light duty H-frame press table hoist

[metalmagpie]

The hoist part is light duty, I mean.

I have a gas-station style Ramco 50 ton hydraulic press. I love it, but it was a bitch to move the table up and down. So I decided to see how cheaply I could build a table hoist mechanism out of an old 660 pound pulling winch. I used super cheap patio door rollers for pulleys. This is the link to the product I bought at Home Depot: https://tinyurl.com/y4lyx68h

I used a 660 pound winch made by Dutton Lainson. I bought it years ago intending to make a table hoist for a different press, now long gone. Never made that hoist. The winch went with when I sold the press. I told my buddy who bought the press that I'm looking for a cheap winch and he just gave it back to me. It didn't cost much when I bought it. It's pretty light duty at only 660 pounds, but after I got the thing assembled it lifts the table up and down just fine.

I had a bit of 3/32" aircraft cable. I bought a couple of dollars worth of thimbles and nicopress crimp fittings. That cable is also pretty light, but it seems strong enough.

My design concept isn't original, but a super-inexpensive implementation is worthy of notice. The way my cables and pulleys are arranged, it isn't possible for one end to be higher than the other. The easiest implementation of a cheap table lift is a winch attached to one end of the table, up and over 2 pulleys down to the other side of the table. Crank and the table goes up. But if one side is heavier than the other that side is free to lift up higher than the other. I didn't want that. My design routes one cable from the table up and over and back down to the winch. There is another cable attached to the other end of the table. It goes up to a pulley then goes horizontally across the top, then bends around a pulley with vertical axis. It then routs around that pulley and is attached to the first cable. So when the winch reels in the one cable, both ends lift in tandem. Here's a pic:



I know that image doesn't make it very clear. Here's another:



All of the pulleys were mounted to a single 1/4x3" piece of steel flat bar. The bar isn't attached to the press - it just sits up there on top. It is restrained from going sideways but if the cables were disconnected, it could lift right off. The cables are attached to attachment points I fabricated. They are very simple pieces with one hole for a vertical eyebolt and two more holes to implement a pinch clamp. Here's another shot:



Here's one more shot:



metalmagpie

[metalmagpie]

Just a couple more pictures:





I wanted to make the entire hoist attachment fit within the footprint of the press without the hoist attachment. I did not make that goal. But at least I can still roll the press outside under the shop door.

Keith Fenner, in his video describing his shop-made hydraulic press, says he does not like cable-type table hoists because the cables always fray and tear your hands up. I tried very hard to keep my ends from being able to fray. I slipped heat shrink over the cable, shrank it, then used a pair of dykes to cut the cable, leaving both new ends restrained by the heat shrink. I'm hoping that if the cable never frays from the ends then it won't ever have those needle-like stickies that Keith Fenner dislikes so much. I'm told I'm supposed to keep the cables oiled, too.

The pulleys are just held to 3/8" steel flat bar by 1/4" bolts. Not very strong or robust, but dirt cheap and hopefully strong enough and durable enough.

Thanks for reading!

metalmagpie

[PStechPaul]

Good idea! I have a very similar winch that I used for my ladder shingle lift, but it uses a worm drive. I removed the crank and replaced the nut, so I could use a drill with a socket to raise and lower quickly.

Isn't the jack supposed to be bottle down and ram up, like this?

[The Metal Butcher]

That's a very nice idea. I use nearly the identical press, might have to steal this one. That table is awfully heavy.

[metalmagpie]

Isn't the jack supposed to be bottle down and ram up?

That inexpensive press you link to has only vague similarity to mine. My press has the hydraulics on the side. It's manual, but there are two speeds which takes most of the pain out of pumping. My ram is just a hydraulic cylinder, not a complete hydraulic jack as is pictured on the HF hydraulic press.

Even with a bottle jack it is possible to use those with the ram down. You have to extend a tube from the fluid intake port down into the reservoir.

metalmagpie

[Mr Fixit]

metalmagpie,

Something I learned many years ago working in bicycle shops was, they had a lead cap that they crimped on the end to keep the brake or shifting cable from fraying, so over the years when I need to keep a cable of any size from fraying (like my trailer winch) I use a small piece of copper tubing to go over the end of the cable then, I crimp it to the cable and you have a non fraying end.
I too hate the individual strands poking me, it always seems to be when you least expect it.

TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

[lakeside53]

You can just put stainless ends (many types) on the cables like you would use on wire railings for decks. I use a hydraulic crimper to swage them, but there are screw assembled version also.

[Cheap Jon]

I have a vary similar press, and planned on a lift like that. The winch is just laying there waiting for me, I was thinking of dividing the spool into with a large split disk welded on the spool. I will use two cables one to each side, the cylinder is mounted on top so the cable needs to run to the side. I will hook the cable on opposite sides to balance it. The two stage pump needs to be fixed, I have no idea what I'll find.

Jon

[BCRider]

That's a really slick solution and very neatly done.

When I've done any cable work of this sort I doubled up on the figure 8 crimps. One down close to the thimble like you did and a second up at the loose end of the tail so the end of the cable is just inside the crimp. That way no issues with fraying wire ends.

[Ohio Mike]

Very nicely done. A winch or other lift mechanism is a requirement on larger presses and very convenient to have on any press. The table alone on my press is more than 275 lbs plus another 40ish for the press plates.

[CCWKen]

Man, I've been wanting to do that with mine but never got a round tuit. It looks like Home Depot has them.

I also have a 20-ton air over hydraulic jack I've been wanting to convert for the press. Those tuits are hard to come by these days.

[CalM]

I've got a pair of light lift "tractor jacks" that are stored next to the hyd. press anyway.

It is very little trouble to pull one out to position the press table.

[metalmagpie]

I've got a pair of light lift "tractor jacks" that are stored next to the hyd. press anyway.

It is very little trouble to pull one out to position the press table.

I had a Hi-Lift farmer's jack in the corner. I used to tell people it was a snap to whip out and change the table height with it.
In practice, the table didn't get moved much at all.
Anyone want to buy a Hi-Lift jack? LOL

metalmagpie

[millhand]

Could you have taken both cables onto the hoist drum rather than splicing them? My press is narrower than the desirable lift height so a splice at the top is not an optimum solution. Winding them on a common drum appears, off the top of my head, to work OK.

[metalmagpie]

Could you have taken both cables onto the hoist drum rather than splicing them? My press is narrower than the desirable lift height so a splice at the top is not an optimum solution. Winding them on a common drum appears, off the top of my head, to work OK.

I'll tell you what. Why don't YOU implement a table lift where you wind both cables on a common drum, take some pictures and post them here. I can't say anything about the infinite number of ways I didn't do it. I just did what I did, hope it helps someone. At least it's got you thinking.

metalmagpie