Handy little portable crane

[Filthy McChevy]

This is my latest receiver hitch add-on. I traded a while back for this little truck crane with a stripped turning sprocket. I needed a way to get engines I am storing in the back of trucks and vans 20 miles away from my home out without too much hassle.
So I welded and ground new teeth on the cranes turning sprocket, added a hydraulic ram, and welded it onto a piece of 2' square hitch stock. Bolted in some big rings with plate inside the utility bed to hook support chains into, and now I can grab what I need pretty easy. Yesterday I got this Chevy small block 400 out through the back doors of a van from in front of 2 other engine blocks.
I was surprised to find that it would have worked better if it sat even lower. I had to jack up the van some to get the crane boom in past the vans rear wheelwells, which was sketchy with a hi-lift on a wobbly bumper and the weight of 6 other engine blocks in the van.
I use my truck boom at home to put this setup on or off so no manual lifting is necessary. I used it to pick up and move a Caddy 501 with all accessories and attached turbo 400 with no problems so next I am going to pull a 454 out of the engine compartment of another truck out there.


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[PTSchram]

I've thought about doing something like this for quite some time. I really need a "Tug" for moving hulks around the shop and the crane would be so handy.

My only concern is making sure that there is enough support for the vertical portion.

HF used to have truck-bed cranes for $100 but they are now up to about $150 :eek:

[ChiScouter]

I think fabbing that up on a old 1960ish garden tractor with a real steel frame would be the cats ass. You would need a bunch of counterweights and beefing, and you sure couldn't cantilever it out as far as in that pic, but it would be maneuverable and handy as hell.

[PTSchram]

I think fabbing that up on a old 1960ish garden tractor with a real steel frame would be the cats ass. You would need a bunch of counterweights and beefing, and you sure couldn't cantilever it out as far as in that pic, but it would be maneuverable and handy as hell.

I think it was Shopfloortalk.com where a fellow made a forklift from a WheelHorse garden tractor.

[Filthy McChevy]

The weather was incredibly mild today so I bagged splitting more wood and went and pulled the 454. Left home at 2:15, got back home with the long block at 10;00 pm. The upper bellhousing bolts were a pain. The crane worked beautifully. It worked so well I think I will use it to pull the bad 350 from the burb that the 454 is going to go in, and install this block too.

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[PTSchram]

Is the horizontal piece that long just so you can open the liftgate?

I know it works so we have proof it's ruged, but the length of the horizontal piece and the lack of support for the top of the vertical piece are both of concern to me.

Don't get me wrong, it definitely does the job it was intended to do.

Now, post more pics!

[Filthy McChevy]

It is plugged into one of my hitch extenders too. That adds a little over a foot of length. It has chains running down to the bottom and the middle from the braced utility box too so the weakest link is the boom itself, the mast is very heavy duty. I added a piece of 3/8 plate to the bottom too. I am going to put a receiver on the end of it too so if i need to I can still pull a trailer with it on a truck. I have a receiver on the front of this truck too, and an overbuilt brush guard so I can put this on the front and brace it too if I want to see exactly where the boom is. So far I really like it. I'll add more pics later.
Base, plate welded to rec., crane bolted to plate
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clevis, boomers, chain
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extendable boom, middle position
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5/8 cable clamp & ring, 6x11 steel plate inside box
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on demand triangulation
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