Cheap, space-saving vehicle lifts?

Ian Rawlings wrote:

> If anyone wants the contact details, send me an email from a proper
> email address but bear in mind the requirement to take it away
> yourself within working hours. All three-phase stuff.

Given that the current requirements of a lift are generally very modest
it's easy and relatively inexpensive to run a 3 phase one from a single
phase supply via a 3 phase inverter.

--
EMB

On 2006-03-07, EMB <[email protected]> wrote:

> Given that the current requirements of a lift are generally very
> modest it's easy and relatively inexpensive to run a 3 phase one
> from a single phase supply via a 3 phase inverter.

Indeed, but that adds about £260 or so to the cost for a static
inverter, unless I can find one second-hand. I'll be looking into the
options once I get the lift back and an inverter is one of them if I
can't find a cheap motor or the electronics look fiddly (which they
don't).

I might even dig out my electronic notes from college from a long time
ago, ISTR that we went through the means to convert from one to the
other, but I've not touched electronics for over 10 years so I'll
probably not bother.

All I need is the means to turn the pump, so it can't be that hard.
It doesn't even have to reverse, this lift is lowered by a solenoid
opening a valve on the hydraulics and it comes down under gravity.
The ratchet is disengaged for lowering by a solenoid under electronic
control but removing the solenoid-end of the control cable and tugging
on it by hand will do just as well. Alternatively a few relays would
allow me to retain the solenoid control, but to be honest I doubt that
the electronics other than the motor will need any effort to convert
to single phase as they're most likely already only using one.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

On or around Tue, 7 Mar 2006 19:41:00 +0000, Ian Rawlings
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>On 2006-03-07, EMB <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Given that the current requirements of a lift are generally very
>> modest it's easy and relatively inexpensive to run a 3 phase one
>> from a single phase supply via a 3 phase inverter.
>
>Indeed, but that adds about £260 or so to the cost for a static
>inverter, unless I can find one second-hand. I'll be looking into the
>options once I get the lift back and an inverter is one of them if I
>can't find a cheap motor or the electronics look fiddly (which they
>don't).

or buy a single-phase motor for it and flog the 3-phase one on eBay...
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"Pereant qui ante nos nostra dixerunt"
(confound the men who have made our remarks before us.)
Aelius Donatus (4th Cent.) [St. Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes]