I have a GM 3/4 ton pickup.

I won, in an auction, a "Ramco RM5000" crane. This crane is similar to
the Harbor Freight truck crane, but is a lot beefier.

It is pictured he

http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Ramco-RM5000-Truck-Crane.jpg

(not mine, but an identical model).

This is rated for 5k pounds, I am sure for the boom fully retracted.

It has a 8,000 lbs jack. I will put in a longer boom too, and a
winch. I am aware that extending the boom will decrease capacity
proportionally, so a boom that is 4 foot would decrease capacity of
the crane to, say, 1,500 lbs or whatever. I have to call the mfr to
find out. This is stillw ay better than my HF crane.

I have a very large 3/4 inch steel plate, I would say 3x4 feet, that
is rusting in my backyard.

What I thought of doing, is making a cutout on the plate to fit around
a wheel well, and mount it in the back of the truck's bed, and put the
crane on top of it. The Ramco crane would sit in the rear right corner
of the bed, just like this Harbor Freight crane does now:

http://goo.gl/KAN0Y

It has to be a large plate, to spread the weight of the crane and the
levering action that its base would apply to the bed. This particular
plate weighs around 300 lbs and is large enough.

My question is, what sort of constraints do I still have. I would hate
to overturn my truck, break suspension, etc. I would also think that
for heavy lifting, I would need to jack up the right rear wheel too.

Any practical opinions?

i

On May 17, 8:37*pm, Ignoramus31865 ignoramus31...@NOSPAM.
31865.invalid wrote:
I have a GM 3/4 ton pickup.
...
What I thought of doing, is making a cutout on the plate to fit around
a wheel well, and mount it in the back of the truck's bed, and put the
crane on top of it. The Ramco crane would sit in the rear right corner
of the bed, just like this Harbor Freight crane does now:

* *http://goo.gl/KAN0Y

It has to be a large plate, to spread the weight of the crane and the
levering action that its base would apply to the bed. This particular
plate weighs around 300 lbs and is large enough.

My question is, what sort of constraints do I still have. I would hate
to overturn my truck, break suspension, etc. I would also think that
for heavy lifting, I would need to jack up the right rear wheel too.

Any practical opinions?

i

IIRC my Ranger is rated for half a ton in the bed, at which point the
rear springs clear the rubber stops by about the height of a clenched
fist (field-expedient measurement). 700 Lbs on the crane, boom
retracted and swung to the rear, deflects the spring on its side the
same amount due to the increased leverage. Once I had that oak log in
the bed the springs deflected a lot less.

I now consider 700 lbs the max to load with the bed-mounted crane. I
could position a heavier load close to the bumper but when the weight
pulls the bed down the mast tilts back and the boom wants -very- badly
to swing out, more than I want to get hurt trying to stop it. I've
broken and replaced those rubber stops after pushing the load capacity
a little, perhaps due to one-sided spring overcompression from large
rocks in the trail.

I made the crane base out of square tubing that bolts through to the
frame and then raised the bed level nearly flush with its top with
plywood. Unlike a Chevy the Ford's bed bolts down from above:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/r...s/HPIM0470.jpg
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/...0718522101.jpg

If you pull the bed off you may be able to install stronger crossbeams
under it or on the frame to support the crane, without cutting your
net load capacity down to my Ranger's by adding 1/4 ton of steel. I
peeked under my friends' Chevy and Dodge trucks and a crane mount
looked possible, though not as simple as mine. You could make wooden
mockups to get the fit right while the bed is still on and the truck
not disabled. I've removed the bed perhaps half a dozen times to fix
rust or the fuel pump + level sensor assembly.

jsw

On Tue, 17 May 2011 19:37:43 -0500, Ignoramus31865
wrote:

I have a GM 3/4 ton pickup.

I won, in an auction, a "Ramco RM5000" crane. This crane is similar to
the Harbor Freight truck crane, but is a lot beefier.

It is pictured he

http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/Ramco-RM5000-Truck-Crane.jpg

(not mine, but an identical model).

This is rated for 5k pounds, I am sure for the boom fully retracted.

It has a 8,000 lbs jack. I will put in a longer boom too, and a
winch. I am aware that extending the boom will decrease capacity
proportionally, so a boom that is 4 foot would decrease capacity of
the crane to, say, 1,500 lbs or whatever. I have to call the mfr to
find out. This is stillw ay better than my HF crane.

I have a very large 3/4 inch steel plate, I would say 3x4 feet, that
is rusting in my backyard.

What I thought of doing, is making a cutout on the plate to fit around
a wheel well, and mount it in the back of the truck's bed, and put the
crane on top of it. The Ramco crane would sit in the rear right corner
of the bed, just like this Harbor Freight crane does now:

http://goo.gl/KAN0Y

It has to be a large plate, to spread the weight of the crane and the
levering action that its base would apply to the bed. This particular
plate weighs around 300 lbs and is large enough.

That would help you to pop wheelies, Ig.


My question is, what sort of constraints do I still have. I would hate
to overturn my truck, break suspension, etc. I would also think that

Just pay closer attention to the same things you already do: centers
of gravity, velocity, trajectory, and such. With a jack and heavy
object in the back of the bed, your rear axle becomes a pivot at the
right weight.


for heavy lifting, I would need to jack up the right rear wheel too.

No, maybe brace the frame (or underneath the 3/4" plate) instead?


Any practical opinions?

Wouldn't most heavy things be large and tend to be put onto the
trailer via a winch and ramp? What you really need is to sell that
crappy old mil trailer you have and get a dropbed dump trailer.

Or for the truck, an extendable bed-mounted ramp with winch at the cab
side. Why lift when you can slide?

--
It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no
distinctively native American criminal class except Congress.
-- Mark Twain

On May 17, 8:37*pm, Ignoramus31865
* *http://goo.gl/KAN0Y


Any practical opinions?

i

You could put the new crane on a trailer. The trailer could have out
rigger supports so the new crane could be used to lift very heavy
things with no problems with stability.

Dan

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i

Ignoramus15557 wrote:
Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

(...)

No fabrication you say?

Ooooo. I *like*:
http://www.westernmule.com/spec_shee...per_Crane.html

--Winston

On May 18, 8:09*pm, Ignoramus15557 ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15557.invalid wrote:
Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.


i

One reason I thought about mounting the new crane on a trailer
designed for it, was that it would give you a way to lift things
weighing up to 5000 lbs. Mounted on your truck, it will be limited.
Plus you would not be hauling around 300 plus lbs all the time.

Dan

On 2011-05-19, wrote:
On May 18, 8:09?pm, Ignoramus15557 ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15557.invalid wrote:
Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

One reason I thought about mounting the new crane on a trailer
designed for it, was that it would give you a way to lift things
weighing up to 5000 lbs. Mounted on your truck, it will be limited.
Plus you would not be hauling around 300 plus lbs all the time.



I do not particularly need a crane on a trailer, but a crane on a
truck would be very helpful. If I need to take a trailer someplace,
a forklift would probably be there. The trailer sits lower, and I made
some steel ramps that fit it, so I can use ramps with the trailer.

I do not have truck ramps and it is so high that I am somewhat afraid
to use ramps with my truck.

With a crane, I can pick up a lot of things whenever I want, I do not
need to set myself up for a trailer trip.

i

On May 18, 9:36*pm, Ignoramus15557 ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15557.invalid wrote:
On 2011-05-19, wrote:

On May 18, 8:09?pm, Ignoramus15557 ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15557.invalid wrote:
Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

One reason I thought about mounting the new crane on a trailer
designed for it, was that it would give you a way to lift *things
weighing up to 5000 lbs. *Mounted on your truck, it will be limited.
Plus you would not be hauling around 300 plus lbs all the time.

I do not particularly need a crane on a trailer, but a crane on a
truck would be very helpful. If I need to take a trailer someplace,
a forklift would probably be there. The trailer sits lower, and I made
some steel ramps that fit it, so I can use ramps with the trailer.

I do not have truck ramps and it is so high that I am somewhat afraid
to use ramps with my truck.

With a crane, I can pick up a lot of things whenever I want, I do not
need to set myself up for a trailer trip.

i

I've sometimes wished I had a second mounting location in the center
near the front so I could winch bulky rolling loads such as my tractor
or log splitter up ramps. My crane base doesn't allow that but yours
might.

My small crane can be locked in the cab to hinder theft when I'm
predictably occupied elsewhere, like at an auction.

jsw

Jim Wilkins wrote:

(...)

I've sometimes wished I had a second mounting location in the center
near the front so I could winch bulky rolling loads such as my tractor
or log splitter up ramps. My crane base doesn't allow that but yours
might.

My small crane can be locked in the cab to hinder theft when I'm
predictably occupied elsewhere, like at an auction.

That's why I'm jazzed about the crane that folds into the
truck bumper when not in use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGR-ka__4WU

Cool!

--Winston

Jim Wilkins wrote:

I've sometimes wished I had a second mounting location in the center
near the front so I could winch bulky rolling loads such as my tractor
or log splitter up ramps. My crane base doesn't allow that but yours
might.

My small crane can be locked in the cab to hinder theft when I'm
predictably occupied elsewhere, like at an auction.


I made a frame that uses a pair of J bolts to hold my 12V winch to
pull the riding mower into my truck. The 1997 Dakota has a pair of tie
downs under plastic plugs near the cab. The frame sits over them, and
is bolted in place, then I slide the winch on the mounting studs when I
need to use it. I can remove the frame in a couple minutes when i need
the full bed area.


--
It's easy to think outside the box, when you have a cutting torch.

On Wed, 18 May 2011 19:09:01 -0500, Ignoramus15557
wrote:

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i
I don't know the weight of your 5,000 lb. capacity crane or your
plate, but assuming that your plate is 3/4" and the crane weighs 500
lbs then you have a maximum weight of components plus load of 5,868
lbs. divided by 1728"2 = ~3.4 psi.

I just measured the area of one foot and weighed myself. If I stand on
one foot in the back of your pickup I will exert a force of ~5.36 psi.

"john B." wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 May 2011 19:09:01 -0500, Ignoramus15557
wrote:

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i
I don't know the weight of your 5,000 lb. capacity crane or your
plate, but assuming that your plate is 3/4" and the crane weighs 500
lbs then you have a maximum weight of components plus load of 5,868
lbs. divided by 1728"2 = ~3.4 psi.

I just measured the area of one foot and weighed myself. If I stand on
one foot in the back of your pickup I will exert a force of ~5.36 psi.

I haven't followed this and I may have missed this point, but I would think
that the issue here is not transferring the load evenly to the area of the
plate, but rather the effect of the lever arm, with the weight loaded some
distance from the center of the vertical column. That's what I'm picturing
as the "crane," anyway.

And if that's the case, then the specific load on the edges of the plate can
be many, many times the force of lifting the load.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:

"john B." wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 May 2011 19:09:01 -0500, Ignoramus15557
wrote:

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i
I don't know the weight of your 5,000 lb. capacity crane or your
plate, but assuming that your plate is 3/4" and the crane weighs 500
lbs then you have a maximum weight of components plus load of 5,868
lbs. divided by 1728"2 = ~3.4 psi.

I just measured the area of one foot and weighed myself. If I stand on
one foot in the back of your pickup I will exert a force of ~5.36 psi.

I haven't followed this and I may have missed this point, but I would think
that the issue here is not transferring the load evenly to the area of the
plate, but rather the effect of the lever arm, with the weight loaded some
distance from the center of the vertical column. That's what I'm picturing
as the "crane," anyway.

And if that's the case, then the specific load on the edges of the plate can
be many, many times the force of lifting the load.

--
Ed Huntress

I'm sure if he searches truck / service crane manufacturer's sites, he
will find plenty of installation guidance that does not include a big
plate of steel in the pickup bed.

On Thu, 19 May 2011 09:08:16 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"john B." wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 18 May 2011 19:09:01 -0500, Ignoramus15557
wrote:

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i
I don't know the weight of your 5,000 lb. capacity crane or your
plate, but assuming that your plate is 3/4" and the crane weighs 500
lbs then you have a maximum weight of components plus load of 5,868
lbs. divided by 1728"2 = ~3.4 psi.

I just measured the area of one foot and weighed myself. If I stand on
one foot in the back of your pickup I will exert a force of ~5.36 psi.

I haven't followed this and I may have missed this point, but I would think
that the issue here is not transferring the load evenly to the area of the
plate, but rather the effect of the lever arm, with the weight loaded some
distance from the center of the vertical column. That's what I'm picturing
as the "crane," anyway.

And if that's the case, then the specific load on the edges of the plate can
be many, many times the force of lifting the load.


There were all kinds of arguments going on. Mash the sheetmetal, etc.

But you are correct, the limits to crane operation are usually tipping
moments, not actual maximum lifting capacity as that is usually
specified with the boom at 89 degrees.

"john B." wrote in message
...
On Thu, 19 May 2011 09:08:16 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"john B." wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 18 May 2011 19:09:01 -0500, Ignoramus15557
wrote:

Guys... I am not talking to anyone specifically right now... I sense a
little bit of B/S on this topic.

Right now, I have a crane that lifts 500 lbs, mounted on a 1x1 foot
plate, with angle iron underneath the bed holding it in [place with
thru bolts. While it is slightly shaky, it works just fine.

With this Ramco crane, I am going to have a crane that would lift
about twice more weight -- 1k lbs -- supported by a 3x4 foot
plate. That is 12 times more area than the 1x1 foot plate! Even if it
is not evenly distributed across the plate, it is still a hell of a
lot more support and weight distribution than a 1x1 foot plate.

I think that I will be just fine with it without fabricating any funky
adapters and bolting them to the frame.

i
I don't know the weight of your 5,000 lb. capacity crane or your
plate, but assuming that your plate is 3/4" and the crane weighs 500
lbs then you have a maximum weight of components plus load of 5,868
lbs. divided by 1728"2 = ~3.4 psi.

I just measured the area of one foot and weighed myself. If I stand on
one foot in the back of your pickup I will exert a force of ~5.36 psi.

I haven't followed this and I may have missed this point, but I would
think
that the issue here is not transferring the load evenly to the area of the
plate, but rather the effect of the lever arm, with the weight loaded some
distance from the center of the vertical column. That's what I'm picturing
as the "crane," anyway.

And if that's the case, then the specific load on the edges of the plate
can
be many, many times the force of lifting the load.


There were all kinds of arguments going on. Mash the sheetmetal, etc.

But you are correct, the limits to crane operation are usually tipping
moments, not actual maximum lifting capacity as that is usually
specified with the boom at 89 degrees.

Yeah, I just saw the photo of it. The load on bolts holding a supporting
plate under the bed itself will be reduced considerably by using a larger
plate.

--
Ed Huntress

I had a 1 ton Chev dually I took a 1/4 inch thick wall pipe and welded it to the side of the frame right behind the spring hanger bracket and weld to it to cut a hole in the bed so the pipe was flush with the bottom of the bed so there was nothing sticking up when the hoist was remove. I use it for years picking up various things I think the heaviest thing I lifted was a 8x8 foot steel disk and loaded it on a trailer I had made a 6 foot boom for mine with capped ends.