Truck Hitch Crane Build Ep. 7: First Test! 

Just something to consider -- if you have the landing leg down in contact before loading - after you load the truck is going to squat a little - may need to consider how you release tension on the leg if the load is high enough!

Respectfully if I might suggest, it'd be better to have the holes distanced on a spiral down that pipe, instead of a straight line down. - That way, the weight of the load will rest on the entire pipe below a certain hole, unlike the case of the holes in line where the weight of the load will rest only on the little part between 2 holes - which could break under hundreds of lbs. - Also I hope the pin is very strong and won't be sheared by the 2 pipes. -- Other than that, great work as always, thank you for sharing it!

Adam, I don't know if you'll read this comment, but those bolts on the horizontal tubing to take up slack should be on the corner. That way it'll tighten up in both planes, and also it's much more difficult to crush or deform the corner of a square tubing. Great videos, love the detail. You're an amazing person!

Argon gas don't "go bad", but in some cases, after an extended period on time set up in the vertical position, they will separate, if they are a mixed gas. Argon-CO2 mixes, need to be laid down on the floor, and rolled around for a bit if you have not used them for extended periods.

Talked to a friend of mine who taught welding. He said the worm track problem could be caused by contaminated flux. If the wire has been sitting for a lengthy period of time it could have moisture contamination. Hope this helps. The crane build is fricken awesome. Heavy duty without the extreme heavy weight.

If your putting a foot on it make sure you take a jack with you, if you load enough stuff to squat the truck your foot will be stuck.

I might try manipulating your torch angles a bit. Try more of a drag angle, rather than right in at 90°. Also, I believe flux core wires benefit from a longer stick out than traditional wires. 1/2 to 3/4 inch is where I run fc often. The longer stick out allows the wire and flux to preheat before liquefying and transferring to the weld puddle. Just some thoughts from a welder Abom! Fantastic job as always, nothing like using your favorite equipment for a personal project. Keep up the awesome videos! 👍😎👍

Nice build, and simple enough a kludge like me could do it. thanks for sharing.

If it’s 75/25 it’s just become unmixed. You just need to roll the tank around for a while to mix it back up. I had the same problem a while back, and the air/gas supplier said it’s common, especially if the tank has sat for any length of time.

Love watching you brother. You're an old school guy and I've learned a lot watching your channel. Thanks

Thank you for posting this video. We just purchased a Lift yesterday and THIS is something that I was thinking about. Glad to find your video!!

that chuckle when he picked up the vice. hahah I love that feeling when you spend some time thinking of something to solve a problem and it works perfectly.

When the load hits your truck the springs will compress , transfering the load to the pin which will cause binding 12:40

Adam, great job like always. Instead welding tubes on the outside of your square vertical section of your lift for rotating, drill a hole clean through that section and flush weld a piece of tubing in that goes through the vertical section then you can put in your jack handle from either side and you won't have the two pieces of tubing sticking out from the sides of the vertical section.

Thanks for the time you spend sharing your projects.

Really enjoyed watching this! Subscribed!

50min vid!!! Awesome!! *puts the kettle on*

I made up a version very similar to this one, but it ended up being very dangerous. With about 600kg on it, it would twist the bar connecting to the hitch, it would swing wildly when unloading as the suspension would unload and throw the crane off plumb, it also would swing when the suspension compressed, once again swinging wildly. Another issue was any uneven ground made for sketchy lifts, as the crane axis was never plumb. I ended up using 70x70mm square and made up a 3 point frame with adjustable feet at 2 outrigger points and one at the hitch. This way I could plumb the crane and negate any suspension movement. It also allowed for un even ground. Happy to share pics of my setup. I would improve the design a bit more, but so far I have found the setup works well. Just a huge pain to keep attaching and removing when needed. Can't leave it on as it would hit car park ceilings and drive through awnings.

Bravo Adam! It's always a great pleasure to see your projects done so accurately.

I stumbled on this tonight and I'm so glad to see you building it. I've thought about building something like this for decades but never really had the need until now when I'm older

Adam, take your long jack handle and add an F style end on it to fit the square tube of your jack spine. Then you will always have it and no need to add pipes to the sides of the spine. Great job so far! Never thought I would watch 7+ videos on how to build a truck crane, but I am intrigued with the details.

I like the idea of spiraling the pinholes for load bearing (giving a bit of art too). Also some kind of roll out design of carrier for the truck to put the jack neatly away in the back on both sides. So wonderful a thing to have. Great idea Adam. Thanks for the video.

I for one liked that you had to install a new roll of wire! I had no idea how that was done or how it worked. I'm not a welder at all, but enjoy watching you do jobs I'll never do, but appreciate the talent that folks like you have for doing this type of work. Computer geeks don't get much chance to even know how things like these get done.

Very nice work, and I was really happy to see how it made you smile! Lots of aggravation and doubt up til now, and little things like running out of wire or getting those pinholes in the bead only adds to the sense of frustration. But, when all's said and done..... she works! A real treat, Adam.

Worm tracks from not enough stick out on the wire. The flux isn't getting hot enough.

On my Lincoln, when i am running 250 wire speed, i run only around 20 volts on .035 solid wire with the same gas you are running. To get more adjustment holes you can rotate the tube 10-15 degrees and you can have another row of holes.

Another fantastic video. I love seeing how you go from the design phase to the end result. Keep up the great work and content!

This thing is awesome. I've want to build something like that myself. Thanks for bringing it to us. I love the design and operation of it. Now I have to build one. Love the channel.

A nicely made device but I can see one issue, when you swing the boom so that it runs straight with the truck body I can see a twisting issue about the joint where the box section meets the round upright tube particularly if you find yourself loading on "soft ground" an outrigger that comes away from the tube at 90 deg from the box to the ground to stop it trying to rotate would be useful.

I think thats going to work great! Any load this is intended to lift shouldn't squat the truck enough to make disassembly an issue. Its not like this is made to move 1000lb++ loads .. 150 to 500 lb is more realistic. I think i might have to make something like this. Edit: argon mixes do "settle" .. i had that issue as a hobby welder with a tank that sits in the corner for months at a time between uses. I lay the tank down in the truck for a day before i plan on welding. Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

Adam...the smile on your face when u picked up the vice was priceless!! You are a master my friend. Much respect for you.

Practical system to avoid injury during handling. Very good job Adam.

It seems ripe for a dolly/stand project that stores the unit while its not in use, and makes it easy to attach to the truck.

To reduce rhea amount of weight you have to lift when installing the crane, instead of bolting everything together, just use pins like on the foot on each end of the cylinder and the hinge joint of the lift. Takes a fee seconds to put together but saves the back and allows for easier storage.

Nicely done Adam! Thanks for the great Idea.

For heavy lifting behind truck there will be a lot of torque at your vertical tube and crossbar, use caution on dirt or gravel... maybe a rubber pad, tire tread on foot. Also, how will you retract foot once the truck is loaded? A hydraulic foot or screw jack might be better than a pin.

Awesome. I'd have some fold out support legs rather than rely solely on the box section to keep the tube vertical under load though.

This looks incredibly helpful! Great job engineering it!

Hey my friend instead of welding pipe onto your lift to help rotate why not weld say a 5/6 boss on the boom starlight and a handle that you can just let hang out of the way until you need it . Itll look better and and you wouldn't need to worry about losing a loose rod or forgetting it somewhere. Just a suggestion .Great work ! Always educational.

Very nice. If you were in the EU, you'd be on Part 7 of "Acquiring Permits for the Truck Hitch Crane". If you were in Aus, you'd be in a camp for even thinking about building this.

Hi Adam, great job on the crane. Just a thought thou, depending on the weight of the intended object to be lifted, have you considered after placing the item of, say, 500 Lbs or over, in the truck bed, the amount of downward force on the back axil, to remove the adjuster pin out of the hole of the support leg? Enjoy your videos of all your channels. 😁👍

Awesome build Adam! Great time and back saver. You've eliminated having to wait on others to provide a means to load heavy items into your truck.

Glad to see it works just as you intended it to. That smile says it all. Great idea, that turns into reality.

Adam. Great video. What happens when the load is in the truck, and the suspension compresses? Your pin is going to be locked in position. Best regards.

That's awesome, Adam! I don't know what the cost would be to manufacture, but I imagine someone could sell a few thousand of those per year. Additional foot pieces for different truck heights would be necessary. I wonder if a trailer jack setup on the foot and footpad might be a workable solution to the varying height issues as well as the potential binding of the pin?

You are a good teacher. It is thoughtful pf you to make videos and show us how this is done, every time.

That lift came out GREAT! Nice design and fab.

Instead of pushing your wire try dragging it… pinholes might be caused by slag inclusions. Or some flux core wires are negative wires, just check the polarity and check the shielding gas to run with it. Not sure on American colour coding for gas bottles looks like pure argon, may need argon/carbon dioxide mix

Lifting system capacity is limited by the *weakest link* under dynamic (not static!) foreseeable conditions. Intuitively this weakest link would seem to be the welded T joint on the vertical post to the horizontal square tube, which is leveraged by the load into bending, twisting, torquing forces all at once, all concentrated in the joint corners. This threatens to peel the weld apart under much less force than the design strength of the joint. The hazard is amplified if the truck should roll slightly, when the weld joint will be twisted by the leveraged mass of the truck! Hence it would seem prudent, with heavy loads, to *CHOCK THE WHEELS FIRST* .

Great build built better than some you can buy

Very nice build Adam, thanks.

You're going to put way too much torsion and stress on the bottom tube connecting the crane to the hitch. These typer cranes always require bracing on the bottom especially if you want to lift anything of significant weight. Mine has braising and even with the braising sometimes it feels a little sketchy. Try lifting 500-600lbs you won't feel safe using it the way it is

Personally, I think I would have staggered the holes on the foot to get more metal between them. Having them all in line like that looked kind of weak.

nice build! great idea for removing and installing my 5th wheel hitch. thanks

Thank you for sharing your project!

Stick out too short. Read the welding wire manufacturer's recommendations. And just a thought: What if there's a ton on the crane, the crane points straight back and that single foot slips? Can the bar and the hitch deal with that kind of torque?

Just a thought...the holes may be too close to another. Depending on load, there may be distortion developing. Installing a large threaded rod, with acme threads would provide infinite adjustment to the ground. Great project. Can't wait to see it in action.

I love it when a plan comes together!

I’m excited just seeing how excited you are about this project. Good job!

That stilt wont work - I noticed you tested it lifting and setting down and picking back up from the bed, but you didnt load a few things from the swap meet or log pcs from the tree that fell, and then tried to pull that pin now that theres 500-1500lbs of weight in the bed....... You'll never get that pin out to retract the foot without getting out the jack from the truck to relieve the weight off the pin, because when the ass-end of the truck sags, the stilt on the tube is locked in!!! I'm thinking a simple trailer tongue jack with a crank handle, attached and ditch the stilt altogether

No offense intended, but in my humble opinion, this is the perfect accident machine. Two tons of weight as a likely asymmetric shear-force on a 1/2" bolt of the foot? It's enough to make your toes curl. It is not a coincidence, heavy duty ball joints are used to avoid asymmetry and hardened pins in welded bushings to minimize shear forces in such applications.

Well done Adam! Looks awesome, and functions even better! 👌

Congrats on that build - works like butter!!! You are a master !! So, so cool brother !!

So, no gussets or triangular bracing? Does that mean you're relying on the compressive strength of that cylinder alone? What happens if it gets off-kilter? Would it bend?

Enjoy your videos - always something for all of us mechanical nuts to learn from each other and enjoy!

That crane job is as slick as deer guts on a door knob!!! Great job!

Well Adam in case you wondered how you should have done this just read every comment down here ... people are ridiculous with what "they" would do . Glad you built it how you wanted. I like it and it's gave me several ideas for my own . Thanks for sharing your knowledge

Whenever U Have 2 Operate This Amazing Shop Tool You'll B The Envy of Every1 Out There ! Well Done Adam ! 👏👏👏 🇨🇦

Great accessory and nice job, Adam. Congrats!

In finishing up the crane, a paint strip the width of the hole diameters and in line with the holes painted down to the foot will help line up the holes to insert the pin.

So I want to build a hitch crane and googled it. Your video popped up, and now I want to be a machinist!! You explain so well, admit mishaps and create! I subscribed about two minutes into the first video.

Abom, I will call that hoist a win and a huge back saver, Enjoyed the ride along, Thanks.

Nice series, commin along nicely. Thank you very much.

You can just lift the boom by hand, and it will stay up. Great set of videos.

Sweet setup. What a cool project. Great job 👍🏼

Love the multiprocess projects!!

Thanks for sharing! Great work!

That's a marketable. PATTEN IT nice work

A very nice engineering and fabrication job. You have done what I wish I could do.

Excellent job Adam! Looks and works great! Take care, God bless! 🙏🎚🇲🇾🇲🇾💋

Adam, just an awesome truck crane. Nice job!

Anytime I buy a pickup I am building one ,this is awesome, great job Adam.

Works great love this build

Great job, keep us informed on your welder problem.

I think it's going to work well all of those that have commented that using bolts and not harden pins. I would agree if this was going to be used as a crane to load heavy things that would compress the suspension of the truck but if you are talking 500, 600 pounds it will work great. You designed it and built it and I for one would trust what you build far more than anyone else. And it's alot better truck crane then you can buy. Adam good job.

Those large cutters are just raw awesome

Coming up next time: mini truck crane to lift the full truck crane into position. :D Looking great Abom! Keep up the awesome content!

Awesome job Adam, looks fantastic!

That’s awesome! Thanks for the vid!

Damn nice job, and that is an excellent shop! Thanks for the detailed explanation throughout your video too, it definitely makes a difference!

Adam, I love your workmanship! As always your pride comes through. However, I respectfully have a couple of engineering ideas which would improve the performance of your design. I have two suggests. Increase the diameter of the pin to 1/2” which significantly increases the load bearing surface area. I’m not so concerned about shearing the pin, I expect the 3/8” hole will and pin to wallow out slightly making the pin difficult to insert and remove. My second and more important suggestion is to rotate the pipe at least 20 degrees between the holes which are spaced 1/2” apart lengthwise along the pipe. This allows significantly more meat to keep the holes from stretching due to lack of metal between the adjacent hole. I have a suggestion which will simplify and improve the performance of the gussets as well that you may incorporate into future builds if you are interested. Love your videos! Say hi if you find yourself on the north side of Tampa!

greta job! didn't think about the actual weight of the upper portion...machining techniques learning a ton!

nice to have the machines to make it more precise great project , thanks

Great concept and construction series.

You have a amazing complete shop!

How nice is that! Even if you have help, picking heavy stuff up is never good. And that worked out very neat, something you can show off. Kind regards, South Africa

🎼You raise🎵 me up🎶 Marvellous piece of equipment Adam

Aah when a plan comes together. Schweet idea and execution! Be cool, freezerburn

Awesome! As long as the guy you built it for is happy with it, you're guaranteed to have a repeat customer!

I think you did a freaking Great! Job with this! Good work man.