s1nglemalt Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 There will be a 2nd story shop above a working two-car garage. I do not want to build a complex in-shop hoist system. I am looking for ideas that will get tools and slabs externally (outside) to a dormer that will be around 8' or 9' above ground level. Dormer will be at least 6' wide to allow big things to get in. How do I get them up? I am suburbia so I cannot justify a forklift or other cool ideas. Mobile mast system? Mobile boom? Got economical and not super sketchy ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted February 19, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Q1. How heavy? Q2. Why not a rented lift? What you describe sounds like the perfect application for an extable-boom forklift. I can guarantee that the money spent on the rental, even hiring an operator, is well worth the peace of mind over some home-built contraption that will try to kill you, and probably cost as much as the lift rental. Q3. If a lift is out of the question, can you disassemble things into pieces you can carry up the stairs? Q4. If all the above fail, my suggestion would be to obtain a large stack of timbers. Railroad ties are ideal, but 4x4 posts or landscape timbers can work. create a perfectly level base layer (8'x 8' to go 8 or 9 high), put your heavy on top, and use a car jack to raise it one timber at a time, jenga-style. Yes, this will take a while, but IMO is safer than a jury-rigged crane hoist. And the weight you lift is limited only by the jack you use. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 I would rent a lift they are not that expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Yea, I think that any idea you come up with that doesn't involve renting a lift of some sort is going to be dicey at best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 I don't even know why I'm responding because I'm just taking a wild guess. Here my best guess. A rope and wheel - we use them for moving stuff up and off roofs. We even moved large emglo compressors off roofs. The set up looks like this obviously it will take two people. Aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 I've seen barns with the ridge of the roof sticks out several feet. Then pulleys and rope pull up heavy stuff to an upper door... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Moore Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 23 minutes ago, curlyoak said: I've seen barns with the ridge of the roof sticks out several feet This was my first thought too. An adequately sized I beam and electric hoist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Google search. Barn hoist. There are a bunch of options both manual and electric. This kind of thing has been done for hundreds of years but it will cost you. Especially if you need to modify your building after it's built. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Wild idea. a 4 post car lift that's on casters. What could possibly go wrong? I think renting a lift for the initial setup would be smart and then use pullys for stuff after. If it's only 8' up make sure you can slide heavy lumber strait in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 3 hours ago, curlyoak said: I've seen barns with the ridge of the roof sticks out several feet. Then pulleys and rope pull up heavy stuff to an upper door... Look for an electric hoist big enough to lift the heavy shop equipment you will inevitably buy/sell and not just lumber. The hoist is then mounted on a wheeled carriage to a rail or I-beam so that the load can be moved into and out of the shop through doors on the dormer. The whole thing, hoist, rail, and rigging needs to be sized appropriately. Personally if I were building the garage I would thoroghly investigate the idea of an inside elevator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Once the equipment is up there, getting materials up won't need nearly as much lifting power. I'd rent something for the tools, and then a smaller permanent solution for materials. I rebuilt a 43 foot tall chimney out of old bricks. The bricks were selected, with some having to be cut, and positioned for each course. I made a box that allowed us to size each course. The courses were first stacked on the ground, and then we hoisted them up one course at a time in the box. Each course probably weighed a hundred pounds. We used a 6 to 1 sailboat mainsheet system of blocks, with a long climbing rope. The box was hoisted up by hand, an restacked up on the scaffolding in preparation to lay the bricks. An electric hoist would have been nice, but since this was a one time job, I just used what I had. In this picture, this chimney was rebuilt from the middle of the second story windows (fortunately, there was an intact one on the other end of the house that I could copy): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Yeah, sub 200 lbs and 400 lbs plus are two very different animals. Job site tools are frequently hoisted on swing arm pulleys that mount in scaffolding. But if you don’t do scaffolding a lot, there is a learning curve. If you have big tools, I think you are stuck with a lift. Slabs and small items can be figured with ease. Tools are the catch if you have any large machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/d/material-lift-24-foot/6491651283.html I expect these come in a range of sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Immortan D Posted February 19, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 @wtnhighlander's Jenga approach to the problem made me remember this video: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 I wonder if you can find an airline stair at auction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Mark J said: Personally if I were building the garage I would thoroghly investigate the idea of an inside elevator. One of the guys near my parents house did this in their garage. They built a huge car dealership empire in the Midwest and built a 2 story garage with a car elevator to move cars around...... All the cars are restored or custom cars from the 40s 50s and 60s. I wish smart phones existed when they gave me a tour but this was before 2006 so i didn't even have a cell phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 I enjoyed the discussion! By the way, I almost always like Tom's advice, but don't use a "climbing rope" - they are designed to stretch under load and to be disposed of after a certain number of "loads" - typically 7-9 leader falls. Something like "gold line" or any basic utility rope will be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Pondhockey said: I enjoyed the discussion! By the way, I almost always like Tom's advice, but don't use a "climbing rope" - they are designed to stretch under load and to be disposed of after a certain number of "loads" - typically 7-9 leader falls. Something like "gold line" or any basic utility rope will be better. Sorry, I was thinking tree climbing, and not rock climbing. Should have said Bull Rope, but thought many wouldn't understand the terminology. Actually, it was 5/8" Stablebraid, so probably strong enough, and definitely wouldn't stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 10 hours ago, Larry Moore said: I've seen barns with the ridge of the roof sticks out several feet My first thought as well. Would be a project unot itself. The trick is making sure that the roof structure can take the load. Remember that the ones you see on barns were, I believe mostly for hay and not for heavy equipment. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Opening in the floor with a electric hoist would be my choice. You could open the door in the floor and pass longer lumber up that way. Only use the hoist for machines and other heavy stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 3 hours ago, Tom King said: Sorry, I was thinking tree climbing, and not rock climbing. Should have said Bull Rope, but thought many wouldn't understand the terminology. Actually, it was 5/8" Stablebraid, so probably strong enough, and definitely wouldn't stretch. OK, I was sloppy, too (blush). There are, in fact, "static" climbing ropes like the gold line I referred to; it is specifically the "dynamic" ropes - typically kernmantle that would be innapropriate for hauling heavy loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Well, the OP isn't chiming in with clarifications or comments, so I will. Maybe I misread the post, but I interpreted it to mean he (she?) was moving to a place configured as described, not building it. If I were building such a space, I would seriously consider some sort of jack / lift / hoist system INSIDE the building, through a trap door between the lower garage and upstairs shop. Might kill 2 birds and install a car lift downstairs with a little extra range ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 My brother, anticipating recent back surgery and being the lazy sort that he is, built a lift system using HF sourced materials and welded a “basket system” to get crap into his shop attic. I’ve requested a video of it and will post as soon as I receive it. Even if op has vanished, it may help others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 5 hours ago, wdwerker said: Opening in the floor with a electric hoist would be my choice. You could open the door in the floor and pass longer lumber up that way. Only use the hoist for machines and other heavy stuff. That's what I meant by "elevator". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s1nglemalt Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Thanks for your input, and allow me to clarify a bit more. I want the ground floor to be two cars in the two-car garage. This probably means nothing internal from below, but that is a great idea. The current footprint is 23' x 23', and I cannot expand easily. A "regular" architect gets very wary about barn hoists, and quickly reverts back to something such as, "I am going to need a structural engineer and s/he will need to come with me to the county". Something like a material lift on CL is a great call - portable and requires no thought from an architect. The upstairs shop will have a full bath and can be staged as a studio apartment. It will be a typical shop, though, for woodworking. I will have many more questions as this project comes alive for ventilation and ductwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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