My elevator bracket experience

[UP Powers]

yea.. I would replace it also. Wasn't sure if it was an option. side note..

I am confused as to how you framed the floor.. if the platform is 8x8 but you used a center stringer? How are those supported on the outside? Just nails? I don't see joist hangers anywhere. You framed a center support which in essence is bearing the majority of the load but is not supported. My take..

Take the "broken" leg piece and sister it better than what you have. Replace it with a new one. Take the broken leg and place it in the middle of the blind straight up to support the floor beam across the middle. Place joist hangers on that beam to help with the load. If you are lucky the leg that is broken might just fit and you won't need to sister it. the middle of the blind should be a shorter length than the legs. IN the end you will have 4 legs and one post right up the middle. That center support post will be on the ground.

Just trying to keep your family and friends safe. That is all. :)

 

[UP Powers]

Mine is 8'x8' and 10' high. I had the brackets on the "wrong" side but built 2 of these and had no issues elevating them.

What we did was run a rope from the eyebolts connected to the elevator brackets from the side we were pulling up . We then ran that over the top of 12' support beam (deck board 1.5"x6" I believe) and stood that on edge to cantilever the unit on the way up. I put 2 screws on the end of that 12' board with the rope going in the middle. We then connected the ATV winch to that rope and pulled it up. That board stayed on end until the unit was pulled all the way up.

I had a friend use an extension ladder to do the same thing the 12' support board did for us. Another friend went over a tree limb to get that height.

View attachment 10617

I would replace the 2x4's under the blind as floor supports and use 2x6's. Maybe take off some of the 2x6's as cross pieces and replace them with 2x4's.

 

[bueller]

yea.. I would replace it also. Wasn't sure if it was an option. side note..

I am confused as to how you framed the floor.. if the platform is 8x8 but you used a center stringer? How are those supported on the outside? Just nails? I don't see joist hangers anywhere. You framed a center support which in essence is bearing the majority of the load but is not supported. My take..

Take the "broken" leg piece and sister it better than what you have. Replace it with a new one. Take the broken leg and place it in the middle of the blind straight up to support the floor beam across the middle. Place joist hangers on that beam to help with the load. If you are lucky the leg that is broken might just fit and you won't need to sister it. the middle of the blind should be a shorter length than the legs. IN the end you will have 4 legs and one post right up the middle. That center support post will be on the ground.

Just trying to keep your family and friends safe. That is all. :)

^^^ and I thank you for that. In the photo I posted, the front and rear facing 2x6's are 8' beams. All 7 of the 2x6 joists run from beam to beam and are fastened to the beams with 5/16" 4" GRK Rugged Structural Screws (marketed as having same strength as 1/2" lag screws). The center boards are cut to size to fit in between the joists and are also fastened with the structural screws.

 

[UP Powers]

ahhh.. got it. If it was me.. And I had the extra leg anyways. I would take the broken leg and pin up a 2x6 flat across the floor under the joists. Secure with nails on the ends 3 1/4 ring shank and it should be golden.

When it's all said and done, you will have a very nice center support and it will provide extra stability.

 

[Satchmo]

I've lifted a couple 5x6 platforms by myself with the 4 wheeler winch, but never an 8x8. I take a 2x6x12' with a notch in it and run my winch cable over it so the platform is lifted up first and then pulled over to vertical.


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[strawhead]

Glad to see you made lemonade from everything. Enjoy the new towers.

 

[Big Snow Man]

So why would that stand be to heavy Shadow Hunter has you attach those brackets to a 450lb stand and lift that also ? man you could have crashed a $2000 blind if that was attached.

 

[bueller]

So why would that stand be to heavy Shadow Hunter has you attach those brackets to a 450lb stand and lift that also ? man you could have crashed a $2000 blind if that was attached.

That's why I kept telling everyone that it couldn't have been the weight, it had to be something else. I'm convinced the brackets being on the wrong way was only reason attempt #1 failed. I think attempt #2 with the broken 4x4 leg failed because of a combination of the lack of proper cross bracing and a weak 4x4.

While weight certainly played a role I don't think it was "too heavy" too lift with the plywood floor on. Had we installed the brackets and cross bracing correctly and checked over our 4x4 legs before lifting, we likely would have been successfully on attempt #1. It could have been real bad if we had a shooting house installed on the platform when it crashed.

 

[UP Powers]

i should have mentioned this before. when selecting 4x4's or any center support post that is weight bearing, look through the pile and find the one that is the heart. Meaning from the center of the tree. I will dig though a pile to find them.

 

[MojoRisin]

I've lifted a couple 5x6 platforms by myself with the 4 wheeler winch, but never an 8x8. I take a 2x6x12' with a notch in it and run my winch cable over it so the platform is lifted up first and then pulled over to vertical.


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That is what we do too and I posted that previously. Unless you have enough hands or a tractor to just lift it, it has to go up in a cantilever motion or too much strain is placed on the legs resting on the ground. Our platforms are 8x8 also and had the braces on the "wrong" side.

We used floor joists with our 2x4 support boards under the platform as well as screwing them in.

 

[nchunter1989]

Same thing happened to me the other week- only, we failed to brace the legs first..had the floor upside down, mounted the brackets & legs, soon as we rolled it on its side it busted the 2x6 at both corners.. Ran to town got new 2x6's & braced it. Was able to walk it up with just my BIL & myself.. This is a 4x6 on 12Ft 4x4s..

 

[BJE80]

ahhh.. got it. If it was me.. And I had the extra leg anyways. I would take the broken leg and pin up a 2x6 flat across the floor under the joists. Secure with nails on the ends 3 1/4 ring shank and it should be golden.

When it's all said and done, you will have a very nice center support and it will provide extra stability.

So critique my carpentry. My platform isn't nearly as big as Bueller's. I figured once that plywood was on it it tied it all together anyway and the load was mostly distributed. Its been up for 4 years now. But always can learn something new as I plan to do more of these.

 

[wiscwhip]

Carpentry is for whimps! Drive some I-beam pilings in the ground and box in the top with channel and angle framing, then you got yourself a tower!:);)

 

[tooln]

Come on guys, grow a pair. I've got mine on elevator brackets @ 20'. On the wooded side is a deck with a rail, just can't see it from these pics.

 

[Tree Spud]

Come on guys, grow a pair. I've got mine on elevator brackets @ 20'. On the wooded side is a deck with a rail, just can't see it from these pics.

How much life insurance has your wife taken out on you? :)

.

 

[BJE80]

How much life insurance has your wife taken out on you? :)

.

He's too old for life insurance.


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[tooln]

He's too old for life insurance.


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Yep

That's right and with age comes wisdom. My wisdom tell's me why let the next one have the $$$$. I got enough to plant me.

 

[MojoRisin]

I would replace the 2x4's under the blind as floor supports and use 2x6's. Maybe take off some of the 2x6's as cross pieces and replace them with 2x4's.

While the deck boards as cross pieces are probably overkill, I think 2x6s as floor supports would be too. I have floor joists on those as well as them being screwed in. It is all framed with 2x6s though with angle iron in each corner. I have a friend who did it all with 2x4s with no issues. This was one really heavy beast at 8'x8'.

 

[Tree Spud]

I build the platform with weather treated 2x6 and 3/4" plywood. All help together with 2.5" - 3.5" screws.

This lasts longer, resists the weather, and won't flex leading to squeaks like smaller lumber will.

 

[UP Powers]

Carpentry is for whimps! Drive some I-beam pilings in the ground and box in the top with channel and angle framing, then you got yourself a tower!:);)

So critique my carpentry. My platform isn't nearly as big as Bueller's. I figured once that plywood was on it it tied it all together anyway and the load was mostly distributed. Its been up for 4 years now. But always can learn something new as I plan to do more of these.

stairs leading up to blind. You have it secured on one 2x4. I would double that 2x4 so it has a sister. Personally I would have the platform with 2x6's. I would trim the top of the stair stringers for a trip hazard. I would add a center support to a 2x4 floor joist system. Not a huge load seeing it's a fabric blind, but overall fine. Maybe re-position the cross pieces so they are little higher out of the snow to save on wear, unless they are treated.