Unistrut Trolly

[pontiac428]

Added: I do agree with you on the uni-strut, while very strong it isn't designed for a live load, it is designed for a static load, same reason I do not use tie-down straps to lift a load.

I think that's where the 2.5x factor of safety comes in, to allow for some jouncing of a live load (for lack of a better term).

Hilman is a chinese product distribution company, so just a reminder that chinese load ratings are a one-time limit: they will lift 350 lbs per trolley one time. Like Harbor Freight 2 ton jack stands or 4000 lb 1/4" chain. I feel a little better about the McMaster 600-lb made in USA trolleys that roll on a solid wheel without the chinese mystery non-spec (aka ABEC-0) janky bearings on the low-cost units. 600 lbs with a 2.5 safety makes a 240 lb safe load, that's good for the chucks and fixtures around the lathe and mill table. Two skates to mount a light duty electric hoist would probably handle anything for that purpose, depending on how the track is anchored. My ceiling is 13" high, so dropping anything on my head from that height could potentially put me on the short bus if wasn't there already.

 

[yota]

I think that's where the 2.5x factor of safety comes in, to allow for some jouncing of a live load (for lack of a better term).

Hilman is a chinese product distribution company, so just a reminder that chinese load ratings are a one-time limit: they will lift 350 lbs per trolley one time. Like Harbor Freight 2 ton jack stands or 4000 lb 1/4" chain. I feel a little better about the McMaster 600-lb made in USA trolleys that roll on a solid wheel without the chinese mystery non-spec (aka ABEC-0) janky bearings on the low-cost units. 600 lbs with a 2.5 safety makes a 240 lb safe load, that's good for the chucks and fixtures around the lathe and mill table. Two skates to mount a light duty electric hoist would probably handle anything for that purpose, depending on how the track is anchored. My ceiling is 13" high, so dropping anything on my head from that height could potentially put me on the short bus if wasn't there already.

while I agree with what you say here, and I'm the biggest chinese Manufacuring critic on here, I can't imagine the weight of a chuck, a chain hoist and the chain and whatever you use in the chuck to lift it is going to cause anything in these Unistrut trolley systems to fail, chinese or not.

now if you use it for something stupidly heavy, all bets are off, but if anything fails it will likely be the fasteners first.

 

[Charles scozzari]

Theres many things to take into consideration like the span at which the strut is supported or if lag bolts are going into wood for supporting the channel and remember every time you pull on the chain fall your adding to the load. God Forbid that channel coming down, It very well may KILL you. When things go south you can't get out of the way no matter what you think. Whats your safety worth?????????

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I think that's where the 2.5x factor of safety comes in, to allow for some jouncing of a live load (for lack of a better term).

Hilman is a chinese product distribution company, so just a reminder that chinese load ratings are a one-time limit: they will lift 350 lbs per trolley one time. Like Harbor Freight 2 ton jack stands or 4000 lb 1/4" chain. I feel a little better about the McMaster 600-lb made in USA trolleys that roll on a solid wheel without the chinese mystery non-spec (aka ABEC-0) janky bearings on the low-cost units. 600 lbs with a 2.5 safety makes a 240 lb safe load, that's good for the chucks and fixtures around the lathe and mill table. Two skates to mount a light duty electric hoist would probably handle anything for that purpose, depending on how the track is anchored. My ceiling is 13" high, so dropping anything on my head from that height could potentially put me on the short bus if wasn't there already.

OOh, now I have to go back and look at MacMaster...

 

[rwdenney]

I agree, but a beam eats up space where ceilings are the standard 8 foot, the barn door hardware by Hilman is rated to carry a load there are several designs they offer but the one with the standard trolly is rated at 350 pounds per trolley, for lifting my rotary table, dividing head, chucks and other tooling they provides a comfortable safety margin while not encroaching on the manufacturers insurance safety margin.

Added: I do agree with you on the uni-strut, while very strong it isn't designed for a live load, it is designed for a static load, same reason I do not use tie-down straps to lift a load.

Unistrut themselves rate these and make the roller trolleys for them. The strongest trolleys (like the one I used) is rated at 600 pounds when running in 1-5/8” square 12-gauge Unistrut, as long as it is properly supported. That’s for slow-moving loads, meaning up to 30 feet per minute, which is pretty slow. They can be used with faster loads when derated, or we can be careful not to sling stuff around when fully loaded. Safety factor is supposedly 2.5.

The 3/8 lag bolts I used (which I bought from McMaster) have a rated pull-out strength of about 270 pounds per inch of thread. I used 4” bolts with 3” of threading, so each bolt is rated for nominally 800 pounds of pullout strength in quality dimensional lumber. Mine are screwed into the 2x12 bottom chord across 5 trusses spaced every 24”. Those ceiling joists hold a floor with a residential load rating in their center 16’ span, and I mounted the Unistrut adjacent to truss bracing. The Unistrut itself constrains the joist from lateral buckling.

No, it’s not a bridge crane, but I don’t think it’s coming down on my head.

(I did check the design carefully, and even tested deflection when carrying the 300-pound belly deck of my Kubota tractor. Deflection halfway between the joists was less than I could reliably measure using a scale and an 8-foot level as a straightedge.

After all, I am an engineer. )

Unistrut Trolley System Offers Support to Varying Load Capacities

Unistrut Trolleys provide a better approach to overhead movement for medium, and heavy-duty loads up to six hundred (600) pounds. Unistrut Trolleys are available in five (5) different Trolley styles (see illustration for style information) with two (2) types of wheel material: stainless steel...

unistrutohio.com

Rick “used as specified by manufacturer” Denney

 

[JC Whitney]

Thanks all for this discussion. Just picked up a ten footer of Unistrut, and trolley/hangers/end stops are due to be delivered Monday. Replacing my old spit-and-bubblegum-sloppily-rush-built-rolls-like-its-on-gravel janky trolly setup. Very excited.

 

[Charles scozzari]

I use this set-up that weighs 46 LBS. to dead lift all fixtures to my lathe and an alum. I beam for all else.

 

[yota]

one warning for anyone thinking about this who hasn't operated one yet. when pulling from one end of a long strut to the other it takes very little effort to get it moving. it is possible to get it moving way too fast very quickly. don't do that. and have the ends of the strut securely blocked off in case it does happen. mine butts into a wall on one end and has a large bolt thru the Unistrut on the other end.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Unistrut themselves rate these and make the roller trolleys for them. The strongest trolleys (like the one I used) is rated at 600 pounds when running in 1-5/8” square 12-gauge Unistrut, as long as it is properly supported. That’s for slow-moving loads, meaning up to 30 feet per minute, which is pretty slow. They can be used with faster loads when derated, or we can be careful not to sling stuff around when fully loaded. Safety factor is supposedly 2.5.

The 3/8 lag bolts I used (which I bought from McMaster) have a rated pull-out strength of about 270 pounds per inch of thread. I used 4” bolts with 3” of threading, so each bolt is rated for nominally 800 pounds of pullout strength in quality dimensional lumber. Mine are screwed into the 2x12 bottom chord across 5 trusses spaced every 24”. Those ceiling joists hold a floor with a residential load rating in their center 16’ span, and I mounted the Unistrut adjacent to truss bracing. The Unistrut itself constrains the joist from lateral buckling.

No, it’s not a bridge crane, but I don’t think it’s coming down on my head.

(I did check the design carefully, and even tested deflection when carrying the 300-pound belly deck of my Kubota tractor. Deflection halfway between the joists was less than I could reliably measure using a scale and an 8-foot level as a straightedge.

After all, I am an engineer. )

Unistrut Trolley System Offers Support to Varying Load Capacities

Unistrut Trolleys provide a better approach to overhead movement for medium, and heavy-duty loads up to six hundred (600) pounds. Unistrut Trolleys are available in five (5) different Trolley styles (see illustration for style information) with two (2) types of wheel material: stainless steel...

unistrutohio.com

Rick “used as specified by manufacturer” Denney

please don't take this the wrong way; but, I understand your position and if you are comfortable with that I will not flame you; however, I am a Sr. Piping Designer (senior as in 42 years working experience, not a 2 year assoc. degree in Drafting and 5 years experience) and I have used the stuff extensively, I have a full catalog of all the cool parts they make for it and understand the ratings they give it. Uni-strut is awesome stuff if I am supporting a tray, conduit, tubing runs or even pipe where the loading is static, use it all the time when hanging stuff, Stauff makes clamps which make it just the thing for ease of installation but, I have seen Uni-strut fail.

So, if its my pink hide underneath a suspended dynamic load where not only will it be moving longitudinally and could have some swing to it, I will not use it (call me chicken or paranoid) and the structural engineer I work with feels the same way.

The installation you have looks good, I thought it was the barn door track. When I pull the trigger I plan on running a bolt up either side of each joist through plates on the top and bottom with the track welded to the bottom plate, yeah my brother accuses me of over kill too.

The barn door hardware is designed to support a large heavy wooden door out in the open which is why I felt comfortable with looking at it. Despite their loading I will not use the ball wheel type trolleys and track, it just looks like the track would spread open. Pontiac428's point about Hilman being Chinese is yet another point to think about....

 

[Eddyde]

I have successfully lifted 600 lb loads with a unistrut & trolley system. I mainly use it to replace joists, girders and lift materials in building renovations.

HF 1100 Lb electric hoist mounted to 2 double roller trollies, running in double decker strut channel, supported by B7 grade threaded rod. All but the hoist from McMaster Carr


The task was to replace all the joists I a 200 year old building, the engineer did not allow us to remove more than 3 joists at a time for fear of the wall buckling outwards. I came up with this system so we could do them one at a time.


This is a 450 lb Girder lift.


Its 28' long


Went in like a letter in the box!