Picture of the cylinder lifting hook

The delivered price is the same as the pick up and hang around while the folks answer the phone price. At least here. you can lean the tank over somewhat and roll it, you can lay it down and put hooks of a nylon tie down (like I use for a dirt bike in the pick up) in the holes in the cap or just loop onto the cap somehow, and drag it along the ground and up a ramp into the truck bed if you put on a lifting belt and really want to or if you get an assistant. Once you get to the welding shop they will have a loading dock like 53 inches off the ground and don't count on the employees getting the tank up from your truck bed for you.

Fran

Lifting by the cap is dangerous. The cap can deform, making it hard to get off. It can just pop off, as the threads are not always the greatest, and can be corroded. A couple of nylon slings in a basket arrangement with a spreader bar would be far better. I once saw a man lose two front teeth by pulling on a cap. It "looked" like it was on there.

Make a better hoisting device. That one is dangerous. It may hold, but the weak point is the cap.....

Steve

Oh man...I can picture that happening...not pretty..not pretty at all....

Gunner

I do most things on the cheap around the shop. Exceptions are drill bits, grinding wheels, and LIFTING DEVICES. I would build a cage to lift the cylinder, and get a Crosby shackle for the top of the cage, and a Crosby hook to lift. It's just not worth getting hurt over.

He could build a lifting platform pretty easily that would be much safer. A vertical section of steel tube, with a foot plate at the bottom for the cylinder to rest on, a couple straps to secure the cylinder on it, and then at the top an angle section to a lift shackle centered over the tank.

| > Ignoramus13094 wrote: | >

| > > Made one up tonight. Some comments on the webpage. | > >

| > >

| > > This is for the 397 CF acetylene tank that is very heavy. | > >

| >

| > I do most things on the cheap around the shop. Exceptions are drill bits, | > grinding wheels, and LIFTING DEVICES. I would build a cage to lift the | > cylinder, and get a Crosby shackle for the top of the cage, and a Crosby | > hook to lift. It's just not worth getting hurt over. | > -- | > John L. Weatherly | > Nashville, Tennessee | >

| > please remove XXXs to reply via email | | He could build a lifting platform pretty easily that would be much | safer. A vertical section of steel tube, with a foot plate at the bottom | for the cylinder to rest on, a couple straps to secure the cylinder on | it, and then at the top an angle section to a lift shackle centered over | the tank.

How about a nylon sling and choker.

To what do you refer, sir? Are you speaking of a wire rope choker? This would be unsafe, as it can slip. Two nylon slings would be better, with a pipe spreader bar to make two lifting points. Then "choke" the nylon sling's eyes. A firm way to safely grasp a horizontal cylinder.

Vertical would be something else.

Hoisting cylinders is intentionally placing them in a hazardous situation. There are lots of ways to do it. It depends on a lot of variables, but mostly hoisting mechanisms and head room. Rigging them is not complex, and can safely be done with soft slings or even substantial rope, although OSHA says NEVER use rope to hoist anything, even though it's done in the real world all the time.

Steve

| > | > Ignoramus13094 wrote: | > | >

| > | > > Made one up tonight. Some comments on the webpage. | > | > >

| > | > >

| > | > > This is for the 397 CF acetylene tank that is very heavy. | > | > >

| > | >

| > | > I do most things on the cheap around the shop. Exceptions are drill | > bits, | > | > grinding wheels, and LIFTING DEVICES. I would build a cage to lift | > the | > | > cylinder, and get a Crosby shackle for the top of the cage, and a | > Crosby | > | > hook to lift. It's just not worth getting hurt over. | > | > -- | > | > John L. Weatherly | > | > Nashville, Tennessee | > | >

| > | > please remove XXXs to reply via email | > | | > | He could build a lifting platform pretty easily that would be much | > | safer. A vertical section of steel tube, with a foot plate at the bottom | > | for the cylinder to rest on, a couple straps to secure the cylinder on | > | it, and then at the top an angle section to a lift shackle centered over | > | the tank. | >

| > How about a nylon sling and choker. | | To what do you refer, sir? Are you speaking of a wire rope choker? This | would be unsafe, as it can slip. Two nylon slings would be better, with a | pipe spreader bar to make two lifting points. Then "choke" the nylon | sling's eyes. A firm way to safely grasp a horizontal cylinder. | | Vertical would be something else. | | Hoisting cylinders is intentionally placing them in a hazardous situation. | There are lots of ways to do it. It depends on a lot of variables, but | mostly hoisting mechanisms and head room. Rigging them is not complex, and | can safely be done with soft slings or even substantial rope, although OSHA | says NEVER use rope to hoist anything, even though it's done in the real | world all the time. | | Steve | |

Use a nylon sling and choke her. A light weight nylon sling ( 1", 1.5") will easily handle vertical cylinders.

| >

| > This is for the 397 CF acetylene tank that is very heavy. | >

| | Lifting by the cap is dangerous. The cap can deform, making it hard to get | off. It can just pop off, as the threads are not always the greatest, and | can be corroded. A couple of nylon slings in a basket arrangement with a | spreader bar would be far better. I once saw a man lose two front teeth by | pulling on a cap. It "looked" like it was on there. | | Make a better hoisting device. That one is dangerous. It may hold, but the | weak point is the cap..... | | Steve | |

Do you have any data to support this? Frankly I just can't see it. Comparing the strength of a cylinder cap to the weight of even the big cylinders is off the chart.

"Watson" wrote in news:49094797$0$31767$ snipped-for-privacy@news.ThunderNews.com:

The threads holding the cap on aren't all that strong.

A simple barrel hitch around and under the tank will be the easiest (and safest) hoisting method, especilly since Iggy has a hoist in the bed of his truck.

If he wants to get fancy, on page 2-20 [figure 2-28] of the Rigging Handbook [see prior thread to download if needed] a Telegraph Hitch would be ideal for the purpose.

| | The threads holding the cap on aren't all that strong. Well, I hear you, but do you have any actual data to support that. Frankly I don't believe it. These cylinders only weigh a couple hundred pounds and have about 3" diameter threads. Look at a fastner design chart, threads are much stronger than you suggest.

| | A simple barrel hitch around and under the tank will be the easiest (and | safest) hoisting method, especilly since Iggy has a hoist in the bed of | his truck. Putting anything under the cylinder, and then having to remove it, would be much more difficult than just slipping a properly designed hook in to the cap.

| | If he wants to get fancy, on page 2-20 [figure 2-28] of the Rigging | Handbook [see prior thread to download if needed] a Telegraph Hitch would | be ideal for the purpose.

I can't see the Statue of Liberty, but I know it's there.

All I have is what I have observed since I started welding in 1974. Cylinders were never meant to be lifted by the caps. Period. Cap thread strength can be reduced by corrosion, cross threading, galling, damage, all sorts of things. It's just a bad idea to lift by the cap. It also distorts the cap making it harder to get on and off in the future, and lessening its strength in yet another manner. You, of course, can do whatever you want. I've just seen enough of them fail to put my vote in the NO column.

I can't lay my hands on any "data". A quick check of the OSHA regs by some knowledgeable person or someone who has the OSHA or DOT CDs would provide an answer. But I no longer have the set of OSHA CDs. And even IF there's no "data" saying it's a bad idea, it never happens in my shop. You can feel free to do as you please.

Steve

Mr. Watson, could you please cite data or suppliers for a "properly designed hook"?

Steve

I would have no problem or hesitation rigging it up with rope. There are several hitches and ways to do it, all safer than lifting by the cap. OSHA says NEVER use rope for hoisting, but it's done all the time in the real world.

Steve

Oh, yeah! I've not seen it happen, but I've heard plenty about how the caps get abused, and with us, most of our cylinders are exposed to the elements. I know several welders who've busted their chompers trying to pull a cylinder into a pickup truck by its old, rusty cap.

Remember- unless the cylinder and cap are made to some pretty tight tolerances, those caps are made to be applied hand-tight only, and are (occasionally) easy to loosen. With no paint or oil on the threads, they corrode away.

I'll put it this way. I've seen a bizillion of them. And I wouldn't trust one of them. When they're still on there two to three threads and you can pull the cap off, there's something wrong with this picture.

Steve

Here's someone who did a better job than me.

I'll bet that cost $1000. Your tax money at work.

Whoa, now that's safe. You will notice nothing touches the cap. I wonder why that is.

Steve ;-)