Shop Built Overhead Bridge Crane
Frank Surber built a new shop in 2023 and soon found that two jib cranes, two chain hoists and an unwieldy forklift so large that he couldn’t turn it around inside were causing more problems than they were doing good. Surber built a heavy-duty bridge crane suspended from two ceiling trusses to solve his hoisting needs.
Surber says his crane design is similar to an old roller coaster where the wheels are profiled to fit the outside of pipe that serves as a track. “I built my trusses strong enough, so I didn’t need extra rails or beams for the crane to hang from or ride on,” Surber says. “My truss calculations show they can support a 10,000 lb. load at the center of my 68-ft. span. My 14-ft. bridge will hold 6,000 lbs. at the center of the span, but I’m only planning on installing a 1-ton hoist.
He used 2 7/8-in. oilfield pipe to produce rails that the crane rides on. To attach the pipe to the roof trusses, Surber welded 1/2-in. by 3-in. flat bars spaced every 2 ft. across the building’s span.
Surber made the rollers out of 3 1/2-in. round bar, first boring a 2-in. hole through the center, then welding flanges on each end. He machined the locations for 6306 bearings with a 30 bore by 72 OD and 19 mm wide. He used two old cross rails from a Globe 8,000-lb. four-post lift for end trucks and bracing the bridge.
Surber says he built the crane without any special plans, and it was just what he needed.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frank Surber, Peacock, Texas.
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Shop Built Overhead Bridge Crane FARM SHOP Miscellaneous Frank Surber built a new shop in 2023 and soon found that two jib cranes two chain hoists and an unwieldy forklift so large that he couldn’t turn it around inside were causing more problems than they were doing good Surber built a heavy-duty bridge crane suspended from two ceiling trusses to solve his hoisting needs Surber says his crane design is similar to an old roller coaster where the wheels are profiled to fit the outside of pipe that serves as a track “I built my trusses strong enough so I didn’t need extra rails or beams for the crane to hang from or ride on ” Surber says “My truss calculations show they can support a 10 000 lb load at the center of my 68-ft span My 14-ft bridge will hold 6 000 lbs at the center of the span but I’m only planning on installing a 1-ton hoist He used 2 7/8-in oilfield pipe to produce rails that the crane rides on To attach the pipe to the roof trusses Surber welded 1/2-in by 3-in flat bars spaced every 2 ft across the building’s span Surber made the rollers out of 3 1/2-in round bar first boring a 2-in hole through the center then welding flanges on each end He machined the locations for 6306 bearings with a 30 bore by 72 OD and 19 mm wide He used two old cross rails from a Globe 8 000-lb four-post lift for end trucks and bracing the bridge Surber says he built the crane without any special plans and it was just what he needed Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Frank Surber Peacock Texas
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