pick-up bed hoists

[topnotchtree]

Anybody familiar with the bed hoist kits you can buy for your pick up in the northern tool catalog. Looks like a great idea but before I invest in one I would like some thoughts from someone who has one. I sure am getting tired of unloading my chips with a shovel! lol

 

[jimmyq]

ever consider one of those winch our rolling type bed liners? I apologize, I don't remember the brand or product name...

 

[Stumper]

Loadhandler jimmyq. I bought one and never usedit-the service bed on my truck wouldn't work without buiding a new tailgate to mount it on. I decided that I didn't want to bother because I was afraid it wouldn't work trying to drag the stuff out with the solid sides dragging athe full length of the bed. I'm told that the thing really does work well when mounted on the factory bed.

 

[Eric Kunik]

they work great I unload 7 yards at a time I put 4 ftby 2ft pcs of plywood in front of the wheel wells and everything comes out in about 20 secs

 

[Menchhofer]

One thought would be to consider the weight of the unit and the capacity of your pick up. Some 1/2 tons do not carry much weight and remember a yard of chips weighs about 550 lbs.

 

[Stumper]

Yeah Netree-we seem to have two discussions going on at the same time, Topnotchtree was talking about a jib and I thought that jimmyq was referring to a loadhandler so I chimed in iIm not sure which Eric K was referring to.

 

[jimmyq]

as I reread the posts I think perhaps the first poster was referring to a hydraulic dump box ( dumping bed?) for the chips. I did mean the loadhandler but perhaps its not the best for this purpose.

 

[treesurgeon]

the most efficient way to get the chips off a pickup truck is to add the hydrolics under your truck bed. This way you use less weight than a ez-dumper which fits on your truck bed. The ez-dumper may make your truck sag a little if it is a 1/2 ton. The weight you save will help alot with a full load of chips.

 

[Stumper]

Rereading things I think you are right jimmyq. Regarding the dump kits from Northern and others I have been told that they work fine but the bed tends to not hold up real well. (Standard factory pick-up boxs are pretty flimsy when they aren't bolted down solidly).

 

[johncinco]

Someone on here showed me that awhile ago, unfortunately they do not make them for a dodge. I had to go buy a whole dump truck! It was cheaper than buying one of those hyd dump trailers.

 

[topnotchtree]

Thanks for all the replies. I just found this website the other day and I am already impressed. If anybody cares to know, I am one of those "tree butchers" that ride the orange trucks to clear power lines. Side jobs just seem to land in my lap sometimes so I bought a fixer-upper chipper. Now I am trying to decide what to chip into. I looked into the hydraulic kits from northern and they do interest me but I was hoping for some first hand knowledge from someone who has one. A friend of mine had thesame setup as me and tried the loadhandler but it didn't seem to work consistantly. There is also a company called "loadhog". They make a dump kit for all pickups. They use hinges on rear, and an airbag system to lift the front of the box. I think their website is www.loadhog.com. It seems to be a pretty cool setup but it is nearly twice the cost of the hydraulic system which can be found at "www.piercesales.com". They are the company that makes the setup from northern. Thanks again.

 

[johncinco]

When I looked into it, the hyd one was a little over $800, and the one that uses thair bag wsa $4200. Better be cutting a lot of trees to make that worthwhile.

 

[NeTree]

If you have some skill with a welder, you can easily make your own dump setup. Next time you dump, take a peek at how it's done. One can be built from scratch for around $350.

You could also call a junkyard or three and see if they have a setup from a 1-ton dump.

 

[Reed]

NE's got the right idea - I've had some experience with both the giant balloon AND the hydraulic cylinder/hinge mount...they both suck when coupled to a factory bed.

Remove the bed entirely, trash it or sell it. Start with the frame...if it's a half-ton beef-up the truck with a 3/4 or one ton axle including the hubs and leaf springs. Junk yard for a pump and mount, replace hoses and clean the control box, Northern Hydraulics for a cylinder and weld a plate mount where needed on a cross-member over the differential, build a bed from scratch and high-side it as necessary keeping in mind the yard volume. Bearings on the axles take a load too, leaf spring additions only won't get you too far safely.

Ask Tom about how he mounted a dumper on a school bus, take that advice and reduce the figures. I love his rig, wish I had one and the determination to go about getting it together. Next project won't be tree-related, it''l be a boat stout enough to get me outta here.

 

[TREETX]

That is a stout boat if it can sail you outta the hill country.....

 

[Reed]

Hey - it's raining. Maybe, just maybe.