a bicycle-powered forklift?

[Matthew Montchalin]

What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
yardstick using a Dremel.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

I wrote:
|What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
|notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
|mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
|straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
|is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
|is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
|shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
|buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
|yardstick using a Dremel.

Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
above?

|I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|under.
|
|I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.

 

[Chris Zacho The Wheelman]

Group: rec.bicycles.tech Date: Fri, Jul 30, 2004, 9:43am (EDT-3) From:
[email protected] (Matthew=A0Montchalin)

>What do you call a straight-edge that has
>one of its sides so perfectly notched that
>the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the
>'cogwheel' thing) will mesh perfectly into
>it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches
>on the straight-edge is going to depend
>on the spacing of the teeth, and this is
>going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that
>what I am looking for, is found at a
>bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have
>to go to a machine shop to get one,
>though I'd prefer getting one on the
>cheap rather than buying something
>brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one
>out of a metal yardstick using a Dremel.

It's called (I believe) a rack, as in "rack and pinion steering"

>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered
>'forklift' if that helps anybody understand
>my objective here. The platform is
>supposed to rise up from the jacking
>action of a cogwheel cranking the
>straight-edge up from under.
>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4
>feet or so, and no higher.

Somehow, I doubt you would be able to develop enough strength to lift
anything real heavy with this, unless the pinion gear is connected to
the "rider" via a ferocious reduction ratio. Maybe a worm gear setup
might work better? Or perhaps some sort of human-powered hydraulic
mechanism. It would be fearfully slow, though.

Good luck with your creation.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

[Weisse Luft]

I wrote:
|What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
|notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
|mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
|straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
|is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
|is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
|shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
|buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
|yardstick using a Dremel.

Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
above?

|I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|under.
|
|I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.

Its called a rack. And if you have access to wleding equipment, you can make it yourself with a bar and a chain. Just weld every outer plate of a chain to a bar. There will be 4 tiny tack welds per outer plate link. TIG (GTAW) would be best using a 309L welding rod, 1/32" in diameter. Yes, stainless filler. You are welding some high carbon steel and the 309L works well here.

If you don't weld, you can make do by pinning sections to the bar, making sure to space the gaps correctly.

You can easily get 4 foot chain lengths. Buy the CHEAPEST single speed, non-chrome plated chain you can find. Narrow is a PITA to weld. Make sure to degrease before welding. Again, this is high carbon steel.

 

[Pete]

"Matthew Montchalin" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
> straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
> above?
>
> |I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
> |understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
> |the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
> |under.
> |
> |I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
>
> Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.

Go to www.emachineshop.com
Get the free CAD program, design it, and submit it for pricing.

Or....another design...use the chains(s) to actuate a block and tackle
contraption, raising your platform.

Pete

 

[Jacobe Hazzard]

Matthew Montchalin wrote:
> What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so
> perfectly notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the
> 'cogwheel' thing) will mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the
> spacing of the notches on the straight-edge is going to depend on the
> spacing of the teeth, and this is going to vary quite a bit. I don't
> think that what I am looking for, is found at a bicycle shop, I'm
> probably going to have to go to a machine shop to get one, though I'd
> prefer getting one on the cheap rather than buying something brand
> new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal yardstick using a
> Dremel.
>
> I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
> understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up
> from the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up
> from under.
>
> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

I would think the easier way to do this would be to spin a suspended
cogwheel which winds up a chain or cable or rope and let that lift the
platform from above. Bicycle cogs are designed to mesh with bicycle
chains, not straight rows of solid notches. Using a straight row of
notches and a circular cogwheel you would only be able to engage one or
two teeth at a time, and given the narrow profile of the teeth this means
tremendous stresses for all but the lightest of loads.

 

[di]

"Matthew Montchalin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
> notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
> mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
> straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
> is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
> is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
> shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
> buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
> yardstick using a Dremel.
>
> I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
> understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
> the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
> under.
>
> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
>

I think what you are trying to describe is a rack/pinion gear device.

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, di wrote:
|> I don't think that what I am looking for, is found at a bicycle shop,
|> I'm probably going to have to go to a machine shop to get one, though
|> I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than buying something brand
|> new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal yardstick using a
|> Dremel.
|>
|> I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|> understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|> the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|> under.
|>
|> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|>
|
|I think what you are trying to describe is a rack/pinion gear device.

Thanks for the lead!

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Pete wrote:
|"Matthew Montchalin" <[email protected]> wrote
|>
|> Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
|> straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
|> above?
|>
|> |I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|> |understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|> |the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|> |under.
|> |
|> |I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|>
|> Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.
|
|Go to www.emachineshop.com

Thanks for the lead!

|Get the free CAD program, design it, and submit it for pricing.
|
|Or....another design...use the chains(s) to actuate a block and tackle
|contraption, raising your platform.

Thanks, I'll give it some thought.

 

[Werehatrack]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin
<[email protected]> wrote:

>What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
>notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
>mesh perfectly into it?

A rack. cf "rack and pinion".

>Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
>straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
>is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
>is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
>shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
>buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
>yardstick using a Dremel.

Unless you can handle heavy side loads and considerable torque on the
pinion, a rack and pinion is not a really great lifting mechanism for
more than just trivial weight.

>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
>understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
>the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
>under.
>
>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Why not build a mast a bit taller than the top of the range that you
want to reach, hang a free-wheeling sprocket there, loop the chain
over it, and use the chain to pull the load up? That's the way it's
done on lots of forklifts. This has the distinct advantage of needing
no custom-machined rack.

One pair of notes:

If you want the rack to travel and the pinion to stay fixed, bear in
mind that the rack must have someplace to go, *and* somplace to start
from. If it's intended to rise 3 feet, there has to be at least three
feet of space below it for the rack to occupy before it starrts to
rise.

Machining may not be needed; just weld the ends of a piece of chain to
a flat steel bar, and voila! A rack.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Chalo]

Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]> wrote
>
> I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
> understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
> the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
> under.
>
> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

If you are trying to lift anything at all substantial, I'd recommend
adapting an automatic braking hand winch to pedal power. Such a
device has a hand crank that pulls hard on a cable when cranked in one
direction, and spools the cable out in a controlled fashion when
cranked in the other direction. Here is an example:

http://www.megatoolsource.com/h/Hand-Winches/Automatic-Braking-Hand-Winch-28674.htm

If you replaced the crank handle with a sprocket, and placed the winch
at the top of your "forklift", you could then drive it in either
direction with a chain connected to a bike crank elsewhere on the
contraption.

Chalo Colina

 

[RonSonic]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]>
wrote:

>What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
>notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
>mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
>straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
>is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
>is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
>shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
>buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
>yardstick using a Dremel.
>
>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
>understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
>the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
>under.
>
>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

So you want to make a rack gear and use a cog to drive it. Bad idea. The teeth
on a chainwheel are designed to mesh with a chain, not a gear. They will NOT
reliably support any amount of weight like this - at least not enough weight to
make all the monkey-motion desireable.

You'll want a chain wrapped around it and use the chain to do your lifting.
There are all sorts of industrial lifting gadgets, including some fork lifts
that incorporate a chain. That's what you'll want to emulate.

Ron

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004, RonSonic wrote:
|On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]>
|wrote:
|>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|>understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|>the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|>under.
|>
|>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|
|So you want to make a rack gear and use a cog to drive it. Bad idea.

You sure?

|The teeth on a chainwheel are designed to mesh with a chain, not a gear.
|They will NOT reliably support any amount of weight like this - at least
|not enough weight to make all the monkey-motion desireable.

The load to be lifted is about 15 to 25 pounds.

|You'll want a chain wrapped around it and use the chain to do your lifting.
|There are all sorts of industrial lifting gadgets, including some fork lifts
|that incorporate a chain. That's what you'll want to emulate.

Two bicycles are mounted in tandem, and the elevating platform rests
between the two. Since the contraption is intended for traveling into
a field and hoisting up booms with light fixtures at the ends of poles,
a cogwheel & rack arrangement ought to work well enough. It may have
been misleading to say it would be a forklift as opposed to an elevating
platform, but all I really want is for the thing to raise up about 3 or
4 feet above its base level.

 

[Werehatrack]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:11:44 -0700, Matthew Montchalin
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 31 Jul 2004, RonSonic wrote:
>|On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]>
>|wrote:
>|>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
>|>understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
>|>the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
>|>under.
>|>
>|>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
>|
>|So you want to make a rack gear and use a cog to drive it. Bad idea.
>
>You sure?
>
>|The teeth on a chainwheel are designed to mesh with a chain, not a gear.
>|They will NOT reliably support any amount of weight like this - at least
>|not enough weight to make all the monkey-motion desireable.
>
>The load to be lifted is about 15 to 25 pounds.

For that little weight, you're swatting flies with sledgehammers.
Lift it by hand.

>|You'll want a chain wrapped around it and use the chain to do your lifting.
>|There are all sorts of industrial lifting gadgets, including some fork lifts
>|that incorporate a chain. That's what you'll want to emulate.
>
>Two bicycles are mounted in tandem, and the elevating platform rests
>between the two. Since the contraption is intended for traveling into
>a field and hoisting up booms with light fixtures at the ends of poles,
>a cogwheel & rack arrangement ought to work well enough. It may have
>been misleading to say it would be a forklift as opposed to an elevating
>platform, but all I really want is for the thing to raise up about 3 or
>4 feet above its base level.

This sounds like an awful lot of work to misautomate a relatively
simple and easily performed task.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004, Werehatrack wrote:
|On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:11:44 -0700, Matthew Montchalin
|<[email protected]> wrote:
|
|>On Sat, 31 Jul 2004, RonSonic wrote:
|>|On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]>
|>|wrote:
|>|>I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|>|>understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|>|>the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|>|>under.
|>|>
|>|>I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|>|
|>|So you want to make a rack gear and use a cog to drive it. Bad idea.
|>
|>You sure?
|>
|>|The teeth on a chainwheel are designed to mesh with a chain, not a gear.
|>|They will NOT reliably support any amount of weight like this - at least
|>|not enough weight to make all the monkey-motion desireable.
|>
|>The load to be lifted is about 15 to 25 pounds.
|
|For that little weight, you're swatting flies with sledgehammers.

I don't see it quite like that.

|Lift it by hand.

Or perhaps an electric motor? I sort of like the crank-cogwheel-cogwheel
concept more.

|>|You'll want a chain wrapped around it and use the chain to do your lifting.
|>|There are all sorts of industrial lifting gadgets, including some fork lifts
|>|that incorporate a chain. That's what you'll want to emulate.
|>
|>Two bicycles are mounted in tandem, and the elevating platform rests
|>between the two. Since the contraption is intended for traveling into
|>a field and hoisting up booms with light fixtures at the ends of poles,
|>a cogwheel & rack arrangement ought to work well enough. It may have
|>been misleading to say it would be a forklift as opposed to an elevating
|>platform, but all I really want is for the thing to raise up about 3 or
|>4 feet above its base level.
|
|This sounds like an awful lot of work to misautomate a relatively
|simple and easily performed task.

Simple tasks get pretty tiring after doing the same thing, over and
over again. Since the lights have to be raised up to the same level,
over and over again, everytime we go to a new location, a physical limit
of some kind is highly desirable. Bicycles make setting things up pretty
fast, even if they are bolted in tandem. Ride to the location, raise the
booms (if they aren't already up, that is, which I sort of doubt), and
there you are. The expensive part is the rack, but I like the suggestion
of welding - maybe nailing - a bicycle chain onto the side of a board,
at strategic locations, and there we be.

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Matthew Montchalin" wrote: (clip) Bicycles make setting things up pretty
fast, even if they are bolted in tandem.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don't think you mean "tandem." Do you mean side-by-side? Tandem would
mean one bike following the other.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(clip) The expensive part is the rack, but I like the suggestion of
welding - maybe nailing - a bicycle chain onto the side of a board, at
strategic locations, and there we be.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you insist on raising the load in this way, why don't you use a rack and
pinion? (Gear raising a rack instead of a sprocket raising a chain.)

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:51:06 GMT,
<[email protected]>,
"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I don't think you mean "tandem." Do you mean side-by-side? Tandem would
>mean one bike following the other.

That's commonly referred to as a "sociable tandem" as opposed to an
"inline tandem". They've been around since the beginning.

A sociable tandem can be set up with three or four wheels so while
they're not strictly bicycles, they are fun to ride.

Here they're sharing the added load of a sound system and generators.

http://www3.telus.net/dgphoto/projects/20004 2/images/4-1.jpg
http://nai.dyndns.org/events/CM20040625/p13.htm
--
zk

 

[Matthew Montchalin]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
|If you insist on raising the load in this way, why don't you use a rack and
|pinion? (Gear raising a rack instead of a sprocket raising a chain.)

Rack and pinion is a very good idea, it may have been what I intended,
but for the want of using the proper terminology. And along those lines,
does anybody have a link with pictures of rack-and-pinion technology
combined with bicycle (pedal operated or manually cranked) technology?

 

[[email protected]]

In rec.bicycles.misc Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]> wrote:

> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

As a cyclist AND a forklift operator, I have to wonder why.

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 20:36:20 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
wrote:
>In rec.bicycles.misc Matthew Montchalin <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
>
> As a cyclist AND a forklift operator, I have to wonder why.

Heheheh...I forgot that I've been running one of these for the past
week and a half: http://www.halcoinc.com/gradall/gradall.jpg

So, I'll have to say exactly the same thing:
As a cyclist AND a forklift operator, I have to wonder why.

BTW, I do _NOT_ want to lift a pallet of roof shingles with leg
power. Diesel is much easier.
--
Rick Onanian