I built this crane by assembling the legs first. Then I attached the beam to the two legs to form the complete structure. I did this with the crane in a tipped over position. Once everything was assembled, I tilted the structure into a vertical position. I originally built this crane to lift heavy machinery out of my truck. It now lives at the door to the shop. I use it to move heavy machinery in and out of the shop. I also use it in the shop to reposition machinery.
Some key features to this design are that it is bolted together so it can be disassembled. It is on wheels so it can be easily moved into position. The chain hoist fits up inside the beam giving the maximum amount of lifting clearance. The bracing is given the space with in the design to do its job with good connection point to the structure.
I’m not a structural engineer; use this at your own risk.
