Ok, so I want a lot!

Um, you are talking about making a lift for stuff to be lifted down/upstairs through a hole in the floor?

Can you just use a regular chain hoist for that? And lift stuff that would stand on pallets?

I think that you have a problem with a $100 solution. You seem to me thinking of $5,000 solutions.

Am I missing something?

"Kerry" wrote: (clip) the new price was close to $10,000.00 !!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A $10,000 lift with two hydraulic cylinders is suitable for commercial use, where it gets used every week, or even daily. You need something that might be used a couple of times a year. Consider something like a platform that can be raised with pulleys and ropes, for example. So what, if it takes an hour to operate it, if it gets you by? Just make sure it is SAFE.

Make the stairs removable. Be sure that the concrete slab on the bottom of the bulkhead is smooth and flat and very well pinned to the slab in the basement. Provide pads (or at least space) around the bulkhead for a portable gantry crane. Take out the stairs, position the crane, get whatever it is under the crane, hoist it, slide it over the hole, lower it, roll it off to elsewhere in the basement, replace stairs. I suppose if the stairs are overbuilt, you could take them out with the crane, but that seems a bit silly. Unless you are moving lots of stuff in and out every week, an elevating platform is never going to make economic sense; and homebrewing an elevator is an excellent way to find yourself without insurance coverage (which you may not find out about until after you try to make a claim), as I understand it.

Kerry inquired about A lift for his basement and to this I say: How about A tailgate lift off of a duce and A half? One's off A pickup won't have the reach you need but the big ones they put on straight trucks go at least 4' and might be rebuilt to go higher. It could be hidden behind A removable stairs when not in use . I've seen them in truck junk yards but never needing one I didn't ask the price but I would think there not worth more than 500 or so. Another idea would be an adjustable dock plate. We have them on the loading dock where I work. I have never used them but the premise is they move to the level of the trucks bed via A hydraulic ram. If you could find one in a scrap yard it could be modified to do what you need. Might be A long search if there are no warehouses being tore down in your area.

H.R.

Iggy, you are... "I want a lot". I realize I could have the stairs removable and use a tripod and chainfall when needed but a motorized lift is more my style...especially if I can construct it myself. (What I didn't tell you is my brothers-in-law have trouble figuring out which end of a screwdriver to use so this is also a bit of showmanship or keeping ahead of the Jones')

Thanks to all others for the ideas (and to you too Iggy) I am going to keep looking or finally learn the Solidworks program my son needed for college.

Oh, I see, you want to build something very interesting, despite having cheaper and less glamorous alternatives. That's fine, I suppose, we all want that once in a while, but motorized lifts also present more hazards, interest kids more etc.

Well, what comes to mind that is cheap and easy is a post lift with an electrical gear motor... A platform suspended from 4 corner posts... Two rotating shafts, each running across the upper end of a pair of posts... The platform is suspended at the four corners by wire/chain from the shaft pulleys... The two shafts are chained together so they rotate in synch so the platform stays level... Much of the pieces could come from industrial salvage parts, pulleys, gearmotor, steel tubing, pulleys, etc... The platform will have shoes that ride against the lift posts to control sway... Limit switches top and bottom to avoid over running...

denny

I had thought of that Denny. And it looks like the winner if I can get the right gear/chain set up. Each corner supported by 3/8 or 1/2 aircraft cable that is evenly winched up should easily hold the 1000 lbs top safe working load I want. Does anyone think that motorcycle chain would be good? Some of those Harley's put out a lot more than 100hp and I don't need much more that 1hp. I ain't looking for fast. Simply reliable.....And really neat!

"Kerry" ( clip) Does anyone think that motorcycle chain would be good? Some of those Harley's put out a lot more than 100hp and I don't need much more that 1hp. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You can't just take the Harley horsepower and apply it to your elevator. The power = tension x speed. A Harley goes 100 MPH (or so). Your elevator will probably rise at about 1 MPH (or less.) We should also throw in the correction for wheel diameter/sprocket diameter, but you get the idea.

So, 250 lb per corner, x 1 to 1.5 ft/sec = about 1/2 to 3/4 HP. On a Harley at 100 mph, the chain is moving about 75 ft/sec. If 100 HP are going to the wheel (doubtful) 550x100+ 55,000 ft lb/sec. That divides down to over 700 lb chain tension, so you're way on the safe side.

A big safety factor on an elevator is a very good idea.

"Leo Lichtman" wrote: (clip) 550x100+ 55,000 ft lb/sec. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That should read 550 x 100 = 55,000 ft lb/sec.

A friend of mine used garage door rails and the wheels and brackets that fit them, He ran rails down the sides of the stairs and a winch to move the dolly up and down the rails. The cable just clips to the platform of the dolly and the dolly can slide out the ends of the rails and be removed. He has removable pins at both ends to stop things before they come off.