Lifting stuff into racks

From: Tom Uban <uban_at_ubanproductions.com>
Date: Mon Nov 12 11:07:57 2001

At 08:30 AM 11/12/01 -0800, you wrote:
>
>--- "Charles E. Fox" <foxvideo_at_wincom.net> wrote:
>> At 01:45 AM 12/11/2001 -0600, Jeffrey Sharp wrote:
>> >What kind of equipment/strategy do we use to lift heavy equipment into
>> >place in a rack so that it can be fastened to the rack? Is there some
>> >jack or hydraulic lift that can be used?
>>
>> The technique I have used with audio recorders, ( probably not
>> as heavy as computer equipment,) is to lay the rack on its back, install
>> the equipment, round up muscular friends and stand the rack up.
>
>If you've ever seen a rack with three RA81 drives in it, you wouldn't
>suggest that method - they are well over 100lbs each, IIRC.
>
>Unfortunately, most of the big stuff I load into racks (BA-11s, RL02s,
>RA-81s) does involve using a couple of muscular friends. Little stuff
>like BA-23s, RX02s, PDP-8/a boxes, etc., I do myself. There is no way
>I could do an RA-81 by myself. If I absolutely had to, I'd probably find
>a table that was nearly the same height, but a wee bit shorter, then
>shim it up on lumber or something similar until the rails lined up, then
>extend the rails and fasten it on from there.
>
>I think the heaviest thing I put in a rack by myself was a PDP-8/i I'd
>removed to get the rack up to my bedroom when I was in high school. Since
>it's so low in the rack and the rails are so large, I remember balancing
>it on my foot to lift it up the few inches it needed. Still took several
>tries to line it all up. Moving the rack by myself was a treat - nearly
>killed me... I stood *in* the H-960, with my feet sticking out the square
>hole for cable access, then hopped it up the stairs one-at-a-time. It
>almost fell over twice with me in it. I do *not* recommend anyone else
>try it.

I typically just lift the stuff into the rack myself, even the heavy stuff
(like RK05s and the like). Most of the peripherals have a rail that can
be mounted first, and then it is just a matter of lifting the unit up and
sliding it onto the rails. The RL02s have a very nice system for doing this
where the drive is actually set onto the rails and the rail interlocks into
the drive so that the screws can be installed.

I carried a H960 rack up the stairs to my 2nd floor office as well, but I
stood inside of the rack with the rack on its side. I guess I might have a
wider staircase than Ethan does...

In any case, I am a fairly large person, so carrying and lifting these
things is not as much of a problem.

--tom
Received on Mon Nov 12 2001 - 11:07:57 GMT