Truck Hitch Crane Build Ep. 7: First Test!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This is it, we finish off all of the fabrication and machining for the truck hitch crane and put it to the first test!
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Talked to a friend of mine who taught welding. He said the worm track problem could be caused by contaminated flux. If the wire has been sitting for a lengthy period of time it could have moisture contamination. Hope this helps. The crane build is fricken awesome. Heavy duty without the extreme heavy weight.
So that is why welders store their welding rods inside a refrigerator !
@@Garth2011 a small oven is better, there are ovens made specifically for storing rods and wire.
But moisture could wel be a major part of the problem, always seal rods and rolls back up or store them heated.
Especially flux MAG (active due to co2 so not MIG for inert) wire is prone to absorbing moisture fast
@@Garth2011 Dry fluxed electrode runs better too.
@@samuraidriver4x4 not all rods need an oven. Just certain ones
@@Garth2011 Yes, with heat to keep the rods dry.
Replace the bottom foot piece with a small bottle jack. Definitely adjustable and collapsible.
that chuckle when he picked up the vice. hahah I love that feeling when you spend some time thinking of something to solve a problem and it works perfectly.
Your design will be just fine.
Adam, I don't know if you'll read this comment, but those bolts on the horizontal tubing to take up slack should be on the corner. That way it'll tighten up in both planes, and also it's much more difficult to crush or deform the corner of a square tubing. Great videos, love the detail. You're an amazing person!
A couple suggestions, you should either drill some weep holes in the column, or seal weld it, otherwise it is going to fill up with water and rust from the inside out.
Same with the foot, you should drill a couple weep holes through your weld bead, or drill a hole in the bottom of it.
I for one liked that you had to install a new roll of wire! I had no idea how that was done or how it worked. I'm not a welder at all, but enjoy watching you do jobs I'll never do, but appreciate the talent that folks like you have for doing this type of work. Computer geeks don't get much chance to even know how things like these get done.
I'm surprised you don't have a end mill for this cut.But I understand that cutters cost a lot of money. I am always amazed how you do what what you do with manual machines!!!! I have to give a 5 straw thumbs up for your extra set-up & work you do with all of your work & projects. I could never do all that you do. I have always worked in machine shops that had the machinists and other people for the welders, Though I did do MIG welding We used MIG welding for everything in one shop that I assembled & welded a roller line for structural steel. The only thing when we used TIG welding was per engineering specs. I liked MIG welding the best. I always got a good bead with MIG welding than TIG or Stick welding.
I might try manipulating your torch angles a bit. Try more of a drag angle, rather than right in at 90°. Also, I believe flux core wires benefit from a longer stick out than traditional wires. 1/2 to 3/4 inch is where I run fc often. The longer stick out allows the wire and flux to preheat before liquefying and transferring to the weld puddle.
Just some thoughts from a welder Abom! Fantastic job as always, nothing like using your favorite equipment for a personal project. Keep up the awesome videos!
👍😎👍
Dunno if Adam heard that but I certainly did - made a difference for me today, thanks for the pro tips!
I 2nd the longer stick out
@@myharris Glad I could help out! Also applies with self shielded flux core; many hobby machines run this and people seriously struggle on that stuff
👍
@@joshuateter2410 That is because the long stick out needed by the fc totally contradicts the "KEEP A TIGHT ARC, DAMMIT!!!" that gets shoved and bolted in your head when you learn or are taught any other welding method.
@@richardwoodruff1732 Thats whar she said.
Nice really clever idea using parts of a engine lift to make that mini crane I watched you make it begining to now
Argon gas don't "go bad", but in some cases, after an extended period on time set up in the vertical position, they will separate, if they are a mixed gas. Argon-CO2 mixes, need to be laid down on the floor, and rolled around for a bit if you have not used them for extended periods.
I was gonna suggest he shake that tank before every use, like a rattle can.😃
@@GreeceUranusPutin Only if you have a Hulk on staff... lol
@@mdouglaswray Adam just has to bring some of that AbomPower out. :D
Definitely! I have experienced this with all my mixes . 75/25 and definitely my tri mixes . Two ppl make this mixing easy , basically kicking (rolling) it back and forth
That's what I thought too. AR is a Nobel gas (very low reactivity) and CO2 gas is in stable configuration which does not readily react. Sitting few years as he stated must have separated the Argon and CO2. CO2 being heavier, would be at the bottom. You can try to visualize by putting oil (75%) and water (25%) in a bottle in the same proportions... If you "gently" roll it, it will not mix as well. I would think the best way to mix the contents would be shaking it like a champagne bottle (mostly vertical and up/down motion)... Good luck with that :)
Having built a truck hitch crane similar to the one you are building I found that the foot holes a pin indexing are a big problem and require that you carry a separate jack when using the crane to lift the truck. Once the weight that you transfer with the crane into the truck bed weights the springs down, all that weight lifted is now set on the foot pin and in most cases, it will not want to be easily moved at all. I turned a jack into the footpost to solve the problem. It worked great! Thanx
Love watching you brother. You're an old school guy and I've learned a lot watching your channel. Thanks
Hey my friend instead of welding pipe onto your lift to help rotate why not weld say a 5/6 boss on the boom starlight and a handle that you can just let hang out of the way until you need it . Itll look better and and you wouldn't need to worry about losing a loose rod or forgetting it somewhere. Just a suggestion .Great work ! Always educational.
I like the idea of spiraling the pinholes for load bearing (giving a bit of art too). Also some kind of roll out design of carrier for the truck to put the jack neatly away in the back on both sides. So wonderful a thing to have. Great idea Adam. Thanks for the video.
I am not an expert at welding but why run shielding gas and then use expensive flux core wire. I have run tons of 30# rolls or copper clad solid wire with straight co2 or 75/25 shielding gas and get perfect and strong welds.
@@Histandard2011 The dual shield process, when all is right, lays a smooth nearly ripple free weld that looks great under paint.
Once the load is on the truck and it settles the loaded height will pin that foot to the ground where you won't get it off.
Just something to consider -- if you have the landing leg down in contact before loading - after you load the truck is going to squat a little - may need to consider how you release tension on the leg if the load is high enough!
I would probably use an RV level jack that can be undone.
'short-pin' the leg; enough so when the bed is loaded, the leg just touches down for the load to move to the bed.
@@jbmillard take the truck to puddins fab shop for some air bags
When I designed mine, I decided on a screw jack as the support leg. I also made sure I can quickly remove the jack entirely so I can position the truck with the crane still installed.
I was thinking if the load is heavy enough the weld at the T could shear off
Adam you have the gift of teaching. Too, all too often, TH-camrs do not show the maintenance steps. You do. If you are teaching welding, and you clearly are, this is a wonderful, necessary step to show. You might think that you have nothing to teach, but I promise you some viewers are watching you load the wire and thinking "OMG that is what I have been doing wrong!" when you mention serrated feed-wheels, the wiper and its clamp, I bet a lot of people watching now know how to improve their welding. Just do what Adam does when loading the wire.
Adam, great job like always. Instead welding tubes on the outside of your square vertical section of your lift for rotating, drill a hole clean through that section and flush weld a piece of tubing in that goes through the vertical section then you can put in your jack handle from either side and you won't have the two pieces of tubing sticking out from the sides of the vertical section.
That’s a good idea!
You can even swing it (the load) into another pickup bed. Transfer a swap!
Respectfully if I might suggest, it'd be better to have the holes distanced on a spiral down that pipe, instead of a straight line down. - That way, the weight of the load will rest on the entire pipe below a certain hole, unlike the case of the holes in line where the weight of the load will rest only on the little part between 2 holes - which could break under hundreds of lbs. - Also I hope the pin is very strong and won't be sheared by the 2 pipes. -- Other than that, great work as always, thank you for sharing it!
Great idea...
I was thinking the same thing.
Why not weld plate on the bottom and use the screw jack you already have.
I think I agree, though I will point out that this would make aligning the holes for pinning a fair bit more difficult. He clearly did think about how much space to leave between holes, so... hopefully it'll be alright.
I was actually thinking about having the entire post slide through the pipe instead of having an adjustable foot...the beam attached to the hitch would keep it stable, but all the weight would be on the foot.
Well Adam in case you wondered how you should have done this just read every comment down here ... people are ridiculous with what "they" would do . Glad you built it how you wanted. I like it and it's gave me several ideas for my own . Thanks for sharing your knowledge
If it’s 75/25 it’s just become unmixed. You just need to roll the tank around for a while to mix it back up. I had the same problem a while back, and the air/gas supplier said it’s common, especially if the tank has sat for any length of time.
Thats right. I remember rolling tanks on the ground at my first shop whenever we changed tanks or brought tanks out from the cage.
I've never heard of that. Great tip thanks for sharing.
Yep, we don’t think about it but the gases do actually weigh different weights. In a bottle that doesn’t move, the heavier gas settles to the bottom. As they say, lay it on its side and roll it around. Some gases do expire. I remember when I worked at the hospital they had small little “E” tanks of oxygen and nitrous oxide on the anesthesia carts used in surgery just in gas the central supply had an issue during surgery. Of course, we never had any issues but we still had to check and replace the tanks every so often. We always vented them before we sent them back.
You don't use 75/25 for shield FC. You use straight Argon.
@@hibiki54 no you dont mte you run pure co2.
Certified knuckle boom operator here. Just a word of warning for your setup. Make sure you are on level ground when using this. Maybe attach a small sight level and keep the bubble in the circle. I’d hate for you to pick up a load and have it swing into you or your truck.
Also, you may want a screw jack under your hitch for heavier loads to prevent biding after the suspension settles.
Adam, take your long jack handle and add an F style end on it to fit the square tube of your jack spine. Then you will always have it and no need to add pipes to the sides of the spine. Great job so far! Never thought I would watch 7+ videos on how to build a truck crane, but I am intrigued with the details.
Great idea.
When you transfer the load to the truck it’s gonna bind that leg on the crane. You need like a hydraulic jack on the square tube between the ground so you can jack the truck up and take the crane leg out.
For heavy lifting behind truck there will be a lot of torque at your vertical tube and crossbar, use caution on dirt or gravel... maybe a rubber pad, tire tread on foot. Also, how will you retract foot once the truck is loaded? A hydraulic foot or screw jack might be better than a pin.
To further that point, the entire bending moment caused by a heavy lift is carried through 2 point connections: the ground and the hitch. The ground probably needs an outrigger in the hitch direction. I would also triangle gusset the cove weld where the hitch transverse bar mates to the column. Great project BTW.
@@kenrolt8072 my thought was an outrigger to the rear, where most loads will be picked up.
greta job! didn't think about the actual weight of the upper portion...machining techniques learning a ton!
I made up a version very similar to this one, but it ended up being very dangerous. With about 600kg on it, it would twist the bar connecting to the hitch, it would swing wildly when unloading as the suspension would unload and throw the crane off plumb, it also would swing when the suspension compressed, once again swinging wildly.
Another issue was any uneven ground made for sketchy lifts, as the crane axis was never plumb.
I ended up using 70x70mm square and made up a 3 point frame with adjustable feet at 2 outrigger points and one at the hitch. This way I could plumb the crane and negate any suspension movement. It also allowed for un even ground.
Happy to share pics of my setup. I would improve the design a bit more, but so far I have found the setup works well. Just a huge pain to keep attaching and removing when needed. Can't leave it on as it would hit car park ceilings and drive through awnings.
Glad to see it works just as you intended it to. That smile says it all. Great idea, that turns into reality.
If your putting a foot on it make sure you take a jack with you, if you load enough stuff to squat the truck your foot will be stuck.
wood blocks or cut off RR tie under the foot. spreads the ground pressure too
You are a good teacher. It is thoughtful pf you to make videos and show us how this is done, every time.
It seems ripe for a dolly/stand project that stores the unit while its not in use, and makes it easy to attach to the truck.
That's a good idea. Make it where you could convert it back to an engine hoist.
In finishing up the crane, a paint strip the width of the hole diameters and in line with the holes painted down to the foot will help line up the holes to insert the pin.
Very nice. If you were in the EU, you'd be on Part 7 of "Acquiring Permits for the Truck Hitch Crane". If you were in Aus, you'd be in a camp for even thinking about building this.
Whenever U Have 2 Operate This Amazing Shop Tool
You'll B The Envy of Every1 Out There !
Well Done Adam !
👏👏👏
🇨🇦
Awesome.
I'd have some fold out support legs rather than rely solely on the box section to keep the tube vertical under load though.
When I designed mine, I did something very similar to what Adam did. It was a while ago, so I don't recall the exact square tube dimensions, but I think mine is 2" square 1/4" wall? Maybe 3/8" wall... I don't remember which. I did a bunch of simulations in CAD and it held up perfectly fine. it DOES deflect enough to notice, but not enough to be a concern. Maybe 5/8" under a very heavy load? My design IS different (taper roller bearing turn table, cable winch, luffing jib, no hydraulics), but that horizontal box section is roughly the same.
@@52Ford yeah, but overkill fengs my shui, outriggers ftw 😆
@@gentlyschannel4193 👍😂 I needed a gantry crane to pick up the bed off my pickup... so, naturally, I made it to pick 10,000 pounds safely.
Edit: If you're wondering - It's a fairly large fixed A frame, with 4 crossmembers per A frame and a knee brace on each leg that goes up to the beam. Sits about 14' to the bottom of the beam. roughly 10 feet of clear span between where the knee braces contact the beam. A LOT of welding.
I watched a lot of videos and yours is the 1st video that is fully detailed on building a crain.
Thank you for the great video and you did a great job.
Thanks.
Worm tracks from not enough stick out on the wire. The flux isn't getting hot enough.
Hey man, a buddy and I are building a firewood processor, lots of dual shield welding so far. He is a fabricator by trade. He's had the same issue with 'worm tracks' during this project. Long story short, leave your electrode further from your work, it will give your flux more time to do it's thing. He's running, 3/4 to 1 inch, no more tracks. AMAZING content by and by, keep it up! Thanks for sharing what you do!
When the load hits your truck the springs will compress , transfering the load to the pin which will cause binding 12:40
Most of the load is right on the ground through that foot.
I read it again, I now see what you meant, for releasing the device from the receiver and such.
In my opinion, instead of the extendable leg, there should be a hydraulic lift (hydraulic jack), such as in the arm. Greetings from Poland :-)
@@keithcarter4086 that little 3/8 pin will have binding problems at heavier loads, simple fix, modify a trailer tounge jack to relieve the load on the compressed truck springs other wise Abom has done a great job Hes one of the best, way better than I could sometimes a different prospective is helpful
To alleviate the load drop of the weighted bed, all he has to do is 'short-pin' the leg enough, so the sag of the bed under load, matches the 'short-pinned' leg length. Also, I'd drill more holes lower in the leg, in case of uneven ground (backed up to a curb maybe).
If you watch how much the vertical tube sways back and forth when jacking, you might consider adding some gusset plates where it's welded to the horizontal square tubing.
On my Lincoln, when i am running 250 wire speed, i run only around 20 volts on .035 solid wire with the same gas you are running. To get more adjustment holes you can rotate the tube 10-15 degrees and you can have another row of holes.
So badass bud...good job...id put a 2 leg caster deal towards the hitch side to just roll it away...n what about a long rod with a hinge for your handle to swivel it so it's always there...n you can just let it hang via hinge?..can't wait to chk out more of your vids
I think thats going to work great! Any load this is intended to lift shouldn't squat the truck enough to make disassembly an issue. Its not like this is made to move 1000lb++ loads .. 150 to 500 lb is more realistic.
I think i might have to make something like this.
Edit: argon mixes do "settle" .. i had that issue as a hobby welder with a tank that sits in the corner for months at a time between uses. I lay the tank down in the truck for a day before i plan on welding.
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
So I want to build a hitch crane and googled it. Your video popped up, and now I want to be a machinist!! You explain so well, admit mishaps and create! I subscribed about two minutes into the first video.
Hi Adam, great job on the crane. Just a thought thou, depending on the weight of the intended object to be lifted, have you considered after placing the item of, say, 500 Lbs or over, in the truck bed, the amount of downward force on the back axil, to remove the adjuster pin out of the hole of the support leg?
Enjoy your videos of all your channels. 😁👍
a screwjack might be better for the bottom support because when you put a heavy weight in the truck, the suspension will lower a little and the lift might get stuck
Adam. Great video. What happens when the load is in the truck, and the suspension compresses? Your pin is going to be locked in position. Best regards.
With all due respect to ABOM or Adam I actually agree with you here ... Those pins will be a pain when there's any significant load on the back of that truck
Attach a tongue jack to the leg. Raise it enogh to relieve pressure. Better yet, use a tongue jack instead of the solid leg altogether.
@@daddynichol52 that is a good solution .
He still hasn't addressed the issue i brought up of how he's going to counteract the weight of what he's lifting on a hill so it doesn't go swinging wildly
yeah, I do think two feet will be better as the truck has to take part of the load due to there being a moment being created as soon as you lift something
I think it's going to work well all of those that have commented that using bolts and not harden pins. I would agree if this was going to be used as a crane to load heavy things that would compress the suspension of the truck but if you are talking 500, 600 pounds it will work great. You designed it and built it and I for one would trust what you build far more than anyone else. And it's alot better truck crane then you can buy. Adam good job.
A nicely made device but I can see one issue, when you swing the boom so that it runs straight with the truck body I can see a twisting issue about the joint where the box section meets the round upright tube particularly if you find yourself loading on "soft ground" an outrigger that comes away from the tube at 90 deg from the box to the ground to stop it trying to rotate would be useful.
I thought on that too. I think the whole system is at risk of tilting with a heavy load towards the right side of the truck. I would have added a similar foot on the right side plus the same structure. Also some triangular supports for the long horizontal bar. The loads may be surprisingly high with loads on the order of 500 pounds. I hope this design will be strong enough,
Exactly. The twisting forces under a 1-ton lift will be enormous, and could twist the square tubing enough that the foot loses ground contact. Need to calculate the moment forces.
I should have responded here. You already raised the issue. Next time I will read more posts before jumping in!
@@jamestamu83 I think the critical thing is that if the load hook goes to the right of the hitch. Then the center of gravity of the load+crane may be to the right of the support point or line. Then bad things may happen with high loads. A second foot on the right would be helpful against this kind of situations.
@@jamestamu83 I believe Adams’s weight limit is 500 lbs. Even so the hitch bar must very strong to resist the twisting effect of the cantilevered load.
Having a crane for BOTH endsof the journey has to be one of its biggest benefits!!
To reduce rhea amount of weight you have to lift when installing the crane, instead of bolting everything together, just use pins like on the foot on each end of the cylinder and the hinge joint of the lift. Takes a fee seconds to put together but saves the back and allows for easier storage.
Now for a truck option - a 3x3 pallet so straps can go around it without picking it up. The small pallet is light - or heavy 4x4 sides... heavy. Lift off with fork lift on other end or your crane. Cool. Time of life - wheel chair is possible.
That's awesome, Adam! I don't know what the cost would be to manufacture, but I imagine someone could sell a few thousand of those per year. Additional foot pieces for different truck heights would be necessary. I wonder if a trailer jack setup on the foot and footpad might be a workable solution to the varying height issues as well as the potential binding of the pin?
you could make a part that would be a pivot that would slip into the end of the crane arm and the square hole of the truck side. then when ready to load the crane into the truck you could line it up, take weight off the base by jacking up the ram and then separate the flange. This would allow the crane to swing into the truck bed and load easily. might make you more inclined to use it.
Stick out too short. Read the welding wire manufacturer's recommendations.
And just a thought: What if there's a ton on the crane, the crane points straight back and that single foot slips? Can the bar and the hitch deal with that kind of torque?
Given the kind of torque those receivers get when taking a trailer over bumps and turning, I'd say they probably can.
@@BlackEpyon
That's not nearly a ton of torque under normal driving conditions - but anyway, I'm mostly worried that the bar can't resist the torque.
The bed isn't even rated for a ton. Why would he do something that ridiculous anyway. Look how nice the machining is. Do you honestly think he would go ahead and ruin his back saver? If so you are the one that shouldn't be using a crane.
@@Room_for_1_more_fruit_tree
Okay.
I'm a auto tech and I have a Matco version of the bits you used. I like them I do lift kits often, I use those. Also when I install catalyst converter gaurds to install nutserts works quick clean and the bit doesn't heat up.
Just a thought...the holes may be too close to another. Depending on load, there may be distortion developing. Installing a large threaded rod, with acme threads would provide infinite adjustment to the ground. Great project. Can't wait to see it in action.
Or he could have drilled them in a spiral.
Great looking job you always put great deal of time and thought into your projects. I made one similar years ago and it really comes in handy for those odd jobs.
Coming up next time: mini truck crane to lift the full truck crane into position. :D
Looking great Abom! Keep up the awesome content!
Lifting system capacity is limited by the *weakest link* under dynamic (not static!) foreseeable conditions. Intuitively this weakest link would seem to be the welded T joint on the vertical post to the horizontal square tube, which is leveraged by the load into bending, twisting, torquing forces all at once, all concentrated in the joint corners. This threatens to peel the weld apart under much less force than the design strength of the joint. The hazard is amplified if the truck should roll slightly, when the weld joint will be twisted by the leveraged mass of the truck! Hence it would seem prudent, with heavy loads, to *CHOCK THE WHEELS FIRST* .
I would agree, but like he said it was for 500-600 pounds.
I was thinking the same thing but if it was me i would add a removable leg on a caster to support the twisting force
Adam...the smile on your face when u picked up the vice was priceless!! You are a master my friend. Much respect for you.
Instead of pushing your wire try dragging it… pinholes might be caused by slag inclusions. Or some flux core wires are negative wires, just check the polarity and check the shielding gas to run with it. Not sure on American colour coding for gas bottles looks like pure argon, may need argon/carbon dioxide mix
Sounds like a plan
another thing to consider could be a bad liner, I tried to see the gas bottle label and could not read it as he pans over it quickly, I think it is a mix though. clearing the diffuser might also help.
side note: In the United States, color-coding is not regulated by law. so, if you ever weld here read labels...
The Wesco blue bottles are 75/25 mix.
Miller lists all of the proper polarity on the inside of the cargo door.It shows flux core to be reverse polarity! He should check that gor sure.
Abom, I will call that hoist a win and a huge back saver, Enjoyed the ride along, Thanks.
You're going to put way too much torsion and stress on the bottom tube connecting the crane to the hitch. These typer cranes always require bracing on the bottom especially if you want to lift anything of significant weight. Mine has braising and even with the braising sometimes it feels a little sketchy. Try lifting 500-600lbs you won't feel safe using it the way it is
Exactly what I was thinking, now I haven't welded anything ever, but Torque = length x distance and when he lifted that 200 pound vise he probably put close to 1000 pounds of force on that joint. I would definitely put a big gusset on the top and bottom of that joint.
Well, that's a half-ton truck, so you're not going to be putting anything significant into the bed anyways, especially if he's got it fully extended into the 1/2 ton position.
Thanks for the time you spend sharing your projects.
Personally, I think I would have staggered the holes on the foot to get more metal between them. Having them all in line like that looked kind of weak.
or have several holes in the receiver with different center distance. Vernier pattern.
I agree. Spiraling them as they go up will fix this problem.
metal stronk
Adam has the best smile! He's proud of what he's done.
No offense intended, but in my humble opinion, this is the perfect accident machine. Two tons of weight as a likely asymmetric shear-force on a 1/2" bolt of the foot? It's enough to make your toes curl. It is not a coincidence, heavy duty ball joints are used to avoid asymmetry and hardened pins in welded bushings to minimize shear forces in such applications.
Total agree
I would disagree because it's never designed to load items that are heavy enough to compress the suspension of the truck.
I definitely agree with what you said. Its most certainly true, but I'm pretty sure he said in a previous video that he didn't intend this crane to be used for lifting things much over a few hundred pounds. Just something to help save his back when he's alone and needs a hand lifting something into the bed of the truck.
I’m sure that Adam knows enough about his truck, shear strengths of steel, and loads he plans to lift to stay well within safety limits.
@@ellieprice363 It might surprise you, but bolts are designed to cope with tensile and compression forces and not with shear forces. That's the reason, why mechanical engineers always add dull pins and eventually bushings (both made from hardened steel), whenever bolts are subjected to shear forces. A bolt, pushed through a drilled hole of two concentric pipes can be easily sheared off by a simple force impulse. Since the whole weight of the crane and the load relies on one single rigid telescopic foot in question, any random slip-stick of the load is enough to invite disaster to strike. It's not a coincidence, knifes of parrot-beak bolt cutter tools always follow the very same geometry.
You might want to make some more holes below flat, so you can set the foot up after the truck has some load aboard.
That stilt wont work - I noticed you tested it lifting and setting down and picking back up from the bed, but you didnt load a few things from the swap meet or log pcs from the tree that fell, and then tried to pull that pin now that theres 500-1500lbs of weight in the bed....... You'll never get that pin out to retract the foot without getting out the jack from the truck to relieve the weight off the pin, because when the ass-end of the truck sags, the stilt on the tube is locked in!!!
I'm thinking a simple trailer tongue jack with a crank handle, attached and ditch the stilt altogether
Oh it’ll work and I can’t wait to prove it to all the naysayers 👍🏻 There’s more to the story than meets the eye.
@@Abom79 So many nay sayers
If he has air struts he can just lift the bed a bit No?
My thinking, also. This was an incomplete test. Getting that 'foot' retracted is a big part of the "test". I think he''l need to carry some kind of jack to get the pressure off the foot. "A Relief-Jack; Don't leave home without it!" I'm pretty sure he's already got a plan for that. 👍 😄
@@arkiefyler Anybody think the lift itself could easily be used to take the load off the foot? C'mon guys, think! It's right there!
Now put a winch on it so you can pick something off the ground.
So, no gussets or triangular bracing? Does that mean you're relying on the compressive strength of that cylinder alone? What happens if it gets off-kilter? Would it bend?
The compressive strength of that cylinder is immense, and the weakest point in it is a solid bar of steel. I have dropped milling machines onto hoists like that and while the casters flattened, the cylinder was fine.
Adam I'm no machinist I did repair mining equipment underground for my life time but you sir are one high caliber machinist at the very top and I take you as an outstanding person really love your videos and I'm nearing 70 now and I have been around the barn a few times keep up the great job you're doing and stay safe my friend that is if I can call you my friend
I think we’re all happy to see how happy you are!
Abom, couldnt you take and fab the jack to fold down to be in parallel to the bed tail gate??? So like close gate and then have the jack hinged with a pin to fold, so that way you just leave it and always be on, all you have to do is fold it upward and drop the foot peg.
Hey Adam!
I am NOT going to expand on other's comments about loads in bed preventing the release of the foot against the ground. What I am going to recommend is further 'down the road' in final use and stowage. Create a PVC pipe & cap "cover" for the male shaft component to prevent contamination and grease smearing onto items in the truck bed!
Best regards,
Ken
Something I learned real fast with flux core welding wire is using the proper technique. With flux core wire you can not push the weld like with solid wire. With flux core in my experience you have to drag the weld just like stick welding. That way the wire is feeding back into the weld. And helps eliminate pin holes in the weld. Chang up the angle of your mig gun and try dragging the weld. It works for me. Also the correct polarity if important. Flux core runs opposite of hard wire
I agree 100%! That imformation is on the sticker inside the door on the cabinet,Miller puts the electrode configurations in there!
The pipe looks like being galvanized and there is also the typical white shine from the zinc oxide after welding. I'm pretty sure, that causes the pinholes in the weld.
Thank you for posting this video. We just purchased a Lift yesterday and THIS is something that I was thinking about. Glad to find your video!!
To mix your bottle up just sling it up in your crane and tip it back and forth maybe.
I like when you are "happy with it" It makes me smile too.
Hi Adam. Its Keith Callcut hear in the U.K .This crane you have built has got my mind rolling. What a great idea you have come up with. There is one going on my trailer for my next project. Keep up the good work.
Nice results Adam. A few comments from way the heck over here on the left coast. If you had used a spiral hole pattern up the support leg then you would have had more material between holes but perhaps ~1/8" steel in two places is enough to support whatever you plan to lift? Also, Adam, you may need to add a downrigger on either side of the support leg (parallel to direction of the truck length axis) because once you extend the arm with a heavy load and rotate into the bed our outboard of the hitch, there will be an enormous amount of torque and could twist the hitch mount cross member. Watch the foot when you swing a heavy load into the bed (or way outboard) and see if it moves - to indicate appreciable twist. Finally, when you were testing the rig rotation with the yellow bar wedged between the vertical support and the hydraulic cylinder, I noticed a through hole about one foot below the upper elbow bolt. Looks to be a hole left from the original hoist assembly. Can you not use that with a bar for rotation?
Way to go Adam! So useful. Perhaps a gantry crane over your entire slab, for those bigger jobs? I know you probably don't actually need one, but...
I'll send over some custom pieces I made for many many years in my machine and fab shop that will go along with your truck. You're a good guy Adam....
We had a boom truck that had outriggers that were a fixed length like a knee so when you back up they would lock up and when u pull forward you could fold them up in half so u would have plenty of clearance
Awesome! As long as the guy you built it for is happy with it, you're guaranteed to have a repeat customer!
Might I suggest that instead of two pieces of pipe welded on the sides of the square tube, that you weld a piece of pipe through the middle of the square tube so it isn't in the way but handy for your handle! Just a suggestion!
Awesome Adam I need to make something like this for my truck!
You remind me of a kid under the Christmas Tree. You smile is wide as the Mississippi. Looks and works awesome! Great video.
You can just lift the boom by hand, and it will stay up. Great set of videos.
WELL DONE SIR!!
I like that plan of putting to pieces of pipe on side of main support
I think drilling a hole in the main frame would be better than welding a piece on,to always be in the way. That way it would be removable.
45:20 Adam, you very well deserve every bit of that smile! There isn't a boy in the world that doesn't enjoy playing with cranes, especially one he built himself!
That crane job is as slick as deer guts on a door knob!!! Great job!
You start to flip that tubing over in the vise, and I suddenly thought "oh no, you just milled away the reference surface".
Fortunately the stop was actually just a little bit up on the side! Nice job!
For your leverage bar/pipe. You have more torque down lower. The area that you have already ground the blue paint off of would be a perfect spot. What a fun build.
Nice build, and simple enough a kludge like me could do it. thanks for sharing.
Adam, I love your workmanship! As always your pride comes through. However, I respectfully have a couple of engineering ideas which would improve the performance of your design.
I have two suggests. Increase the diameter of the pin to 1/2” which significantly increases the load bearing surface area. I’m not so concerned about shearing the pin, I expect the 3/8” hole will and pin to wallow out slightly making the pin difficult to insert and remove.
My second and more important suggestion is to rotate the pipe at least 20 degrees between the holes which are spaced 1/2” apart lengthwise along the pipe. This allows significantly more meat to keep the holes from stretching due to lack of metal between the adjacent hole.
I have a suggestion which will simplify and improve the performance of the gussets as well that you may incorporate into future builds if you are interested.
Love your videos! Say hi if you find yourself on the north side of Tampa!
Congrats on that build - works like butter!!! You are a master !! So, so cool brother !!