Swing crane for vehicle - swivel design?

[Endacy]

One of my projects for when the Land Rover is finished is a swing crane for the trailer I have (Sankey trailer). I have a 150kg swing crane in the Land Rover itself, the winch unit slides along an inverted t-shaped rail allowing accurate positioning of items, but it's only 150kg capacity.

I intend to make a 500kg-ish capacity fixed length one for the trailer from 100x50 box section (possibly 100x100 upright, it's what I have). How should I make it swivel?

The small on I have used 20mm steel 'pins' that drop into bronze bushes in bit that stick out of the main upright. Just like how a gate fixes to wall with pegs and holes, but bigger. The arm is fixed to a smaller upright part that has these pins on it, and that all swivels.

I could copy that, can 'standard' broze bushes be bought anywhere? Larger swing cranes seem to use a round lower upright and a corresponding 'socket' that it just swivels in. Are there standard tube /pipe sizes that are a very good sliding fit to make this?

 

[Debs.]

I`ll watch your project`s progress with interest; for, I have a narrow-track Sankey too....a crane would be very useful!

I`ve used clutch-centre bearings (aka: clutch-release or throw-out bearings) for heavy thrust-load applications such as your crane 'post' would require; `cheap from a scrapyard car or truck.....but, for more choice, a visit to a power-transmission trade counter, might yield the perfect roller thrust bearing for the dia. of bar/tube you choose to use for the bottom of the crane`s 'post'.

 

[Iain Westland]

not alowed to post it but i saw a crane on the bay of evil earlier that might do ....

 

[Debs.]

not alowed to post it but i saw a crane on the bay of evil earlier that might do ....<-

A nod`s as good as a wink!

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Is this any good ?

Our 1 tonne swing crane on the transit flatbed was the upright tube welded over a 3 inch x 18 inch long stub bar that was threaded with a 6 inch long ( Ish )stub thread length about twice the thickness of the retaining nut so that there was about 1.5 threads still inside the lower collar when it was all tightened down ( total length 24 inches ) that was possibly a 2inch whitworth type coarse thread . This was then fitted through an upper and lower 3/4 inch steel foot plate one on the truck bed the other below the onto the lower edge of the frame insert. A spacer tube was fitted between the top and bottom foot plate to stop the plates being dished under load .

A 1" collar was also welded on the underside face of each plate , this was all bolted to a purpose welded up frame that was then bolted on and in the chassis with some 26 high tensile bolts & nylock nuts . The shaft retaining nut was castellated & split pinned for adjustment and there was upper and lower thrust washers of 3/4 thick plate these had a grease nipple & drilling that came out on the thrust face so we could grease the thing.

To raise & lower the crane we had a hand hydraulic pump with small reservoir that was also fixed to the base of the upright tube , it raised /lowered a ram cylinder to lift the arm , the arm was also a slide in slide out extender .
Depending on the height of lift needed you could also put the ram top eye in one of three positions . There was also a pull out lockable outrigger leg with foot place and screw jack to set it at the side of the truck to allow lifts to the centre of the truck rather than lifting over the tail end and bending the chassis.

The lift chain was a type of lift chain that fitted into a 2.5tonne shackle that fitted through a holed 1" plate end eye at the crane end and was one of the offset 2 tonne tested claw hooks that could be hooked back on the lifting chain.

The crane centre point itself was sited just insider/over the rear edge of the left hand rear spring hanger bracket , we had to put on heavy duty springs .

The crane had to be locked in position with 3/4 pins & R clips to travel.

I have often wondered why we did not just put in a reinforced upper and lower socket set of plates so that we could lift the crane out when we knew it was not going to be used . A simple pin and R clip would have been OK secure it when in use . Sometimes I needed all the truck bed for my loads that crane made loading very difficult sometimes .

 

[Endacy]

I'll be honest, I appreciate the reply and all, but I just can't picture what you've described!

Looking on the penny hydraulics website at their swing cranes (of which mine is one - but an old design). They use the drop in gate-hinge pin design on one of their 500kg crane so it must be up to it. I just need to find somewhere that stocks broze bushes that I can use, 'top hat' design type ones...

 

[stormin]

The one on the chester tools web-site seems quite cheap.

http://www.chesteruk.net/store/lifting_cranes.htm

 

[Endacy]

Good find, that is a good price, I like the design too. I would prefer a fixed arm and winch design but I could adapt that one.

Just played actually, plus VAT and delivery = £200. I could probably buy a secondhand 500kg Lucas swing lift for that (in fact I know I could). Shame.

 

[Endacy]

Swivels! For the gate hinge type idea )copying my 150kg swing lift) I found these bushes at very reasonable prices:

http://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p120780/AL3038-30+Oilite+Flanged+Bush+30x38x30mm/product_info.html

So i'll probably use that idea. Unless I come over all lazy and spend lots of money on ebay on one...

 

[madkayaker]

did you ever get one sorted? starting to rebuild a sankey tommorow and was thining of makeing a rail system so that the upright part of a engine crane i have could slide over the back, lift heavey thing and slide back along the bed. would make it demountable

 

[Robotstar5]

did you ever get one sorted? starting to rebuild a sankey tommorow and was thining of makeing a rail system so that the upright part of a engine crane i have could slide over the back, lift heavey thing and slide back along the bed. would make it demountable

You'd be better off knocking up the type you see on small flatbeds. A right angle box section with a pulley on and a small winch.