Welding related question

[Heebo]

My brother in law and I have been getting a small welding/work shop set up at his farm and we have gradually worked our way up in the size of projects we will tackle to a point where we are building things which are so heavy we are unable to move/reposition them handily. Presently our method is pretty crude (tractor w/front loader and chain). I am interested in your suggestions as to how you guys might deal with this issue keeping in mind that this is a pretty small building and we don't have an unlimited budget. Thanks for your help.

[Mike Sherman]

You are likely to get some innovative ideas from here, some of them will be good and some will likely be unsafe. Use your own good judgement on those. As I see it you really only have a couple of choices. An overhead crane, either a jib or rail system. There are way too many different types and styles to list here. Or continue with the way you are doing it now, either with the tractor or a forklift. Cranes come in many different styles and price ranges. If your budget will allow, this is the best way to go. The way you are doing it now is not that bad. Use of lifting lugs welded to the proper location will help you move things quickly and safely.

[Dave Haak]

Heebo,

You're already ahead of the game. I'm sure there are plenty of people here that wish they had a tractor with a front loader!

Dave

[Sberry]

I have a forklift and an A frame and finally bought a cherrypicker at a friends auction. Very useful.

[Jmb]

I also use my tractor. My bucket comes off by pulling up 2 levers and I can then pick up my forks. The forklift just replaces the bucket on my machine. I have a 4'x8' welding table made with 3"X3"x1/4" angle, 1/2" plate on the top, 1/8" shelf and 4" pipe for the legs ( I figure about 1500lbs.). I use the tractor to pick that table up and put it outside for all my grinding and chop saw work.
You can also get a set of forks that attach to the bucket with wrap around chains and boomers. This is much cheaper than the forklift attachment and works ok, BUT, since you are attaching the forks to the bucket, the weight of whatever you are picking up will farther out from the front of the machine. When I used that setup, I had to put a ballast box on the three point hitch.

[morpheus]

A gantry crane on wheels might work good for you if your work area has a concrete floor.

- jack

[echo8287]

Moving stuff

I also use a tractor with pallet forks to move the heavy stff. Also use a engine hoist too. Wish I had a forklift at times.David

[Heebo]

Thanks for all the input

I think the gantry crane on wheels sounds like the most economical and workable solution for us. Thanks again.