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A very good friend had some scrap steel. He told me if I wanted it to come and get it. As usual I wasn't sure what he was offering but I went anyway. Grandpa always said to never look a gift horse in the mouth. I was shocked at what he was giving me. Seven pieces of 8 inch I-beam. The shortest piece was a little over 20 feet and the longest was about 27 feet. They all had a 4x0.5 inch flat bar welded on edge on the top of the beam. This was for extra rigidity for some kind of trolley crane in a large warehouse. One piece had a 10 inch I-beam with one web cut off, welded on in the same fashion as the 4" strap. I'm not sure what it was for as I didn't get to see it before it came out. When I got there it was all in a big pile. The building was being demolished and that's how I ended up with a small fortune in I-beams. At the time I was tempted to pass it up but I took it anyway. I wasn't sure what I would do with it but I knew I would think of something.
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| It took a while as I carefully removed the strap from most of the pieces | I knew that old mobile home frame would come in handy some day | ||
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| The mobile home frame was another freebie. I wasn't sure what I would do with it but it makes a great place to store these beams and keep them off the ground | The first step was to build the uprights. I had to break down and buy a piece of 3 1/2" box. | Both uprights built. Now for the track system. I use 4 pieces of 6" C channel. | This is a very high tech leveling device. I have a bucket of water setting on top of a trash can that has a clear plastic hose attached. I use the 2x4 to check for high/low spots for the track. This allows me to use the water level without bending over |
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| Using my home made high tech leveling device, I make sure both tracks are close to the same height. | I used green food coloring in the water to make the level easier to use. | ||
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| As usual, I am working alone and I had to figure out a way of getting the top beam in place. I used my engine hoist on top of the trailer for the extra height | I have the hoist tied down with a come-a-long. A chain around the trailer and hoist as a backup in case the cable lets go. I built a small extension for the lift! | The beam is about 15 ft long. I left the 4" backbone strap on this piece. I lifted it about a foot off the trailer and left it there for a couple of hours to test both the lift extension and the hydraulic jack. | |
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| Went up with no problems at all. | I sure was glad to get it set on top the uprights so I could quit worrying about it crashing down. | ||
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| As an after thought I welded large rebar on both sides to make a ladder. This will make it easier to install the trolleys & hang the hoists. | This trolley & Hoist was an eBay special $80.00 for both plus the drive to Tampa to pick it up. | ||
This page was last updated 03/19/12
