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ENGINEERS: I need your assistance!

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GTs...That's been more of a concern to me than using wood...its going to be quite a steep incline & early Midgets are super low...I've thought about buying 1 commercial lift & having it modified so its only 5' wide (none of the manufacturers will do that - at least none I've contacted!)...that would solve getting the cars up but it might also cost me storage space underneath!
 
You don't need a commercial lift unit if you are dealing with Midgets. What's that 2200lbs max? You only need the lift pistons and some steel. Make it as wide/narrow as you want.
Go look at some of those car haulers that carry about 6-8 cars at a time. They do some interesting things with hydraulics. You might get some ideas (bending, flexible ramps, etc.).
 
See all the neat ideas...&, in Guntersvile (town near me) is a junk yard for old car haulers...see 'em everytime I drive down there - could easily harvest the lift mechanism off one & graft it to my last section! hmmmmmmmm
 
Tony
I am not an engineer, however as a real estate appraiser with close to 30 years experience I would recommend that you have any design checked by a structural engineer. I have seen far to many home build structures that are unsafe and have fallen down and hurt people or property. Besides the load from the top, the ramp would add lateral load to the structure. Think of the lateral load as taking the stucture and standing it on end and adding weight. You would also need to protect against sideways shifting of the stucture when load is applied. You idea of taking the ramp form a auto carrier is good. How about taking the entire two level carrier and removing the wheels and resting the frame on the floor of the garage. If you tied it to the walls you would have your two level storage in a pre-engineered structure.

hammer.gif
 
maybe some kind of teeter-totter design... once the car gets beyond the folcrum (sp?), it tips level to the upper level? do you expect to have to move them around after they are up there, or just roll it foreward to load another one?
 
Tony,

The longer the ramp, the less the angle between the ramp and the "second floor." Can work if your ramp is temporary and can extend out the overhead door, but may not if it is all inside the garage and is in a space only 44 ft - 36 ft = 8 ft long and 6 ft high (37 degree angle between ramp and floor).

Steve
 
Tony,
Take a look at "Big Box" stores. They use industrial shelving and hold a lot more load than the 3 Midgets you are talking about. Shelving components are purpose made, readily available at materials handling dealers, and there is an engineer in the background that designed them all that likely carries liability insurance.
Another option is good construction scaffolding that is properly erected and braced. Scaffolds are loaded with tons of masonry many storeys high to erect building.
In the architectural industry we usually pursue something manufactured for the job. Just my 2 bits.
Mike Adams
 
Mike...there's another great idea - racks like Lowe's uses! & the posts are spaced about right for a car to go perpendicular under each section...gotta look into that...
...&, yes, the ramps could extend out the overhead door if there was enough angle for the car to get under the door...
...the cars will be lined up 1 behind the other & pulled up with a winch..& the ground level cars will be stored underneath perpendicular to the Midgets overhead...
...lots of great ideas coming out of this discussion....we're gonna get tis thing done after all!
 
A FORK LIFT!! THAT'S WHAT THEY USE AT MARINAS WHEN THEY STORE BOATS ON RACKS UNTIL THEY ARE GOING TO BE PUT IN THE WATER FOR USE1
 
RH...thought about that (& I need one) but that would necessitate moving several cars underneath to get to 1 Midget up top...whereas, if the Midgets are lined up 1 behind the other, all I have to move to get to the front one are the other 2....rmemeber, there are 15 MG's and a Norton stored in my garage....driving 1 always necessitates moving another but I want to keep that movement to a minimum.
 
There ya go - another superb idea!! & thanks for the URL...I've telephoned them & they're running the figures (materiels needed & cost) & will phone me back today!
 
&, they phoned back....seems no big deal for them 12' span, 5' wide, 6'high,1800 pound load, free standing...only thing would have to provide is whatever goes on top of framework for the cars to sit on (back to my u-beams).....total length of the system is 37'
...they're faxing quote...
...so, if its financially viable, all i have to do is figure out how to get cars up there...44' long garage - 37' system = 7' before overhead door...too steep for incline but since incline would be foldable/removeable it could extend through door...would I have adequate clearance under door for Midgets to roll through is the next problem?
 
WOW! Thanks, aeronca...got the quote on the storage system....$566 FOB East Hartford, CT...they're figuring freight right now!! 3000 pound capacity per 12' section...

...Now I've gotta figure out how to get the cars up there!
 
This has been a great thread! I've oun my direction thanks to you guys...I'm gonna find a used 4-post drive-on lift & have it modified so it fits MG's )make it narrower)....then, I'm gonna buy the freestanding used storage system suggested above..I'll have my 3 Midgets overhead perpendicular to 7 other MG's...will get 3 or 4 more cars in my garage that way! Thanks, everybody!
 
Tony,

I mentioned way back in this thread that you needed Nial and his students to do the design. And look what happened as soon as he saw it! If he had just logged on this thread a week ago, you could have had the system built by now. But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun for the rest of us if he had solved the problem that quickly.

His system and your hoist seem like a great way to go. And when you get three more Midgets, you can just expand the existing sytem. Then expand again for the three more after that and expand again . . .

And all you need to do to expand--besides adding shelving--is put your "Midget-lift" on a set of those commercial roller-conveyors shown on Nial's URL to roll the cars from the overhead door opening to the proper row on the second floor. Oops, you only have 7 feet between the garage wall and the shelving. So, that idea is shot.

Oh well, Nial will think of some way to do it--maybe just add more overhead doors!

cheers.gif

Steve
 
Heck, 12 foot overhead doors are easy to buy, if your wall is tall enough at that point to install one! Be careful to calculate overhead room for the track though. Or you could add a "sallyport" to the end of the garage to make room for a longer ramp at a lower angle.

BTW, are we gonna do this job before Kim's garage???
cheers.gif


Bruce
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MGA Steve:
Tony,


Oh well, Nial will think of some way to do it--maybe just add more overhead doors!

cheers.gif

Steve<hr></blockquote>


Here's a thought..I saw a small used electric fork lift a while ago for about $1000. I think it had a capacity of about 1500 pounds (my Spridget weights 1740 wet, so something like this might be close enought). Not sure where I saw it, but I bet there's a web site selling used fork lifts somewhere out there.
 
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