I like the idea of that homebuilt one. I'm always trying to wrestle heavy stuff into the back of a truck. And you could pretty easily put that into the back of the truck if you like.
The Hero one looks good too, but it looks a little more bulky and heavy. I like the nylon strap and the fact that it has a pulley at the top that aligns the strap to the lift mechanism and allows the winch to be out of the way. I looked it up, they cost $1289, which is a little expensive, but probably worth it if you use it a lot.
I have an old Vermette 512 lifter that I normally use for stuff like that. It's much more substantial than the hand truck, more like a mini forklift. Genie makes some similar products. They will lift 500 lbs 12 feet high. I used it to successfully lift some 500lb steel beams about 8 feet up to hold a sagging floor last fall but that was about the limit of it's capability. They are great for putting heavy stuff into a truck. I see them on Craigslist occasionally.
They cost something like $4000 new and I don't know if they are even still available - I bought it for something like $200 because it needed some welding repairs. The guy I bought it from sold used office furniture and used it to lift steel office desks on pallet racks.
It's nice but there are two problems - first because of the design it doesn't go flat on the floor in the down position. You have to have about 3-4 inches of clearance under the item you are lifting. I can usually solve that with blocks of wood. Second, it's not really all that portable. It weighs probably 120 lbs and is pretty large and bulky. I have gotten it into the pickup, but it's a bit of a job. Here's a picture of one, you can add sections to the mast up to 12 feet high.
