Deuce Tailgate Crane

[Darwin T]

here is what i am planing. if i mount it just infront of the last leg on the troop seats the i should be able to use them still. i also thought about mounting one in the box of my M109a3 on the left side behind the door that i don't use much. that would make carring an extra tire or drum of fuel alot easier.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I would wager that the weakest part of a deuce is the tail gate. They just aren't very stout.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I would wager that the weakest part of a deuce is the tail gate. They just aren't very stout.

I was going to say its center of gravity but, maybe thats just me!

 

[sedohr]

maybe just cut the last seat (and a half?) off. move it to the next support leg and relocate the latch that holds the seats in folded state. dunno.

 

[BruceB]

My bobbed 35A2 has that same Harbor Freight crane mounted at the right-rear corner of the bed.

The FIRST time I tried to lift the spare off the ground (1400-20 Michelin) the "winch" simply gave up. First, the handle is too short to give sufficient leverage, and second, the winch parts began deforming and failing within minutes (or less).

Junking the winch and its accessories, I installed a 1/2" Grade 8 bolt through the outer end of the boom, using it to form a small loop of "1600-pound PROOF chain" from a ranch supply store. The chain loop is just big enough to hold the hook of my 1-ton chain-block, which now resides permanently in the truck's toolbox. It lifts the spare with ease.

The basic structure of the hoist is pretty well made, but the winch is garbage.

The tailgate mount sounds elegant, 'specially since, when the tailgate is "up", the hoist would be horizontal and not spoiling the "lines" of the truck (if a Deuce can be considered to even HAVE "lines").

 

[plym49]

Thank you all for the responses. There are some pretty good alternatives and ideas that have been posted. I am still not sure how I will handle this. I do not want to 'cut' my Deuce, so while I can drill a few holes i probably will not cut the troop seats back or perform heavy modifications. I might need to be able to use the crane on other than the Deuce, so some portability might be nice. And I cannot bend over so well, so I need a 'straight up' solution. One thing for sure, i will be deep sixing the puny winch that comes with the unit, probably replacing it with the electric unit in post #1.

I will let you know what I end up doing. Thank you all again.

 

[russ132]

I used the same truck crane. I did have to quickly replace the hand crank however. The thing was a real piece. I replaced it with the 2000# winch with a load holding brake from the same store. I lifted enough weight with the setup that it bent the crane. To be fair it was a large load. I think that a 3000# winch might be a little overkill. To mount it I simply welded a mounting plate to the spot were the hand crank was mounted. I have civilian batteries in the battery compartment so I was able to fit an additional battery for twelve volt power to the winch. I just simply hook that battery up to a charger when the winch starts pulling slow. I can get many many pulls on a full charge.

 

[joshuaz223]

Just a little something to think about. As you swivel the crane to place your load in the bed the tailgate is going to want to close very rapidly when the load gets forward of the crane centerline.

 

[plym49]

Just a little something to think about. As you swivel the crane to place your load in the bed the tailgate is going to want to close very rapidly when the load gets forward of the crane centerline.

That it will! Good point.

 

[bones1]

This one looks interesting
Hoists & Cranes | Cranes-Truck & Van | 4' Crane 700 Lb. Cap. Manual Hoist, 15' Strap, 2" Receiver Kit & Mount Plate | 984744 - GlobalIndustrial.com

 

[Darwin T]

This one looks interesting
Hoists & Cranes | Cranes-Truck & Van | 4' Crane 700 Lb. Cap. Manual Hoist, 15' Strap, 2" Receiver Kit & Mount Plate | 984744 - GlobalIndustrial.com

thanks alot, instead of harbor freight cheep crane now i have a new project. this is uber cool .

 

[abh3]

I saw a great home-built crane not long ago. The mast and boom looked to be salvaged from an industrial engine hoist and there was a Warn winch on it (ATV?) but the base was what impressed me.

The base consisted of a larger truck hub welded to the truck's bed outside face down. The same hub's spindle was welded into the bottom of the crane mast. Then the whole thing was assembled like you would repack wheel bearings! The bearings in the hub/spindle assembly allowed the mast to spin easily with large loads and the hub seal kept water and dirt out of the bearings.

This whole rig, with the exception of the winch and the pulley on the end of the boom, was junk yard scrounged. I wish I'd have had a camera to take pictures...

 

[plym49]

This one looks interesting
Hoists & Cranes | Cranes-Truck & Van | 4' Crane 700 Lb. Cap. Manual Hoist, 15' Strap, 2" Receiver Kit & Mount Plate | 984744 - GlobalIndustrial.com

That's really interesting. I had actually been wondering about something along those lines, as my Deuce has a receiver, and I would like to be able to use the same setup on my pick-em-up.

I have been waffling between buying a crane and electric winch that I would somehow adapt to be practical, and erecting an a-frame to use with a chain hoist (I am an inveterate rigger, and going this route will cost me nothing). The layout in the link is one I will consider.

 

[mikey]

Great thread. I have been considering something similar to lift 250g totes of wmo into my deuce. Approximate weight of 2000lbs. I found this device:

http://www.prohoists.com/Shopping.idc?SID=5&ProductID=54

I figured I could use it with a 3500lb warn winch.

 

[sedohr]

Great thread. I have been considering something similar to lift 250g totes of wmo into my deuce. Approximate weight of 2000lbs. I found this device:

PROHOISTS - 2000 lb Galvanized Jetski PWC Lift Davit With Winch: Truck Crane Jib

I figured I could use it with a 3500lb warn winch.

REALLY liked this crane mikey, thanks for the find...... i ended up going for their 1000 lb model. the galvanized is out of stock and $130 more than the 1000 lb one and i figured a half ton is enough for my needs..

did a ton of research on the net and ended up finding it for $200 shipped instead of the $170 + $88 (i think) shipping.....

1000 Lb crane

i like some of the features of this crane more than the harbor freight one.....

fixed hook plus winch - gives me more lifting options
greased bearings on base for the arm pivot
assist arm to turn the arm when loaded
"easy" removal of crane off base (we'll see how easy it is )
just looks more "stout" (prolly still made overseas though)


these cranes are all over the net being marketed to people with waverunner's, etc so i'm hoping it's been "field" tested a bit....

for me, worth the extra 50 bucks or so over the HF one...... we'll see...... order's in.

 

[plym49]

REALLY liked this crane mikey, thanks for the find...... i ended up going for their 1000 lb model. the galvanized is out of stock and $130 more than the 1000 lb one and i figured a half ton is enough for my needs..

did a ton of research on the net and ended up finding it for $200 shipped instead of the $170 + $88 (i think) shipping.....

1000 Lb crane

i like some of the features of this crane more than the harbor freight one.....

fixed hook plus winch - gives me more lifting options
greased bearings on base for the arm pivot
assist arm to turn the arm when loaded
"easy" removal of crane off base (we'll see how easy it is )
just looks more "stout" (prolly still made overseas though)


these cranes are all over the net being marketed to people with waverunner's, etc so i'm hoping it's been "field" tested a bit....

for me, worth the extra 50 bucks or so over the HF one...... we'll see...... order's in.

That looks like a better starting point than the HF unit. Truss rod (such as it is), etc. Nice find!

 

[mikey]

REALLY liked this crane mikey, thanks for the find......

I'm glad you liked it. I spent hours searching over the past month and that was the best one I found for the price. Please let me know how it works out.

Thanks

Mikey

 

[bones1]

Tis here Pick-up Truck Bed Crane

 

[sedohr]

That looks like a better starting point than the HF unit. Truss rod (such as it is), etc. Nice find!

Thanks. Really excited to get it mounted up.

I've already got a front wall 1.5 ton winch installed so between the two, i should be able to cover most loading situations.

Really leaning towards cutting the last couple feet of troop seats out on the crane side and just moving the locking thingamajig forward a bit so i'll still have functioning seats even with the crane mounted.

I know i can fabricate kinda a jump-seat arrangement where i turn the last couple feet of bench area into its own stand alone seat that only comes down if the crane is removed, but don't know if its worth the effort.

 

[sedohr]

...Please let me know how it works out.

I'll follow up when i get delivery next week.....