1. Home
  2. ⏣ General Metalworking
  3. how much will this beam hold?

how much will this beam hold?

There is a beam in the ceiling of my garage to support the bathroom above it. This beam is composed of three 2x12 laminated beams and two 2x12 boards and spans about 20 feet. This bathroom has a medium size whirlpool bathtube and I assume this beam is there to deal with the weight of it full of water. I have attached a hoist to all five boards with unistrut about 6 foot from one wall. I have used this hoist to lift machines weighing about 700lbs.

In the very near future I will need to unload a lathe weighing about

1100-1200 lbs. I am wondering if I need to put a temporary post in the middle of the garage just to be sure it can hold that much weight.

This weight isn't that much more that the weight of water and or some people in the room.

Opinions? chuck

Reply to
Charles A. Sherwood
Loading thread data ...

I vote for putting in a temporary post to be sure, 20 foot span is a long way. Even if the beam would hold the weight, the deflection of the beam could crack the drywall somewhere. A 4 by 4 would probably be an adequate post, and not expensive. Just shim it in place, put in a couple of nails or screws to hold it in place. As to whether your attachment to the beams is adequate, I will not address, I don't normally think of Unistrut for loads of more than a few hundred pounds.

Richard

"Charles A. Sherwood" wrote:

Reply to
Richard Ferguson

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.