Jeff in TD

I've got the toyhauler in my signature, and it's different than most in that it uses a ramp stored under the deck to load (as opposed to a drop down rear wall).

It has features I really like, but since the garage is just under 8' wide, I have to turn quads sideways to fit two big 4x4's in it. Naturally the last one has to be spun sideways while half on the ramp, and although I can do it by myself, yanking it around with the tire lugs on the ramp's rungs is really tough...

I've been kicking around mounting something like this in the rear corner...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=37555

Does anyone have one of these?

Actually, I probably don't need to have the boom raise and lower, and something with just a bit more reach would be nice, ideally with a trolly...

Does anyone know of something similar that might work better?

I figure reach needs to be a bit more than 4', and 5'+ would be better, boom height about 4.5 or 5' over deck height would be perfect, the quads probably weigh just under 700 lbs with fuel and equipment...

It would also be good if it didn't cantalever or have bracing that stuck out much on the back side of the mast, so I could mount it close to the wall...

I have a cheapie electric winch a friend gave me that I will likely mount on the mast.

LanceD

you going to mount it in your truck or in your house?

can you use these to roll the quads into your toy hauler sideways?

fiveology

http://www.spitzlift.net/
These seem to be pretty neat, might work for your needs.

Jeff in TD

I was going to put it in the back corner of the patio/garage section of the toyhauler...

I could use casters to swing the 1st quad around easier, but the real problem is the 2nd one- which can only be nosed in 1/2 way and has to be turned starting with the quad at a steep angle with one set of tires on the rungs of the ramp. There's only about 5' of floor space left once the first machine is in sideways...

It would be clearer if I had a photo of the 2nd machine half on the ramp, but from this you can kind of see what I mean...

Jeff in TD

That Spitz is kind of along the lines of what I'm thinking. It looks nice and is apparently aluminum and light. The 4' reach is shorter than the harbor freight one, though, and it's more money.

On the plus side, I could do the weld on bracket to the bumper, which would be handier than welding the base to a little bit broader steel plate and bolting it to the deck/frame like I was thinking with the Harbor Freight one...

sled4fun

I would rig up two pieces of 4" channel iron or something equivelent in strength to have as a new loading ramp. They would be spaced equal to the wheelbase of the quads and used as a guide for the new wheel support shoes you can make with little wheels to run up the guide ramps and roll into the trailer. You can have two sets of four roller shoes and leave them on the quads once in trailer. The quads would go up the ramp sideways.

Pushing 700lbs up the ramps could be a little hard depending on the shoe design and your strength so I would rig up your winch to sit on the entry step area between the ramps with a cable that ran up to the interior door around a snatchblock type wheel and back to the quad. Then when you winched it up it would pull all the way to the door. Unhook it and move on to the next quad. Store the ramps in the normal location or under the quads.

Make sure you have the ramps secured good (bolted, pinned) maybe even a mid section support to keep them at the right distance apart.

The key would be the shoes.

Jeff in TD

I actually kicked around the idea of 2 channel iron ramps, and using a winch to just drag the 2nd quad up sideways and into the trailer. On smooth metal (as opposed to the rungs on my current ramp) I think it would drag in OK.

I don't think I'd want to ancor a ****** block or anything to the top of the toyhauler, though, since I doubt it is intended for that kind of load. I'm sure it would work better to winch from a higher point, though, and I thought about ancoring to a strap between the racks of the 1st quad.

I also kicked around the idea of an engine lift type thing, but it would need bigger wheels and a taller mast to sit on the ground and lift a quad and set it in the trailer.


I could picture a swing boom thing working better, either lifting a quad from the ground and rotating it around into the trailer, or even just being able to lift the quad once it's half in the trailer...

I've just got to come up with something better. I'm not 18 anymore, and I'm afraid one of these days I'll blow a disk in my back or something.

I've also kicked around a monster-hauler truck bed ATV rack and tow trailer, but I just like 5th wheels better. I could also get a 39' patio hauler w/14' long garage (so I wouldn't have to turn the 2nd quad) but the pin weight would mean buying a dually, too (too much $$$).

Greenhornet1986

Jeff, if you are do decide to get a winch and winch it up sideways, mix up a bottle of soapy water, and pour on the ramp, it will help it come up much easier.

bentwings

I made a bed crane similar to the HF one out of all of our scrap chrome moly tubing. I braced it with some 1/8 x 2 flat and used a cheap strap winch from Northern. Mine fits inside the receiver hitch from the side. I added some legs to support it as it tilts the truck a little on heavier loads. It's good for 5-600#. It would be easy to make it stronger but I don't have need for it.

You might be able to do something like this.

Jeff in TD

Well, I ended up doing this...



It doesn't work as well as I figured, in that when you lift the entire quad, there isn't enough run of cable to swing it around, plus the boom won't pivot around with that much weight on it.

It is helpful to lift one end at a time, say when the back tires get caught on the lip of the floor.

Anyway, thanks for the input.