I'm impressed.... I would make some modifications to the design, but it's a good idea.
Stair Lift - Build your own.
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Originally Posted by Linctex
How does it work when someone who is 300+lbs is sitting in it?
The winch is rated for 250kg so that would be ~500lbs. It most likely would need some reinforcement on the track but the rest looks capable
How does it work when someone who is 300+lbs is sitting in it?
The winch is rated for 250kg so that would be ~500lbs. It most likely would need some reinforcement on the track but the rest looks capable
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Originally Posted by Linctex
How does it work when someone who is 300+lbs is sitting in it?
The winch is operating at the angle of the stairs....so its capability is well beyond the 250 kg. To me, it looks tippy, I would of built it lower to the stairs to reduce that.
How does it work when someone who is 300+lbs is sitting in it?
The winch is operating at the angle of the stairs....so its capability is well beyond the 250 kg. To me, it looks tippy, I would of built it lower to the stairs to reduce that.
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Yeah there is definitely better revisions that can be made but the concept is good.
This is a terrible design for someone who needs assistance getting up and down stairs, may just break their neck if it fails. Thin strips of wood (MDF no less!!) on a compressible padded carpeted incline is a very weak link, along with the poor assumption that the little side pieces will last.
There are other issues like needing a rail on the wall since it does not have a method of preventing swaying backwards, that it doesn't clear the top of the stairwell so an accident there would mean tumbling that much further down the stairs, and that if (when) it fails, there is nobody to sue while in some areas of the world, a person's insurance would cover much of the cost of a lift professionally designed and installed, by a company with insurance and liability.
I'm all for DIY gadgets but not in this case unless much better engineered than that. The first place I'd start is metal L-channels instead of wood, anchored down every meter or so. You could do better using U-channels set sideways so the wheels can't come out, and put a seat belt on the seat. Yes that would cost more, but those MDF rails are a joke. I haven't gone into the durability of the cheapest winch you can find either, considering # of times a person would use this is probably a minimum of twice a day which adds up over years.
What happens if the winch fails, does it become a roller coaster? Seems like a solenoid actuated brake stop that is deactivated going down and with a manual engagement switch would be a good idea since there is no testing to see how long before it breaks and what happens then. Maybe put a phone at the base of the stairs too so when someone tumbles down the stairs they can call for help if not paralyzed.
If you are frail enough to not be able to go up and down stairs, the solution should at least be less frail than you are!
There are other issues like needing a rail on the wall since it does not have a method of preventing swaying backwards, that it doesn't clear the top of the stairwell so an accident there would mean tumbling that much further down the stairs, and that if (when) it fails, there is nobody to sue while in some areas of the world, a person's insurance would cover much of the cost of a lift professionally designed and installed, by a company with insurance and liability.
I'm all for DIY gadgets but not in this case unless much better engineered than that. The first place I'd start is metal L-channels instead of wood, anchored down every meter or so. You could do better using U-channels set sideways so the wheels can't come out, and put a seat belt on the seat. Yes that would cost more, but those MDF rails are a joke. I haven't gone into the durability of the cheapest winch you can find either, considering # of times a person would use this is probably a minimum of twice a day which adds up over years.
What happens if the winch fails, does it become a roller coaster? Seems like a solenoid actuated brake stop that is deactivated going down and with a manual engagement switch would be a good idea since there is no testing to see how long before it breaks and what happens then. Maybe put a phone at the base of the stairs too so when someone tumbles down the stairs they can call for help if not paralyzed.
If you are frail enough to not be able to go up and down stairs, the solution should at least be less frail than you are!
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Originally Posted by Dave9
What happens if the winch fails, does it become a roller coaster? Seems like a solenoid actuated brake stop that is deactivated going down and with a manual engagement switch would be a good idea since there is no testing to see how long before it breaks and what happens then. Maybe put a phone at the base of the stairs too so when someone tumbles down the stairs they can call for help if not paralyzed.
I'd probably go a step farther and engineer it like Otis's safety elevator, where the cable weight rests on a spring loaded pin that jams in when the cable fails.
What happens if the winch fails, does it become a roller coaster? Seems like a solenoid actuated brake stop that is deactivated going down and with a manual engagement switch would be a good idea since there is no testing to see how long before it breaks and what happens then. Maybe put a phone at the base of the stairs too so when someone tumbles down the stairs they can call for help if not paralyzed.
I'd probably go a step farther and engineer it like Otis's safety elevator, where the cable weight rests on a spring loaded pin that jams in when the cable fails.
One would be surprised at how cheaply a lift for say 4-6 stairs can be bought for... $2,000. My step father bought one and it was one hundred percent in working order and zero problems for the past 6 years. A brand new one would have cost $5,000 plus...
Ohh and let's add this to this discussion....
All and I mean ALL of you guys on here.... MUST have a first story bedroom available to use in case of physiological changes in your physical condition.... My mom and step father greatly lamented in NOT thinking of that when building their very nice custom home in 1993-94. It was a big reason they had to sell that house and 6 acres of land. My mom's illness and my step father's knee problems highlighted the fact that the stairs were a huge safety issue. And it even with a lift installed it just was not a good circumstance. If they had thought about the possibility of issues just 10-14 years ahead they would have certainly had a first floor master bedroom.
All and I mean ALL of you guys on here.... MUST have a first story bedroom available to use in case of physiological changes in your physical condition.... My mom and step father greatly lamented in NOT thinking of that when building their very nice custom home in 1993-94. It was a big reason they had to sell that house and 6 acres of land. My mom's illness and my step father's knee problems highlighted the fact that the stairs were a huge safety issue. And it even with a lift installed it just was not a good circumstance. If they had thought about the possibility of issues just 10-14 years ahead they would have certainly had a first floor master bedroom.
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