Crane well: pros, cons, features

Crane wells have a very special, unique appearance. Our site of advice decided to figure out what are the advantages and disadvantages of this version of the lifting mechanism for a well with water, how you can build a well crane with your own hands.

We are sure that you know perfectly well what a crane well looks like. And even if they did not use such a structure to raise water, they definitely saw it in films about rural life. Well cranes are still popular and are used quite often in real life due to two compelling advantages:

• Very easy and simple to use. A traditional well drum with a bucket on a chain needs to be lifted for a long time and with effort by twisting the handle, which is not easy given the weight of a bucket of water. But even children, the elderly and everyone who has never held anything heavier than a glass of water in their hands can use the crane. The bucket of water rises thanks to the lever, counterweight. Remember Archimedes: “Give me where to stand and I will turn the Earth.” It was about the law of leverage. Thanks to the crane, a bucket of water literally flies up from the well, the main thing is not to overdo it and not to spill;
• The crane structure looks colorful, fits perfectly into the country-style landscape design, to which the portal devoted a detailed article. In general, if you want something unusual, rustic, nostalgic on the site – nothing better than a crane well or at least an imitation of it is impossible to think of.

The main disadvantage of the crane-lifting mechanism is that it is not suitable for deep wells. If the water is at a depth of 5 meters, the crane is applicable. Deeper is impractical. You have to make a very long lever to compensate for the depth of the lift, the structure will take up a lot of space. In addition, the long rocker arm will break more often, it will have to be strengthened, the entire crane will turn out to be massive and uncomfortable..

The second design flaw of the well crane is that you cannot cover the water source with a house, it will interfere with the lifting mechanism. It is necessary to cover the well with a lid for safety and protection from debris.

Structurally, the well-crane consists of:

• A thick support leg that digs into the ground. The most durable part of the structure, the foundation of everything else;
• Short rocker arm with counterweight. A heavy load serves them. Helps to lift the bucket of water faster and easier, balancing the strength of the person and the weight of the load;
• Arrow. A lever that is attached to the support with corners or hinges. Thanks to them, he descends into the well and rises back;
• At the end of the arrow, a pole is attached with a chain, on which a bucket of water will hang;
• Some well cranes also have a travel stop – an additional counterweight support, behind the entire structure. But this detail is optional.

It is convenient to use a fork of a fairly thick tree as a support..

Build a well crane with your own hands, in general, is not difficult. The main thing is to correctly calculate all the parameters so that the structure works as needed and it is easy to raise the water.

The following parameters are used:

• H is the depth of the mine, the well, and you need to start from it, making calculations;
• L is the length of the pole with the chain. Usually the length of the chain itself does not exceed a meter at the top and half a meter at the bottom, where the bucket is attached;
• h₁ – height of the support-post;
• h₂ – distance from the support-support to the center of the well;
• l₁ – the length of the large arm of the rocker;
• l₂ – the length of the second, small shoulder.

The following simple formulas are used in the calculations:

• h₂ = H – 0.7 meters;
• h₁ = N / 2 + 2.4 meters;
• L = H + 1.5 meters;
• l₁= H – 0.2 meters;
• l₂= H – 0.8 meters.

As you can see, knowing the depth of the well, which depends on the level of the aquifer, it is easy to calculate the sizes of all parts of the crane hoist. Now such structures are made not only from wood, as before, but also from duralumin pipes..