Overhead Hoist for T-hangar

[Narwhal]

Hello,

I'm considering contracting an engineering firm to design an installation of an overhead hoist in my T-hangar.

The main problem is that it has 20 foot ceilings and nothing directly over head the airplane CG that is suitable to mount a hoist.

The previous owner constructed a 10 foot tall mezzanine in the back half of the hangar out of steel ibeams that are bolted into the concrete foundation. (basically there is a deck over the narrow part of the T where the tail goes). We are planning to design a mount for the hoist that extends out over the aircraft lifting rings and bolts to the floor of the mezzanine. The hoist is going to have to be mounted about 4 feet forward from that mezzanine floor.

My questions for y'all are, in order to make the hoist as useful as possible for any future hangar owners:

Do you think 2000 lbs lifting capacity is enough for any conceivable airplane with lifting rings that would be hoist-liftable?

How far forward do you think the hoist mount will need to come forward of the mezzanine to accomodate as many different airplanes as possible?

How high off the floor do you think the airplane would need to come to be able to install amphib floats? It might not be possible since the mezzanine floor is only 10 feet off the ground.

Thanks!



Crude concept by me in the picture below (the engineer who looked at it said he would want the hoist support structur to extend almost all the way to the very back wall and be bolted to the floor beams of the mezzanine along the way).

 

[texasclouds]

How often would you install/remove them? If no one on the field has a setup I could borrow, I’d look at lift from a rental company. Like an extended reach forklift.

 

[midwestpa24]

I'm curious, do you own or lease your T-Hangar?

I'd be reluctant to add anything to the structure, as it was not engineered with that load in mind. I'd also be a little concerned about the mezzanine and what exactly the supports are sitting on. Is it an actual load bearing foundation or just part of the floor slab?

 

[Bell206]

Do you think 2000 lbs lifting capacity is enough for any conceivable airplane with lifting rings that would be hoist-liftable?

What do you anticipate using the hoist for? From my experience working on aircraft, keep your lifting devices portable and not fixed in small hangars. Have worked in many hangars with tracked overhead hoists, jib cranes, etc and in most cases you still need room to reposition the aircraft under them to make it work. For common jobs a portable engine hoist works. For more flexibility a portable gantry hoist works. If you want to go top shelf look for a Genie lift and get the accessories you will need. Landing gear swaps usually need more room than T-hangar can provide.

 

[Narwhal]

How often would you install/remove them? If no one on the field has a setup I could borrow, I’d look at lift from a rental company. Like an extended reach forklift.

Twice per year there is a gear change plus more jacking/lifting if maintenance needs to be done.

I'm curious, do you own or lease your T-Hangar?

I'd be reluctant to add anything to the structure, as it was not engineered with that load in mind. I'd also be a little concerned about the mezzanine and what exactly the supports are sitting on. Is it an actual load bearing foundation or just part of the floor slab?

Own with an HoA approval required for any changes like this

What do you anticipate using the hoist for? From my experience working on aircraft, keep your lifting devices portable and not fixed in small hangars. Have worked in many hangars with tracked overhead hoists, jib cranes, etc and in most cases you still need room to reposition the aircraft under them to make it work. For common jobs a portable engine hoist works. For more flexibility a portable gantry hoist works. If you want to go top shelf look for a Genie lift and get the accessories you will need. Landing gear swaps usually need more room than T-hangar can provide.

Gear changes and maintenance for removing/installing wheels/tires. It is difficult to jack the airplane. The wing to lift strut area has extended fairings. At the factory they used an overhead hoist for any gear work and it worked so well/easy and seemed incredibly safe compared to using a floor jack under the cabane V + a wing jack at the relatively fragitle lift strut to wing attach area (there are exposed aileron cable pulleys very close to wear the wing jacks rest, I don't like it and in fact I noticed that one of the aileron pulleys had rotated a few degrees after the last gear swap).

 

[Stewartb]

Cub owners have used wing jacks safely for a lot if years. I’d cut the fabric off the gear and get a Short Final Fab jack from Airframes. I have a roof hoist and almost never use it. My Short Final jack does everything I need unless I’m literally swapping gear at the fuselage fittings. There’s another floor jack for airplanes that’s popular but I can’t recall the name.

 

[Stewartb]

Another idea. With covered gear, make a cradle fixture to go on the bottom side of the gear with a second piece for the outside. Connect with a couple of bolts. Fit a lifting ring on the outside piece and lift with an engine hoist. That would provide lots of space for swapping tires and skis.

 

[SoonerAviator]

If you can't use aircraft jacks, I would think a properly engineered jib crane would be more cost effective and the least intrusive (will almost certainly require cutting out a section of concrete and being re-poured for proper strength). Portable gantry would probably be next.

 

[Bell206]

Gear changes and maintenance for removing/installing wheels/tires.

FWIW: For wheel work fabricate an attachment to fit a stand floor or bottle jack and lift at axle area. Plenty examples out there that should work on your aircraft. Or buy one like shown above. For gear swaps I personally wouldn't want an aircraft swinging on straps in a T-hangar. For the money 2x a year see what a local tow truck with an expendable boom costs to come by and lift the plane up just outside the T-hangar.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Presumably the lifting points are going to be pretty close to the CG, so an A-frame gantry on rollers might do the trick. One could be engineered and fabricated fairly easily out of steel box sections. You wouldn't actually need a movable gantry, just a hoist on the top cross member.

 

[Narwhal]

FWIW: For wheel work fabricate an attachment to fit a stand floor or bottle jack and lift at axle area. Plenty examples out there that should work on your aircraft. Or buy one like shown above. For gear swaps I personally wouldn't want an aircraft swinging on straps in a T-hangar. For the money 2x a year see what a local tow truck with an expendable boom costs to come by and lift the plane up just outside the T-hangar.

Unfortunately the skis don't permit that.

 

[Bell206]

Unfortunately the skis don't permit that.

Any reason you can't slide a strap under the axle where the brake line goes and use a portable engine hoist or something similar to pick it up for wheel or ski work?

 

[Racerx]

Now we're talking my language. Built many a mezzanines for industrial customers and building one one now. I would agree with the engineer that the beam should spine the whole mezzanine. I would probably want the first last rib beefed up as well.

I wouldn't worry about future users. I don't think many are going to need what you want or how you want.

 

[Narwhal]

Any reason you can't slide a strap under the axle where the brake line goes and use a portable engine hoist or something similar to pick it up for wheel or ski work?

Hmmm, I didn't think of that, that's a pretty good thought. I'll run it by my mechanic.

 

[mondtster]

Hmmm, I didn't think of that, that's a pretty good thought. I'll run it by my mechanic.

Bell’s proposal should work fine to do ski removal or wheel work. It obviously won’t work for a float switchover though.

I don’t think I’d want to try doing a float switchover with that mezzanine in the back but for something like that I’d probably try and construct a free standing gantry that fits inside the hangar. I don’t think it would take as much space and engineering as is being proposed. Renting or borrowing a telehandler and doing it outside would likely be a lot more cost effective in the long run.

I just have a chain hoist strapped to the roof truss that I have done switchovers with.

 

[Racerx]

What about a foundationless jib crane? Mounts to the slab. Can sell it if the next guy doesn't want it.