Status
Not open for further replies.

pitterpatter

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
22
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
08/2008
Country
US
State
OR
City
Warrenton
I've been seeing pictures of lift systems with tracks that look familiar to me. As an electrician, every industrial job I ever went on had miles of strut installed. I'm familiar with offerings from Powerstrut, Unistrut, and Thomas & Betts. Any electrical wholesaler should have ready access to at least one of those lines. They won't have some of the fittings, but should be able to order them.

I've also seen strut used on sliding barn doors. Maybe a farm supply place would carry it.

My 10 foot stick of galvanized 1 5/8 x 1 5/8 Powerstrut, along with vinegar, paint, mounting hardware and trolleys, cost me about $180.00. The track I've been seeing pictures of looks like it's 1 5/8 x 3, so it's going to be spendier, but probably not more than double. Two electrician friends installed mine in about 2 hours, not counting pickling and painting time. Size doesn't matter:razz:, at least not for installation time.

For my other hoist I used stainless strut. That kit cost about $300.00, but labor was very similar.

I used hoists from Harbor Freight. They sell for about $150.00 and come festooned with warnings about not using them to hoist people or loads above people. I think a man-rated hoist runs about $5 grand. I made a decision. Yours might differ.

Right now I'm using the hoists very briefly, just for transfers. Rather than using a spreader for my slings, I'm just running all the straps to the hook that came with the hoist. Breathing while being lifted is challenging, but for the 30 seconds or so that I'm up, I can hold my breath.

The most difficult part of the installation is cutting the strut so that its ends are square. Of course, this is a purely aesthetic concern; it'll support you just fine with ends that look as though they were gnawed in two by rabid wolverines.

The most finicky part of the installation is getting the supports in a straight line.

The most important part of the installation is making sure it'll support you.

Most electricians and many carpenters should be able to install this stuff. The only trouble is bidding the job, since it isn't a familiar project.
 
This is a very good idea and option from the expensive track that is usually recommended and installed.
 
HI PitterPatter:

We are building a retirement home and I am interested in how to make the second level accessible. Do you have any drawings or information on these types of systems?

Thanks!
 
Jerry, do you have a plan for getting between the two levels? We're in a split level house which has a landing about four feet up from the level of the kitchen/living room. Phil put a lift next to the stairs for me to use. I'm in a power chair, so I roll onto the lift, then push a bar to go up... and drive off to where a handicap bath and bedroom are located on the top floor. When I can no longer press the bar, it can be done from below by a caregiver.

I used a stairlift for about a year, but then transferring from the power chair on the downstairs end became hard, and was unable to transfer to anything at the top of the stairs. (different house-- a two story).

As I understand it, pitterpatter's track and lift are used for hoisting him on one level. But you may know that already...:oops:
 
Hi, Bad Balance, glad you found us.

The system I have would be very awkward to use for moving between floors. I use mine for transfers between my power chair and the bed or shower or toilet.

That said, I could certainly post a materials list, and if my wife and I can figure out how, some photos of the installed hoists.

If anyone's interested, please let me know. I would hope to respond within a week or so. :)
 
I would love to see pictures and your materials list for the lift track. We can use all the good ideas we can get! Thank you in advance.
 
All righty then. Let's do the material list now, with some explanation of what each of these items is used for. I'm hoping pictures will come along in the very near future. By the way, our ceilings are applied to 1x6 sheathing. Unsupported sheetrock will need some adjustments from this approach, but what I did should give you a starting point.

Since I bought from Platt Electric, I went with what they stock and used strut and fittings from Power Strut. Unistrut has a better website, but I already verified these catalog numbers, so I'm gonna stay with them. You also might want to look at Wikipedia (Strut channel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) for an overview.

Any item with a “PS” in its description can be found on the Powerstrut website by its associated part number.


1 stick (10 feet) 1 5/8" regular strut PS 200EH
1 stick (10 feet) 1/2" threaded rod
8 1/2" nuts
8 1/2" washers
8 1/2" lock washers
4 hangers PS 2528
1 stick 1 5/8" no-hole strut PS 200
4 3/8 x 3" bolts with 1 each nut, washer, and lock washer

2 trolleys PS 2522
2 2-hole end angles PS 603
2 3/8 strut nuts PS RS
2 3/8 x 1" bolts with 1 each washer and lock washer

4 corner angles PS 2144 x 3"
2 3/8 x 1 1/4 bolts with 1 each nut, washer, and lock washer

1 Electric Hoist - Harbor Freight #44006

1 sling, as found on a Hoyer lift
1 sling spreader, as found on a Hoyer lift
1 shackle, to fit the spreader


The first piece of strut went in the attic on top of the joists. If they had run the other way we would have cut the strut to fit across them. If there had been a second floor we would have used something like lag screws into the joists instead of the threaded rod and the other strut.

We cut 4 pieces of the threaded rod long enough to go all the way through the attic strut and through the ceiling with at least 3 inches to spare. The 4 hangers were slid onto the no-hole strut and then that assembly was hung from the attic strut using the threaded rod and the rest of the 1/2" hardware. (It really helps if the holes through the ceiling are in a straight line. Don't ask me how I know.) After the hangers were snugged up tight to the ceiling we slid the strut to where we wanted it and put the 3" bolts in the hangers to make them squeeze the strut. Meanwhile, we tacked down the strut in the attic, just to keep it from wandering around too much up there.

Thus far, we'd accounted for the first 8 items on the list, and had the strut ready to receive the trolleys. We slid the trolleys into the strut and installed the stops, which consisted of the next 3 items. The bolts went through the end angles which were on the outside of the strut, into the strut nuts on the inside, thus clamping the stop assemblies in place.

The 4 corner angles were attached to the hoist using the bolts supplied with the hoist. Some drilling was involved in getting the holes in the corner angles to line up with the holes in the hoist, leaving room between each set of corner angles for the tang of the trolley. Then the 1 1/4 bolts attached the hoist to the trolleys. We elected to hang the hoist slightly off center, thus saving the drilling of two holes and making the holes we did drill easier to hit. You had to be there.

The hoist comes with a pulley, which has an attached hook. We put the hook aside but used its pin through the shackle to hold the spreader to the pulley. (Actually, we cut up our sling and used the hook, but that's another story.)

Disclaimer: I'm not an engineer or designer. I weighed about 175 when I started using this contraption and it hasn't killed me yet, but there's always tomorrow. I think it's over-engineered, but there might be a weak link I'm not seeing. Use your own expert judgment on how to build this thing. If you don't have any expert judgment, use somebody else's. Not mine. Thanks.
 
This is great! Thanks PP.

Any pics of your rig? We are just starting construction on a retirement home and I would like to be sure that we include blocking in walls and ceiling where we need to.
 
Thank you for the detailed explanation of your track lift. This will come in really handy when we get to that point. I am ready to start working on these things in anticipation of needing them eventually, but my husband is not ready yet. I sort of feel it is a way for us to have some control over this disease, as there isn't anything else to do but be prepared in anticipation of the progression.

Again, thanks for taking your time to write out your materials list and construction instructions! I appreciate it.
 
Well, if I did it right, here are pics of my rig. The close-up shows details of the hanger as well as a wheel of the trolley. Yes, you caught me. It's two different rigs, but the idea's the same.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oops! Well, that wasn't it. I hope a moderator removes these posts before too many people see them.
 
Well, I broke down and read the instructions in the FAQ, so I'm trying again.

The close-up shows details of the hanger as well as a wheel of the trolley. You can also see the end of the "squeezer" bolt through the hanger and parts of the nut and washers holding the hanger to the ceiling. The pieces overhanging the edge of the hoist are the ends of the corner angles that attach the the hoist to the trolleys. You can also see the head and nut of one of the bolts that accomplishes that.

Yes, you caught me. It's two different rigs, but the idea's the same. ;-)


10716-albums421-picture2785.jpg


10716-albums421-picture2784.jpg


10716-albums421-picture2786.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top