End Trucks

[farmersammm]

I'm finishing the drawings for the end trucks. Basically, all I bought the trolleys for, was the wheels. They're gonna be cut up for parts. I only need the plate immediately surrounding the axles (axles are welded to the plate).

Luckily, I took the things out of the box so I can do some measuring.........................



If I hadn't handled these, I might have just left them sit in the boxes until I actually needed to start cutting them apart. So, now I guess it's another trip to Tulsa to return the things

If I could source just the wheels, it would save a lot of welding, and modification. Is what it is.

[farmersammm]

Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken......... I put a load on the bearings, in the position that they would normally be loaded, and could feel a distinct flat spot as the wheel rotated. I know that ball bearings chase each other in the race, but they should space out under load, and run with fairly little noise, AND NOT BIND.

[Willie B]

I'm finishing the drawings for the end trucks. Basically, all I bought the trolleys for, was the wheels. They're gonna be cut up for parts. I only need the plate immediately surrounding the axles (axles are welded to the plate).

Luckily, I took the things out of the box so I can do some measuring.........................



If I hadn't handled these, I might have just left them sit in the boxes until I actually needed to start cutting them apart. So, now I guess it's another trip to Tulsa to return the things

If I could source just the wheels, it would save a lot of welding, and modification. Is what it is.

Is it possible they are using square rollers, or ball bearings so it won't creep riding a level beam?

[whtbaron]

I'm planning on using a square beam so the commercial trucks won't work. My plan was just to buy 4 large flat topped bearings that would fit inside a piece of pipe for trolley wheels. It would be like a large version of the canvas rollers in a swather. With all this talk about the assembly slipping around on it's own, I've been thinking about adding a handwinch/cable on a pulley to one end and use the handwinch to move the assembly from end to end on the beam.

[SlowBlues]

I use a ton of HF stuff but anything like that is best inspected at the store.

always remember:

AT HARBOR FREIGHT, YOU ARE THE QUALITY CONTROL!

Fortunately you can usually find a winner or two.

[M J D]

Is it possible they are using square rollers, or ball bearings so it won't creep riding a level beam?

I made a trolley years ago, ( long before I realized that buying is often better and far cheaper than making one), using flat bearings. I used a fairly heavy plate for the sides( I believe 3/4 or one inch) and spot faced and drilled the mounting holes at the angle matching the taper of the flange on channel or S beam. I don't recall offhand the angle, but the bearings rode flat on the flange. This was on a large gantry but same principle. It tracked the beam very well. I may make another for home shop as I have a harbor freight electric hoist which utilizes its own type of mounting system. Right now I have a conventional type trolley modified to mount the hoist but it doesn't track the greatest. My chain hoist uses a conventional type trolley and it tracks much better. You also could probably use thinner plates and have them broke to match the angle of the flange and use the flat edge bearings that way. I wish I had pictures of the original but it was made years ago. It was a fairly simple and effective design that didn't take too long to make,( which incidentally has no place in this thread). I'm not sure of any commercially made bearings that match the flange angle.

[Lis2323]

Shoot Sammm. If you were closer I'd chop these roller assemblies off for you.





I built them for top (deck) mounting our piggy back forklifts. They ran in the channel side rails of the flat deck.

5500 pound Moffett and Kesmac forklifts.

Loading sequence identical to this "store bought" Princeton kit but minus the $15K price tag. Lol.





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[farmersammm]

Is it possible they are using square rollers, or ball bearings so it won't creep riding a level beam?

I don't think it's a bad question.

I've had some experience with ball bearings in transmissions, and they seem to rotate smoothly whether loaded, or just free spinning.

I felt sort of unsure about these things, so I ran them on the floor, placing my body weight on them. They smoothed out a bit, but you could still feel the flat spot.

The bearings on the other half of the trolley are identical. Rough running. I'd like to feel the bearings on a known good unit to see if they do the same thing.

They had a smaller 1 ton trolley mounted on the gantry crane in the store................it ran along the beam like silk. No effort to push it, and no flat spots.

[farmersammm]

Shoot Sammm. If you were closer I'd chop these roller assemblies off for you.





I built them for top (deck) mounting our piggy back forklifts. They ran in the channel side rails of the flat deck.

5500 pound Moffett and Kesmac forklifts.

Loading sequence identical to this "store bought" Princeton kit but minus the $15K price tag. Lol.





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I know it's an imposition, but could you spin the wheels on your forklift fixture to see how they spin??

[farmersammm]

Steve from So Cal mentioned lateral bracing, and I didn't fully understand what he was talking about. He was spot on, and I was thinking wrong.

While figuring out how to build the end trucks, I hit on the idea of looking on Ebay for pics. Found some very good detailed pics of end trucks on engineered cranes.





The braces keep the beam from shifting in relation to the trucks..........keeps everything square.

I wasn't crazy about the welded assembly (transverse welds across the top of the beam), but it's probably less of a problem on the compression flange, than it would be on the tension flange. And, you'd have to be darn sure everything is lined up right on site before you committed to welding everything up........unless it was field welded at time of installation.

Either way...............a welded setup is out of the question. I have to be able to bolt everything together so the components can be installed in pieces.

[farmersammm]

This is a more practical setup. All bolted.









The channel (mentioned by Meltedmetal) keeps the beam from trying to flex sideways. Here again, I see a transverse weld across the compression flange. Being as this is an engineered crane, I'm confident it's not a dangerous thing to do.

[farmersammm]

The depressing thing about this is.................I spent a few years getting ready for this project. I've been planning this since the first Allis seized up. And built all the stuff needed for easy, safe, fabrication of a doggone overhead crane..........all ofwhich, mounts on the LOADER

I mean........I HAD IT ALL Even a nice work platform for assembling stuff in high places. I'm too damn old to be hanging off ladders.

Had it all planned out. The rails are strong enough to carry the weight of a heavy beam while setting it in place.

We'll figure a way around it I guess.

[farmersammm]

Was pricing A325, and A490, bolts this morning, luckily I don't need many. Fairly pricey compared to regular gr8's.

Then I checked McMaster.......... https://www.mcmaster.com/astm-a325-b...ions-met~astm/.................... https://www.mcmaster.com/structural-...-applications/ Fairly reasonable. Don't actually need that many, so it's not like taking out a second mortgage

[Lis2323]

I know it's an imposition, but could you spin the wheels on your forklift fixture to see how they spin??

I rolled the fixture out yesterday to take the photo. ..........S M O O T H ........


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