Building a Crane for Heavy Timbers

"Andy's Little Homestead" has a Youtube video of how to build a log crane for lifting heavy timbers:  

Does anyone have exerience/a better way of lifting logs alone or with two people?

I have an idea to use a crane like this to set 8 vertical posts in an octagon. 15' long round logs if set into the ground, 10' if set on piers.

This will be for the "New Member With a Project" thread in this forum.

I am thinking of building something along these lines, but one story. I love the roof, yes, but also the post construction combined with framing. The possibilities to fill between the posts are legion. Also, I am paying particular attention to their concrete piers and how they joined the floor joists with the posts.

Don't yet know what crane type would best fit your final form of construction, but I usually start these idea searches with either:

- pinterest
- google images

Both of which are a super fast way to scan for potential ideas on DIY gin-poles, derrick/hoists, and any other number of nifty lifting ideas; there's a zillion crane types, and many can be home-crafted. Be warned ... I usually lose an hour or two on these searches, once I start down a search path.

In the videos, I saw a bit of "pucker" safety tactics (as in, not much safety, and I was waiting for folks or timbers to fall), so please be sure read all about your final chosen lifting method, before launching into it. Everyone should know about hard hats, safety harness/ropes (what roofers use), and such.

Not that I've ever had things fall on me ...

Tom Bergman wrote:"Andy's Little Homestead" has a Youtube video of how to build a log crane for lifting heavy timbers:  

Does anyone have exerience/a better way of lifting logs alone or with two people?

I have an idea to use a crane like this to set 8 vertical posts in an octagon. 15' long round logs if set into the ground, 10' if set on piers.

This will be for the "New Member With a Project" thread in this forum.

I love the idea of building a crane for lifting heavy timbers! I’ve seen Andy’s video, and it’s a great resource for DIYers looking to make their own lifting equipment. For lifting logs alone or with two people, I’ve used a simple A-frame crane in the past, which works really well for lifting large timbers without needing a ton of heavy machinery. You can even rig up a pulley system to make it more manageable for just one or two people.

For your project, setting the 15’ round logs into the ground sounds like a solid idea, but if you’re going for posts on piers, you might want to consider adding some form of stabilization or a guide to keep the posts straight while setting them, especially with such long logs. It can be tricky to maintain the right angle without a proper jig or guide.

Also, if you're trying to minimize effort when lifting, using a block and tackle or ratchet winch might help you get the logs into place without too much strain. It allows for greater control when lifting heavy timber without needing a lot of muscle power.

Would love to hear what others have tried, too, especially with building cranes for specific timber projects!