Hand-Cranked Pickup Crane Requires No Hydraulics

Hand-Cranked Pickup Crane Requires No Hydraulics PICKUPS Accessories 23-3-3 Chad Burnett of Girard, Ill., needed a way to lift heavy objects and equipment into the bed of his pickup but he couldn't justify the cost of a commerical unit and he didn't want to equip the pickup with hydraulics. So he designed a large lift crane that's totally hand-cranked. It's now an important part of his everyday job at a local welding shop. The 3-part boom telescopes out 22 ft. It telescopes out on a 3/4-in. dia. threaded redi-bolt that's turned by a hand crank at the base of the boom. The boom is raised and lowered by a 4-ton capacity hand-pumped jack. The boom can lift as much as 2,000 lbs. Burnett says it's a bit more work to operate than if it was hydraulic powered but he likes the convenience of not depending on engine-powered hydraulics. The base of the boom is made from pieces of heavy angle iron with a 6-in. dia. heavy pipe at center that bolts to the truck frame. There's a bearing at the top of the base. The boom fits down inside the base. The large bearing makes it easy to rotate a heavy load. A flared cover made out of a rubber inner tube keeps moisture out of the base. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chad Burnett, Bruce's Welding, 302 S. Third, Girard, Ill. 62640 (ph 217 627-2241).

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