Pictures, base for my new truck crane

Iggy do you every do any real work? Win lotto?

You seem to be doing fun jobs 24/7! :)

Iggy - that base of solid plate is going to be very resilient in that it can bend but not fail suddenly by buckle-induced collapse, isn't it? Good for a fixed installation. But on the truck it's going to push up the fuel consumption. Every time you accelerate, you've got good 'ole

E_k = 1/2 m v^2

where E_k is kinetic energy, m is mass and v is velocity (speed)

I'm interested in cranes, engineering design etc. Any thoughts about future design of base?

Richard S

Are you really making a "technical"?:

jsw

I dunno why anyone who owned one of those vehicles would want turn signals, or any tail lights (horn, seatbelt buzzer, dome light etc) at all.

I installed an "OJ Switch" in my Ranger that turns off the dome light. It's not for covert night ops, but to leave the doors open to air it out or work on it.

jsw

Today was the first time I used this setup to unload this Quincy (think 900 lbs or so).

I had to learn how to use this crane, but it worked admirably.

When loaded, it is extremely hard to turn in its base. I had to use a

6 foot digging bar.

This can be thought of as a plus, in fact.

i

Yes, the pivot points are transferred to a lateral load, making the load hard to turn. A lot of grease, or some bearings work well, but then, it's a lot more work unless you have a source for humungous bearings.

Steve

As an aside, and now that you have it built ........ mounting the base on a conical pin into a receiver, making the load point smaller helps, too. If you can get a big ball bearing, just have it sit on the inside race of the bearing. We're talking about big bearings here, but you do run into a lot of scrap. You could use a bearing with tapered rollers so that the weight would seat it by just the weight. How come I have all this good advice AFTER people are done with their projects?

Ever wonder why big cranes had all that greasy beefing up around the base? I bet if you dug in there, you'd come up with some mondo bearings.

Steve

Steve, I think that using grease would be just what the doctor ordered. It would make turning easier, but not too easy. In fact, after some thinking, I realized that I do NOT want the crane to turn freely. I want it to turn with difficulty, so that I can control it on an inclined driveway.

i

That was my next point. Any time it is not dead level in six directions, it will swing to the low point, sometimes with hilarious results. I might consider a very large gear with a crank operated smaller one, and with a hand brake, too. With the way you have it in your pickup, level is going to be hard to do. Be careful, we don't want to be calling you Stumpy.

Steve

When loaded my truck crane makes itself the lowest part of the bed, so the load swings out rearwards, causing the bed to tilt further. I can control it with a rope through a front tie-down eye, except that the free end of the rope is a hazard under foot.

Recently I bought this and keep finding new jobs for the handy little thing:

haven't needed it to swivel the crane yet. I did hook the mast of my engine hoist to the tractor's trailer hitch with it to lift a load that was above the forward tipping capacity otherwise.

jsw

I am looking at worm gears right now.

i

Don't forget the vehicle is suspended on springs. Might want to consider some type of outrigger from the frame.

tm

"Ignoramus7393" wrote

Don't forget that brake, too. Those things will eat anything put into them. Fingers included. A 12v. gear reduction motor with some serious torque might be worth the investment, and it might work, too. In your line of work, you might find a used one. I passed on two at a thrift store last year for about $10 each, and I kick myself every time I think of it.

Steve

If your crane is like the smaller one, a capped tube that fits over the mast, you might consider mounting a trailer wheel bearing in the top of the mast as a thrust bearing. Just let the crane rest on the inner race. The remaining friction between the vertical tube walls should help damp free swinging.

I drilled extra swivel locking pin holes in the crane to lock it 45 degrees fore or aft, corresponding to the load centered in the bed or behind the tailgate.

jsw

I may do the same. Here's the crane in action:

I need to find a way to mount it at 45 degrees though, otherwise it stands too tall and I cannot go to enclosed parking spaces.

i