"gradstdnt" wrote in message
oups.com...
I figured someone would notice that I cheated a bit. Yes, there is a
ratchet strap lifting a portion of the load. I do realize these are
designed to tie down, not up. The straps are indeed10,000 lb rated and
more than capable. The little strap you see is only holding the skid
on. I did ensure my setup was capable beforehand in the garage by
actually lifting the assembly with the knee and saddle in place. The
final move was lighter minuse those items. The biggest lift was from
the sidewalk to the porch. The rest of the trip any failure would have
meant a drop of about an inch. If I had to do it again, I would
definitely make use of rated lifting straps just for piece of mind.
The heavy ratchet straps did allow fine tuning of strap legths to get
the load properly balanced.

It looks like you used "anchored" the gantry against the doorway at the top
of tyhe stairs. Did you notice any movement or give of the doorway while
lowering the heavier components? Did you use (or consider) 4x4's or similar
to support the stairway?

Pretty impressive move! My wife and I moved a 300-500 lb grinder base down
a stairway a few months ago with a bit different approach and that seemed to
me to be the practical limit - until now.