DIY Crane for the budget challenged. at DVinfo.net

Mark Wheeler · March 20th, 2010, 05:57 PM

You can buy a Kessler after you sell your production.

DIY Camera Crane colvins.ca

Hank Ebert · December 29th, 2010, 11:22 PM

I'd like to try to make one of these. Thanks for the tips!

Bob Hart · December 30th, 2010, 12:09 AM

Exquistely simple and effective. I like the original counterbalance materials.

I made a man-sized crane once using water for the counterbalance mass before I changed to iron-ore pellets in 5L oil flasks with handles on them. I was going to use wheel weights but the tyrefitters were selling them for scrapmetal.

I tested the thing on my own with what I thought was a clever idea of climbing on, turning on the hose which supplied the running water faster than a small outlet in the water drum would let it out and had this scheme where I would kink the hose to shut the water off. Yeah right. Some crap in the drum blocked the outlet and I was stuck high and mighty in the wind and too shamed to sing out for help at 11pm at night.

I hit upon pulling the hose off the tap fitting and letting it siphon the drum back out. Hauling destructively on the hose to break the snap-on fitting whilst 14feet in the air was interesting in a fearful sort of way. I was up over the concrete driveway. Yeah right again. When I threw the hose down onto the ground, the siphon began to work. Then the free-end slipped out of the drum and the siphon was lost.

I eventually got down about two hours later by devising a way of climbing down the structure without upending it.

March 20th, 2010, 05:57 PM	#1
Mark Wheeler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hemet, CA. Posts: 87	DIY Crane for the budget challenged. You can buy a Kessler after you sell your production. DIY Camera Crane colvins.ca

December 29th, 2010, 11:22 PM	#2
Hank Ebert New Boot Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Salem, VA Posts: 17	Nice. I'd like to try to make one of these. Thanks for the tips!

December 30th, 2010, 12:09 AM	#3
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Exquistely simple and effective. I like the original counterbalance materials. I made a man-sized crane once using water for the counterbalance mass before I changed to iron-ore pellets in 5L oil flasks with handles on them. I was going to use wheel weights but the tyrefitters were selling them for scrapmetal. I tested the thing on my own with what I thought was a clever idea of climbing on, turning on the hose which supplied the running water faster than a small outlet in the water drum would let it out and had this scheme where I would kink the hose to shut the water off. Yeah right. Some crap in the drum blocked the outlet and I was stuck high and mighty in the wind and too shamed to sing out for help at 11pm at night. I hit upon pulling the hose off the tap fitting and letting it siphon the drum back out. Hauling destructively on the hose to break the snap-on fitting whilst 14feet in the air was interesting in a fearful sort of way. I was up over the concrete driveway. Yeah right again. When I threw the hose down onto the ground, the siphon began to work. Then the free-end slipped out of the drum and the siphon was lost. I eventually got down about two hours later by devising a way of climbing down the structure without upending it.