On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:17:18 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


"David Lesher" wrote in message
...
So a friend in NorCal has firewood, a place to keep it, & woodstoves.

But the route from B to C is circuitous.
If he could lift it say 14' to the balcony....


Without having tried one, I think the Harbor Freight electric hoists look
like a good deal for the money:
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...?keyword=hoist
The pendant lets you operate them from either above or below without being
under the load.

I bought and used the shorter, bed-mounted model and it worked well
the few times I actually used it. It cost $80 on sale. What I can't
understand is the price from some of the US mfgrs. Look at these:
http://www.hoistsdirect.com/thern_cr...#series%205122
How can they condone $700-$4000 prices on half tone cranes when HF
sells theirs for $159 or less? I don't understand it! The $700 model
is apparently their version of the inexpensive HF crane.


Anything with a dangling chain that can tangle with and catch on the load
will be a nuisance. A greased leadscrew outdoors will collect dirt. I would
build a swiveling jib crane or boat davit that operates from the top,
perhaps starting with a low-cost boat trailer winch and improving it later
based on experience.

These drop onto the top of an adequately strong column or post and are light
enough to lift off and store elsewhere between uses.

I doubt that'd happen unless it was in a high-theft area, as most
people would either let them sit as-is or cover them with a tarp.
(n=1 orbit and all that)

--
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
-- Sir Winston Churchill