Simple Lift Brings Loads Up Basement Stairs
Hauling heavy wine jugs up the basement stairs was what got Gary Nye of Landisburg, Penn., looking for an easier way to haul heavy bottles weighing 50 to 60 lbs. each up the stairs. “We usually have about 8 jugs going at once that we store in the basement. Every 2 or 3 months they have to come upstairs to be racked off or bottled. As I’m getting older it’s not getting easier. I needed something to do the lifting for me,” says Nye, who has a small vineyard.
He used tracks from an old sliding barn door. The tracks are turned upside down, resting on the stairs with a steel platform riding on wheels in the tracks. The platform is built to the angle of the stairs so that it’s level. The surface was painted with rubberized paint to keep things from sliding.
To make the sled he used a 440 lb. overhead hoist purchased online which came with 39 ft. of cable. Pulleys were then purchased at Tractor Supply Company locally. The sled was made from two pieces of 12 by 18-in. plate steel with hinges welded on the short sides so they could be fine tuned to the angle of the stairs once installed. He bored out and threaded two pieces of round stock and welded them upright between the plates, then threaded a 3/8-in. bolt into each of them that the top plate rests on. It adjusts so the top plate is supported by resting on the bolt heads. Nye drilled holes and mounted hanging door hardware to the underside that fits into the rails. The rails lay upside down on the stairs and are kept parallel with 5/8-in. threaded rod at each end.
The hoist fit under the tracks on the bottom basement step. It is held in place with an L-bracket attached to the threaded rod that runs parallel with the tracks. The rods at both ends also hold a pulley, and there is a pulley mounted to the underside of the sled. At the top of the two rails, two angled brackets are lag bolted into the top step with the rod passing through them.
He mounted a switch for the hoist on the wall near the bottom of the stairs. The rails are offset to one side, leaving room for the stairs to be used normally.
He has been using the lift for several months now and says it’s a huge help. “My wife uses it all the time. She sets a basket on it and uses it for all sorts of things.” He has tested it to move over 250 lbs. with no problems.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Nye, 489 Kennedy Valley Rd., Landisburg, Penn. 17040 (grnye01@gmail.com).
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Simple Lift Brings Loads Up Basement Stairs BUILDINGS Miscellaneous Hauling heavy wine jugs up the basement stairs was what got Gary Nye of Landisburg Penn looking for an easier way to haul heavy bottles weighing 50 to 60 lbs each up the stairs “We usually have about 8 jugs going at once that we store in the basement Every 2 or 3 months they have to come upstairs to be racked off or bottled As I’m getting older it’s not getting easier I needed something to do the lifting for me ” says Nye who has a small vineyard He used tracks from an old sliding barn door The tracks are turned upside down resting on the stairs with a steel platform riding on wheels in the tracks The platform is built to the angle of the stairs so that it’s level The surface was painted with rubberized paint to keep things from sliding To make the sled he used a 440 lb overhead hoist purchased online which came with 39 ft of cable Pulleys were then purchased at Tractor Supply Company locally The sled was made from two pieces of 12 by 18-in plate steel with hinges welded on the short sides so they could be fine tuned to the angle of the stairs once installed He bored out and threaded two pieces of round stock and welded them upright between the plates then threaded a 3/8-in bolt into each of them that the top plate rests on It adjusts so the top plate is supported by resting on the bolt heads Nye drilled holes and mounted hanging door hardware to the underside that fits into the rails The rails lay upside down on the stairs and are kept parallel with 5/8-in threaded rod at each end The hoist fit under the tracks on the bottom basement step It is held in place with an L-bracket attached to the threaded rod that runs parallel with the tracks The rods at both ends also hold a pulley and there is a pulley mounted to the underside of the sled At the top of the two rails two angled brackets are lag bolted into the top step with the rod passing through them He mounted a switch for the hoist on the wall near the bottom of the stairs The rails are offset to one side leaving room for the stairs to be used normally He has been using the lift for several months now and says it’s a huge help “My wife uses it all the time She sets a basket on it and uses it for all sorts of things ” He has tested it to move over 250 lbs with no problems Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gary Nye 489 Kennedy Valley Rd Landisburg Penn 17040 grnye01@gmail com
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