My shop-space doesn't allow for a forklift or chain-hoist so safely lifting heavy tractor castings poses problems. When I commented to a friend how useful a skyhook would be, considering my space limitations, I was surprised he had never heard of them. I asked around and discovered a lot of people don't know what skyhooks are. I thought this forum would be the place to broaden appreciation for this useful piece of equipment.
Skyhooks are understandably rare due to the high cost of materials to make them. The hook itself is cold-forged from the exotic superalloy unobtainium, then coated with diamond hard imposibilium. The hook is suspended from an intricate superstructure that does not exist. These are the features that allow skyhooks to lift unbelievable loads.
Grainger and MSC catalog skyhooks but be prepared to wait, they are special order only. Years back, Sears used to sell them but like anything good, they discontinued them. Harbor Freight sells skyhooks occasionally, but avoid skyhooks from H.F. Their skyhooks probably worked OK in Asia, where they were made, but over here on the other side of the Earth, they only function to hold things down. They should be sold as groundhooks or floorhooks.
As mentioned above, you can never count on H.F. having skyhooks in stock. In spite of H.F.'s vast buying power, it is ironic that the very ships carrying skyhooks destined for H.F. are responsible for this spotty availability. Captains of these ships, savvy to skyhooks' geographically variable force vector, understand that in mid-Pacific, skyhooks only function in the horizontal plane. Caught in mid-Pacific storms, these captains raid the cargo and use H.F.'s skyhooks as anchorless come-alongs to lash unstable, on-deck shipping containers togather.
In a pinch, H.F.'s skyhooks can be used to lift but a cable must be run up from them, then down through a pulley. But then, you'll need a real skyhook to suppport the pulley. Just skip skyhooks from H.F.
Rental places carried skyhooks back when people cared about tools, but then yahoos with no appreciation for tools started using them. When they were done, they just let them float away. They ruined it for everybody.
Don't go to Craig's List for skyhooks. Skyhooks' high price and a seller's demand for a cash transaction are an invitation to get robbed.
The skyhooks on Ebay are always missing a vital part or are just worn out. No one sells a good skyhook.
If you know someone who has a skyhook then you know it is very poor form to ask to borrow it. They may allow you to use it on the premises, but hauling a heavy item over just to lift it, what's the point?
Right now I'm thinking of a two-axis gantry skyhook - imagine the potential of that baby! It would probalby be prohibatively expensive though, even for industry.
Skyhooks are understandably rare due to the high cost of materials to make them. The hook itself is cold-forged from the exotic superalloy unobtainium, then coated with diamond hard imposibilium. The hook is suspended from an intricate superstructure that does not exist. These are the features that allow skyhooks to lift unbelievable loads.
Grainger and MSC catalog skyhooks but be prepared to wait, they are special order only. Years back, Sears used to sell them but like anything good, they discontinued them. Harbor Freight sells skyhooks occasionally, but avoid skyhooks from H.F. Their skyhooks probably worked OK in Asia, where they were made, but over here on the other side of the Earth, they only function to hold things down. They should be sold as groundhooks or floorhooks.
As mentioned above, you can never count on H.F. having skyhooks in stock. In spite of H.F.'s vast buying power, it is ironic that the very ships carrying skyhooks destined for H.F. are responsible for this spotty availability. Captains of these ships, savvy to skyhooks' geographically variable force vector, understand that in mid-Pacific, skyhooks only function in the horizontal plane. Caught in mid-Pacific storms, these captains raid the cargo and use H.F.'s skyhooks as anchorless come-alongs to lash unstable, on-deck shipping containers togather.
In a pinch, H.F.'s skyhooks can be used to lift but a cable must be run up from them, then down through a pulley. But then, you'll need a real skyhook to suppport the pulley. Just skip skyhooks from H.F.
Rental places carried skyhooks back when people cared about tools, but then yahoos with no appreciation for tools started using them. When they were done, they just let them float away. They ruined it for everybody.
Don't go to Craig's List for skyhooks. Skyhooks' high price and a seller's demand for a cash transaction are an invitation to get robbed.
The skyhooks on Ebay are always missing a vital part or are just worn out. No one sells a good skyhook.
If you know someone who has a skyhook then you know it is very poor form to ask to borrow it. They may allow you to use it on the premises, but hauling a heavy item over just to lift it, what's the point?
Right now I'm thinking of a two-axis gantry skyhook - imagine the potential of that baby! It would probalby be prohibatively expensive though, even for industry.
