 2chl universal for $450. Neither could I have gotten home without the help of the gantry. Great opportunity!!
 Now I'm aware they weight more the 1ton, carlton 3tons and K&T 1-1/2ton, but not taken apart That's the biggie. You can take almost anything home with a gantry disassembled, the just assemble it!
I asked the shop if I buy them will they allow disassembly. They agreed and even helped! Put it on a U-Haul and got it home.
I've since bought another gantry because they really are worth it.


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## Silverbullet

You won't ever be sorry you bought it. Ill bet you will use it more then ever could the little rolling motor cranes . I have a jib crane in front of my shop the cranes one of the truck cranes from HF . After a few years the Jack went with the dinosaurs. It is mounted on a 6" box channel hurried in concrete 7' deep with 18" around , the crane ain't movin  ever. Now instead of a crank winch and Jack, it's mounted solid with an electric hoist . So I pick up and spin but I'm still going to get the gantry crane or build one. I've never been sorry for building the jib for working , and if I can get an I beam 10 to 20' long ill be building it. Saves me now because I can't pick anything up hardly more then a hundred pounds. Have to remember I'm not walking and can't do the stuff I could twenty years ago. My brain says yes go ahead do it but my pain I'm in says HEY buttwad your gonna not be able to move for a few weeks. DERN it sucks being in a wheelchair and knowing all you should do. YUPP get the gantry and whatever else now. You may not be able to later.


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## HMF

The HF one has gotten good reviews.  It's often on sale for $700
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-telescoping-gantry-crane-69513.html
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4059147


Jason built one:

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/my-gantry-cranecrane.45971/#post-392810

Here are a couple of other builds:
http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCHallOfFame4.html
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/overhead-lift-trolley-system-under-300.297750/


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## glenbjackson

here's the crane I got from junkyard. is a 5ton, could've lifted the whole drill and mill in one lift!! but the drill is too tall for the door of my storage.















heres the drill in pieces(yes the ways and column  are on wood even though you cant see it), then together;





























it will save me money by being able to take my babies apart(monarch comes in at 16,000#) and move it when I finally get my shop running. its far too expensive to rent a forklift then truck to move all these machine. im just gonna take it nice and slow


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## hman

Durn, Glen ... I see you're *not* into lightweight toys!!!!  Looks like you're getting a well equipped shop, though.

PS - What do you use to put the 5 ton gantry together, another gantry?


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## glenbjackson

its a spanco a-series, not sure of height. but its TALL, I had it on the lowest adjustment point and I had to stand ontop of my wrangler that's lifted and im 6'1" and still reaching above my head. that was a trial n ERROR day. but I weld hinges to legs and beam, pull each leg up under the beam with come-along. worked great for first leg, second leg not to well. just need to beef up the hinges. but after the one hinge failed I called it a day because I couldn't store it like that anyway. so just got MUCH lighter beam from scrapyard and ordered some tubing for the columns. welded tops on tubing and drop them all the way in the legs. That way it is as tall as me so two people could assemble it. but im a loner so I just propped the legs/column combo up and put beam on top, then jacked up the columns past the adjustment pin, close pin and drop columns on pins.
although I will use this to put together a 10t t-series I just came across.
 ps yeah the heaviness came by accident, by winning monarch at auction, grew from there....


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## 682bear

I fabricated my own gantry crane from a length of 5x5.5 H-beam. I had designed it with a 2,000 lb capacity, even though I figured the heaviest weight I would ever lift with it would be a v-8 engine/transmission.

But... then I bought a South Bend 14 1/2 x 72 lathe... and had to use the crane to unload it. I wasn't too worried about the steel not being strong enough, I was more worried about my welding.

It held it just fine, and was very stable with the lathe hanging from it. I guess it was a success...




It is 10 feet wide and 9 ft 10 inches tall and I now have 2 trolleys with chain hoists on it. It will roll through my shop door so I can use it inside or outside.

-Bear


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## Franko

I got a HF motor lift and I've found it o be very useful. I modified mine and it works for just about any thing I need it for. It folds up compactly. I'd love to have a real gantry, but there just isn't enough room in my shop for one. This modification serves me very well.


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## Franko

duplicate post deleted


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## KBeitz

For anyone wanting to put a crane in your shop... 
Look into a Pole crane. If you can weld use a length of well casing
and put it in the center of your shop. Tie the top of the casing right
in with the building. This way you can swing the boom right up to the 
door and move things anywhere in your shop with a trolley.


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## cvairwerks

Really have to watch your engineering with jib cranes tied to a building structure as part of the support. There are lots of forces that come into play, A moving load can impart enough force to wreck things in a hurry if you don't take it into account for the design. A guyed boom requires significantly more height and overhead space than a cantilever design.

 We had some freestanding ones at work. 500 lb capacity at the end of a 20 foot boom. Column was 24" diameter and 1/4" wall, 28 foot above the floor. The sockets for the columns were set in 10 foot cubes of concrete.


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## Spring Hollow

I built a rolling bridge crane which rides on I-beams suspended from the roof trusses which were designed to take this into account.  It was pretty inexpensive since it was built using used I-beams and HF trolleys.  Hard to beat almost complete coverage of the shop. 

Ken


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