Anyone know anything about bed cranes? I'm talking about the small cranes I have seen mounted on the back corner of pickup beds (looks liks if mounts in the stake hole), or on utility bodies.
I'm thinking about getting one for my 96 long bed, and wonder about how it mounts, exactly, what reinforcement, if any, needs to be done.
How are they powered? Is it, manual, an electrical thing, or some kind of hydraulic setup?
I will be lifting about 500 lbs, max, at a time, 55 gallon drums of oil.
I wonder if this will be cheaper than a lift gate. I am hoping hot to have to put a lift gate on the truck, for cosmetic reasons


Recommendations welcome.

Thanks,
Chris

 

Trucks did a special on something like that. It drills in to your bed rails and can lift quite a load actually. The same company also makes one that attaches to your hitch if you don't want to drill holes. I have no clue who makes it though.

 

I'm looking at the same thing. I think harbor Freight has them for about $100. Not sure how they are mounted. I think just a plate bolted thru the bed. The hoist is removable. Just throw it inthe bed of the truck.
bentwings

 

i have looked at a couple, they looked cheap to me. i was thinking today of building one that mounts into the hitch of the truck so i can remove it. i'll try and design something in the next week, i have a 55 gal. drum in the back now i cant get out LOL

 

Getting it out is easy...ever heard of gravity?

Jim

 

Whimp

Who needs a crane?

I also ask, who needs a neck?

Pick it up and toss it in or get some long planks and roll it up. Can you lay the drums on their sides?

I would just lift them myself though.

 

Scotty says all we need is more *** )

 

Scotty says that once you roll the truck over onto it's roof, it reeeeal easy to unload the bed.

 

If you're concerned about asthetics, it seems to me that a lift gate would be far less offensive than a crane.

 

As far as asthetics, the one in this ad will store below the edge of the bed so it won't show at all.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=1647

I have one of the ones below mounted on the side of my 16' trailer for loading and unloading and it works well enough for the price. Not as well as Scotty but better than my back and you know that Scotty can't be everywhere at once.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=37555

The one that I got came w/ 2 angle iron supports to mount under the bed. Not near enough if you're really going to use it in my opinion. Mine is mounted on channel welded to the trailer frame.

 

Caution is advised . . . . . . .

I got one of the lesser expensive one's a while back. It pretty much mounts with a flat plate that's bolts to the floor of the bed, and then has a mount thing that attach's to the side of the bed, adjacent to the rear steak hole thing.

With the boom straight out back, one can lift quite a bit, and that's all good.

The problem is when one swings the boom around so as to set the load in the bed, the load places a substantial load on the top mount, which pulls very hard on the beds side wall (at the rear steak pocket).

The darn side wall wants to bend over into the bed!

If you're talking about say, 100lbs, then maybe it's OK, but anything above that, and you're risking substantial damage to the sheet metal that makes up the beds side wall. Face it, that's all that's there.

If you're talking about approx 450lbs (55gal of water, oil may weigh more, I dunno, I'm too tired to think about it) or more, then most certainly, go with the style that goes through the floor, and mounts directly to the trucks frame.


Hope this helps.

 

Ya'll stop makin fun of scotty , he could bench press YOU!

Kcastunhashadtoomuchbeertonight

 

I have seen one in 4 wheel and off road magazine that puts the wieght of the load on the ground (crane frame extends to a plate on the ground), and uses a bed stake hole so it won't fall over. This crane in particular ever swiveled so you could pick up the load and swing it into the bed. This crane I saw could lift engine blocks, it was designed for junkyard junkies in mind. I don't remember who made it though, I will see if I can find that issue. I will post back if I find it.

 

JR,
That might be http://www.spitzlift.net, another member sent me. I'm trying to get over the sticker shock, but it connects to the receiver so you don't have to make mods to the truck, which I like.
If the one you were thinking of is different, please post it. I'm open to all ideas at this point.


Thanks,
Chris