DIY Wood Gantry or 2 Ton Engine Hoist/Lift??

[hotwls13]

I am going to be putting my long bed back on my 70 GMC 1/2t LWB soon. It was quite a process getting it off using gorilla garden cart and a bunch of lifting and scootin the the front of the bed with two guys. I've just about got the bed stuff finished (tank relocation). Once done, my other guy bailed due to medical reasons. It was a tough lift for the two of us.

So, I'm trying to think of a way to lift the front of the bed enough to clear back wheels of truck so I can roll the truck underneath. It would be great if the lift could lift the whole thing then I could take the garden cart out of the equation. Also, it would be nice to be able to re-use whatever I go with as I plan to swap beds within the next Year.

SO my options so far are build something similar to this:

WOOD GANTRY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtPU1pOTLH4

Though mine would be a bit smaller and use 4x4s for upright posts and a couple 2x6s for the crossbeam. I would probably not put casters on it for now so it would be fixed.

I think I could do one for around $150ish with a harbor freight chain hoist.

OR

ENGINE HOIST 2 TON:

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-...ane-69514.html

Then rig up a H pattern using 2x4s, remove tailgate, lift from tailgate end (may need an extended piece for boom). This would cost around $180 for the hoist and another $40ish for an extended boom.

Thoughts or any other ideas?? Trying to keep this cheap. Truck is on side of house on cement pad (no options for overhead rafters etc). No way to access bed with lift sideways. I have about 2' of room on one side of truck and about 3' on the other.

[geezer#99]

For me it would be the 2 ton hoist.
You can pick up almost anything and put it anywhere you want.
And it will have market value when you’re done with it. Easy to resell.
The wood gantry will be good for firewood.

['68OrangeSunshine]

I second the hydraulic hoist. For 2-and-a-half hundred bucks, you have a steel unit that will last a long time, not warp, then rot. And how much would that wood gantry set you back in lumber anyway?
Now a steel gantry with I-beam uprights would be the ultimate deal, but, we're into thousands if you don't have access to scrap steel and big welding skills.

I was lucky enough to find the "K-piece" base to a 2-ton engine hoist outside the dumpster of an auto parts store that was renovating [after a roof collapse]. I assumed they didn't want it anymore, so I liberated it. My buddy had mad welding skills. I bought all necessary steel extrusions, casters, hydraulic cylinder and other stuff, and we rocked it out.
I may have shelled out more that I could have gotten a new one out-the-door retail, but the project was fun.

[RichardJ]

You can't extend the boom without also extending the footprint.
I lifted my 8' bed off/on with the same type foldable engine hoist.

[cleszkie]

Go down to your local Home Depot or U-Haul store. Pick up 4 day laborers with strong backs. Get them to lift the bed and set it down on your frame. Take them back to Home Depot and pay them each a few bucks. Repeat this process for future bed removal. This will cost you a lot less time and money than either the gantry or hoist alternatives. It sounds like I'm making a joke, but I'm serious. And the laborers always appreciate the work/money.

[rockyrivermark]

I used a block and tackle off the ceiling with 4x4 lumber spanning a few trusses.
Couple straps and pulled and installed my bed off my '92 sierra 8' bed with ease for fuel pump change.
Just a thought.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

I second the hydraulic hoist. For 2-and-a-half hundred bucks, you have a steel unit that will last a long time, not warp, then rot. And how much would that wood gantry set you back in lumber anyway?
Now a steel gantry with I-beam uprights would be the ultimate deal, but, we're into thousands if you don't have access to scrap steel and big welding skills.

I was lucky enough to find the "K-piece" base to a 2-ton engine hoist outside the dumpster of an auto parts store that was renovating [after a roof collapse]. I assumed they didn't want it anymore, so I liberated it. My buddy had mad welding skills. I bought all necessary steel extrusions, casters, hydraulic cylinder and other stuff, and we rocked it out.
I may have shelled out more that I could have gotten a new one out-the-door retail, but the project was fun.

Where did you get that hoist? That isn't your run of the mill HF cherry picker. I've been looking for a nice tall one like that to pull the engine out of my 52. It will save me from having to pull the front clip off and set the axle on the ground.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by HO455

Where did you get that hoist? That isn't your run of the mill HF cherry picker. I've been looking for a nice tall one like that to pull the engine out of my 52. It will save me from having to pull the front clip off and set the axle on the ground.

The short answer is we custom-built it.

I ''found'' the base [the "K" shaped part] outside a local auto parts store, leaning up against their dumpster. I sorta ''helped'' them get rid of it, see?
I just bought more extrusions, etc. as needed. My friend did the welding. The hydraulic ram was from Harbor Freight. We made it one-piece, not foldable, for more stability. I guess we built the mast as tall as we needed for our engine pick. The C/10 was up on jackstands.
We did partially dismantle the doghouse of my '68. I think the pass side fender stayed on for reference.

[HO455]

I may go that route too. That would be less work than the alternative. Thanks.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by HO455

I may go that route too. That would be less work than the alternative. Thanks.

Sure. If you were local [as a well-known, long time board member] I'd let you borrow it, for a 12-pack, of course.

[hotwls13]

Alright there is a 2ton hoist/ cherry picker about a block from me for $140. Looks like new big red brand. The guy said he would use his truck and bring it to my house if I load and unload it. These things come apart. How heavy would u say the largest piece is?

Then once I have it, do u guys think a piece of angle iron will be enough to extend the boom a bit? Plan to use some 2x4s sideways in shape of h to lift bed. Also gonna take the tailgate off (though I’ve never done that on these trucks).

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by hotwls13

Alright there is a 2ton hoist/ cherry picker about a block from me for $140. Looks like new big red brand. The guy said he would use his truck and bring it to my house if I load and unload it. These things come apart. How heavy would u say the largest piece is?

Then once I have it, do u guys think a piece of angle iron will be enough to extend the boom a bit? Plan to use some 2x4s sideways in shape of h to lift bed. Also gonna take the tailgate off (though I’ve never done that on these trucks).

My friend welded two 2'' angle irons, longwise, to make a sleeve-boom for the end of my cherry-picker. You can see a close-up with an eye-bolt at the end, in the last pic of post no. 3.

[rsavage]

Originally Posted by RichardJ

You can't extend the boom without also extending the footprint.
I lifted my 8' bed off/on with the same type foldable engine hoist.

What RichardJ said is important. Legs should be slid out and tightened in their longest position, otherwise you run the risk of the weight flipping the cherry picker forward. What makes you think you will have to make extensions for the boom? You should be able to position the cherry picker in the rear (remove the tailgate so it doesn't get damaged) and the boom should reach to the center of the box at least. You can use webbing to lift from the box's 4 corners. The engine lift will come in handy in the future and it it isn't a foldable one, you can always take it apart to save room when storing it.

[Artofdeath]

I didn't need an extended boom to remove my bed, It's a short bed but it shouldn't matter cause you can lift it from the side. Why not do the same for a long bed? The legs of the lift are wide enough to go around the rear tire so you move the bed in and out from the side. I removed the bed by myself doing it this way.

Just a thought...

[hotwls13]

Originally Posted by Artofdeath

I didn't need an extended boom to remove my bed, It's a short bed but it shouldn't matter cause you can lift it from the side. Why not do the same for a long bed? The legs of the lift are wide enough to go around the rear tire so you move the bed in and out from the side. I removed the bed by myself doing it this way.

Just a thought...

My truck (and removed bed) are on the side of my house. No room to access bed from side with lift. Must be done from rear with tailgate removed.

I’ve done a bunch of searching on this site and the people that lifted a longbed from the rear needed an extension. I had planned to add some weight towards the back of the lift legs to counter balance the extended boom.

I’ll give it a shot without any added extensions and see how it goes (maybe if boom reaches the center).

[davepl]

Everyone needs a cherry picker. What if you gotta pull a stubborn kid out of a well or something? There's always a use for one.

Given how cheap they are now, might as well have one!

[hotwls13]

Well, decision made. A guy was selling one a block from my house. And he delivered!! Can’t wait til I have my own truck for this type of stuff.

[RichardJ]

If you are buying a hoist there are a couple of things to look at. You'll notice that some have a medium to large offset at the rear of the boom. Before I bought this one called a Big Red by Torin, I borrowed and rented a few different styles.
The ones with a straight boom can have limitation on the amount of lift. The straight boom works fine lifting an engine out of a car, but on a truck, a straight boom can rest on the radiator support. The offset allows the boom to reach over and down. If you use long chains or a leveler, then you have to make sure the hoist has a total lifting height to get the engine over the radiator support. The offset boom also provides more clearance for bed side rails when lifting a bed from the side. A straight boom will come in contact with the bed before you have it half way up.

That extra tall cherry picker that 68'Orange has, can avoid the problems that many normal size hoists have, but at a cost of storage space.
I do have concerns about the mast bracing location on that hoist. The bracing and the ram terminate at the same spot on the mast. The bracing on many hoists including mine, extend farther up the mast to provide overlapping triangulation points.
My hoist, like most are rated at 2 Tons, but the Ram is rated at 8 Tons. There is a lot of forces acting on the mast and shouldn't be concentrated on one point.

The ram on mine is really long and has a pneumatic pump. I would say the pump isn't really necessary, but it would take half a day to pump it up by hand from the collapsed position. The boom has to be completely collapsed before you lift the legs on my foldable hoist.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by RichardJ

If you are buying a hoist there are a couple of things to look at. You'll notice that some have a medium to large offset at the rear of the boom. Before I bought this one called a Big Red by Torin, I borrowed and rented a few different styles.
The ones with a straight boom can have limitation on the amount of lift. The straight boom works fine lifting an engine out of a car, but on a truck, a straight boom can rest on the radiator support. The offset allows the boom to reach over and down. If you use long chains or a leveler, then you have to make sure the hoist has a total lifting height to get the engine over the radiator support. The offset boom also provides more clearance for bed side rails when lifting a bed from the side. A straight boom will come in contact with the bed before you have it half way up.

That extra tall cherry picker that 68'Orange has, can avoid the problems that many normal size hoists have, but at a cost of storage space.
I do have concerns about the mast bracing location on that hoist. The bracing and the ram terminate at the same spot on the mast. The bracing on many hoists including mine, extend farther up the mast to provide overlapping triangulation points.
My hoist, like most are rated at 2 Tons, but the Ram is rated at 8 Tons. There is a lot of forces acting on the mast and shouldn't be concentrated on one point.

The ram on mine is really long and has a pneumatic pump. I would say the pump isn't really necessary, but it would take half a day to pump it up by hand from the collapsed position. The boom has to be completely collapsed before you lift the legs on my foldable hoist.

Space was not a problem, so we built it stout.
As far as engineering, it was our first cherry-picker, so we just made it work.
We may have copied existing lifts. Quarter inch steel straps were used on diagonal bracing, like the in-store versions.
In retrospect, I would not have ''dumb-wheel'' casters in the mid point again, swiveling-type would be better for moving the whole unit under load. The straight casters were unwieldy.
After 13 or 14 years, the lift has held up well. But I don't change an engine every week.

[Artofdeath]

Originally Posted by RichardJ

If you are buying a hoist there are a couple of things to look at. You'll notice that some have a medium to large offset at the rear of the boom. Before I bought this one called a Big Red by Torin, I borrowed and rented a few different styles.
The ones with a straight boom can have limitation on the amount of lift. The straight boom works fine lifting an engine out of a car, but on a truck, a straight boom can rest on the radiator support. The offset allows the boom to reach over and down. If you use long chains or a leveler, then you have to make sure the hoist has a total lifting height to get the engine over the radiator support. The offset boom also provides more clearance for bed side rails when lifting a bed from the side. A straight boom will come in contact with the bed before you have it half way up.

That extra tall cherry picker that 68'Orange has, can avoid the problems that many normal size hoists have, but at a cost of storage space.
I do have concerns about the mast bracing location on that hoist. The bracing and the ram terminate at the same spot on the mast. The bracing on many hoists including mine, extend farther up the mast to provide overlapping triangulation points.
My hoist, like most are rated at 2 Tons, but the Ram is rated at 8 Tons. There is a lot of forces acting on the mast and shouldn't be concentrated on one point.

The ram on mine is really long and has a pneumatic pump. I would say the pump isn't really necessary, but it would take half a day to pump it up by hand from the collapsed position. The boom has to be completely collapsed before you lift the legs on my foldable hoist.

She should work just fine there Maynard! Gratz on the new lift!

[mikecaddy500]

I bought 4 3/16 ten foot chains from farm & home and hooked them to the bottom of stake holes. My engine hoist and me had no trouble lifting it off and on. Probably need a helper to avoid hitting the cab and denting it...

[hotwls13]

Originally Posted by mikecaddy500

I bought 4 3/16 ten foot chains from farm & home and hooked them to the bottom of stake holes. My engine hoist and me had no trouble lifting it off and on. Probably need a helper to avoid hitting the cab and denting it...

Did you use a 2ton hoist with standard length boom? Was yours a short or longbed? I like the idea of using chains instead of 2x4s

[Grumpy old man]

Big red engine lift used 4 rachet straps and drove out from under it and sat the bed on 2 barrels , Easy Peasy !

[hotwls13]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Big red engine lift used 4 rachet straps and drove out from under it and sat the bed on 2 barrels , Easy Peasy !

That’s a shortbed isn’t it?? I don’t doubt my lift can handle the weight (even at the 1/2t length). It’s the length of the longbed that gives me concern. Due to the balance or lack of balance from being too far rearward.

[weq92f]

Flip fa ya...