Mental exercise, I want a gin pole.

[Dr Dean]

My service truck is a 2017 Ram 2500 long box. As of now the boss says no way to take the box off and put a flat bed on.
What I would like to do is build a frame for inside the box to secure my tool box at the back of the bed, a 25 gallon oil tank that is 16" diameter ~36"tall, a cross over tool box and gas power air compressor. If I actually build the frame the cross over tool box will be replaced with a box that goes all the way to the floor since the space under the box I have now is basically wasted.
I plan to anchor to the tie downs in the box and utilize the frame and tool weight to act as a counterbalance to the crane. I want to be capable of lifting 1000 Lbs 16 feet in the air, this way I can handle augers on combines, I don't need to be able to move the truck when in use I can move the machine. The rules set out by the boss, I can not drill any holes in the box and the tailgate has to stay.
I already have a piece of 1/4" plate that folds down to cover the tailgate. I also have 2 2000 Lb ATV winches.

[midmosandblasting]

Is he going to rent a crane each and every time you need something lifted ?I understand his point just being a ass . Seems a mobile service tech needs something other than a pickup unless he wants everything hauled to the shop for repairs .

[Walker]

Start dinging up the bed sides, then the fenders, then start denting up the box. Drop and engine bock in it, then start driving and hit the brakes.

Now he wont care about holes in the box.

[Dr Dean]

Out of the 14 guys at our shop there are 2 crane trucks. I am just a lot more independent and don't like having to take someone with me to do a job that is a little heavier than I should be handling alone. The other reason I want to be able to handle an unload auger is I've had a couple of times when I am 100 miles one way from our shop and both crane rigs are 100 miles the other way. Then Joe 30 miles down the road from me tries ripping his auger off his combine with a tree, I don't want to make him wait 3 hours for a rig to fix him. Now yes there are competing dealers much closer than we are to Joe but we do our best to provide better service than anyone else.
The 1000 Lb lift would be very rare, most of the time it would be under 500 and only 6-8 feet up but I don't want to be limited.
BTW I am not going to beat up my truck to get a crane, they would switch me over to one of the crane trucks. I have absolutely no desire to deal with always getting the heavy work, dealing with the DOT, and having to do electronic log books. As of right now I have the newest truck in the shop so I am trying really hard to keep it nice, they could have me in a 90 Chevy 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive with a 4.3 v6. That vintage of trucks are pushing 300,000 miles and we are always hoping they make it back to the shop.

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[Walker]

What truck do you have?

[milomilo]

See first post.

[greywynd]

Likely a leased truck which is why the no holes.

Sounds like a skid frame like a lot of welders use is in order. Something that will allow it to be picked out and placed into another truck.


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[Matt Shade]

Any chance it has a gooseneck hitch in it?
I think that would make a better anchor point than just the anchors in the bed. I know you're mostly relying on the the weight of the box you build but I'd feel better knowing it was mated to the truck frame.

[RED caddy]

How about building/ fabricobbling a tow behind cherry picker type rig, terra tires and large hitch skid plate, using the winch/s and / or a hydraulic ram pump? Good place for a shop sign and phone number, earns it's keep even when sitting at the yard. Any truck / mechanic can use it.

Years ago I built such a rig for a County utilities mechanic buddy. He was working lift station (sewer) pumps, by himself, only one lift/boom truck for the whole County. The County eventually had a local fab shop build 2 more, with upgrades, when they split up the maint shop into 3 parts.

Gotta be smarter than the fox yer tryin' ta skin.

RED

[milomilo]

Are you talking 1 or 2 gin poles? How are you going to get 16' in the air? The poles would have to around 18' long. Are you planning on a take apart gin pole?