Mechanical help lifting heavy things

E

ERD50

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Messages
26,907
Location
Northern IL
I have to be careful with my back problems, but I still want to be active around the house for many years, and that means occasionally lifting heavy stuff (~50#) off the floor or out of the car, to counter height.

I've gone to 25# water softener salt bags which helps, but some of my hobbies involve 5~6 gallons (beer/wine) in bulk containers. I can use a pump for some of it, but not all.

Some of the things I've found (like a dolly with a lift function), are industrial strength and get really expensive. The closest I've come is something like this from Harbor Freight:

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-61858.html

61858_W3.jpg


The price is within reason for me ( ~ $190), but the reviews show that because it's meant for heavy objects, each pump of the handle only lifts ~ 1". That would be a pain. It's also heavy, and those small casters wouldn't roll easily over a door threshold or something.

Any other ideas? I'm starting to think I'll need to build something. Two larger wheels in front, and a post in back to rest/stop it on (reverse of a wheelbarrow)? A crank winch or block pulley system to lift? I'd rather just buy it, I'm backlogged on projects.

TIA - ERD50
 
The crane weighs 149 lbs. Don't hurt yourself unpacking it.
 
That's a big engine hoist. Guessing north of 100#, maybe twice that. Just to assemble it you'll get plenty of heavy lifting. The little metal wheels (cast iron, probably) are intended for us on smooth concrete floors. You'll get more heavy lifting practice if you try to drag it across carpet.

I would look for scientific or lab equipment, lifting tables, etc. I'm sure they have to deal with this type of thing. Maybe something you can modify. Prices will not be Harbor Freight, however. Once you bird dog what you want, start shopping used equipment dealers.
 
If you are going to buy just about anything from Harbor Freight, compare it to a similar quality product before making your purchasing decision. Most things I've seen from them either don't work very well (or at all) or break easily. I'm sure there are exceptions... Well maybe....
 
Car-Guy said:
If you are going to buy just about anything from Harbor Freight, compare it to a similar quality product before making your purchasing decision. Most things I've seen from them either don't work very well (or at all) or break easily. I'm sure there are exceptions... Well maybe....
Click to expand...
Harbor Freight is a great place to buy shop rags, occasionally things that are long on crude assembly and poor paint, ideally ones that don't require any engineering expertise to design. I would consider an engine hoist but certainly no hand or power tools.
 
OldShooter said:
Harbor Freight is a great place to buy shop rags, occasionally things that are long on crude assembly and poor paint, ideally ones that don't require any engineering expertise to design. I would consider an engine hoist but certainly no hand or power tools.
Click to expand...
I'd consider buying shop rags from them.:) It's good to consider the old adage "you get what you pay for" when shopping there...
 
Last edited:
easysurfer said:
The crane weighs 149 lbs. Don't hurt yourself unpacking it.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's one problem I mentioned. I would need to buy one, just so I could get the one I bought out of the car! Wait....

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
Yes, that's one problem I mentioned. I would need to buy one, just so I could get the one I bought out of the car! Wait....

-ERD50
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
RobbieB said:
How about a hand truck with a winch?

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...MIlvj2q_na7gIVSr7ACh0fpgwJEAQYAiABEgL_0PD_BwE
Click to expand...

That's close to what I'd want - but at $533 more than I thought it should be (wait, this is RobbieB from the 'Blow That Dough" thread, so yeah, maybe I should just BTD).

They also have one with just 220# capacity, but it's motorized so the price jumps to $1,400!

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...fice-work-positioner-li-truck-220-lb-capacity

Now I'm picturing building some mini-pallets. I could throw one in the car, and when I pick up heavy stuff, have it set on the little pallet. I could get it out of the car with a forklift style personal lift like that.

-ERD50
 
I use a 4-pulley block & tackle attached to the ceiling of my garage to lift my 5th wheel hitch (70 lbs) and my portable generator (100 lbs) in and out of the bed of my truck. Works really well - only weights about 5 lbs and costs under $50. :)
 
Last edited:
Yeah, expensive, but very sturdy looking and stable. But consider if you get something less and one of those full carboys falls on your foot, the hospital bills are gonna make $500 look like chump change.
 
Jerry1 said:
I like that.

I bought one of these small chain come alongs to help me lift things in my shed. The main use is that I hook it to my grass catcher attachment and lift it up into the rafters to get it out of the way.

https://www.amazon.com/SuperHandy-C...+Chain+Hoist+Come+Along&qid=1612811092&sr=8-4
Click to expand...

REWahoo said:
I use a 4-pulley block & tackle attached to the ceiling of my garage to lift my 5th wheel hitch (70 lbs) and my portable generator (100 lbs) in and out of the bed of my truck. Works really well - only weights about 5 lbs and costs under $50. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I've also thought about just placing a mount for a winch or block & tackle where I need it. Seems less flexible, but a lot simpler. Hmmm, I suppose I can rig it up so I could have a board/ramp set up so I could slide stuff out of the car, then winch it up and slip a cart under it to move it around (at least on one level).

-ERD50
 
I generally consider Northern Tool an upscale Harbor Freight, with tools of higher quality. Here's a lift table that might fill the bill: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200696307_200696307

That said, a friend showed me how useful a dolly can be when you know how to use it. I was expecting a struggle getting an old water heater into my truck for disposal when he flipped it around and used the chassis of the dolly as a fulcrum to hoist the appliance up and in. I'm not sure if that's clear, but it sure beat dragging the heavy SOB into the bed.

Friend's dad was a plumber, so he knew a few tricks with trucks.
 
RobbieB said:
Yeah, expensive, but very sturdy looking and stable. But consider if you get something less and one of those full carboys falls on your foot, the hospital bills are gonna make $500 look like chump change.
Click to expand...

Yes, those glass carboys are scary. I stopped using them decades ago (the beer brewers learned that short fermentations of 1~4 weeks in the plastic bucket fermentors were all you needed for most brews). But then I took up wine making, and wine really needs the bulk aging to clear, and plastic won't cut it for that long (too much oxygen infiltration).

But you'll be glad to know I did BTD on a vacuum system for my wine. With the vacuum, I can transfer from the plastic fermentor after a few weeks, to a carboy, and transfer from carboy to carboy a few months later to rack it off that sediment. And for bottling, I then vacuum/siphon to a carboy on the floor, and then use the vacuum to pull up to the bottles to fill them. And each time, you can use the vacuum to degas the wine as you go (the vacuum pulls the CO2 out as you transfer, which helps with clearing the wine). The system works really well as with just a little practice you can get a very precise fill level on each bottle and barely spill a drop the whole time - the liquid side has a hose tip that you set to the level you want, and when you release the vacuum just as it reaches that line, any excess just siphons back to the carboy on the floor.

But I still need to get 6 gallons of juice out of the car, into the basement, and up on the counter (can't pull a vacuum on the plastic pail, it would likely crack/implode)

https://youtu.be/AWH2lK8XPW0?t=160

-ERD50
 
Last edited:
Mr._Graybeard said:
I generally consider Northern Tool an upscale Harbor Freight, with tools of higher quality. Here's a lift table that might fill the bill: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200696307_200696307

That said, a friend showed me how useful a dolly can be when you know how to use it. I was expecting a struggle getting an old water heater into my truck for disposal when he flipped it around and used the chassis of the dolly as a fulcrum to hoist the appliance up and in. I'm not sure if that's clear, but it sure beat dragging the heavy SOB into the bed.

Friend's dad was a plumber, so he knew a few tricks with trucks.
Click to expand...


X2 on the lift table. Seems the easiest solution.



The engine hoist you pictured could be modified with larger rubber wheels to help, but it will still require wrestling. I have one of those, for lifting engines and other heavy stuff. It does not roll real well except on smooth concrete, and even then it is need to wrestle it. The pump is slow since it is hand hydraulic jack. You could put an air over hydraulic jack I suppose, but then you need to have compressed air available. Also storing that big hoist takes up space.



Another option is you could mount a trolley beam with a small winch on your garage ceiling to transfer stuff. A hand winch can also work, the idea being let the winch do the main lifting.
 
naggz said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister View Post
It seems to me that this is what you really need:

https://www.rentateenager.com
Click to expand...
+1
Or find a neighbour who will take payment in the form of beer / wine that you're already making.
Click to expand...

I'd have to be sure not to combine the two ideas. Paying teenagers with beer/wine could create a whole new set of problems for me!


Out-to-Lunch said:
... I don't have an AIO vacuum pump, but I have met the owner, Steve!
Click to expand...
Hah, small world! Steve was demoing the system when I picked up my bucket of grape juice that season a few years back. I try to stay away from gadgets that I can't reasonably have a spare, because if they break it can ruin your day. But this makes it so much simpler and safer, I couldn't pass it up.

38Chevy454 said:
X2 on the lift table. Seems the easiest solution.
...
Click to expand...

GreenEggs said:
:wiseone:Ditto on the lift table.
Click to expand...

The lift tables look good, but they are still ~ 10 inches from the ground, so in some cases I might still need to lift the object that high.

I'm going to give the winch and Block & Tackle approaches more thought, I can probably make that work.

-ERD50
 
Maybe invest in a gym membership with a personal trainer will be best, once covid eases in all honesty.

They will teach you how to lift with your legs, stretches and keeping you back strong.
I have a terrible back (born with a bad back), but keeping it strong and limber helps immensely.
 
While many folks like to think of themselves as Hercules, it can actually be dangerous when very old.
When old the bones are weaker.
I know an old guy who was in good shape, he was fixing his garage and lifted a 5 gallon pail of salt. Something cracked/snapped in his back.

Doc later said he had compression fractures of the spine. It has really crippled him and is permanent.

Figuring out a mechanical lift is probably a good idea
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Well Pump Replacement
2
Replies
38
Views
1K
Northforker
N
T
Last minute ACA paralysis
Replies
14
Views
1K
tmitchell
T
T
Soft Saving
Replies
12
Views
2K
Andre1969
A
G
Age 67, retirement in progress
Replies
20
Views
1K
upupandaway
upupandaway
H
YTM calculator for bond portfolio
Replies
5
Views
403
pb4uski
pb4uski

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom