Most of these are easily resolved by not buying two forklifts.
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But a rental storage place does not have a lift and tools nor air conditioning. The issue is being able to do bigger repairs in a comfortable and equipped setting.
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See above.
How dare there be a 20-character minimum when I’m already quoting more than 20 characters.
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But if we have enough bays to where a certain number can be allocated as “tie-up-able” with a (not-insignificant) fee associated, and there are still sufficient bays outside of that (specifically designated “non-tie-up-able”) to accommodate the 80% case of member demand, then it becomes all primarily upside for both members and the 'Space.
I only envision one or two at a maximum of those “rentable” spaces – as has been said, we don’t want to become DMS Auto Storage, and I agree with that and think that is a very straightforward controllable thing that can be done by limiting a) the number of spaces available to do so and b) the maximum number of consecutive weeks a vehicle can do so (perhaps being only 1, is my first instinct – aka it is nonrenewable).
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I suggested that a couple of years ago. When someone put in my head the thought of what exactly would happen the first time that winch cable snapped, I quickly saw why it was perhaps not the best idea and retracted the suggestion. Wouldn’t be pretty.
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We need a tug instead of a winch so we could move anything here easily if it rolled. Trailer, cars, whatever.
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At present we only have 2 bays. There’s no promise we’re getting more. If we do, it’ll probably be a maximum of 4. No chance I’m gonna think it’s a good idea to tie up half that space.
As for winch cables, put it in a place it won’t rub on the ground and get a cable rated for 12, 15, or 18,000lbs while respecting the 6,000lb lift limit. If you manage to snap that with those constraints, you deserve it.
I’d be down for a tug though.
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I have a few thoughts that may or may not be valid, but hey, THIS IS THE INTERNET!!!
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The lift and automotive space was a huge factor in me joining the makerspace. I don’t think its value is a matter of utilization alone. It’s valuable for maintenance, sure, but it’s what projects it inspires me to take on that justify its space and hopefully even more at some point.
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I see some thoughts on what the makerspace should be and whether automotive even fits in. I think this is faulty reasoning. Yes, it’s called a “makerspace” and it’s easy to get hung up on the semantics of whether things are being made or not. Ultimately, the makerspace means something different to every one of us. That’s ok! Within reason, the more things we can be, the more diverse our community will likely become. I’m for that.
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Not every project requires the same amount of investment in tools and space. The pinball group may represent a small number of members, but their projects simply need more space than a 3D printer. The HAAS machine doesn’t seem to be used a large percentage of the time, but what an incredible resource to make accessible to all of us. The current automotive space seems to be inadequate. I don’t think this needs to be a statistically driven decision.
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- As a professional rigger, nobody is going to pop a winch cable. Load is not equal to vehicle weight on the ramp. Assuming a 20% grade, a winch rated for 3 tons will happily haul a 15 ton vehicle up the ramp. The cable itself will have a safety factor and be able to handle even more weight.
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Any rigging company’s I know?
Able, DFW machinery Movers, Crocker or MEI ?
More fork lifts, doing some supervision this weekend.
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Nope. Primarily rope access these days, but I’m still a licensed rigger in NY.
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Our lease prohibits parking vehicles in the building.
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If that is the only metric I wouldn’t disagree, but what metric would you use? Would you let that metric influence a decision? At what point does a large space allocation for a single item become a disproportionate share of resources? I don’t have an answer and would like to hear other thoughts. Love it / hate it isn’t enough … need suggestions of other measurable items to include in the decision.
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Man. Totally shattering my (continued de)illusion that this screen name hides a Grand National owner…
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In this case, your reply brings up more questions than it answers. What does the exact language say? (stipulations on running vs not, those being worked on… etc. Toss me a link.)
I am not contesting that it doesn’t say that “vehicles cannot be stored” BUT what does the lease say about “stored”? (What does stored mean in this context? Does it mean that “cannot be parked for over a set time” or “cannot be parked at all”? If it means a set time, What is the time frame?)
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Just reading thru all this info on automotive lifts, etc. I would suggest as a possible option and if it is legal/allowed, we should consider an additional outdoor lift. It could be used for longer jobs and no ramp to make un-powered cars difficult to push on/off. As to the weather, it is what it is, I have fixed many a car outdoors and all lifts I have had before were in unconditioned space. Shade or covering for it would be nice, but not absolutely required. Just brainstorming another possible option.
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Definitely not even remotely allowed per our lease.
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I can envision a plausible scenario where an outdoor lift might be allowed - a mobile lift that lives indoors when it’s not in use. Suspect that getting such a beast up and down the ramp would reacquire considerable effort.
some “lifts” are portableish…