Medium duty Jib crane

[Frank S]

Using a forklift or my backhoe to help lift heavy things while I assemble them has never been among the things I relish. While either machine will do the job and do it quite well the constant mounting and dismounting the machines get tiresome not to mention when on either it is difficult to place the object exactly where I want r need it.
So I decided it was time to construct another jib crane for my shop over a work station
This one is a medium duty jib crane made out of a WF6x6 x25 lb.ft beam 16 ft. long the stem is made of 4" XX pipe 1/2" wall thickness banded on both ends with 5" sch 40 pipe split and drawn tight tot eh stem then full welded then each end bored for 2 7212b (60x110x22mm) angular contact bearings fitted in each end
the stabilizing tension bar is comprised 2 1 1/2" sch 80 pipes welded to either side of a pair of 1/2x 2 1/2" plates
the hoist trolley is 5 ton rated but I will only be installing a 1 1/2 ton chain hoist
I still have to weld some gussets to the mount on the hero column insure proper support for the 3/4" thick mounting plates I installed

[NortonDommi]

Do you have a magical pile of all the stuff I need do you?

[Frank S]

Do you have a magical pile of all the stuff I need do you?

When we started preparing to move out here I tried to accumulate as much stuff as I possibly could.
We hauled literally dozens of semi trailer loads along with making close to 50 trips with my pickup towing an over loaded trailer each time.
but since 2015 I've consumed a huge percentage of my materials.
the Shop itself consumed the major portion and as it seems is still consuming.
I'm getting to the point that I'm going to have to start making the auctions again in a big way otherwise I'm going to wake up one day and the stock pile will be gone

[Frank S]

What Wizard69 says is correct. In planning for construction or mounting a JIb crane be it a freestanding or mounted to an existing structure the forces acting on the type of mounting increase exponentially with each foot out from the center of the pivot
here is a link to a 3 ton free standing crane I built many years ago to meet the MIL spec requirements everything associated with the crane itself excepting for the actual hoist was required to be tested to a load of double the rated capacity take special note of the excavation for the base mount
3 ton free standing jib crane

[Tuomas]

I have been planning to build small crane to our yard.
Its just that it needs heavy base or counter weight...

I bought a steel boat to be restored.
Crane would be handy when lifting steel plates.

Your post made me think.

Could it be useful feature if you could adjust the height of the cross beam?

If you don't need to lift high, then beam could be lowered.
Then it doesn't need so heavy base. When cross beam is lifted up, you could lift higher, but only lighter objects.

And...
I just don't find right words in english.

Maybe i need to draw a picture...

[Frank S]

it just is high enough
I am constructing a tower to place my 3000 gallon water tank on which was a huge part of the timing of installing the jib crane
More about the stand and the water tank at a latter date

[wizard69]

The base for a Jib Crane can be non trivial. Gorbel (www.gorbel.com) for example has suggestions for concrete bases for jib cranes in their manuals and you are talking about pads that can be 4 to 5 feet thick and as much as 10feet wide for a large crane. Needless to say that is a big concrete pour projects.

Given that you may want to consider alternative crane systems for a boat rebuild project. One approach that can sometimes be more economical is a bridge crane. The nice thing with these sorts of cranes is that they often can be installed with little additional foundational work. Also you can be assured full coverage of whatever you are working on. A jib crane almost never covers all of a vehicle such as a boat.

I only mention bridge cranes due to the adoption of them at work over alternatives. They can be fairly cheap to install and operate compared to the need to cut a big hole in your concrete floor for a massive foundation.

I have been planning to build small crane to our yard.
Its just that it needs heavy base or counter weight...

I bought a steel boat to be restored.
Crane would be handy when lifting steel plates.

Your post made me think.

Could it be useful feature if you could adjust the height of the cross beam?

If you don't need to lift high, then beam could be lowered.
Then it doesn't need so heavy base. When cross beam is lifted up, you could lift higher, but only lighter objects.

And...
I just don't find right words in english.

I think you did fine.

Maybe i need to draw a picture...

[Frank S]

Tuomas, the height of the beam has little to do with the size of the base or column that supports it.
it is the load center distance from the mounting or pivot point the farther the cantilevered distance is the stronger the pivot and base must be unless there is an equal counter weight opposite of the load
For a free standing jib crane the anchorage to the ground becomes the most important consideration second is the slenderness ratio of the column for a given height.
If you were to tell me the max weight you need to lift how high and how far from the column or base the load needs to be raised I can tell you what you would need to accomplish your task.
another thought is if you only need something temporary you could possibly utilize a gin pole type crane with a counter weight.
A lot of people who only need to lift say half a ton or less to a height of 2 or 3 meters have modified mechanics shop engine hoists by turning the beam around and adding weights to the hoist base this allows the lifting device to remain mobile while the base is out of the way of their work

[Tuomas]

Tuomas, the height of the beam has little to do with the size of the base or column that supports it.
it is the load center distance from the mounting or pivot point the farther the cantilevered distance is the stronger the pivot and base must be unless there is an equal counter weight opposite of the load
For a free standing jib crane the anchorage to the ground becomes the most important consideration second is the slenderness ratio of the column for a given height.
If you were to tell me the max weight you need to lift how high and how far from the column or base the load needs to be raised I can tell you what you would need to accomplish your task.
another thought is if you only need something temporary you could possibly utilize a gin pole type crane with a counter weight.
A lot of people who only need to lift say half a ton or less to a height of 2 or 3 meters have modified mechanics shop engine hoists by turning the beam around and adding weights to the hoist base this allows the lifting device to remain mobile while the base is out of the way of their work

Yep. You're right. I did some further planning, and it doesn't make sense at the end. Sturdy rising beam would make structure too complicated.

I think, that in my case. Jib crane, with a support wheels in the other end could be best option.

[NortonDommi]

Frank I hear you. I used to have a reasonable sort of a stockpile that got topped up from various scrap bins, now I have to actually BUY stuff!
Amazing how fast a pile can dwindle.

Tuomas, I don't know if these will be of any use but occasionally I have found myself somewhere needing to move stuff with only some rope, sheaves and whatever is at hand. Might not be OSHA approved but usually get the job done. I use static lines mostly and save the dynamic rope for climbing, Gleistein Cougar 12mm climbing rope (White / Yellow), Not top shelf but pretty good stuff and in my price range. https://www.gleistein.com/en/geo-pro...al-rope/cougar

http://yabe.chudov.com/Army-Rigging-...k-TM-5-125.pdf

https://training.bnl.gov/demo/basicriggingworkbook.pdf

http://docshare01.docshare.tips/file.../166746347.pdf

A Chicago Jib could be the answer for awkward lifts.