A technical marvel in the docking area of the building of pop venue Doornroosje in Nijmegen, the Netherlands . The rotating lift can lift tour buses and trucks 5 meters in the air and rotate them 180 degrees. This makes it possible for these vehicles to easily and safely drive out again.

[u/dannybluey]

[u/junkman21]

This seems like a very complicated way of accomplishing the same thing that railroad wheelhouses have been doing since the 1840s.

https://youtu.be/-1EJ6WJxj4c?si=ChPb8o8oaMqY078Z&t=88

[u/Fabulous_Pressure_96 → u/junkman21]

Yeah, a rotating plate would be way easier.

[u/thesweeterpeter → u/junkman21]

That's exactly what I thought.

I watched it a few times to see if maybe it was because the axis had to shift mid turn in that it doesn't have the clearance for the full diameter, but the axis doesn't seem to change at all.

I even did a sketch to see if maybe it's offset and not centered on the platform, and would that be more efficient, but it wouldn't be, it only increases the overall radius of the assembly

I can't for the life of me figure out why this is a better design.

It's more complex, it's more expensive, it's slower, it has more vulnerability, it's more dangerous.

I can't think of a single redeeming quality. This is going to bother me a lot

[u/dannybluey → u/thesweeterpeter]

The lift goes up 5 meters to avoid hitting other vehicles that might also be parked inside the loading dock. They have very limited space available .

[u/thesweeterpeter → u/dannybluey]

This makes sense. This is a good answer

[u/Nerezza_Floof_Seeker → u/dannybluey]

My issue with that is the area around the lift seems to be marked off anyway (with closely marked diagonal lines) and it doesnt seem like that area is smaller than the footprint of the lifts rotation.

[u/CookieWifeCookieKids → u/dannybluey]

But there’s space with yellow lines to either side of the truck. So no one parking there.

[u/JusticeUmmmmm → u/CookieWifeCookieKids]

No one issupposed to be parked there

[u/drewdrewdrew11 → u/dannybluey]

Right gotcha, I was like why couldn’t it be 6 inches off the ground? What a solution to actually go through with.

[u/J3wb0cca → u/thesweeterpeter]

It’s a job creator and an excuse to empty any surplus in the municipality budget.

[u/JusticeUmmmmm → u/thesweeterpeter]

You can install it without removing the floor.

It could've been an afterthought and they had to design someone to fit in the space available without damaging the foundation to install a rotating floor.

[u/thesweeterpeter → u/JusticeUmmmmm]

But this gantry hangs from the structure above. That load can't be added as an afterthought. No one designs a steel structure to be able to accept an additional 30 tons of dynamic load. Reinforcing the structure would require additional foundations for the beefed up columns too.

[u/NaoTwoTheFirst → u/junkman21]

Yeah like why lift them? Just turn the base their standing on

[u/cheesemangee → u/junkman21]

I literally came here to say, "would this not be more effective on the ground?"

[u/Kaine_8123 → u/junkman21]

Yes, but this option leaves the floor stationary and seeing the support pillars so close to the base it would be difficult to make the floor spin in the same manner, but yes this "invention" did over complicate a simple procedure.

[u/junkman21 → u/Kaine_8123]

My response to your concerns would be:

1. I don't see how floor clearance is an issue for pillars if it isn't a clearance issue a few feet in the air. And

2. I wonder if they would need as many columns (or columns as thick) if they weren't needed to support the infrastructure that's now lifting a 6-10 ton vehicle! lol

[u/MrP1232007 → u/junkman21]

Even empty that artic is closer to 20 tons, especially including the Moffett on the back. Assuming it can lift a fully laden unit then you're looking at a safe working load for that lift of 60 tons.

[u/junkman21 → u/MrP1232007]

I would hope they are only turning the truck once it's empty! The back side (upon entry) would have to be the side with access space anyway, right?

[u/MrP1232007 → u/junkman21]

They load from either side, the curtains slide open.

Wouldn't be unrealistic to lift full. 60 tons isn't a lot for a gantry crane really. SWL is probably closer to 200 ton I'd imagine.

[u/junkman21 → u/MrP1232007]

I know they can be unloaded from either side but if they are loading from the sides, this design makes even less sense. If you are leaving enough space for forklifts, you should have enough space to turn the vehicle around on the floor.

[u/MrP1232007 → u/junkman21]

A forklift will use a lot less space than is needed to turn that wagon, even on a turntable.

[u/Kaine_8123 → u/junkman21]

So unlike the above apparatus in order for the floor to spin everything in that symmetrical circle around the truck will also have to spin. So instead of just the aerial device that holds just the length of the truck (yes the clearance is the circumference of the truck) you have to look at the whole circumference in the floor and that make that move.

And about the support structure, you're absolutely correct without all of that above then yes, you don't need as many supports and the movement of the floor could be much more manageable. The flip side to this is the components that you will need to repair are in the air and easily accessible as opposed to underneath the floor that you would need to gain access to to maintain it.

So while both options do complete the task successfully, the underneath the floor option would present more obstacles in this specific instance. But like I said, they still over complicated the plumbing here. So you're going to end up with stopped up drains all the time.

[u/junkman21 → u/Kaine_8123]

Someone above said it was because, unlike in this particular video, there are often other vehicles (and I would guess packages and pallets and whatnot) in that space. So, lifting the truck 5M in the air lifts the truck over these obstacles so it can be turned in the air (free of the obstacles) and then dropped back down. I guess I can accept that if you don't have another area where you can do this.

[u/drdavid1234 → u/junkman21]

You can see the floor area beneath is yellow boxed and forbidden for parking. This is over engineering like so many things when engineers decide not accountants

[u/nothingspecifical1 → u/junkman21]

This. I was wondering why not a lazy Susan type of contraption.

[u/CompromisedToolchain → u/junkman21]

New ideas happen to be that way..

[u/Shischkabob]

A turntable on the ground seems like a significantly less expensive option to do the same thing. Would it work to drive the truck off the lift and on to a second floor or something?

[u/TryDrugs]

Why does it need to go up, and why so high?

[u/slickest_willy2 → u/TryDrugs]

Looks as though the orange barrier on the right would prevent rotation of something that long on the ground. More space in the air

[u/AnnoyedVelociraptor]

I cannot imagine the cost of this system having to lift a maximum of 40 metric tons, its sensors, maintaince vs JUST BUILDING A ROAD.

[u/Angus_McFifeXIII → u/AnnoyedVelociraptor]

This building is in the middle of the city, not much place to 'just build a road'. You think that they invented this system if they could've had a cheaper option with just a bit of asphalt?

[u/ConnoisseurBrainRot → u/Angus_McFifeXIII]

Yes, because overengineering is a constant problem.

[u/Worldly-Potato-4870 → u/ConnoisseurBrainRot]

Or sometimes people don't understand the (exact)requirements and thinks something is a lot cheaper/easier then it is actually to do something properly.

[u/noobflounder]

U turns are so inefficient compared to this.

[u/InformalPenguinz]

Ok but like 5m seems excessive.. like.. 1m would do.

[u/Angus_McFifeXIII → u/InformalPenguinz]

I would say stability. If you look this video:

https://youtu.be/kkTkmUi1WNA?si=6cmkApARYXYsEBuC

You can clearly see that when the bus descends it's a bit wobbly. So maybe raising the whole thing to the top locks it in place and it has less chance of tipping over during rotation?

[u/MikhailxReign → u/Angus_McFifeXIII]

Then only lift it like 10mm off the ground. Hell put HD castors on it and dont leave the ground

[u/RustyNK]

I'm glad half the comments in here are "but why? Rotating floor makes more sense"

[u/drdavid1234 → u/RustyNK]

Also think of the lost building space in the second floor needed to accommodate the lifted truck. This is madness engineering solution for a problem solved 150 years ago for 100 tonne train engines. Who the hell authorised this?

[u/korg64]

Why not invent a machine that totally disassembles the vehicle and reassembles it facing the opposite direction, that would be a technical wonder. Or just do what we've been doing with trains for over a 100 years and make a rotating floor.

This is stupid.

[u/Individual-Cover869]

What is so technically marvellous about this? I don’t see it.

[u/jdbeany]

Why not a simple rotating floor platform? Seen one at b&o museum used to reposition locomotives.

[u/lovelife0011]

A bit more than interesting you know! 😳

[u/TimeTravelingChris]

Technical marvel? What?

[u/Neon_Cone]

I don’t see why it needs to be lifted at all, railways have been using turntables for over a hundred years, just do that.

[u/Winterrevival]

So... instead of designing parking area properly, we design overcomplicated systems that do the work of a turntable?

[u/First-Expression2823]

Do they make a portable version of this? Parking poles seem real attracted to my car if you know what I mean. (it means I can't park)

[u/Tight-Lettuce7980]

I've seen people here talking about this being inefficient and that a rotating platform would be better, but from an engineering perspective that would be much more difficult imo. Creating a whole circular rotating system in the ground in an existing building seems like a bigger hassle compared to the system they put up there.

[u/Cautious-Flatworm198]

This reminds me of the first time I ride in a truck elevator. Wild ride

[u/BackItUpWithLinks]

Why does it need to get more than 6” off the ground?

[u/Angus_McFifeXIII → u/BackItUpWithLinks]

I would say stability. If you look this video:

https://youtu.be/kkTkmUi1WNA?si=6cmkApARYXYsEBuC

You can clearly see that when the bus descends it's a bit wobbly. So maybe raising the whole thing to the top locks it in place and it has less chance of tipping over during rotation?

[u/BackItUpWithLinks → u/Angus_McFifeXIII]

I didn’t see how there could be a reason, but that makes sense.

🤙

[u/badguid → u/BackItUpWithLinks]

As a german, probably because these cars are 6" tall

[u/Electrical_Wrangler5]

Is it a crane inside a fleet crane?

[u/ICouldEvenBeYou]

Everyone is asking the same questions and no one is answering them. Neat!

[u/alexwoodgarbage]

The amount of salty ass arm-chair experts in this thread. Jfc.

[u/Reee_Dwarf]

Overcomplicated, just make a turntable

[u/Arschgeige42]

Turntable takes to much space. With the cran, you can turn over other parking vehicles.

[u/Neon_Cone → u/Arschgeige42]

This takes up way more space, not to mention while a truck is in the air, there is a giant hole left in the ground.

[u/Arschgeige42 → u/Neon_Cone]

No and no.

[u/Lahadhima]

…couldn’t it get the same outcome by lifting the vehicle 1 inch into the air??

[u/Snooper55]

Nijmegen.. greatest march I've ever done. Doing it again next year!

[u/ThaUniversal]

What is a "pop venue"? Is that like a concert venue?

[u/retr0ctv]

I mean, sure, if you want to be "impressed" by hundred year old tech, why not? This is pure black magic

[u/pebz101]

This is stupid, you build a building that can support these trucks, failing that you redesign a path for trucks to go knock down a wall build a new road.

If that's is not possible, only accept smaller trucks.

If that still is an issue a large rotating platform would work.

How do you get to the point where you want lift a truck off the ground. What if the roof falls or that mechanism fails.. that just seems insane.

[u/SophiaThrowawa7]

Wdym drive out again? It just got rotated to face inwards, and reversing is a thing anyway. Shit sounds like it was written with ai