Stuart,
Today we were in Berne, Indiana and visited the museum where the giant cider press is held.

Word's cannot describe the size of this thing, and I cannot in my mind fathom how they handled it in 1864.

But on the topic of raising and lowering, we also visited their cheese house nad observed the press, also a beam press. It had an ingenious mechanism. There is a round log section with both ends pivoting to which a chain is attached that is also fastened to the end of the pressing beam. To this cylinder is attached a long arm, on the end of which is a rope with handle. When you pull down on the rope, the cylinder rotates, drawing up the chain and in turn the press beam. in this way, very little effort is needed to move the 1500 pound white oak beam.