Small Chip Truck Crane

chris_girard

Treehouser
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
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Location
Gilmanton, N.H.
So I am looking to build a small collapsible truck mounted crane for loading wood onto our F350 chip truck. I'm figuring on either having a local welder build one, or trying to find one for sale. Do any of you guys have experience with these?
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I don't have one but I have seen many. The ones that mount to the bed of the truck are ones to avoid. Bumper or hitch mount are stronger and the outrigger setup's are a bonus.
 
It reminds me of working with a pulpwood truck. Loading/unloading was a unique skill all in itself!
 
Never had the pleasure but I can imagine.
Seriously, you can't. An unbelievable PITA if you don't know what to do.

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Too small of a scale IMO. I had a similar type manual boom on a big flatbed trailer I owned 30 years ago. At the time I thought it was da bomb but in hindsight all it did was stop me from getting something better.
 
I've seen a tree-truck crane with an electric winch set at the end of a swiveling arm. Electricity to do the work if you go that route.

Brian, what was something better to do the job for a reasonable cost?
 
I had a harbor freight one that i put on a half ton years ago. It had a hand crank deal, which i replaced with a small ATV winch. I had to tie it into the frame, but for what it was it worked pretty well. At the time i was cutting firewood frequently, and i would be able to go and load the truck up in about 10 min or so, without actually lifting too much. You have to watch the swing of it because it just pivoted on it's own, but sure beat anything else i had at the time. I'll put some pics up tomorrow of what's left of it, i retired the truck a few years ago with the plans of pulling some parts. It would easily pick up a few hundred pounds on each pic, if you wanted, a better fabricated one would be nice. The one i had mounted in the bed, i would have to do some calculations and think on the stability of a hitch mounted one like the one pictured.

EDIT:

We have talked about this earlier but i think it needs to be said again; there is more than one way to skin a cat. If you have certain types of machinery that you use that work awesome in your application, that's cool. But that doesn't mean that owning that machinery is the only viable way to do work. In other words, a mini is awesome and can do a bunch of work, but low tech and cheap lifting gear also works just fine. While a mini is definitely better in several situations, a cheap truck mounted crane can move a bunch of wood in a hurry, without breaking a sweat, or needing to take another trip to get it. I used that cheap crane i had to load a 600 pound welder in the back of a truck all the time, and i loved it, and could load and haul a years worth of firewood in a weekend. It cost a couple hundred bucks, and nothing in maintenance. It needs a new solenoid switch for the winch, but i could hand a chain fall on it right now and lift stuff.
 
I put a harbor freight swivel crane on long ago. Yes, it would pick the log up, but i still had to pick the log/ chunk up to get it further into the bed. Took it off. Way to slow
As someone already mention, a lift gate actually works good. Some even open from the bottom so you can dump
 
Is it a steel-framed box on a flatbed built aftermarket, or a chip-box from a manufacturer.

Google images might be an easy way to find the same/similar set-up, if it will be a few days.
 
What kinda wood...logs, big rounds, small rounds? What weights are we talking about? How much at a time? Should it be useful for loading a trailer, too (maybe a trailer parked at 90*, tail to tail)? Are you thinking of using tongs for lifting in conjunction with a choked cable with a hook?


I load heavy logs into my chip-body by putting one end on the bed then attaching to the other end and sliding the log, so half the weight (basically) is held by the ground directly, or by the ground/ truck. The ground never gets tired.


What about a rigging point on the top of the box, or a little jib that attaches to the top when needed, to get your rigging point above roof height? I have a pear-shaped lifting ring welded on the frame of my chip-body. A pulley hung from here, possibly re-directed for better loading, then attached to a second truck that is driven a handful of feet to hoist the wood, might be effective, cheap, and simple. A piece of plywood to prevent the wood from hanging up under the edge of the bed may be useful.
 
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Here it is, better late than never lol. Needless to say i need to do some clearing in the back 40 when i get some time. And the truck is for sale, cheap, so i should probably pull that crane off before i sell it and put it on a trailer. I'm telling you, with an atv winch to act as a hoist line, it actually does pretty good. I did tie it into the frame to make it strong enough, and on a half ton you beat the crap out of the leaf springs :\: I only adjusted the boom angle with no load, depending on where in the truck i wanted to put the logs, so really you don't even need a hydraulic jack for that. With the tailgate off, i would simply swing the boom out the back, set tongs or a choker, hoist (about 8 seconds to fully lift at most), swing it in the bed, lower, then unhook and pull the choker out.
 
Not sure how it would fit our needs, but I once contemplated an I-beam/trolley mounted in the roof center of my chip bed, to use somewhat like a septic tank truck. Chain hoist or small winch to do the lifting.
 
Seriously, you can't. An unbelievable PITA if you don't know what to do.

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I had one that looked a lot like that, Butch. Once you mastered it, it was rather efficient. My last one had a collar that turned the boom for you. Really helped when working alone.
 
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