If you are getting older, you might need to lift things into the bed of your pickup that are too heavy for you to lift. I bought a generator that I want to haul in the pickup box rather than mount in the coach, plus now and then I have to use the dump tank in the back of the pickup rather than wheel the tote along behind the truck. So I found a small hoist for about $100 and mounted it in the truck's box.
The pictures show how it was installed on a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. I had trouble finding a flat spot on the truck box bed that would allow it to lift the maximum amount so I used several galvanized heavy-duty washers to space the mounting flange of the hoist over the ribs on the floor.
The difficult part was to get the mounts underneath the box to align with the mounting flange of the hoist. I found a piece of 1/4" plate that I bent to a U shape with 2" end flanges on either end to mount to the truck's braces. One end was against the rear brace and the other against the light web far to the rear. I located the angle brackets supplied with the hoist on the plate and clamped it together. I then welded the angles in place on the plate, drilled the holes through the plate using the pre-drilled holes in the angles as patterns (actually, clamped it together on the mounting flange and drilled the holes first. Then two bolts through the mounting flange, the plate and the angle brackets on each bracket so the spacing would be right as I welded it, finishing up the welds with the hardware removed so it wouldn't get damaged).
With the assembly installed against the frame brace held in place with a clamp, I drilled one hole through the box floor from underneath and installed a bolt and nut. I cinched it up and made certain that the plate was aligned properly, up against the floor and also against the brace.
I had made the plate short by approximately 3/4" so that I would be able to get the welded bracket in place. Then when it was positioned in place against the frame brace, the other end required spacers between the plates flange and the rearmost web. I drilled holes in the plate assembly (two on each end) and used self-tapping 1/4" screws to connect it to the frame brace and some 1/4" bolts through the plate, the spacers and the web to hold the other end, attaching them loosely.
Then I drilled the remaining holes from above. I inserted the bolts and installed nuts with flat washers and lock washers. Before I tightened everything down, I inserted the galvanized washers as spacers between the hoist's mounting flange and the truck box bed. I made two spacers forward and one to the rear. Then I tightened all of the bolts, including the flange 1/4" screws and bolts.
I keep the jack handle in the pickup cab and used a bungee to hold the hoist's boom from rattling around. The hoist is low enough so that it does not get in the way for most things in the truck bed and it will lift 500# fairly easily.
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I have 1 that I made it so the mount fits inside the receiver hitch
Ed So.Calif
1950 Ford F1 street rod
1968 Baha Bug with 2.2 ecotec motor 170 hp, kingcoil
2000 National Sea Breeze 5th wheel trailer
1998.5 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins,4.10 gears,turbo,trans,injectors,oil cooler,lockers,edge EZ, 35" BFG's, air dog lift pump etc.
Put one in my Dakota about 5 years ago. Got mine from Harbor Freight for around $40.00. I think they are now around $60-80 and you can get one with a winch on it.
1995brave wrote: Put one in my Dakota about 5 years ago. Got mine from Harbor Freight for around $40.00. I think they are now around $60-80 and you can get one with a winch on it.
yes mine to harbor freight unit has both hydraulic and a winch I pick it up for $25
I have a hitch hoist by Foreverlast that mounts in the 2" receiver and works great for lifting my ginny or anything else up to 450 lbs. It is intended for deer hunters but I sure love it.
Papa Bob
1* DW "Granny"
1* 2008 Brookside by Sunnybrook 32'
1* 2002 F250 Super Duty 7.3L PSD
Husky 16K hitch, Tekonsha P3,
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs, Trailair Equa-Flex, Champion C46540
"A bad day camping is better than a good day at work!"
LOL, it figures that they used to be really cheap, but this one was the only one like this that I could find. All of the others extended over the top of the sidewalls of the truck box. It would be fairly easy to attach a small winch on this, I suppose. The nice thing about this method is that it is out of the way and I don't have to install it each time to use it.
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