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Pick-up bed hoists?

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Eddie

02-18-2003 06:08:49




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Wasn't sure where to post this.....I am looking into turning my pickup into a dump truck. In the northern tool catalog they have a unit that does just that. It is hydraulic that bolts to your frame then your pickup bed bolts to it. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these. It seems to me the bed would be flimsy as it is designed to be bolted to the frame.Any advice would be truly appreciated. Thanks, Ed

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T.J.-N.J.

02-26-2003 07:48:30




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
My dad bought a kit from an ad in the back of Popular Mechanics around 1980 or so and had a friend of his install it at his body shop on his 76 W-200 Power Wagon. He has an 8 foot step side on the truck and it had a wood floor in it His buddy built a really stout sub frame for the body and made up a 1/4in plate floor with a couple crossmembers. It has worked really well over the years and we have used it for everything from mulch and fire wood to stone from the quarry. I think the bed is about an inch higher than stock because there was a clearance problem with the fuel tank and the scissor lift. On a step side this isn't as noticeable but I think it would be a lot more obvious on a fleetside. I have seen a few running around in my area and some the bodies sit up high yet others they are at stock height. On our truck you must raise the body to add gas so remember to fill up before you load the truck, it has been a real workhores over the last 23 years and we are probably going to give her a new coat of paint soon as she is starting to look a little worn. Good luck T.J.

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Fred Kobs

02-18-2003 22:21:37




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
Hey eddie, where are you located? A friend of mine has a slide in dump box that could be bought for about the price of the working hyd. pump. 60 MI. east of Omaha, NE.



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Eddie

02-20-2003 14:09:06




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 Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Fred Kobs, 02-18-2003 22:21:37  
I have thought about these but they weigh about 700 pounds from what I understand. I have a half ton truck. The unit I am looking for weighs 150 pounds if I am understanding correctly. By the way I am in southeast Michigan.



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Bus Driver

02-18-2003 17:58:10




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
Some of the others posting have had such conversions and have good things to say about them. I have not used such a conversion. Some of the reasons that I hesitated to do so is that the weight of the added equipment reduces the payload that the truck can carry- regardless of whether the load requires dumping or not. The equipment is an extra load even if the truck is empty. If these considerations are less important, then the conversion may be really good for your situation.

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Eddie

02-20-2003 14:11:26




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 Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Bus Driver, 02-18-2003 17:58:10  
I think the kit I am looking into weighs around 150 pounds.



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Robert in W. Mi.

02-21-2003 05:58:06




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 Re: Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie , 02-20-2003 14:11:26  
What are you going to haul? Unless the lift has a pretty good ram, you won't be able to pick up much. Also a 1/2 ton will get over loaded "very" fast. One last point, to haul heavy loads you will have to do quite a bit of braceing under the bed ect.. I bought a HD setup and built a flat bed. My truck is a HD 3/4 ton 8,600 GVW and i'd "not" want it in a pu with less GVW! In fact, i'm planning to move the whole set up into my 1 ton pu.. Robert

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John

02-18-2003 09:01:46




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
Many years ago, Mother Earth News had an article related to designing one of these. It used the Powers steering pump to supply the pressure.



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KEG

02-18-2003 15:24:33




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 Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to John, 02-18-2003 09:01:46  
I checked my index for Mother Earth News issues 1 - 80 but could not find the article you referred to. Wish I could, cause I would really like to build a dump bed using the power steering pump. Anyone seen any web sites on how to build such a beast (without buying the packages)?

KEG



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Paul Janke

02-18-2003 18:36:11




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 Re: Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to KEG, 02-18-2003 15:24:33  
I did not want to use a kit with which the box would sit higher than original factory height when it is down. I built a subframe which on my 1988 Ford F150 is outside of the original frame. I used loader cylinders from Northern for the hoist. They are mounted low on the frame toward the front of the box and the top ends are inside the wheel wells. The hinge is just ahead of the bumper, low on the frame. The bumper has been beefed up and is part of the box subframe. The power steering pump powers the thing. I went from the pump to a selector valve (cable controlled from inside the cab) and from it to either the power steering or to the valve for the hoist. The reservoir on the pump was not big enough, so I machined a plug to fit in place of the cap which has a hose from it to an old freon tank for the main reservoir. That plug has an o-ring on it to fit the neck on the pump liquid tight. The pump is high on my pickup, so it has to siphon the oil out of the tank. The hitch is on the now really strong bumper, and the hinges are not exactly flimsy. It works great and I've had no problems with it. I need to raise the box to fuel up. That's a small price to pay.

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kjm

02-18-2003 16:41:58




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 Re: Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to KEG, 02-18-2003 15:24:33  
KEG, the last ME I bought still had the plans for sale. But the guy that built it just put valves under the hood to by pass the steering box and divert it to the hoist. A ball valve and a pull cable you could raise the bed from the cab.



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Pete - IN

02-18-2003 08:56:45




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
I researched doing this some 20 years ago. At that time, anything on the market did not allow for a heavy duty trailer hitch on truck. Since I often pulled a heavy trailer I dismissed the idea. There may be units available now that can be used with a hitch. It is something to keep in mind if you ever pull a trailer.



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F14

02-18-2003 11:24:42




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 Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Pete - IN, 02-18-2003 08:56:45  
I use a standard frame mount hitch receiver on mine, lowered about 3" with steel blocks. You may have to use a step-up offset in the plug-in to get ball height where you want it.



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F14

02-18-2003 06:58:29




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  
I've got that Northern unit under the bed of my '89 Chevy tonner. I modified the installation slightly by mounting the electric/hyraulic unit behind the seat in the truck, building a subframe under the bed to spread the load out when lifting, and drilling and tapping for grease zerks at the pivot points on the scissors lift.

With the power unit behind the seat and out of the salt and weather, I've had ZERO problems with the unit in something over 10 years, and it's been the best money I ever spent.

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buck

02-18-2003 06:44:43




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 Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to Eddie, 02-18-2003 06:08:49  

I had a 79 ford 150 that had one of these and it was a true work saver. I used it untill I replaced the truck in 87 and there was no damage to the bed associated with the lift. If you are in the position where you need a small dump truck I think you will like it. Do consider that installing one of these may require other modifications such as exhaust, fuel fill, bumper attachment, frame hitch attachment.

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Eddie

02-20-2003 14:20:54




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 Re: Re: pick-up bed hoists? in reply to buck, 02-18-2003 06:44:43  
I am glad you liked yours Buck. When the bed was lowered could you tell something was different about the truck? I am getting conflicting stories about whether the box sits in the stock factory position, or sits higher. Did the box seem flimsy at all? I am concerned because I will use the truck as a chip truck. I have a 4 foot tall plywood box built on my bed now. I pull a chipper and blow the chips into it. Do you think there is enough support in the bed to accomodate the box I built on it? I sure am getting tired of shoveling woodchips! Thanks for your opinions and help! Eddie

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