I get a crane for compressor and house units to my jobs for less than a grand. Often I get it for $600 if he is close to my city in Eastern North Carolina. He's even called me on occasion to drum up work and I get him for $350 for a quick lift...I don't understand how there is such a shortage of AC cranes in some areas but there is. My buddy in San Diego regularly pays $1500 per job.
11 Western States and anything West of the Mississippi can use evaporative coolers, so A/C is somehow considered a redundant/necessary luxury. So, cranes are a luxury item as well. Most big crane services on tracks are starting at $8K in Utah for tree removals. The little spider cranes pulled by pickup trucks limited to 50' are around $500. Anything bigger is self-propelled and has to be delivered on trailer and could get stuck in soft soil, resulting in more delays and costs to remove leaning Elms that regularly drop 300+# branches. Insurance won't pay for preventative pruning, so nothing can be done until something is crushed or someone is killed. That's the world we live in.
I am a mechanical engineer and want to compliment you on your work. I have watched many of your videos. You are calm and articulate. You speak carefully and accurately. Thank you. This particular project is great. Nice job.
As a mechanical engineer, how do you determine the strengths required to lift a load of the aluminum? Is there a reference that we could look at based on metal gauge?
The angle of pressure on the feet while lifting a heavy object provides all the securement that's needed. But feet that have a rotational axis and rubber pads is preferred
What about excess insurance when the ladder slips and damage to the roof and/or the unit.? Prepare for the worst and minimize the potential for a accident (incident)
Well done, consider adding a light angle brace to the top channel and the arm just before the winch is attached. That will spread the stress across winch arm and the top channel. You could even drill lightening holes in it to reduce the weight.
In the 90's, after humping up bundle after bundle, working roofing job; I saw my first laddervator. Amazed, now seeing this reverse laddervator as a crane, equally amazed.
When starting out tig welding aluminum remember these tips. Clean everything with a stainless brush just before to weld it. Thicker metal preheat with a propane torch to at least 150 to 200 degrees. And most important practice, practice , practice !
Yes and the key is just before you weld it. I used to weld no more than a foot in length and then stop to wire wheel it again as aluminum oxidizes very quickly
Great ideas, when I was qualifying AL TIG 30 years ago test plate was thick, .375". I cleaned with ss wire brush, used largest tungsten available, turned amps to max but you could see ball dancing around. I failed 1st x-ray because of tungsten inclusion. So I grabbed oxyfuel torch and next X-ray was fine
For my welder, I didn't have access to a 220V outlet anywhere, so I bought a Y splitter cable for my 220V dryer outlet and then bought an adapter to go from the dryer 10-30P style outlet to a 6-50R welder plug. Works great, just gotta be carful not to run the welder while the dryer is running or it trips the break lol
The ladder crane looks like a very good way for me to get a budget ac unit that has only been dropped once. That's the nice thing about roof mounted ac units the owner never goes up to lookb at the unit......
Did not notice or read in comments, when welding aluminum green tungsten you should put a ball on the tungsten electrode for aluminum AC only, sharp point for stainless or steel on DC. Study more on aluminum welding to put a ball on electrode realize this benefits for a great weld, btw great contraption you built.
Nice work for a first aluminum fab project! On tungsten, the green for ally & red for steel really comes from the days of old transformer units. With a modern inverter like yours, I’d avoid green pure tungsten. Blue lanthanated, gray ceriated or a multi blend are all fine and you can use the same one for everything.
I'd lean a second ladder up to the roof, in case something goes wrong with the crane ladder. Just so there is another way to get down. At a sufficient distance so one ladder can't fall and knock to other one down.
Good job. Innovative thinking. One thing to be aware of, when designing a project requiring welding of aluminium, is that it depends on the alloy, and its state of heat treatment when you start, what the effect of the welding might be. 6000 series alloys for example are precipitation hardened, and are mind blowingly strong ... unless you weld them. Then (unless you made something small enough to heat treat, and you have the equipment and knowledge to re-heat-treat, and you go to the trouble to do so) you probably reduced its strength by 2/3rds, not just at the weld, but in all the areas that exceeded the critical temperature. So long as your design allows for this, great, but otherwise it may lead to catastrophic failure. In the case of this project, the weld at the bend in the main beam near the winch attachment would be a likely point of failure. You could add a steel strap on the tension side (underneath) secured by some big rivets, as insurance. This would (hopefully) help to ensure you don't drop everything and fall off the roof if it cracks , ... instead you'd hope to see it start to bend or twist etc as the load moves into the steel brace, and you could lower the load quickly before it fails completely and you lose control of it. A little bit of steel, used at critical places, would add a negligible amount of weight.
Enjoyed your sense of humility - "not the prettiest". This attitude speaks a lot about your character, especially the curiosity to learn things that you don't know. Keep rocking!
That’s ingenious! The only dangers I see is that the aluminum needs a triangle between the bottom rung and the handle and mount the motor on the hypotenuse. Also, when working on a single story, the base of the ladder is too far away from vertical. Could slip out while on the ladder.
That is a million dollar idea 😊Saludos!! ! señor Dave we did something like that but with a manual winch cable we just had to pull the small transformer about 400 lbs and it worked perfectly the master electrician was very impressed by our smart thinking and we accomplished to install the transformer up on the roof 😊
I like mine… The pulley mounts at the top with a long handle to tilt the ladder, and the winch is at the base of the ladder, controlled either wirelessly, or by a helper.
That's awesome. You might want to look into Lanthanated tungsten (blue), it's kinda a jack of all trades, you can weld steel, stainless, and aluminum with it.
Great video and idea. I am 66 YO and retired after military and 35 year as DOD welder. We had some leaks in house roof(2800 sf) and shop roof(1800sf) so I decided to reroof both by myself(I have time). When purchasing shingles at Lowes they told me that they do not put them on roof so I had to manually. I am done with both but this would have worked great getting them onto roof. I still have a 2 car carport to reroof so I will make this and use it to carry shingles onto carport roof. I dont have an AC HF aluminum welder any longer just a Miller Master 140 ST(stick, TIG) so I will probably use mild steel.
It is best to know the limit of weight your ladder can take and how much you can support yourself once your obstacle is off the ground. Making sure your ladder is secure to the area it is lifting from. Safety is a must or you can get into trouble.
Your a Rockstar!!! Love your ability to explain your project to the average DIY'r and not to overcomplicate the project. A for execution, A + for your ingenuity.
This was awesome man. Nice work! Just a diy guy, not in hvac but I appreciate the way you solved this annoying problem. Never heard of ladder cranes before.
3 points...did commercial/domestic hvac 20 yrs..fabritcated a lift such as you show..1st point; as unit raises so does center of gravity making it extemrely unstable as it approaches hight you show; put out riggers on ladder base extending foot print to at least 6 feet....holding ladder out and pulling on rope extremely complex; so point 2 ;install brace to hold ladder away from roof edge...point three; use a boat winch (hand operated) it auto locks as unit raises...should really wear harness
We used the hand crank version but we’d have the ladder resting on the roofline and the unit sitting on the ladder. Seems a little safer than pushing outward on a ladder from the roof
Good job DIY Dave! I've seen you use the old one before and this is a big improvement. I like the self-contained battery pack Idea as well as the lighter weight. Good job with the aluminum tig also.
i bought myself a Yeswelder Mig-250 Pro approx 6 months ago and just recently started to use it yesterday. I have an older 120VAC type mig welder by Century using flux core .030 wire made a lot of things with it like a Boat guide with a side ladder out of a 1/4" metal channel, and square hollow bars, and had it galvanized once done with welding.. I'm not a welder by profession but a Network Eng and working with metals, creating projects around the house and for vehicles (push bar, front hitch, etc) just to keep me busy on the weekends.
This project was amazing! It's such a reward to think creatively! Make things better, with design, materials, ease of use, and lightweight choice of parts! You saved right from the start! It would be neat to design a lift that would safely lift heat pump systems for residential rooftops! How do you feel with the workings of this unit with this girth and weight?
Good job on your first time TIG. You did very well for a newbie. I'm still practicing and would be thrilled to have beads like that. Helps to be able to see too. My welding distance is just at m out-of-focus point for this old-man. ;-P
Nice job! Necessity is the mother of invention. I used rope and ladders to slide electric powered drain augers up to the roof to rod out stacks clogged with leaves at my house. Sometimes you can only count on yourself to make things happen. 😊
Thank you for this video ! The day after I watched it, I had to put a 1T mini split 7' up a wall, and no helper. I ordered the winch (6am delivery) , and had some 2" steel tube , and welded up the same basic thing ( yeah, its a lot heavier, I'll order some aluminum, or some 8020 for this ) !
The guy has solid skills and training in a high demand trade. He's managing a profitable business. He shows innovation in creating a solution to an existing problem, and learns a new skill to top it all off. When you hear another woman say they don't need men, show them this video. Their heads will explode.
and when you see the "intellectuals" promote overpriced college education, show them this video and then ask them to duplicate what he has done this is the kind of guy that destroys the "gatekeepers" of society. ya know the m,iddleman grifters that shave off a few points for themselves for doing NOTHING
Reminds me of when I owned a vending business and had to move vending machines up the stairs. Some of them were very heavy so I bought an electric stair climber. Half way up the battery died. I had to hold it while my helper (my wife) got the spare battery from the truck.
You are a great thinker! Maybe you can put a patent on it? A couple things though: the bottom of the ladder should be braced to keep it from sliding out on the different surface types. Also the wench needs a fail safe encase it fails during mid lift.
*estas heavy duty / you're heavy duty* *aka You're The Man!* 40 yrs ago my buddy and me painted a house on a cliff that no one wanted to do and was going to be expensive for crane, could not put a scaffold we used a collapsible engine hoist and a motorized winch. 3 plywood boards (1 inch thick each) 10 five gallon buckets of water. filled buckets with water. bolted engine hoist to plywood. long chain to a tree and 2 come-along winches to other trees. buddy harnessed himself to motorized winch and *away we go...* 👍 i have no pictures to proof it but we did it, try at *your own risk* necessity may be the mother of invention *but We Are The Fathers!* that's how we rolled *edit* the buckets of water were on top of the plywood (we weren't going to screw hoist to roof)
Awesome design. I would suggest something like a telescopic shoulder support instead of holding it with your hands. That would free up both hands to control the telescoping shoulder supports and free up your back from hunching over when lowering the load.
Use a aluminum ladder jack, bolt on some handle from an old push mower. seach ebay for an 18v to 12v power converter. they have them for Milwaukee and others.
Great idea and tool, I recommend you put an eye bolt on the frame above the top step rail to snap the spools lifting hook into to keep tension on the reel while not in use.
That’s super cool would probably be very helpful for stuff like that I know when we had to raise and lower some big roof vents up and down on a commercial building it was really difficult doing it with just rope and man power. This would’ve made that so much easier as well as making lifting rolls of roofing rubber and tools and such man this would’ve been nice.
It may have already been said, but red and green are traditionally used with older transfer type welders. Inverter type welders like that have more appropriate options like blue and gray. Look into it closer.
Welding is done at low voltage high current. Not sure of the conversion efficiency/voltage; but in theory a 120V outlet could supply 120A at 12V (divide the voltage by 10, multiply the continuous rated current by 10).
I get it. You’re grateful to Eastwood for the welder. But you could have spent more than 10 seconds telling us where you sourced the winch parts along with your welding tutorial.
Have u hooked up a clamp meter to the hot lead while picking up a condenser? I was wondering how many amps ur pulling while picking up a condenser? I'm going to build my own battery pack for this build and I needed to know to help do this right.
That's very handy tool to have around. Is the new winch a 12v winch but you find it works OK supplying it with 18v? The peak load you could safely lift depends on the strength of the parts - what are the dimensions and thicknesses of the aluminum parts?
Ya OHSA sees that and the fine will pay for 10 cranes. 20 yrs ago we had those for compressors then we got fined and scraped them. Factor in the crane and everyone wins.
Kind of looks like a standard 12V winch typically used in off-roading applications. The smaller/lighter winch may be slower as a trade-off. But if is the difference between needing a crane or not: it could be worth the wait.
Hi Dave, where can I get that little 12v winch and converter? I want to use DeWalt 20v Max instead since that’s what I have. I want to make a hitch mount rig to lift heavy stuff into and out of my pickup truck.
I would ask the ladder company about the shear force this puts on the two ladder rungs this is hanging off of. The angle of force is quite different than what the ladder is designed for.
your danger is the ladder legs kicking out when under load. I drive a crowbar into the ground in front of the ladder rung till the hook part of the crowbar touches the rung. Those legs are going nowhere. It pins the ladder to the ground. I think this product needs some specialized "slings" something to hold brick for the chimney guys. Sling for 3 tab shingles for roofers. Sling for solar panels for the solar installers. Sling for rafters for the carpenters. Some of these can overlap but without a safe way to attach materials it will be a danger in the wrong hands. Most people dont have that experience so you need to hold their hand all the way. Cant say i have seen a condenser on a roof for residential.
A lift is over $1k here in Baltimore and I know for a fact that a crane is well over $2k
Yea, I probably mis stated when I said $500 minimum. Probably closer to $1000
I get a crane for compressor and house units to my jobs for less than a grand. Often I get it for $600 if he is close to my city in Eastern North Carolina. He's even called me on occasion to drum up work and I get him for $350 for a quick lift...I don't understand how there is such a shortage of AC cranes in some areas but there is. My buddy in San Diego regularly pays $1500 per job.
Imagine the savings by using something cheap, small, portable and you own it.@@ThaiLifeAmerican
11 Western States and anything West of the Mississippi can use evaporative coolers, so A/C is somehow considered a redundant/necessary luxury. So, cranes are a luxury item as well. Most big crane services on tracks are starting at $8K in Utah for tree removals. The little spider cranes pulled by pickup trucks limited to 50' are around $500. Anything bigger is self-propelled and has to be delivered on trailer and could get stuck in soft soil, resulting in more delays and costs to remove leaning Elms that regularly drop 300+# branches. Insurance won't pay for preventative pruning, so nothing can be done until something is crushed or someone is killed. That's the world we live in.
Awesome piece of tech. Just dont drop that condenser lol.
I am a mechanical engineer and want to compliment you on your work. I have watched many of your videos. You are calm and articulate. You speak carefully and accurately. Thank you. This particular project is great. Nice job.
As a mechanical engineer, how do you determine the strengths required to lift a load of the aluminum? Is there a reference that we could look at based on metal gauge?
Securing the feet of the ladder ,from slipping at all would be a KEY point to mention !!!! SAFTY first !!
My first thought. Top of a ladder and it slipped from the bottom, fortunately first floor, exciting on the way down no broken bones.
I was more concerned about the top, after considering this, I think you're right
The angle of pressure on the feet while lifting a heavy object provides all the securement that's needed. But feet that have a rotational axis and rubber pads is preferred
Like someone supporting and holding the ladder at the base.
What about excess insurance when the ladder slips and damage to the roof and/or the unit.? Prepare for the worst and minimize the potential for a accident (incident)
Well done, consider adding a light angle brace to the top channel and the arm just before the winch is attached. That will spread the stress across winch arm and the top channel. You could even drill lightening holes in it to reduce the weight.
In the 90's, after humping up bundle after bundle, working roofing job; I saw my first laddervator.
Amazed, now seeing this reverse laddervator as a crane, equally amazed.
When starting out tig welding aluminum remember these tips. Clean everything with a stainless brush just before to weld it. Thicker metal preheat with a propane torch to at least 150 to 200 degrees. And most important practice, practice , practice !
Yes and the key is just before you weld it. I used to weld no more than a foot in length and then stop to wire wheel it again as aluminum oxidizes very quickly
Excellent project! Well done!
Great ideas, when I was qualifying AL TIG 30 years ago test plate was thick, .375". I cleaned with ss wire brush, used largest tungsten available, turned amps to max but you could see ball dancing around. I failed 1st x-ray because of tungsten inclusion. So I grabbed oxyfuel torch and next X-ray was fine
For my welder, I didn't have access to a 220V outlet anywhere, so I bought a Y splitter cable for my 220V dryer outlet and then bought an adapter to go from the dryer 10-30P style outlet to a 6-50R welder plug. Works great, just gotta be carful not to run the welder while the dryer is running or it trips the break lol
One of the truest sayings I've ever heard is "Necessity is the mother of invention" You have proven that point once again.
This is genius if you ask me. Way easier than dealing with a crane, and obviously way way cheaper.
The ladder crane looks like a very good way for me to get a budget ac unit that has only been dropped once. That's the nice thing about roof mounted ac units the owner never goes up to lookb at the unit......
🤣
Did not notice or read in comments, when welding aluminum green tungsten you should put a ball on the tungsten electrode for aluminum AC only, sharp point for stainless or steel on DC. Study more on aluminum welding to put a ball on electrode realize this benefits for a great weld, btw great contraption you built.
Nice work for a first aluminum fab project! On tungsten, the green for ally & red for steel really comes from the days of old transformer units. With a modern inverter like yours, I’d avoid green pure tungsten. Blue lanthanated, gray ceriated or a multi blend are all fine and you can use the same one for everything.
I'd lean a second ladder up to the roof, in case something goes wrong with the crane ladder.
Just so there is another way to get down.
At a sufficient distance so one ladder can't fall and knock to other one down.
Brilliant idea 💡
Nice job. I'm going to adapt this for getting heavy gear in my pickup truck.
Good job.
Innovative thinking.
One thing to be aware of, when designing a project requiring welding of aluminium, is that it depends on the alloy, and its state of heat treatment when you start, what the effect of the welding might be. 6000 series alloys for example are precipitation hardened, and are mind blowingly strong ... unless you weld them. Then (unless you made something small enough to heat treat, and you have the equipment and knowledge to re-heat-treat, and you go to the trouble to do so) you probably reduced its strength by 2/3rds, not just at the weld, but in all the areas that exceeded the critical temperature.
So long as your design allows for this, great, but otherwise it may lead to catastrophic failure.
In the case of this project, the weld at the bend in the main beam near the winch attachment would be a likely point of failure. You could add a steel strap on the tension side (underneath) secured by some big rivets, as insurance. This would (hopefully) help to ensure you don't drop everything and fall off the roof if it cracks , ... instead you'd hope to see it start to bend or twist etc as the load moves into the steel brace, and you could lower the load quickly before it fails completely and you lose control of it. A little bit of steel, used at critical places, would add a negligible amount of weight.
You just made my day. Building a carport and needed a way to lift a few hundred pounds to 10 feet. AWESOME.
Enjoyed your sense of humility - "not the prettiest". This attitude speaks a lot about your character, especially the curiosity to learn things that you don't know. Keep rocking!
Sir, this is pure Genius!! I raise my hat to you ! Best wishes from Germany.
That’s ingenious! The only dangers I see is that the aluminum needs a triangle between the bottom rung and the handle and mount the motor on the hypotenuse. Also, when working on a single story, the base of the ladder is too far away from vertical. Could slip out while on the ladder.
That is a million dollar idea 😊Saludos!! ! señor Dave we did something like that but with a manual winch cable we just had to pull the small transformer about 400 lbs and it worked perfectly the master electrician was very impressed by our smart thinking and we accomplished to install the transformer up on the roof 😊
I like mine…
The pulley mounts at the top with a long handle to tilt the ladder, and the winch is at the base of the ladder, controlled either wirelessly, or by a helper.
I thought about this design as well, but as light as this is, it’s all in one package and I love it
That's awesome. You might want to look into Lanthanated tungsten (blue), it's kinda a jack of all trades, you can weld steel, stainless, and aluminum with it.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video and idea. I am 66 YO and retired after military and 35 year as DOD welder. We had some leaks in house roof(2800 sf) and shop roof(1800sf) so I decided to reroof both by myself(I have time). When purchasing shingles at Lowes they told me that they do not put them on roof so I had to manually. I am done with both but this would have worked great getting them onto roof. I still have a 2 car carport to reroof so I will make this and use it to carry shingles onto carport roof. I dont have an AC HF aluminum welder any longer just a Miller Master 140 ST(stick, TIG) so I will probably use mild steel.
Amazing. I had no idea a 18 volt drill battery could operate a winch. I saw it goes through a converter. Amazing job thanks
Either did I. The old cranium wheels are turning now! 🤔
Partly because of this channel my son and I just replaced the capacitor on our AC condenser. Cost $12. Saved ???? Thanks so much.
It is best to know the limit of weight your ladder can take and how much you can support yourself once your obstacle is off the ground. Making sure your ladder is secure to the area it is lifting from. Safety is a must or you can get into trouble.
Your a Rockstar!!! Love your ability to explain your project to the average DIY'r and not to overcomplicate the project. A for execution, A + for your ingenuity.
This was awesome man. Nice work! Just a diy guy, not in hvac but I appreciate the way you solved this annoying problem. Never heard of ladder cranes before.
3 points...did commercial/domestic hvac 20 yrs..fabritcated a lift such as you show..1st point; as unit raises so does center of gravity making it extemrely unstable as it approaches hight you show; put out riggers on ladder base extending foot print to at least 6 feet....holding ladder out and pulling on rope extremely complex; so point 2 ;install brace to hold ladder away from roof edge...point three; use a boat winch (hand operated) it auto locks as unit raises...should really wear harness
We used the hand crank version but we’d have the ladder resting on the roofline and the unit sitting on the ladder. Seems a little safer than pushing outward on a ladder from the roof
Cool Idea, you could use this to bring shingles up to the roof instead of carrying single bundles.
Good job DIY Dave! I've seen you use the old one before and this is a big improvement. I like the self-contained battery pack Idea as well as the lighter weight. Good job with the aluminum tig also.
i bought myself a Yeswelder Mig-250 Pro approx 6 months ago and just recently started to use it yesterday. I have an older 120VAC type mig welder by Century using flux core .030 wire made a lot of things with it like a Boat guide with a side ladder out of a 1/4" metal channel, and square hollow bars, and had it galvanized once done with welding.. I'm not a welder by profession but a Network Eng and working with metals, creating projects around the house and for vehicles (push bar, front hitch, etc) just to keep me busy on the weekends.
Great idea! Can you add links or descriptions to the actual parts?
Retired HVAC guy here... wish I had thought of DIYing the crane. Dang! Good job, bro!
That's friggin amazing, never seen a ladder crane b4. You improved the design and made it yourself, no more crane for "light" stuff👍
I love inventors compelled by necessity. Well done.
Can you add a link to the winch in your description ? That looks so nice !
This project was amazing! It's such a reward to think creatively! Make things better, with design, materials, ease of use, and lightweight choice of parts! You saved right from the start! It would be neat to design a lift that would safely lift heat pump systems for residential rooftops! How do you feel with the workings of this unit with this girth and weight?
Good job on your first time TIG. You did very well for a newbie. I'm still practicing and would be thrilled to have beads like that. Helps to be able to see too. My welding distance is just at m out-of-focus point for this old-man. ;-P
Nice job! Necessity is the mother of invention. I used rope and ladders to slide electric powered drain augers up to the roof to rod out stacks clogged with leaves at my house. Sometimes you can only count on yourself to make things happen. 😊
Thank you for this video ! The day after I watched it, I had to put a 1T mini split 7' up a wall, and no helper. I ordered the winch (6am delivery) , and had some 2" steel tube , and welded up the same basic thing ( yeah, its a lot heavier, I'll order some aluminum, or some 8020 for this ) !
The guy has solid skills and training in a high demand trade. He's managing a profitable business. He shows innovation in creating a solution to an existing problem, and learns a new skill to top it all off. When you hear another woman say they don't need men, show them this video. Their heads will explode.
and when you see the "intellectuals" promote overpriced college education, show them this video and then ask them to duplicate what he has done
this is the kind of guy that destroys the "gatekeepers" of society. ya know the m,iddleman grifters that shave off a few points for themselves for doing NOTHING
Reminds me of when I owned a vending business and had to move vending machines up the stairs. Some of them were very heavy so I bought an electric stair climber. Half way up the battery died. I had to hold it while my helper (my wife) got the spare battery from the truck.
What did you use to convert 12 volts to 18 volts?
What winch did you use?
Hi, great presentation! Do you have a schematic and parts list for how you hooked up the hoist to the Milwaukee battery? Thank you.
He is a genius gentleman. Smart.
yes100% offered to buy it off him as thank you if he made me one lol
That’s a genius idea. Thanks for sharing ❤
You are a great thinker! Maybe you can put a patent on it? A couple things though: the bottom of the ladder should be braced to keep it from sliding out on the different surface types. Also the wench needs a fail safe encase it fails during mid lift.
Yes, please brace the bottom of the ladder to prevent kick out ~
*estas heavy duty / you're heavy duty*
*aka You're The Man!*
40 yrs ago my buddy and me painted a house on a cliff that no one wanted to do and was going to be expensive for crane, could not put a scaffold we used a collapsible engine hoist and a motorized winch. 3 plywood boards (1 inch thick each) 10 five gallon buckets of water. filled buckets with water. bolted engine hoist to plywood. long chain to a tree and 2 come-along winches to other trees. buddy harnessed himself to motorized winch and *away we go...* 👍
i have no pictures to proof it but we did it, try at *your own risk*
necessity may be the mother of invention *but We Are The Fathers!* that's how we rolled
*edit* the buckets of water were on top of the plywood (we weren't going to screw hoist to roof)
Great upgrade,I will add bolts and nuts on each joint, if any joint cracks, you be ok, what model and brand is the Hoist?
Pretty good dude!
Awesome design. I would suggest something like a telescopic shoulder support instead of holding it with your hands. That would free up both hands to control the telescoping shoulder supports and free up your back from hunching over when lowering the load.
Use a aluminum ladder jack, bolt on some handle from an old push mower.
seach ebay for an 18v to 12v power converter. they have them for Milwaukee and others.
Your underestimating yourself! This is genius, get it patented or sell it to black&decker 😊😊😊😊❤fabulous
Sparks aren't a problem, but Ultra Violet light is, it will bleach out your cloths, and you can get a serious sun burn right through your shirt.
Great idea and tool, I recommend you put an eye bolt on the frame above the top step rail to snap the spools lifting hook into to keep tension on the reel while not in use.
That’s super cool would probably be very helpful for stuff like that I know when we had to raise and lower some big roof vents up and down on a commercial building it was really difficult doing it with just rope and man power. This would’ve made that so much easier as well as making lifting rolls of roofing rubber and tools and such man this would’ve been nice.
Minimum $900 in the bay area and most start charging when they leave THEIR shop so it could be over $2500 for the day
saw a guy pre-heating on the propane BBQ. Harbor Freight sells low temp aluminum rod really work well.
Excellent idea, well done from Scotland 🏴🏴🏴
It may have already been said, but red and green are traditionally used with older transfer type welders. Inverter type welders like that have more appropriate options like blue and gray. Look into it closer.
Great idea 👍🏼 respect from across the pond 🇬🇧
I thought most wall receptacles are limited to 20 Amps? How does it run 120 amps through a well outlet?
Welding is done at low voltage high current.
Not sure of the conversion efficiency/voltage; but in theory a 120V outlet could supply 120A at 12V (divide the voltage by 10, multiply the continuous rated current by 10).
I get it. You’re grateful to Eastwood for the welder. But you could have spent more than 10 seconds telling us where you sourced the winch parts along with your welding tutorial.
Can you provide the link for that inverter. Seems like a great idea!
Love your project.. the battery wher did you get the to hook up battery?
Can you post links to the voltage converter? I want to make this but im not sure if the adapter that is rated for 15A is good enough for this wench.
great build,I have 4 different cranes,for different ladders,and to lift condenser on the truck,by myself.
You have a stainless brush to clean the aluminum? It helps to get the oxides and scuz off.
Man this is amazing really appreciate your content. You should start actually producing them ladder cranes. That thing is amazing.
Have u hooked up a clamp meter to the hot lead while picking up a condenser? I was wondering how many amps ur pulling while picking up a condenser? I'm going to build my own battery pack for this build and I needed to know to help do this right.
Well done you need to patent your concept. I'm a firefighter and I can see how quickly that concept can work for getting equipment up and down
Thats really cool, that looks like a latter i can trust to stand or climb, ive have extensive latter break while working on stuff up high.
Great work!
So what’s wrong with parking the truck right against the ladder’s feet to secure it in place?
Can you provide a parts list of the materials you used in the build?
I’ll be using a dewalt battery.
lol. go figure it out yourself, you lazy grifter
Put a bevel in each area you going to weld . You will get better penetration and a cleaner look. Good luck.
I built something similar using square tube, and the harbor freight wench.
Tig welding out side can be difficult. What cup are you using?
Put a couple gussets for ultimate strength.
Make sure the battery is charged! A failure of the winch or a dead battery halfway up could get interesting. But well done, I’d use that any day.
Hey does anyone know if Oxy/Acetylene would be sufficient to weld this same structure.
I am not much of a welder but would love give it a shot.
You are so practical excellent product innovation
Mad props bro!
Awesome project. Great job
That's very handy tool to have around. Is the new winch a 12v winch but you find it works OK supplying it with 18v? The peak load you could safely lift depends on the strength of the parts - what are the dimensions and thicknesses of the aluminum parts?
Ya OHSA sees that and the fine will pay for 10 cranes. 20 yrs ago we had those for compressors then we got fined and scraped them. Factor in the crane and everyone wins.
What is wrong with the ladder/hoist? What kind of crane, something similar, or are you talking about a real crane with a driver on board?
seems like he's asking for OSHA to pay him a visit with making a video that people are taking as inspiration to follow in his footsteps.
Where did you get the motor for the hoist? Also, how did you wire it up?
Kind of looks like a standard 12V winch typically used in off-roading applications.
The smaller/lighter winch may be slower as a trade-off. But if is the difference between needing a crane or not: it could be worth the wait.
What kind of ladder do you have to lift that heavy?? Thanks
Im wondering if you can mounted on a ladder jack.
Hi Dave, where can I get that little 12v winch and converter? I want to use DeWalt 20v Max instead since that’s what I have. I want to make a hitch mount rig to lift heavy stuff into and out of my pickup truck.
Very cool! Maybe a wide foot ladder would be advisable..
I would ask the ladder company about the shear force this puts on the two ladder rungs this is hanging off of. The angle of force is quite different than what the ladder is designed for.
You should have welded a pair of mc handlebars with hand grips.
Welding outside will mess with cover gas, you may want to shield it from wind.
Looks great! How do you recover from a winch failure if you are mid-lift? Is there a way to set the load down easy?
Sweet design!
your danger is the ladder legs kicking out when under load. I drive a crowbar into the ground in front of the ladder rung till the hook part of the crowbar touches the rung. Those legs are going nowhere. It pins the ladder to the ground. I think this product needs some specialized "slings" something to hold brick for the chimney guys. Sling for 3 tab shingles for roofers. Sling for solar panels for the solar installers. Sling for rafters for the carpenters. Some of these can overlap but without a safe way to attach materials it will be a danger in the wrong hands. Most people dont have that experience so you need to hold their hand all the way. Cant say i have seen a condenser on a roof for residential.
Do u mind giving me the measurements of the aluminum I’m trying to build one
Can it handle the 4-door fridge? Thank you