I'm looking into the idea of assembling a small crane for lifting and moving heavy timbers, especially since I have just learned of a barn going down reportedly with massive 65' white oak timbers, with exceptionally large cross sections.

I don't really want a simple gyn pole type structure, something more along the lines of sheerlegs, derricks, or a rudimentary crane, even looking into the possibility of rigging up a late Medieval type pivoting crane, which would be extremely advantageous when working alone.

Which raises the question, Jay is your 'Scaffold Crane' system in fact a modular lifting Derrick? A Derrick being a tower assembly for the purpose of moving objects vertically, but incapable of horizontal movement.

Hi David,

I don't have photos or drawings, but you can use the armature of a scaffold crane to rig a jib or boom off of. You really need to be careful with your side loads, and destabilizing the tower, clear ingress and egress points and run some mock trial lifts.

As for recommending this, I can't. I would call this advanced rigging, and lifting and lowering the beams is going to stretch your skills as it is without adding moving a load horizontally in a radius. I say that out of concern, but know I did some pretty "hair brained" things at times in my life...learned much from them too. If you venture into this solo folly of rigging beyond your skill set (I recommend not but I can't talk I still do it) remember this.

Keep everyone including pets away.

Let folks know what you are doing but DO NOT let them help if they don't have rigging skill...they can get in the way, getting you and themselves hurt.

have clear escape routes planned.

ALL systems mush have a redundant backup system that can take the full load you are moving.

ALL systems must be escapable.

ALL systems must be stoppable at any point in the move and able to hold the load safely.

Know your weakest link and understand its strain capacity must be a minimum of 10:1 (15:1 is better) never exceed 5:1 as some suggest using for none live load.

Readers if I have forgot anything (besides don't do it) chime in...

Hi David,

I don't have photos or drawings, but you can use the armature of a scaffold crane to rig a jib or boom off of. You really need to be careful with your side loads, and destabilizing the tower, clear ingress and egress points and run some mock trial lifts.

As for recommending this, I can't. I would call this advanced rigging, and lifting and lowering the beams is going to stretch your skills as it is without adding moving a load horizontally in a radius. I say that out of concern, but know I did some pretty "hair brained" things at times in my life...learned much from them too. If you venture into this solo folly of rigging beyond your skill set (I recommend not but I can't talk I still do it) remember this.

Keep everyone including pets away.

Let folks know what you are doing but DO NOT let them help if they don't have rigging skill...they can get in the way, getting you and themselves hurt.

have clear escape routes planned.

ALL systems mush have a redundant backup system that can take the full load you are moving.

ALL systems must be escapable.

ALL systems must be stoppable at any point in the move and able to hold the load safely.

Know your weakest link and understand its strain capacity must be a minimum of 10:1 (15:1 is better) never exceed 5:1 as some suggest using for none live load.

Readers if I have forgot anything (besides don't do it) chime in...

Hi David,

I don't have photos or drawings, but you can use the armature of a scaffold crane to rig a jib or boom off of. You really need to be careful with your side loads, and destabilizing the tower, clear ingress and egress points and run some mock trial lifts.

As for recommending this, I can't. I would call this advanced rigging, and lifting and lowering the beams is going to stretch your skills as it is without adding moving a load horizontally in a radius. I say that out of concern, but know I did some pretty "hair brained" things at times in my life...learned much from them too. If you venture into this solo folly of rigging beyond your skill set (I recommend not but I can't talk I still do it) remember this.

Keep everyone including pets away.

Let folks know what you are doing but DO NOT let them help if they don't have rigging skill...they can get in the way, getting you and themselves hurt.

have clear escape routes planned.

ALL systems mush have a redundant backup system that can take the full load you are moving.

ALL systems must be escapable.

ALL systems must be stoppable at any point in the move and able to hold the load safely.

Know your weakest link and understand its strain capacity must be a minimum of 10:1 (15:1 is better) never exceed 5:1 as some suggest using for none live load.

Readers if I have forgot anything (besides don't do it) chime in...

Goin to look at a barn tomorrow. Old dairy barn, concrete block milk house and pad on the back side, the farmer wants to know how much to get the land clear so he can till it. I'll take lots of pictures, it's a nice old barn but badly damaged in the recent high winds (80+mph gusts...)

One gable wall is torn lose, I might pull it off and use timber to rig a boom crane I can run off a backhoe to get the rafters off. The roof is in bad shape.