Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

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zopperman

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So i saw that there are plans for an OB stand... but not an OB lift on this forum so I thought I'd post mine up. If people seem to like it, I can draft up plans and post a more comprehensive diagram of the unit. It's made of 2x4's ($16) one 2x6 ($4) and some chain and a come along winch (20 bucks at home depot)

You can also use for lifting the deck/cap off your boat!

I have an OB stand in one of the pictures, but I didn't use that. I used the dolly in the other pic so I could wheel it around and I made the dolly in less than 5 mins... It's some scrap wood and 4 castors!

Winch_arbor.jpg


Arbor1.jpg


Arbor2.jpg


Chrylser70HPHoisted.jpg


Chrysler70Hoist.jpg


ChryslerDolly.jpg
 

zopperman

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Any takers?
 

paultjohnson

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Looks quite useable. Pretty self explanatory on how to build one by looking at you pics, Any one that wanted to make one could probably customize thier own to fit there particular needs, just by looking at your pics. Nice job though. Looks like one we would use to hang deer at deer camp ! We had better luck hooking up a hand crank winch[like on the front of your boat trailer]with 2 rollers, mount the winch to the side posts, that way you don't have to climb on a ladder, to crank the handle, or a chain hoist if it got really heavy. [More money, more involved to build though]
 

zopperman

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

That's a really good idea.. I have a spare winch and some rollers I might play around with now. :D The ladder was always a pain!
 

paultjohnson

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

That's a really good idea.. I have a spare winch and some rollers I might play around with now. :D The ladder was always a pain!

Yeah, I started with the ladder thing as well.:facepalm: I do like the way you sandwiched the top cross bar on top of, and between the uprights. Hadnt thought of that...;):D
 

dazk14

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Looks good. You'll need to add diagonally bracing so your header doesn't move laterally. The 4 bolts through the 2x6 aren't quite enough.
 

zopperman

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Yeah, I thought about the diagonals... Then I screwed it into my wooden floor in my garage ;) I'm considering adding braces -- one or two on each side from the 2x6 to the sides, not across the middle.

and thanks Paul :)
 

paultjohnson

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Yeah, I thought about the diagonals... Then I screwed it into my wooden floor in my garage ;) I'm considering adding braces -- one or two on each side from the 2x6 to the sides, not across the middle.

and thanks Paul :)

Thank You as well for the cross brace idea..:D Remember also, If your winch has a rope, not a strap, you could use pulleys with multiple wheels, instead of rollers. Then you can double, triple, quadruple your lifting force. :p;):D
 

dingbat

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

What is the safe working limit of this lift?
 

zopperman

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

That's another great idea! I thought of working a pulley into it somehow at first, but I got pretty lazy. ;)

Dingbat, I'm not too sure. It's lifting some pretty heavy things before. I think the heaviest OB I've lifting with it is about 300-350 LBS. The come along is rated to 1 ton.

I've had a buddy who pulled a car engine with two 2x6's screwed together, a come along and the rafters of his garage. I'm guessing if you added another 2x6 to this you could make it pretty sturdy. I've NEVER heard a crack or felt unsafe. Hope that helps :D
 

jarrpal001

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

if you can do a diagram that would be great!
 

roscoe

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

For outboards, I've been using the winch on my atv.
Synthetic cable runs up to a pulley which is hung from a doubled 2x4, which runs thru 3 of the roof trusses.

Works like a charm, cost about $10, working limit of 500# or so until the atv starts to lift in the front.

As always, don't get any fingers or other body parts under the motor, and always steer clear of the cable, just in case.

In the past, I have used a small block and tackle, kind of awkward when working over a boat.
 

steelespike

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Years ago I made what looked like a swing set out of 2 X 6s to lift a 1936 21ft Garwood sedan utility.
Used a come-along, I know they aren't for lifting, I lifted one end at a time to get it off a trailer and on to a frame to roll it into the garage(trailer was too tall) and back on the trailer after the restoration.These old boats had lifting rings bow and stern making the actual lifting easy. I used concrete blocks to hold the boat up between lifts stern like this \ / bow _ like this. This way they work together to resist wobble.
 

colbyt

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

I love it when people take the time to share their neat plans.

But I would encourage all who consider this project including the OP to take the time to read the specs. Most winches of this type are not designed or rated for overhead lifting. Using one for that purpose may result in serious injury or property damage. A heavy duty rope or chain hoist could be substituted for the winch.

Take care.
 

Grub54891

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Wow,I would not use that! Wood crossmember? Nope........
 

steelespike

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Re: Building a shop crane/engine hoist for under $40

Wow,I would not use that! Wood crossmember? Nope........

Wood cross member should be fine the motor is about 230 lbs.
I like the Swing set design its naturally stable both crossways and longitudinally.
Also the cross member can be shorter.Because the top is pitched closer together than the base.
I figure I was lifting about 700-800 lbs.
 

CamaroMan

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If you remove as much off the motor from the top (manifolds / heads/alt/pump) etc etc.. strip it as bare as u can, then 2-3 guys can pull it quite easy actually.. once on deck removing crank makes a big difference.once ur down to the block only much easier even still.

I replied only because google finds this page quite useful for a wood hoist -
 
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GA_Boater

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If you remove as much off the motor from the top (manifolds / heads/alt/pump) etc etc.. strip it as bare as u can, then 2-3 guys can pull it quite easy actually.. once on deck removing crank makes a big difference.once ur down to the block only much easier even still.

I replied only because google finds this page quite useful for a wood hoist -

Blame Google? Very unique! :faceplam:

Google found nothing useful about this thread or any other old thread, it simply found the keywords you searched for. Did Google type your reply? Don't think so.

Read and heed the Help Tip on top of the page. Stop posting in old threads.

Closed.
 
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