trolley & chain hoist?

[aniakhenry]

Anyone out there use a trolley and a chain hoist to load logs onto the mill. I mill on a very small scale but plan to design a manual system that will be easier on my back. The only equipment that I have is a homemade atv log arch.  I built a mill shed last fall and am planning on a main beam going center through my shed door to run a trolley on. I plan to mill a 6 X 10 and lag on 15' of angle iron to both sides to run the trolley. The chain hoist will then hook onto the trolley. Two saddle straps will balance the logs as I push them into the shed. I may use the chain hoist to roll large cants as well. Anyone already doing this so I don't have to learn from my own mistakes?  :D

Thanks

[DKinWA]

I've been thinking about doing the same thing since I work alone and handling larger logs on my LT15 gets to be a real chore.  I started a couple of sketches, but nothing I'm happy with yet.  Sooner or later I'll figure out something I like then I'll get to work building it. :D

[Sprucegum]

I haven't done it exactly like that but it sounds pretty straight forward.

Buy your trolley first so you can make sure it will fit your design.
Will 15 feet always be long enough? Angle iron usually comes in 20 foot lenghts anyway.
How are you supporting the beam?

[Furby]

For best results you really should have a double system.
Odds are against you being able to balance every log in the straps, and you won't be able to shift one end of the log without messing up the other.

I would suggest hanging two chain falls over the mill, OR on on a trolly PARALLEL to the mill so you can work both ends of the log, one at a time.

Then I would suggest either a chainfall or if you have electric, an electric capstan winch anchored at the far side of the mill for actually loading the mill via parbuckling.

My 2 cents.

[Ironwood]

I have beam trolleys from a HEAVY carpet storage rack. $50 each plus shipping.

I will get a photo for you guys who may be interested. Reid

[aniakhenry]

Sprucegum,  Yea 15' is rather odd.  I live in the middle of nowhere, no road in or out, 73 cents a pound for airfreighting materials in, remote Alaska.  I have 2 20' sticks of angle iron and need to cut them down to extend the length of my mill.  I will most likely need to cut them down to 16' long. I need the extra 4' for extending my mill.  I already know the dimensions of the trolley according to harbor freights description they will get as wide as almost 8".  The beam will be supported at one end by sitting on a header and the other end is still to be determined.  Most likely I will weld a support bracket together and suspend it from the main header of my mill shed.  I have also thought of cables and heavy duty eye bolts but not sure that it would be safe or not.  My door width will allow 12 logs max.  The largest 12 spruce that I could imagine trolleying to my mill would weigh less than 1000 lbs.  But, I still want to be on the safe side. 

Furby,  I can't imagine not being able to balance a 12 log with two straps.  I would imagine that I should be able to get the straps at least 5' apart, but maybe your right.  I will give it a try in the next month and report back. 

Ironwood,  Thanks for the offer but I have already ordered my hardware. 

 

[bedway]

Im looking forward to that photo Reid,,,,,bedway

[Ironwood]

Bedway,

THe wifey took the camera to work today. I'll get some soon. Reid

[Ironwood]

Here you go. The name on them is Saginaw Products Co. They are ball bearing with grease fittings and appear to fit a 4" I beam. The stud is 7/8" coarse thread.





Reid

[aniakhenry]

Well it has been a while since I have had this idea.  My project is officially done.   ;D  I was ready to proceed with the wooden beam idea but had a friend clued me into some free C-channel out here in the boonies.  I jumped on it and hauled it home and started scratching my head as to how to make it work.  I finally figured it out and hopefully I can post some pics below to show you. 

I only had time to try it on a couple logs tonight but it sure moves them easily!!  Wow what a change setting logs on without any strain at all!

[Tom]

That's really cool.  It keeps stuff out of the way too.

I'll bet it will help to turn some big logs if you have any up there.

[beenthere]

Good on ya.
What's the design at the header end?  Pic of how you have it hangin (can't see it in the small pics posted) on the header would be great. 
Ya kin make em bigger (up to 450 pixels here) and 35k   
We like pics. 

You apparently are not using the trolley's on the C channel.

[aniakhenry]

I am using two peices of C channel put together.  They are just resting next to each other with a bolt in each end.  They basically form an I beam.  The log in the pic. is a 12' spruce with a 14" butt.

Here is a picture of the header.  It is bolted through a 6 X 12 header. 

[beenthere]

Thanks
If me, I'd put some plywood on those studs below that header beam, and screw/glue a couple layers to add stiffness when the load is applied to the hoist. But watching it while loaded should give you a warning if the header won't continue to take that load. Otherwise, a cable from each end of the header down to the beam/hanger point will add a lot of support to the header too.

[aniakhenry]

That false studded wall would'nt do anything as far as supporting the I beam.  It is suspended by the header itself.  The header is a 6 x 12.  It is bolted all the way through it with grade 8 bolts that are 9/16".  That header will take one heck of a load without complaining.  The largest length log I can get through my doorway is 13' which I made to get 12' 6" logs.  I'm smalltime at best.  I calculated a 12 foot 18" dia to be only 800lbs...  I want to be safe, correct me if I'm wrong ???, but that header should handle 3 or 4 times that much...

[Minnesota_boy]

I'll bet that if I really needed to I could get an 18 foot log through that 13 foot door using the trolley.  ;D :D

[aniakhenry]

 :D Yeah the doorway is to "easily" get 8, 10 and 12 foot logs through the door from the stack.  The gables ends of my mill shed has big doors where I can drag a log with my ATV arch through and dump it in the shed.  I suppose if I wanted to mill some larger stuff I could take it in that way.  I could use the trolley to lift it up and place it on the mill.  It would then be at the mid point and be bearing weight equally on both load points which would account for the larger weight that would be made.  It is nice to be done with and have it work so smoothly... 8)

[DanG]

Good job, Aniakhenry! 8) 8)

Just for the record, you don't want that log to be exactly balanced when you lift it.  It is much better if one end comes up and the other rests lightly on the ground.  That way, you just stab the high end with your Logrite Hookeroon(you do have one of those, don't you? ;D ) and pull down, and you have perfect control of the log.  If it is balanced, you just about have to have 2 people to control it, as it wants to swing around all over the place.

Let me also suggest that you attach a cable to your trolley to move it along.  That will make it a lot easier to stop the trolley directly over the mill.  If you're pushing the log along, the trolley will always lag behind, so you have to push the log past the mill and maybe have to pull it back a bit.  It's pretty easy to turn that into a four-handed job, too. ;)

[rebocardo]

> I plan to mill a 6 X 10 and lag on 15' of angle iron to both sides to run the trolley.

I would shy away from using lags. Mostly because they are usually Grade 2 or less and could break without warning and second they stand a chance of pulling out over time. I know putting together my firewood racks I have easily broken Home Depot lags with my impact set at its lowest setting.

I would go with either Grade 8 bolts or Grade 8 threaded rod and alloy washers and nuts since the load you are lifting could easily be over 2,000 pounds at 12 feet of hard wood. If you ran angle on the top and bottom and bolted through both top and bottom angle, the 6x10 that would make the set up very stout with a min. amount of deflection.

[aniakhenry]

DanG,  Thanks for the pointers.  I like the one end down idea, I feel a little shy under than I beam anyway :D  I don't have a logrite pickaroon but keep hearing how great they are from more than one post.  When you say installing a cable for the trolley do you mean a manual cable or something that would be motor driven?  Not sure I understand the benefit but I'm all ears... :P  and enjoy the additional info.

Rebocardo, If you read all of the posts you will realize that my origninal idea changed substantially from its orignal thought.  I didn't use angle and lags due to many potential problems.  I used 6" C Channel.  I did use 9/16" grade 8 bolts to help suspend the I beam to my large header. 

[DanG]

I was thinking of just a piece of ¼" cable from the trolley, through a snatch block at the far end, and back to you standing at one end of the log.  Come to think of it, a small electric winch would really make things nice. 

[aniakhenry]

DanG,

I will have to continue testing it out and see how things go, I don't know aobut electric or battery power.  More to go wrong.  I love the fact that everything is manual...  Plus I don't want to get too soft! ;D

[DanG]

DanG,

Plus I don't want to get too soft! ;D

I don't think ya gotta worry about that, with a manual sawmill. ;) :D :D