engine hoist

[Frank S]

the name for that is an overhead single beam bridge crane this means that neither end of the beam will be fixed.
I have designed, built and had bridge crane,both anchored and free standing Jib cranes and gantry cranes to Mill specs. One of my free standing Jib cranes had a 28 ft total swing diameter with a cap of 8 tons at the full radius limit de-rated to 3 tons to meet the stringent Mill Spec. A 12 ton portable gantry crane and a 60 ft span single beam 10 ton bridge crane that when it was tested for certification only had 10 mm of deflection hoisting a 15 ton load and 15 mm deflection @ 20 tons while jogging the loads I even made a 600 ft monorail system for a camel hospital to transport injured racing camels
So since you are planning on a small bridge crane we need to discuss what you plan for the rails, what sort of structure you are going to install this in Just about anything is doable and can be made safe as long as all information if forthcoming.
For instance for the rails 3" track used in suspending commercial sliding doors with 2 sets of truck rollers mounted to a 2 ft long carriage bolted to each end of the bridge beam would work much better than trying to use tubing for the rails this way you could take advantage of attaching the rails to every ceiling truss if this were to be used in a home garage. But if this is to be in a steel structure with the trusses at 10 ft apart then it would be better to use at least 4" I beam 6 inch if the trusses are 20 ft

[nixrox]

A moderator on this web site asked me to respond to this person's request for assistance in calculating capacity and distance for a lifting device he intends to build. He has not provided any real useful information and yet a number of people have jumped right in offering all kinds of advice. WHY? I would need to know a whole lot more background information before I would be willing to offer any advice. Darwin's theory will sort out this person, if he thinks he can build something like this, without a great deal of basic engineering skills.

[1money]

I will be using the 2x4x1/4 tubing for everything because the price is right. (free) I am short on head room so I plan on welding a piece of 2" channel iron on top of the end rails for my rollers to run in and keep it about 3" from the ceiling,just enough room for sealed bearings (rollers) to clear. I plan welding a 1' piece of tubing perpendicular to the beam on each end and weld a piece 3/4" grade 8 rod to the top of each end for axles for rollers. Then build a trolley using bearings for rollers. When finished the pin for chain hoist at the bottom of the trolley should be a little under 8" from ceiling.

[Frank S]

The channel on top of the rails is a good way to go.
You might want to make your carriage pieces that will be on the ends of the beam 2ft long though as free running overhead cranes can skew pretty easy an unwritten rule of thumb is 2/5ths the total span. Also welding 2x4, 8 inch long angle iron end plates on the beam that have a center hole spacing at least 3 times the width of the beam then bolting through the carriages will add both safety and ease of installing the beam
And you still haven't stated the span though. If it is much over the 10 or 12 ft of a single car garage like in a 2 car garage of 20 to 22 ft you should think about adding 1/4 by 2 flat bar top and bottom of the beam

[BigPete]

I am permanently installing 2 pieces of tubing on the ceiling with a traveling one between. Thank you for the replies.

Dear 1money, [Noting that I am a practical person, not offering professional advice!] my initial thoughts are that you should do a little more homework. Firstly, I suggest that 500lbs is too small a load for this project. One can foresee that much greater loads might occur, not just by the weight of an engine but also e.g. when an engine gets wedged while lifting, and suddenly you are trying to lift the whole front of car.
Secondly, for clarity, it is evident that you are planning a gantry as distinct from an engine hoist.
Thirdly, I would be much more comfortable using .250 wall thickness tube, than .120 wall thickness, because the second-greatest challenge is failure by twisting. Any hoist will encounter sideways forces, and failure by twisting is a real possibility.
If each end of the beam will simply sit on a buttress [as distinct from being embedded and cantilevered] I'd suggest a maximum of 10 foot span.
Enjoy the project!
Cheers,
BigPete

[nortin]

I am permanently installing 2 pieces of tubing on the ceiling with a traveling one between. Thank you for the replies.

I would find it hard to say without a simple sketch of what you want.Then there is a question of how far apart are the two tubes you intend to permanently attach to the ceiling? How far apart do you see as your max distance and how close together do you see as your min distance.What size and wall thickness are your tubes(pipe?) and how will they be secured to the ceiling? and at what spacing along the length of tubing will your attachments to the ceiling be? AND!!! What IS the ceiling? rafters?steel? cement? I can only assume that the data you want is for the deflection of the 2X4X(?wall thickness) rectangle steel tubing with your 500 LBS centered.All I can suggest is that there is a lot of data specific to materials such as pipe ,tube,rectangular steel tubing etc,available searchable online on Google etc.with tables for various material specifications In my garage I keep it cheap and simple! My rafters are 2X8s on 16" centers with a 12 foot span to the garage center beam and there is an attic floor above. I laid 10' of 1 1/2 sch.40 pipe on that attic floor,,cut a round hole about 3-4 inches through the floor and hung a loop of chain on the pipe.Below I hang a simple chain block on the chain. Voila! simple fast and STRONG because any weight gets distributed over several rafters.Is it strong? Yes ! have used it for many engine (with trans)installs and removals. Hope you can find some assistance in all this and good luck,stay safe.hope we see your finished project.