 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / November 2005Need a hitch-mounted loading lift...
Hi all, I often have to lift large logs (2' round oaks, 2' long) into the back of my land rover. Currently I step them up on progressively taller logs, but it would be great if I had a platform that I could lower to the ground, and then lever up to the height of my cargo load! Any ideas? Thanks, Dean > I often have to lift large logs (2' round oaks, 2' long) into the back > of my land rover. Currently I step them up on progressively taller > logs, but it would be great if I had a platform that I could lower to > the ground, and then lever up to the height of my cargo load! Any > ideas? http://www.pickupspecialties.com/spitzlift.htm Here's a better link: http://www.spitzlift.net/ > I often have to lift large logs (2' round oaks, 2' long) into the back > of my land rover. Currently I step them up on progressively taller > logs, but it would be great if I had a platform that I could lower to > the ground, and then lever up to the height of my cargo load! Any > ideas? That's the idea (thanks, btw!), but that does look a bit slow. I really want a lever action. > That's the idea (thanks, btw!), but that does look a bit slow. I really > want a lever action. Levers are not as efficient as winches. Unless you want to start using hydraulics or electrics, which wouldn't be much faster, this is the best you are going to get. You could just design and build something yourself, but it would end up being specialized for one purpose. The SpitzLift can fold and store in the back of you rig and be used for many things. You could use it to load your groceries if you wanted. Seriously though, how fast does it need to be? Are you stealing the wood? No, not stealing it! But there's maybe 100 logs this size on my neighbors property, I load 4 into tha back of the truck and drive to my own house and unload. But each time its like a wrestle to get them in the back. Do you mean to use them in their present shape (e.g., as landscaping components or parts for some project) or as firewood? In the latter case you might be better off from a variety of standpoints by splitting them on site. You can buy or rent splitters and combination splitter/lifters that you tow behind the vehicle. If you can get a deal, this is going to be a lot less arduous than trying to cut 'em up with a chain saw. Towed tools are are going to be a lot more capable than anything actually supported by the hitch, which probably doesn't want more than 200 or 300 pounds of tongue weight. You might also consider whether a utility trailer and/or a few trips with a rented 3/4 ton pickup would get 'em home faster than four at a time in the back of a luxo SUV, unless of course you need its off-road capabilities to get to the things in the first place. Perhaps you could work out a deal with somebody who has such items and would rather have some of the firewood than a Saturday. Cheers, --Joe "Read and understand the instruction manual inc. the part about personal safety gear" Chew Joe - I have a splitter and a trailer - I can get neither of them to the logs, its too slippery and muddy, I can only just get there in a land rover with mud tires. Otherwise, yes, I would split them there and throw them onto the trailer. Does your climate give you a window this fall when the ground is frozen enough to lumber along (no pun intended and not much of one achieved) with a trailer? Might mean less tear-up of the road even if you end up taking 'em a few at a time with the Range Rover anyway. --Joe land owner is clearing the whole place soon, have to rush before the machines come in and start chipping everything up. What about a ramp that hooks onto the back of the Land rover and goes to the ground? You roll the log onto the bottom, strap it or stick a post or 2 behind it to hold it and use something like a High Lift or Jack All farm jack to raise the end of the ramp above level so the log just rolls into the back of the truck. The jacks are 4 and 5', but maybe they make taller ones. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Dean Mike that's not a bad idea, I have a high lift jack too. But pumping that handle 20 times for 100 logs seems a bit much > Mike that's not a bad idea, I have a high lift jack too. But pumping > that handle 20 times for 100 logs seems a bit much Ok, same ramp. Hooked onto vehicle with two legs hinged/single bolted to far end of ramp pointing forward to lay under bumper. Load log and drive forward 5' or so. The legs dig in and raise end of ramp. Log rolls into truck. Back up for next log. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > > Mike that's not a bad idea, I have a high lift jack too. But pumping > > that handle 20 times for 100 logs seems a bit much [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Load log and drive forward 5' or so. The legs dig in and raise end of > ramp. Log rolls into truck. Back up for next log. That's ingenius! Unless it just skids forward and doesn't dig in. > Unless it just skids forward and doesn't dig in. That is simple. I would put an X across the legs so they aren't wobbly with one bar across the bottom and just pound a 2x4 or 2x2 or rebar stake in so the bar across the bottom of the two legs grabs the stake when you go forward. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > > Unless it just skids forward and doesn't dig in. > > That is simple. I would put an X across the legs so they aren't wobbly > with one bar across the bottom and just pound a 2x4 or 2x2 or rebar > stake in so the bar across the bottom of the two legs grabs the stake > when you go forward. I was just reading about the temporary nature of the job, so I would think about even just using a 1x10" or 2x10" or even 2x8" board hinged to the ramp with the stake in the ground as a skid stop would do for the legs, no need to get fancy. The ramp could be a couple 2x8" with ladder style braces. A chunk of angle iron bolted to the end of the ramp to hook into the bumper maybe? And away you go. > Mike > 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 > 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's > Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! > Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) If you're only hauling 4 at a time isn't there plenty time to rest the pumping arm between loads? > Mike that's not a bad idea, I have a high lift jack too. But pumping > that handle 20 times for 100 logs seems a bit much usual practice in small logging operations is to drag logs to higher ground and roll downhill onto truck. dragging is usually done by horse or farm tractor but Land Rover should suffice. > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Dean William - dragging cover the wood with dirt and crap and makes it a pain to saw them. I prefer to saw them right where they fall and make a mess on someone else's land, not mine. Its hard to make much of a mess in a forest! > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Dean Harbor Freight has a hitch mounted, electric winch operated 500# lift platform on sale for $200 (regular $400). I've not seen it personally, but I've seen reports that indicate it's a pretty nice unit. Lot / item number 47591 in the current flyer. Pete C. Pete that's what I was looking for. If it were a mechanical one I would have bought it. But I don't want another winch and it is quite a few $$$, even at that price. But thanks, I'll keep it in mind. Dean > Pete that's what I was looking for. If it were a mechanical one I would > have bought it. But I don't want another winch and it is quite a few [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Dean Hmm, well I guess everyone's finances are different. I tend to think that $200 for that lift is cheaper than dirt compared to the several thousand dollars that a full sized electric-hydraulic lift gate costs. At any rate you could easily clone the design with salvaged materials and optimize it for log lifting. Pete C. I do have a winch on the front of my rover, but I can't think of a way of using it for lifting something at the back, unless I run the winch rope over the roof rack. But I hesitate to put 400 lb of oak onto a 1/4" section of my rack. > I do have a winch on the front of my rover, but I can't think of a way > of using it for lifting something at the back, unless I run the winch > rope over the roof rack. But I hesitate to put 400 lb of oak onto a > 1/4" section of my rack. Considering they are charging about $50 for the winch that is included with the lift it's kind of irrelevant. The snatch blocks that would be required to loop the winch cable around and to the back would cost more than the extra winch with the lift. Certainly if you are handy and have a welder you could roughly clone their lift design and use a regular hydraulic jack instead. The tradeoff is of course your time scrounging and building (you did say you have to move all the wood soon) vs. the $200 for the ready to go unit that would take about 30 min to install. Pete C. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.