Engine Hoist Turned Into Drywall Hoist

Engine Hoist Turned Into Drywall Hoist ENGINES Engines 30-5-35 If you already have an engine hoist, you can quickly convert it into a cheap drywall hoist like I did. It works great for handling 12-ft. long sheets of drywall, which are almost impossible for one man to put up," says Stephen Rothrock, Corydon, Ind. When Rothrock is done handling drywall with the hoist, he can quickly convert the unit back to an engine hoist. He started with a used engine hoist that rides on four small caster wheels and is equipped with a boom that's raised and lowered by pumping on a jack that operates a hydraulic cylinder. To convert the engine hoist to a drywall hoist, he adds just two parts: a short floor board that clamps on between the boom's horizontal legs and has a 2-ft. board extending vertically up from the middle of it to serve as a resting point for the drywall panel; and a longer 7-ft. 8-in. board that attaches to the boom and is free to swivel on it. A 12-in. long, 1/2-in. thick steel bar attached to the board fits inside the hoist's boom and is secured by a 3/8-in. dia. bolt. A 1-ft. long, 5/8-in. dia. metal rod rides inside a metal tube welded horizontally to the other end of the bar and serves as a hinge. The rod is secured to the board by a pair of perforated straps. A pair of spring-loaded chains spaced about 3 ft. apart are secured to the board. To install a drywall panel, Rothrock lowers the boom until the long board rests against the top of the vertical board. Then he secures the J-hooks to the bottom edge of the panel and starts jacking up the hoist. As he pumps on the jack, the springs stretch and the chains take hold until the bottom of the drywall lifts off the floor board. "As I pump the jack I have to hold the top edge of the drywall to keep it from falling off. Once the boom is level, I can lay the drywall horizontally so I don't have to hold it any more," says Rothrock. "The vertical board helps to locate the long 2 by 4 at the right height. "It's a simple, compact unit that's easy to move around, allowing me to position the panels anywhere I want. It'll reach an 8-ft. ceiling. I've used it to put up 12-ft. panels, of 5/8-in. drywall on an 8-ft. ceiling, and it worked great. I bought the hoist used for $25. Commercial drywall hoists sell for about $500. It takes only about five minutes to take the two boards off, leaving the hoist free for other jobs." He says there's a reason the board that fits into the boom is four inches short of 8 feet long. "It allows the drywall panel to extend two inches beyond each end of the board, so I can position the panel up against walls or wherever I want without worrying that the 2 by 4 will get in the way," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stephen Rothrock, 5160 Rocky Way, Corydon, Ind. 47112 (ph 812 952-2643 or 812 987-1000).

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