I'm still shopping for my truck, but while debating about the merits of a dump bed, I decided that'd be nice but what i really want is a crane. I did see a crane at Mayberry but didn't like the truck. Has anyone ever stuck a Harbor Freight 1/2 ton crane onto your mini? I'd love to see pics if you have. Is there enough frame to put one? Does the engine location matter? (ie will it still fit on a Sambar?) Since the sides drop on most non dumps that shouldn't be a show stopper
Yeah - actually the other one I was thinking about https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...up-truck-bed-crane-with-hand-winch-61522.html If I had a full size pickup daily driver I'd probably opt for the compact one that stows away but I think every time you use that one you'll spend a few minutes cranking it up to operating height. I was kinda unsure about the Sambar and rear engine/frame/mounting but I think any of them can be made to work so I kinda quit worrying about it until I have a truck in the driveway.
With the narrow wheelbase of a mini truck, I would be leery of mounting it near the side of the bed as pictured in the HF ad. Since I had to fix some rust in the bed anyway, I put in some reinforcement to mount a motorcycle wheel chuck or perhaps a winch to pull something up a ramp into the bed. Of course, being a dump made that easier to access the underside of the bed. Kevin in NC
I think I've posted these pics in another thread, but here's a stone masons truck in Takamatsu, Japan with a crane mounted in the bed
