Nice idea slingsandarrows Wasn't sure how I felt about people selling sets on here, but you just won me over with that post.
bbentler, I can only second what Footer said;
" There is a reason Foy, ZFX, and
Hall cost as much as they do, what they do is dangerous and should not be undertaken unless you are highly trained and have the right gear."
I always hate to be the guy who says "No" to the Director, but sometimes it's necessary. If you were to do this in-house you'd have to have a certified welder and a licensed rigger to get it done safely and right, and it'd probably wind up costing you the $3,500. that was quoted.
The possibility of using a
personnel lift is intriguing, and doable, but youhave to do it without altering the inheirent design components of the lift.
In the end you have to ask yourself how high is this thing lifting and are you willing to put your mother on it and have her do a free fall off of it from that height. If you wont put your mother, or yourself, or you partner, child, on a device then you simply can't expect the actors to do it.