Harbor Freight "Pickup Crane" hydraulic hoist

[85_Ranger4x4]

85_Ranger4x4, I looked at your 85 build. Great work and it seems like you're fresh out of high school. Awesome. That's about when I did my most ambitious work on modding cars myself. Question... How do you get traction with the rear wheels with no weight over them and that short block?

I got it my sophomore year of high school right after I turned 16... in 2000.

It stayed pretty stock until the V8 swap in 2011.

For traction, explorer 8.8 with limited slip and if there is a hint of slickness on the road 4wd to keep the front in the front.

 

[barrys]

That's amazing work on the '85. I've always loved the look of that vintage too.
Oh the time and back strength available for hobbies in my youth...

I found this vid on someone who got the bed mount version of the crane to work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H5c1T-6pCI

But, that guy did a ton of work to get that installation rigid. At first I didn't like it. But, now I'm a fan of the outrigger design. Looking at the video above and similar ones, it seems that taking the truck's suspension out of the picture is a good thing and relying on the strength of even thick sheet metal might be too much to ask. I have a bed liner too and I wasn't thrilled with the idea of cutting big holes in that since I like the way it doesn't allow pockets of water to sit and fester.

 

[bobbywalter]

hmmm.. that video...when i was 8 years old.....i would have seen that as a bad idea.. and where i am from i am the dumb guy...



if you do it like i mentioned it will meet or exceed its rated capacity comfortably.

the key to the sub structure is the 10 ga to 1/4 in 1 foot x 1 foot or so top plate....which you knew intuitively. put it under the bed liner.

the load spread with two 3 foot pieces of angle or box like he used bridging the bed will be monstrous.

do not make a mount to the frame like he drew up or you will rip the bed floor....he did not do that...thankfully...if he had more room he would have and that would have been a bummer later..


my outrigger needs a jack under the hitch sometimes to rig it down...i just run lil 5/16 or 3/8 bolts for pins in the various holes... and the new front section for it will actually be a trailer jack.

note the base is built for use with a tail gate down, or up, or off so i can get closer..

and the winch is the best way to go. i have a extension too for loading tires.

 

[barrys]

Awesome. I love when people actually read the questions carefully.
I've got another issue now because they require 18" min receiver height and the stock Ranger receiver is about 14"+. I can get an adapter:
http://www.maxxhaul.com/70070
Starting to get messy though. Maybe I can make a simple one and use the hand winch. But, now I'm inclined to save the coin until I really need the lift.
It's not that expensive and is probably about the same as renting the little trailer from the tool rental place. We'll see. Thanks for all the insightful comments though.

P.S. I have all of stenosis, arthritis, and disc herniation/compaction at all five lumbar vertebral junctions. I'm happy I can walk and I want to maintain that status.

 

[barrys]

It seems the ubiquitous outrigger model from Amazon et. al. is a no go for a stock Ranger. They want a minimum of 18" receiver height and the stock on the Ranger is closer to 14. I've seen adaptors and spoke to a tech at the company and he did not advise it. So, it's going to be DIY in one way or another. The bed mount is looking desirable again. And I can mod one of the outrigger parts to handle the low receiver -- probably turning one of the horizontal members from a straight tube to something that looks like this:
¯\_
(Yes it was a pain to find out how to type that first horizontal line. )

 

[bobbywalter]

18 in reciever ht?



damn....


what lift? is it a spitz style? loadall?


i am more apt to custom.


i dont see why it needs 18 in....do you have a link to the unit?


for the h/f critters...

keeping the unit under 150 bux installed would be my goal. i have had too much shit get stolen...i am on the road constantly and sometimes i have to leave the vehicle for days. that keeps me from buying the lift i actually want.


most of my stuff is generally made from steel i get for free off of job sight scrap piles....motorcyle/atv/boat shop crating scrap or projects. benefits of oil field and well work.


the bed on my personal truck is made from mostly free scrap save for purchased scrap for the headache. its stronger then my chassis so mounting a crane to it is cheating..


definitely not a stock ranger application for me...






when it was still mostly ranger i had a pipe that slid out and used a chain fall...(used chain fall for all sorts of stuff)

always versatile..

front bed section

so bolting anything to my bed is easy...

if you were close i could help you line it right out. it is not easy to do with a stock ranger bed. but with some patience it can be cost effective.


my bed is extendable and has different sides ect to make it reconfigurable.......under stow ect....

so adding this to your truck is definitely worth it if you need to move heavy stuff

 

[barrys]

You're a true die hard Bobby. I wish I had the room to do project trucks.
Here's a link:
https://www.etrailer.com/p-MT70238.html
The people at etrailer are really cool and they seem pretty thorough with their research. I always overthink this shit. I get on a thought vector and keep going...
The solution is simple. Two pieces of 2x6x12 or so under each back wheel and I'll be all set. I can by all kindsa shit from eTrailer if I want to get fancy and I can even cut the wood at an angle and screw it together -- the deluxe rig.
I'm pretty convinced this is the path of least resistance. I can store this in the back of the cab (4 door) and cover it with some jackets and a towel and should be fine.
If you want to go Gucci, you can go with these:
https://www.etrailer.com/p-A10-0920.html
A nifty little invention I can live without.

So, that's the plan. I'll post photos. I have no desire to drill big holes in the truckster even though I know that can lead to some very fun times as you show in your pictures. Thanks again for being a great sounding board. That's why I love it here.

 

[barrys]

Oh yeah, almost forgot...
You have a job where you get enough free scrap steel to make something like this? Lucky...

I'm in the most overpriced part of the country. I'd be surprised if I could buy the materials to make the one I sent a link to for less than the cost of that one.
Steel from my cheapest local supplier is eight dollars a pound I think I recall. And the shipping weight is 125 lbs. I have a decent line on aluminum and I just bought brass on eBay. But, I do need to learn how to weld. Junkyard time?

 

[bobbywalter]

well...hell in the video they are using a stock ranger...


that thing is titties and ice cream....


the price is killer! wish i would have bought that!!




i use the h/f unit so i dont have to hide it..just leave it out so its convenient.
..but i do pin lock it now...

 

[barrys]

Yer funny.
I noticed the ranger too and emailed about that. It's a Sport 2WD which has the ride height of the 4x4 even in 2WD. But, at least we know the rest is good. Titties and ice cream? Sounds like something worth trying. Do old man tits with grey hair work for that?
For that price around here, I'm sold. Also, that site is the cheapest and does more research on their products than most electronics tech supply sites. I'll put in a plug for salesperson Chrissy J. She's been so helpful and pointed out other nifty products.

 

[barrys]

> i use the h/f unit so i don't have to hide it..just leave it out so its convenient.
I'm kinda confused now. Reading through the past hosts, it looks like maybe you have two hoists. Maybe on of the HF bed mount ones in your truck with the homemade, bulletproof utility.
Then you have the outrigger one you built yourself which I guess you can use on all of your trucks.
Is that about right?
I just got my first real welder. Time to get to work and maybe find a better source for steel. If only you could drop some extra in an envelope. By the way, even in those distant shots, your welding looks great.

 

[bobbywalter]

yes. i have had a few over the years.
my ranger had a previously modified crane on it that was a bit different.

the problem with that original crane is it was only use-able on the ranger. but i could load/unload and install the 42's with it... more importantly...if needed my little son or daughters could /mount and use it with direction. i had a gin pole as well...

it was parked for some time at one of the companies i worked for and most of the crane disappeared off of it in a supposedly secure environment with video. inside job?? or scrap idiot?? who knows.??


unfortunately my deck height is very high on the ranger, but its the compromise i have to accept.... to do what i do. until 6-7 years ago throwing around 44 inch tires was not a problem for me...but i knew the day was coming. and it did.


its nice not having to put 50-80k on my truck, so making a versatile crane is a total win for me. i am in the oilfield and frequently need to move heavy shit alone when scavenging parts for stuff like tongs and slips at 3 am in a hot hurry...

that one your linked to is really nice(totally titties and ice cream nice) but i would need a bigger bed to use it. but i like it better then what i have.

my next iteration of mounting will offer me more options, but i think i will spend some time studying these other market units before i start welding...

glad i seen it.


funny thing... my truck is not a project truck in the sense it was built over a year or five in the garage...

i do threaten and wish to take it off the road and do it so its nice... but it just gets hacked and slashed to deal with whatever the hell it is i am doing as quickly as possible...

so just like your crane project...quick and easy as possible...

 

[barrys]

Thinking about you bouncing that thing around off road makes my back hurt...

Web info-gathering and shopping are becoming my new job and I like it. I think this crane is plenty easy to setup and use. But, it weighs 125lb on it's own. It breaks down but some of those pieces are not small and even lifting that might not be any fun. I'll have to "lift with my brain." I've still never quite figured that one out... BTW, it's your fault that I'm using all these animated icons (always better to blame someone else...).

 

[barrys]

Youtube prompted me to watch this video of a simple, homemade, winch crane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrTwniYHCDE
Passes the "generator test." I don't know about titties and ice cream tho. It's too close to the holidays to not get the nice one with the glossy paint.

 

[bobbywalter]

if you can get away with the jib crane like that, then doing a box mount like my old one will fill the bill and be much easier to set up then that.


i wish i had picture of the setup. there was one somewhere where we were transferring an engine from one truck to another on a relay run...