Dangling Cord?????

Don Taylor

Former Member (by the member's request)
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The sky hook "I" beam is up, and I am stumped. :huh:

I have an electrical outlet on the ceiling close to the beam. I am going to hang a chain hoist "and" the 1300 lb. electric hoist from Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2954

My room is 24 foot deep. My question is what do you folks do to handle the drooping cord as the hoist travels the length of the beam? :confused:

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DT
 
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Not knowing if the outlet is to one side or in the middle you could run a plastic covered cable like clothline the length of the building close to the beam. Then loop the electical cord around it in 2ft coils. A bungee can be attached at the top of the coils to return the cord to the outlet side when the hoist is returned to that side. Use a bungee between each coil. So there will be a bungee between coils 1 and 2, other between 2and3 and so on.
 
Don, I seriously doubt you'll find many of those in home shops, but as to your question I would consider the following:

  1. :huh: Some sort of retractable gadget that will reel it in and let it out as it travels.
  2. :huh: Some sort of 'shower curtain' set up that has hooks holding the cord every five or so feet, that slides along a rail??

A sliding door (like Norm has on NYW) has a wheeled roller that slides on a rail that holds the door. Maybe some sort of modification?

OR -- maybe someone knows of something simpler !!

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

Tony
 
How about cord loops (your choice on the length of the loops) zip-tied to shower curtain rings and the rings allowed to slide on a rope/wire cable/rod/etc.?


Just a thought............
 
I wondering if you couldn't take a conventional cord reel and disable the part that locks it in place??

Thanks everyone,

Doug, this is what I would like to do. I wonder if the outlet being near the center of the room would allow that to work?

DT
 
I wondering if you couldn't take a conventional cord reel and disable the part that locks it in place??

+1. Unless the cord is designed to be bent & unbent over and over (and over), I'd feel more comfortable with the gentler, larger diameter "bend" provided by a cord reel.

Not sure what issues you may have with the reel spring though, especially if it's a strong one. You might have to provide some kind of strain relief on the business end ... but you'll probably want to do that anyway.
 
Are there any electrical cords that are coiled like a cheap air hose? The cord reel is probably the best thing to do. We had them on the electric doors at the previous job. They carried the current for the door sensing contacts (probably low voltage). Not sure why they did it that way, but it did work. If you have it mountd in the center of the track, be sure the reel is on a swivel so it can turn the direction the hoist is going. Jim.
 
Don,
You need a "festooned conductors" similar to the one in the picture. Though they usually come from one side. You could make one up with rollers to make up the trolley.

Just a thought,
Wes
 

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Are there any electrical cords that are coiled like a cheap air hose? The cord reel is probably the best thing to do. We had them on the electric doors at the previous job. They carried the current for the door sensing contacts (probably low voltage). Not sure why they did it that way, but it did work. If you have it mountd in the center of the track, be sure the reel is on a swivel so it can turn the direction the hoist is going. Jim.

We use coiled cord on our monitored transport carts at work. They plug them in to charge the monitor batteries. Take quite a lot of abuse and about the only thing we ever have to do is tighten the screws in the cord caps.
 
Wes beat me to the suggestion, but his pictures show how I've seen it done in the past.

Never knew they were called "festooned conductors". I'll bet it's one of the very few occasions where an electrician has a need to say "festooned" on the jobsite. :p
 
Wes beat me to it. A shop made version out of hotel shower curtain track would save some bucks depending on actual cable weight.
 

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Light weight cable a turnbuckle 2 eye bolts & 2 cable clamps.

Loop the cable through 1 eye bolt after it is screwed into the end wall & clamp it screw the other eye bolt into the wall & loop the cable though the closed end of the turnbuckle & clamp it & put the hook end through the eye bolt & tighten the turn buckle.

I forgot to mention put a nut on the right hand threaded end of the turnbuckle to use a a jamb nut so it will be harder for the turnbuckle to back off tension.

Now using metal close-able loop shower curtain hangers hook them on the cable closed. Now zip tie the cord to the shower curtain hooks. This should be inexpensive & work ok. it may help to have a spring loaded cord guard or rubber cord guard on each end of the cord to keep it from kinking & make it last longer.
 
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Thank everyone so much for the ideas.
I'll be sure to post the pictures of the one that works best. :thumb:

This thing will allow me to keep working and enjoy my shop. ;)

DT
 
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