tbear' pick'n up stuff

[tbear853 58]

Back in September I had some trees fall down, some cut, and I had some heavy  trunk pieces to move.  I got them loaded, but it was a strain. 

 

Recently I revised my WH's hitch to include a 6" long 2x2 inside tube receiver and I added a 2" hitch ball on top of it.  It's braced well.  Looking around on line, I found & ordered a MAXX TOW # 70238 1000 lb hitch secured hydraulic   crane to use with my pickups.  It is rated 1000, 750, 500 pounds. I made some strengthening additions.  I also had a Harbor Freight 1 ton shop crane rated for 1 ton, 3/4 ton, 1/2 ton,  & 1/4 ton...  I bought on a super saver deal a few years back, but as you know those casters sink in the yard, so I added larger 10" OD x 2" wide rubber tired cast steel wheels on a 1" OD steel axle made from a old used long F-150 drag link, tough steel there.     I also added a 2x2x1/4 wall tube tongue to the shop crane that is removable with a pin, receiver is welded into the crane back end.  

 

It was cold & wet, here, so since the WH was in the former "trike room" I built to house a trike, I played with my two cranes.  The MT hitch crane is intended for F-150 height hitches, the WH's is lower so I'll need to extend or make two longer lower strut braces.  The HF crane, I'll make a weight shelf or holder tray to straddle the yellow tongue to help the WH hold it down, plus the two 52" long legs are still there. 

 

Either way, I will be able to put 500 pounds in the bed of a truck with no strain on me back I think. 

 

In my playing today, I found the WH will handle either at least up to that.  Of course, I'd not try to tow a lifted load on the HF crane, but it would be great for pulling straight up, especially if one wrapped a HD chain around the beam close to the hydraulic jack.  

 

Monday maybe I start on  my  next additions, I'm gonna build 2x2 hitch winch mounts.  I have a 3500 electric and a 2500 hand wind winch which are  unused.  

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by tbear853

[tbear853 58]

Studying on "needs" above, I have some 1/2" ID, 1" OD steel pipe I can cut to length and drill the 3/8" holes across the ends to make the 19" and 21.5" lower strut braces for the MT hitch crane ...  but now I'm thinking of adding a screw feature to them, almost like a turn buckle, where I could adjust them as they are in tension, not compression.   

As to the HF shop crane, I might look for two pulleys to add on the top boom at either end to the side and build a winch mount that straddles the yellow tongue up close to the silver coupler, with a battery tray that will hold a Grp 65 Ford battery (to use with winch only) ... the weight will help there under load, and run the cable over the pulleys and then I can set the boom angle with the hydraulic ram, but pick the load up with my Badger 2500 lb. electric winch. I likely will not try to use one mount for both, but rather build the winch mount to carry it and the small  electric control box, and a separate battery tray / carrier to carry the battery (or batteries like saddle bags?).   If I do the mount plate right, I can also use it with a short piece of 2x2x0.25wall tube in my truck's receivers.   The extra weight of battery (or batteries)  would not be needed with the truck, so that could sit in the bed or not even used?   

I have two spare Grp 65 batteries in a wooden cart I use for portable 12vdc power, jump start if needed, etc, they were once in cars but I replaced for long trips while still good, I keep them maintained though.  One is the OEM MtrCrft battery from our '01 Mercury, but it holds a good charge, green eye stays green, it's never been flat.  I replaced it just for piece of mind in 2005 as we were leaving on a few week's summer road trip out west.  The other is a newer NAPA Legend 75 given to me by a fellow wanting to replace it just for piece of mind like I did in '05, it too is still good.  Together hung over the tongue they would add good amount of counter-balancing weight I think ...  to leave the tractor in touch with earth.  

 

Still thinking.   Just me writing it out, I get ideas ... like separate mounts for winch & battery ... or whether or not to add screw thread adjustment to those lower struts? 

[ebinmaine 67,310]

Some good stuff here. 

I like the counterbalance idea so the Horse is not the opposite end of a lever. 

 

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

On 12/27/2020 at 6:06 AM, tbear853 said:

If you put big wheels under that jack, you could haul logs out the forest

[tbear853 58]

6 hours ago, Maxwell-8 said:

If you put big wheels under that jack, you could haul logs out the forest

I thought about it, but I'd need to lengthen the tongue if using behind the Wheel Horse I think to reduce the pull load trying to lift the rear of the WH, but I guess WH would pull it OK as is ...  if a second chain was attached low so the pull was lower.  Keep the log from digging in?  If rough ground, I'd want to widen the wheel track too, maybe to like 4 feet as a turn over would be not good.  You can see the two bolts hold the axle in place under the lift so legs can be used, be easy to use a shortened 2,000 pound trailer axle I think, use 5 lug hubs, even WH wheels & tires.  One could store that axle with hubs easy enough for use, just remove the wheels.  If I left it attached, it'd tilt a lot to front, maybe fall over but if leaving in place just to use like that, to park in a garage, could leave tongue in place & trailer jack wheel?   I changed to 2" coupler I found in a box, matches all my hitches now.
 

Edited December 28, 2020 by tbear853

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

5 minutes ago, tbear853 said:

I thought about it, but I'd need to lengthen the tongue if using behind the Wheel Horse I think to reduce the pull load trying to lift the rear of the WH, but I guess WH would pull it OK as is ...  if a second chain was attached low so the pull was lower.  Keep the log from digging in?  
 

I know of people using a just a chain and a big rubber tarp, for pulling logs out the woods, the rubber tarp somehow prevents the log from digging in, will see if i can find a pic

 

[tbear853 58]

40 minutes ago, Maxwell-8 said:

I know of people using a just a chain and a big rubber tarp, for pulling logs out the woods, the rubber tarp somehow prevents the log from digging in, will see if i can find a pic

 

I never thought about a tarp, but I can see it in my mind. Like a Clark Griswold lubricated saucer sled?   I use a '77 F-150 with a high hitch so it lifts log or tree's nose  as it pulls.  Think "upside down drop hitch".  That might work with WH now that I have a stout receiver?   

Reading back, I see a mistake, the current rubber banded 10" steel wheels are 2.5" wide. 

 

I also have pair of old  14" OD 4.00-7 rubber tired wheels with tubes on a shortened trailer axle, it would work too and I could stretch it where my FIL shortened it so long ago.  I could weld mounts to align with the present holes too.  I have another pair of the steel wheels and axle material, they  have 15 x --- 3" long 1/4" roller bearings that fill the greaseable  hub with a 1" axle that I can use under the heavy old welding cart he made, to let me use the other axle.   I might even put some sort of hitch on it too, to use moving heavy stuff, not just lifting to load.

Edited December 28, 2020 by tbear853

[ebinmaine 67,310]

1 hour ago, tbear853 said:

Think "upside down drop hitch".  That might work with WH now that I have a stout receiver

Certainly will work. 

I've done it..

 

We've changed firewood processes now and we take the splitter into the forest and cut and split the wood where the tree falls because I didn't like having all the mud in my chainsaw chains.

 

[tbear853 58]

Oh, I don't burn it, just drag it out of the yard as need be.  Had three big leaners dropped in November, neighbor said he's gonna get them, but there they lay beside the driveway.  I'm gonna drag them well into the woods I think.