building a single tower Sprite storage lift?

[twas_brillig]

The Danmar MaxJax two post lift will handle 6000 pounds and sells for about $ 2300 locally; their web-page advises that their designers have run simulations with a single tower holding 3000 pounds and that their mounting system passed.
Has anyone looked into the fasibility of using a single tower to store a Sprite? IF it was feasible, I'd probably need to have an alternate steel floor brace/foundation system as I'm not sure if my slab has the required 4 inches of concrete.
Sure would be convenient though: tower permanently up against an outside wall; add the additional bracing come fall; raise sprite; slide second sprite underneath (I don't have a lot of ceiling height so would most likely have to remove one windscreen).
Anyone aware of single tower alternatives?
Doug

 

[Branson]

I wouldn't think a single tower would be very efficient. I would bet there's quite a bit of overturning moment that would have to be conquered either through the floor slab, additional bracing, or a combination of both

 

[Guest]

Too spooky for me and I'm the adventurous one. :wink:

 

[SilentUnicorn]

american made

https://029b960.netsolhost.com/single.html

and a drawing.
https://029b960.netsolhost.com/images/SP-4.5-SP-7_1.pdf

m

 

[George Zeck]

Any idea on cost?

I've been kicking the Danmar also.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Single column lifts are pretty expensive.

 

[regularman]

I been looking for a 2 post one so I can store one midget under another.

 

[Boink]

Make sure you have a good substrate (i.e., good, solid, concrete floor).

 

[bugedd]

Wish I could afford one of those! I'm trying to figure a hoist to suspend a gutted shell (no bonnet) up to the ceiling in the garage. Can't find anything that will work out of the box.

 

[JPSmit]

Wish I could afford one of those! I'm trying to figure a hoist to suspend a gutted shell (no bonnet) up to the ceiling in the garage. Can't find anything that will work out of the box.

with no bonnet you are under 400 pounds you could do that with eye bolts and decent rope. Or threaded rod and 2X4s

 

[Guest]

Wish I could afford one of those! I'm trying to figure a hoist to suspend a gutted shell (no bonnet) up to the ceiling in the garage. Can't find anything that will work out of the box.

with no bonnet you are under 400 pounds you could do that with eye bolts and decent rope. Or threaded rod and 2X4s

Be carfeful. Let's not forget the other yellow BE guy who was killed from a falling BE.

I'm all for hoisting it up, but only to put it on top of something.

 

[Gerard]

Here's one I built over a decade ago. Unfortunately. I can't use it in my current location though.

https://gerardsgarage.com/Garage/Tech/lift/bugeyeliftWS.html

 

[JPSmit]

Wish I could afford one of those! I'm trying to figure a hoist to suspend a gutted shell (no bonnet) up to the ceiling in the garage. Can't find anything that will work out of the box.

with no bonnet you are under 400 pounds you could do that with eye bolts and decent rope. Or threaded rod and 2X4s

Be carfeful. Let's not forget the other yellow BE guy who was killed from a falling BE.

I'm all for hoisting it up, but only to put it on top of something.

Even scaffold - wouldn't take much to make a rack wide enough to drive under. Could use metal or even 2X6s

 

[bugedd]

I was thinking about that as well. That might be the safest way to do it. Tough to fit 2 bugeyes and five bicycles in a one car garage

 

[Branson]

thats all i can think of

 

[The_architect]

Branson, you are correct.

I would not recommend hoisting something that weighs hundreds of to a garage's roof structure without first having someone who knows something about engineering examine the it to see if the it can safely support that load. There are dozens of variables involved--condition of lumber and fasteners, whether the structure as built has gang-nailed fasteners, bolts and split rings, nails or what? Are they corroded or do they look like new? What is the span and spacing of the trusses or joists. Are they over designed or just past the point of safety? Just too many variables. Gangnail roof trusses are intended to carry 10 psf distributed loads in their bottom chords. Not 100s of pounds of point loads.

Likewise, one should be very careful about where you place a lift. The substrate under a slab can settle, leaving the slab supporting itself--and concrete does not do well acting as a beam unless it has steel reinforcing in the lower half--in the middle of the slab it does nothing. If you put a lift on an unsupported slab there is always a chance it could crack and give way, particularly if the slab was not the poured at the thickness it was supposed to be or maybe the contractor ran out of welded wire fabric reinforcing that day. The safest way is to cut the slab where the lift is to go and repour small footings it to the manufacturer's specifications.

Whenever the lift topic comes up on one of these websites I'm usually told I'm too conservative. I probably am. But nobody ever got hurt building from plans I drew or those of engineers who worked for me. Charlie ("The Architect").

 

[Bayless]

I like your advice.

 

[regularman]

thats all i can think of

Wow,hope nobody was under that. I would like to have a 2 post lift. It would be hand for working on cars and storage. I wonder what went horribly wrong with that? Perhaps I need to look at the 4 post ones.

 

[regularman]

This one looks pretty secure, and it can be rolled around like a pallet jack, but would not be good for over under car storage.
lift

 

[twas_brillig]

DIY storage: many, many years ago I built a Sprite storage stacker in our garage (still using it) out of timber. I used a four corner support, with each 'corner' being a pair of vertical 4x4 timbers, spaced far enough apart to allow a cross beam under the Sprite body made of two or three (can't remember at the moment) 2x4s on edge to fit between them. Lifting was originally with a hand crank winch for the front and one for the rear, with pulleys and steel cable theoretically raising the car and keeping it level. Too much drag, so now I've got 4 hand winches, one for each corner.
One side is mounted to an outside wall (the garage is 2x4 studs); the other side is tied to the ceiling joists for lateral bracing, and the tops of the 4x4s are tied to each other as well.
I had a body tub (no engine/trans; otherwise complete) sitting up there for years. When it was cranked up, I would slip an appropriate length of 4x4 into the gap between the verticals, and lower the 2x4 cross beams so that they were resting on the 4x4 - with bolts run through all three vertical 4x4s - so no load on the cables or winches.
The big disadvantage is that the cars sit crosswise at the end of a small double car garage, which means cleaning everything out so as to be able to move the car in between the verticals. Putting the wheels on rolling dollies was a big improvement over heaving it around with my wee trolley jack.
I originally graduated as a Civil Engineer, so there was a bit of science behind the design, but I sure as heck wouldn't stamp it!
And if I was starting all over, I'd probably be buying the naautoequipment portable single post lift, as it would be easier to tuck the vehicles in for their winter hibernation.

Doug