Pickup truck crane / hoists

[TheGrooveking]

Do any of you guys have any experience with pickup truck cranes? I was contemplating getting the Harbor Freight unit but figured I check with the braintrust on GarageJournal.

TheGrooveking

 

[Steevo]

They are only as strong as what they are bolted to. You'll need a heavy brace bolted to the frame under the corner of the bed where you want to mount the crane.

 

[mdbeck1]

They are only as strong as what they are bolted to. You'll need a heavy brace bolted to the frame under the corner of the bed where you want to mount the crane.

^X2
I bolted one onto my jeep and the first load I added it folded the rear fender in. I added a piece of 1/4" plate between the back fender and the base of the "crane". Problem somewhat solved. I'd like to put another larger piece of steel under it.

It seems to work just fine most of the time.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My neighbor bought one. He had it mounted to a big old 5-6" channel bumper. I know he's happy with it, as it has saved his back a few times, or atleast that's what he says.

 

[Steve from Socal]

I used some angle iron down to the frame in three places with mine, I have lifted as much as 500 at the next to max extension.

Steve

 

[TurnipTruck]

I built this for moving stuff around the yard. It can pick 2000lbs, but it can't swivel and load onto its own bed like your fancy store-bought one can.

 

[TheShrine]

I move heavy rock for landscaping The Shrine. This setup saved my back and made the impossible, possible for one man. Of course I'm limited by wht my MULE can do but so far so good.

I moved these....

 

[Steevo]

mdbeck: Nice Buck!

TunipTruck: That is a cool old drill press!

 

[mdbeck1]

mdbeck: Nice Buck!

TunipTruck: That is a cool old drill press!

That was a couple of years ago. I hadn't even unloaded the jeep off of the trailer (opening day of rifle season). I drove my truck to within 200 yards of the stand and parked it, hiked in, and got in my stand. About two hours later this bad boy came sneaking in. He made four steps into the clearing before he got a neck ache. I had to load him into the truck by myself. I almost went and unloaded the jeep and came back.

BTW: The sole reason I own the jeep (and crane) is to load deer feeders and retrieve deer. It has met that challenge and come in VERY handy.

 

[trust]

I have one of the HF units with the crank winch but since I usually have a topper on the truck, rather than mount it to the bed I built a hitch receiver mount for it akin to a unit I had seen several years ago. Essentially it goes in the hitch with the hoist off to the edge of the bed with a leg to the ground so the downward foce is not on the truck per se and the twist is against the hitch. Works ok, takes no bed space and I can move it between truck and jeep should I need to. I dont have pics here at work but can post some tonight if anyone wants to see it.

 

[mdbeck1]

I have one of the HF units with the crank winch but since I usually have a topper on the truck, rather than mount it to the bed I built a hitch receiver mount for it akin to a unit I had seen several years ago. Essentially it goes in the hitch with the hoist off to the edge of the bed with a leg to the ground so the downward foce is not on the truck per se and the twist is against the hitch. Works ok, takes no bed space and I can move it between truck and jeep should I need to. I dont have pics here at work but can post some tonight if anyone wants to see it.

Mine had the hand winch and I got tired of it real quick. I also wanted to do an upgrade on the black trailer so I took the 2k winch off of the trailer and mounted it on the HF crane. It was a pretty easy swap. The hard part was finding wire big enough to run the winch. Oh, and I put a switch in the line so that the wiring wasn't always hot at the winch.

 

[trust]

Yeah, if I used it more frequently I'd do the same, the hand winch is really not of much value as the few times I've used it I ended up lifting via the hydraulics more than the cable.

What gauge wire did you end up running for power?

 

[5lima30]

^X2
I bolted one onto my jeep and the first load I added it folded the rear fender in. I added a piece of 1/4" plate between the back fender and the base of the "crane". Problem somewhat solved. I'd like to put another larger piece of steel under it.

It seems to work just fine most of the time.

I want to fabricate one that will fit into the 2" reciever hitch of my truck for the same purpose .

 

[bobadame]

Here's what I did with mine.

 

[mdbeck1]

Yeah, if I used it more frequently I'd do the same, the hand winch is really not of much value as the few times I've used it I ended up lifting via the hydraulics more than the cable.

What gauge wire did you end up running for power?

I think I ran 8 gauge and it worked until I put a good load on it. Last year I just hooked a jump battery up to the junction box on the post. That meant that power had a short run and it worked better.

Of course last deer season the mice had eaten my wiring harness so now I have to rebuild it before deer season this year.

 

[mdbeck1]

I want to fabricate one that will fit into the 2" reciever hitch of my truck for the same purpose .

I think I saw one that was set up that way. Was it on Cabela's? ...or some other site. I think if you had some square steel tubing and a welder you could make one without too many problems.

 

[trust]

I think I ran 8 gauge and it worked until I put a good load on it. Last year I just hooked a jump battery up to the junction box on the post. That meant that power had a short run and it worked better.

Of course last deer season the mice had eaten my wiring harness so now I have to rebuild it before deer season this year.

Thanks, I was thinking around that gauge but hadnt worked it out. The stand alone battery is another idea to consider. At least for the truck, the Jeep is getting winch power to the back anyway so i can use that. Bummer about the mice, my mother in laws car needs a new #1 spark plug wire every time we visit from the darn things....

FWIW the receiver set up works well but there is more twist in the mount with the load away from the body than I was comfortable with. I used 2"x/250 wall square tubing for the mount. After using it to load a 55g drum of tar I added an outrigger and moved the 'foot' out to stabilize it and I am much more comfortable using it now.

 

[Alfa Ron]

Years ago, my company truck had a lightweight crane that folded into the bumper manufactured by Western Mule. They model we had could lift 1,000 lbs. with its electric winch, but not much more. It was very handy for stuff like generators, compressors, and the occasional drum of soil. When not in use, it stowed out of sight and out of the way.

 

[snorky18]

I built this for moving stuff around the yard. It can pick 2000lbs, but it can't swivel and load onto its own bed like your fancy store-bought one can.

Can it be steered with 2000 LBS hanging out that far behind the rear bumper?

 

[mdbeck1]

Years ago, my company truck had a lightweight crane that folded into the bumper manufactured by Western Mule. They model we had could lift 1,000 lbs. with its electric winch, but not much more. It was very handy for stuff like generators, compressors, and the occasional drum of soil. When not in use, it stowed out of sight and out of the way.

INTERESTING!!!!

It looks like you replace the whole bumper??? I've been wanting a crane for the truck for a long time. Any idea of what they cost?

 

[AZAV8]

Or you could use the SpitzLift receiver hitch crane. Follow this link:

http://www.spitzlift.com/cranes/vehicles/receiver-hitch-cranes.html

Capacity ranges from 700 lb to 900 lb. and extends up to 6 ft. Its small and compact and you don't have to add any steel plates or holes to or through your pickup bed. Most everybody has a receiver hitch on his/her truck so this works with the minimum of work. They also have a floor truck that makes it into an engine hoist type crane.

Phil

 

[Alfa Ron]

INTERESTING!!!!

It looks like you replace the whole bumper??? I've been wanting a crane for the truck for a long time. Any idea of what they cost?

Check out the website, the have a good FAQ, a demo video, and contact info. I don't know what the costs are, but they will tell you, I'm sure.

 

[trust]

Thats the set up I tried to copy from memory, they have a very nice product but IIRC retail was over a grand several years ago which put it out of my arena

 

[mdbeck1]

Check out the website, the have a good FAQ, a demo video, and contact info. I don't know what the costs are, but they will tell you, I'm sure.

There's a link at the top for "buy now". There are two for pickups. One was around $1k. The other was around $1700.

 

[trust]

fwiw, reworked it to move the foot away from the vehicle to reduce twist

 

[Steve from Socal]

The receiver hitch thing is clever but, by the time your set up I am done and gone!

Steve

 

[Zeke]

I mentioned something recently on another thread about pick up cranes/lifts involving an a-frame set up possibly using the rear stake pockets. Someone pointed out the SP's were not set up for vertical loads and they are not. However, that part can be overcome with a little ingenuity and engineering.

So, my idea (and I'm gonna do it) is to make up a collapsible a-frame that will span the 2 pockets. It will have a truss bar to keep it from spreading and placing any side loads on the pockets. At the top there will be a ****** block as well as a hoop or ring. This crane will need 2 winches or a way to switch over.

The primary winch will lift the load through the block higher than the tailgate. The 2nd winch will serve to stand the frame nearly upright so the load swings over the tailgate. There will be safety stops to keep it from swinging past vertical, but they will be removable in order to lay the frame forward for short hauls. I will have to weld some ears on the rectangle tubing that goes into the pockets to provide the pivot and make a socket that forms the "A" at the top. Then bolt in the cross brace high enough to clear the load.

Why all this? I think the materials needed are minimal, like the whole thing can be built with one 20' stick and some bolts. And it will break down and lay flat on the way to the pick. A hand winch should be plenty for both lifts but I have a power winch laying about doing nothing. A chainfall or come along will also do the job. Lots of versatility here. It will be faster than a hydraulic pump with a greater height capacity, as high as I want to make it.

I'm not expecting to lift more than a couple hundred pounds but will build it strong enough. Pics are scarce on the web but this one captures the basic idea.

I can think of several ways to approach this but before I get the welder out, give me your thoughts.

 

[Sureshot]

Google gin poles. Used a lot in the oilfield for small to mega lifts.

 

[Riverside]

A-frame type cranes:
I once bolted a couple of 16' 2x4's to the gate of my trailer to form a quick-and-easy a-frame crane. I attached the cable from the tongue-mounted winch and I lifted a few ~250# items 10' up to mount on poles.
Most of the time though, if you want a crane with your truck or trailer, it is for loading the truck/trailer. An A-frame crane isn't necessarily the best option for that.

Spitz Lift:
I have a Spitz Lift crane for my van. It has been handy, but I made my own hitch mount and it has a bit more play than I am comfortable with. I'm not sure if the factory ones are better. In any case, if your vehicle is not on level ground, watch out, it will swing.

 

[AndyL]

Out of curiosity - mostly because I'm looking for one...

Where's the middle ground units?

The harbour freights are too light duty, the small hiabs (and Hyundai and... Etc etc etc) you see on the HD mechanic trucks are too expensive.

 

[WWIIjeep]

Years ago, my company truck had a lightweight crane that folded into the bumper manufactured by Western Mule. They model we had could lift 1,000 lbs. with its electric winch, but not much more. It was very handy for stuff like generators, compressors, and the occasional drum of soil. When not in use, it stowed out of sight and out of the way.

INTERESTING!!!!

It looks like you replace the whole bumper??? I've been wanting a crane for the truck for a long time. Any idea of what they cost?

Yes, you replace the whole bumper. We had the 1-ton version on our old Dodge service truck. It worked very well, but it was a PITA to mount on the frame of that particular truck. Hopefully by now they've made easier or more universal frame mounting adapters. No idea on present cost, but when we got ours, it was cheap enough that our tightwad boss was willing to buy it.

 

[Zeke]

Google gin poles. Used a lot in the oilfield for small to mega lifts.

Thanks. I found a few more but all on 2T and heavier trucks. I can't imagine anyone not having made these by now. Great way to lift something like a walk behind snowblower, compressor or large welder. For a really stout unit I could bolt it to the bed floor but I think I'll try the light weight design first.

I have some ideas about a hitch mount version as well. But with the gate down, it would be hanging out there. I'd put a foot on that one and then it starts to get cumbersome.

 

[Sureshot]

Thanks. I found a few more but all on 2T and heavier trucks. I can't imagine anyone not having made these by now. Great way to lift something like a walk behind snowblower, compressor or large welder. For a really stout unit I could bolt it to the bed floor but I think I'll try the light weight design first.

I have some ideas about a hitch mount version as well. But with the gate down, it would be hanging out there. I'd put a foot on that one and then it starts to get cumbersome.

The poles don't have to be very heavy as it is all compression load. I don't see a need for tieing the sides either. Our a frames were rigid and the poles had enough tolerance on the bottom to let them slide together. You will want a ****** block near the pole pivot point. If you put it back far enough you can stand the poles with the winch.

I a truck bed I would be more inclined to make a fishhook on a big flat plate and bolt it in the bed. Plenty of lift for most stuff. Google swivel truck crane or
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52149

 

[ADSR]

I have one mounted in the trailer hitch as well.

 

[Zeke]

The poles don't have to be very heavy as it is all compression load. I don't see a need for tieing the sides either. Our a frames were rigid and the poles had enough tolerance on the bottom to let them slide together. You will want a ****** block near the pole pivot point. If you put it back far enough you can stand the poles with the winch.

I a truck bed I would be more inclined to make a fishhook on a big flat plate and bolt it in the bed. Plenty of lift for most stuff. Google swivel truck crane or
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52149

I'm not following that. I plan on mounting the winch forward in the truck bed if only temporary. I was wondering about using that same line to lift and stand the frame. But I haven't figured it out.

 

[Farmall450]

I think I saw one that was set up that way. Was it on Cabela's? ...or some other site. I think if you had some square steel tubing and a welder you could make one without too many problems.

Beats dragging that bad boy up by hand!

Ratchet straps could help in a pinch I suppose.

 

[mdbeck1]

I'm not following that. I plan on mounting the winch forward in the truck bed if only temporary. I was wondering about using that same line to lift and stand the frame. But I haven't figured it out.

You could always use the winch to set the frame height, then connect chains or cables to the frame and reroute the winch cable for lifting.

 

[Zeke]

You could always use the winch to set the frame height, then connect chains or cables to the frame and reroute the winch cable for lifting.

I can set the frame by hand before the lift. Once the load is in the air, there will be a strain on both the line and the frame. How do I relive the strain on the line in order to stand the frame up?

I have thought of placing a clamp stop on the line which would then pull the frame, but that's iffy if it slips. I guess I could chain the load, lower it until the line goes slack and then switch over.

I'm sure there are ways to do this.

 

[mdbeck1]

I can set the frame by hand before the lift. Once the load is in the air, there will be a strain on both the line and the frame. How do I relive the strain on the line in order to stand the frame up?

I have thought of placing a clamp stop on the line which would then pull the frame, but that's iffy if it slips. I guess I could chain the load, lower it until the line goes slack and then switch over.

I'm sure there are ways to do this.

All of the ideas above will work.
- Most of the old timers (and I'm talking tow trucks from the 40's and 50's) had a hand type winch for the A frame height adjustment and an electric (or hydraulic) winch for the actual lifting.
- I guess that you could also put a hydraulic jack in for the A frame height adjustment. ...or you could just peg the load at the top and then the frame would lift higher.
- ...or use a fence stretcher (come along) to pull the a frame up...

 

[Riverside]

- I guess that you could also put a hydraulic jack in for the A frame height adjustment. ...

If you raise the frame with a jack, you will need a significantly heavier frame to prevent flexing/bending than if you pull it from the top with a cable (compressive load only).

I think two separate winches (one to raise the frame and one to raise the load) will offer the most flexibility and safety. A winch with a brake will increase the safety factor.