3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
professor95 wrote: EDIT ADDED 45/5/2013- When this thread started in March of 2005, I never expected to see it survive this long or amass the quantity of information that has been shared here. In...
Forum Discussion
Hitch/Generator Crane
Recent discussion about using pickup cranes to lift gennies, etc., inspired me to build a crane mounted in my RV barn to lift my hitch off the pickup. I was really inspired when HF put the crane on sale for $69.95! :B It could just as well be used to lift a genset in/out of pickup or off the back of a RV.
I already had a Harbor Freight electric hoist that I was using for the same purpose, but it was slung from a chain in my hangar and I had to unhitch, drive over to the hangar, lift off the hitch and store it. This new setup utilizes the electric hoist for convenience and allows me to unhitch, pull forward a few feet, pluck the hitch out, and then store the hitch right there with the FW!
I built a 24' x 40' RV barn and put a 16' x 40' shed extension on the right side for farm equipment storage. The barn has 12'w x 14'h rollup doors on both ends so I can just pull-through with the FW. I put concrete approach ramps on both ends to avoid mud and traction problems. I also put entry/exit doors on both ends for convenience:
The crane pivots to the center of the door opening:
After unhitching, I can just pull forward and pluck the hitch out of the bed. Right now I use a steel cable "bridle" to sling the hitch from:
Once the hitch is elevated a few inches, I pull the pickup away and can then swing the crane around to park the hitch. I need to elevate the crane a foot or two higher to clear the corner of the FW as I swing it:
I temporarily have the hitch on a scaffold ladder, but the crane is bearing most of the weight. I plan to build a substantial rack or shelf at about that same height so I can just swing the crane around, lower the hitch a few inches onto the shelf, and leave it there until I need to put it back in the truck:
Here are close-ups of the ends of the crane and how I mounted it:
BIG CAUTION: This crane is just mounted on a steel post as a slip-fitting - if it is not pinned (you have to unpin it to rotate it!), it can simply be pulled up and off the support post. That means that if you lower the crane below horizontal, the forces can pop the crane up off the support post! (Don't ask how I know!:S) Therefore, I intend to put a sliding sleeve that will mount where the hydraulic cylinder goes to prevent unintentional lowering below horizontal. If you wanted to lower it further, one would have to remove this (I'll use pins) and put a pin through the rotating column to prevent it from slipping up. Once it's above the horizontal, you could unpin it and rotate it. (That would be a likely scenario in lifting a gennie off the floor - of course you could avoid that by using a longer hook and chain on the crane.)
Thought I'd post this in this thread as it would give some ideas for genset lifting. However, as always, proceed at your own risk!
Regards,
John
Recent discussion about using pickup cranes to lift gennies, etc., inspired me to build a crane mounted in my RV barn to lift my hitch off the pickup. I was really inspired when HF put the crane on sale for $69.95! :B It could just as well be used to lift a genset in/out of pickup or off the back of a RV.
I already had a Harbor Freight electric hoist that I was using for the same purpose, but it was slung from a chain in my hangar and I had to unhitch, drive over to the hangar, lift off the hitch and store it. This new setup utilizes the electric hoist for convenience and allows me to unhitch, pull forward a few feet, pluck the hitch out, and then store the hitch right there with the FW!
I built a 24' x 40' RV barn and put a 16' x 40' shed extension on the right side for farm equipment storage. The barn has 12'w x 14'h rollup doors on both ends so I can just pull-through with the FW. I put concrete approach ramps on both ends to avoid mud and traction problems. I also put entry/exit doors on both ends for convenience:
The crane pivots to the center of the door opening:
After unhitching, I can just pull forward and pluck the hitch out of the bed. Right now I use a steel cable "bridle" to sling the hitch from:
Once the hitch is elevated a few inches, I pull the pickup away and can then swing the crane around to park the hitch. I need to elevate the crane a foot or two higher to clear the corner of the FW as I swing it:
I temporarily have the hitch on a scaffold ladder, but the crane is bearing most of the weight. I plan to build a substantial rack or shelf at about that same height so I can just swing the crane around, lower the hitch a few inches onto the shelf, and leave it there until I need to put it back in the truck:
Here are close-ups of the ends of the crane and how I mounted it:
BIG CAUTION: This crane is just mounted on a steel post as a slip-fitting - if it is not pinned (you have to unpin it to rotate it!), it can simply be pulled up and off the support post. That means that if you lower the crane below horizontal, the forces can pop the crane up off the support post! (Don't ask how I know!:S) Therefore, I intend to put a sliding sleeve that will mount where the hydraulic cylinder goes to prevent unintentional lowering below horizontal. If you wanted to lower it further, one would have to remove this (I'll use pins) and put a pin through the rotating column to prevent it from slipping up. Once it's above the horizontal, you could unpin it and rotate it. (That would be a likely scenario in lifting a gennie off the floor - of course you could avoid that by using a longer hook and chain on the crane.)
Thought I'd post this in this thread as it would give some ideas for genset lifting. However, as always, proceed at your own risk!
Regards,
John
