Truck Bed Crane

Hello fellow Tundreans,.
I was wondering if any of you installed or thought about installing a Truck Bed Crane in the back of you Tundra. I tend to carry heavy objects such as engine blocks, tree trunks and large heavy boxes. I know you need to drill holes in your bed and reinforce the base with metal plate and ideally some how bracket over to the frame. The other option would be is to just get a Game Hoist that slips into the Hitch Receiver, no drilling and pull it out and store in the garage but its capacity is only 3-400 lbs. I like the the Crane being its always there for use but not sure if it would cause rattling and or vibration. Are our truck beds mounted to to frame via rubber bushings? I didnt look real hard under there but didn't see any. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/hme...uYkJNhm6MUgRjzMZoQBoCrBQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Yes, thought on it. The beds themselves are flimsy. A DIY hitch mount crane with stabilizers is the direction I will go. There are lots of readily available units on the market. Google images, and or Youtube for DIY truck crane. The thing about a hitch crane is you can move it out of the way, use on different vehicles or even a trailer, let a friend borrow it. Just so much flexibilty, that's why I like it better. I have a bed mounted electric in my Nissan Hardbody, it works good, but sort of in the way, exposed to elements 24/7, gotta maintain the buttons, relays, motors, etc. A hitch mounted manual is more durable, but less convenient. There are versions far superior to a game hoist. If you need a good rig, the best way is start with a tall cage like structure that is mounted to the bed floor with a overhead center mounted I beam that extends back behind the tailgate down or even remove the tailgate and hang a hoist that can trolly on the I beam over the entire beam length. That is a great way, for dedicated crane cargo, but limits your truck's utility. You could also pick up an old truck bed trailer for a grand, maybe even $800, and build one on that to preserve your truck. Lots of options depending on the needs of course.

 

https://www.discountramps.com/viking-solutions-swivelift-hitch-mounted-lift/p/VKS-VSL001/

 

300 lb capacity, not enough for the cost IMO, but just my .02!

 

OVERLOAD IT, I do it to mine all the time,so far so good.

 

I looked into this one for my old truck. I like that its not a permanent mount. There are other options available other than this one too

$500 MAXXHAUL 70238 Receiver Hitch Mounted Crane - 1000 lbs. Capacity

https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70238-Receiver-Hitch-Mounted/dp/B008CE0WCW

 

I do 55 gal drums of liquid, and my plate compactor is around 550. Might be best if I stick to my DIY plan.

 

Indeed

 

There is a very similar looking crane to this for sale at JEGS right now for $235. Might just have to pick it up. Damn this site! I logged on to see what was up on my week off and now I'm buying a truck bed crane hoist!

 

I ended up buying the Harbor Freight Crane.
This guy installed his right, He loosened the bed and raised it a few inches. Im going to try to build some brackets to mate up to the receiver bolts. If that flexes I may raise the bed like dude in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htq-QjYlhR4

 

Did you see the $144 freight charge?

 

Didn’t make it that far. $144

looks like I might be doing the Amazon special. Not going to purchase quite yet..
This would be a huge help when moving.

 

So, I got the Crane installed and also welded the Winch on like the dude in the YouTube vid. I got fed up just Micky moussing around, wasting time trying to make stupid brackets, so I built a frame to go across the truck frame rails like in the vid and jacked up the bed. I had to cut out a section and reverse box it back in of one of the cross bars I made to clear the spare tire cradle. Originally I was going to bolt it to the frame to prevent cracking but got impatient so I just welded it. Didn't get to many pics till after it was done and I don't have anything heavy to lift at the moment, but will try to remember when I do.
Nevermind my beat up bed! Owner before me musta had a boulder delivery business. when it gets warmer here, Ill try to pop some of those dents out before I Rhino line it.

 

Might wanna go with nylon lock nuts on the 4 bolts due to vibrations in transit.

 

Absolutely! These are just what I had on hand, I plan on replacing all the hardware with stainless steel along with stainless nylocks when I remove it to do the bed liner.

 

I think I'm going to slot the end of the boom and replace that outer pulley with a heavier one without the cage around it and just use a through bolt.