Heavy hitch hoist

[Ashful]

Hi folks,

I'm in need of a hitch hoist with the following spec's:

reach > 4 ft.
height > 8 ft.
weight > 500 lb + 2x safety margin (i.e. 1000 lb.)
vertical travel > 3 ft.

This is for lifting a racing boat off the trailer to remove and re-install a bottom cover used for trailering delicate hulls. Boat race weight is 515 lb., but due to the potential for both damage and injury, I'd want at least 2x safety margin on that. Single point lift, using a bridle that is kept with each boat.

Desiring something light (pref. aluminum) with a boat trailer winch for vertical lift, preferred over hydraulic piston type. I haven't found anything meeting these spec's, they all seem too small or way too heavy, nothing in this somewhat in-between space. Aiming for something that will fit standard 2" hitch, such that we can place this hoist on the truck, wheel the boat trailer into place, hoist, (un-)cover, and set the boat back onto the trailer.

I will build if necessary, and can both run basic structural calc's and simulation (thru SolidWorks / CST), but will want to run my design past a real structural engineer for a sanity check. Would prefer to buy, if one can be found at reasonable price.

Thanks!

 

[EbS-P]

The torque on the receiver would be substantial.

Check out the tube frame he uses in this video or may the next one.

It’s a 4 post frame wheels he’s lifting are 1000+ pounds the big ones the tires alone are 500+ pounds.


Easy setup and storage would be better than a hitch mount for me.

 

[Ashful]

Thanks, EbS-P. A gantry is definitely an option, but due to size and setup, not my preferred path.

I guess I could have said it, but figured most would know, the hitch hoists over 500 lb. always have the vertical pipe extending down below the hitch tee, to sit directly on the asphalt. I suspect most are adjustable with a quick pin to set approximate hitch height, and only let the truck squat up to 1" until the pipe makes contact with the ground.

This is a lightweight version with minimal reach, made for hanging up deer, but you get the idea:

 

[bholler]

Hi folks,

I'm in need of a hitch hoist with the following spec's:

reach > 4 ft.
height > 8 ft.
weight > 500 lb + 2x safety margin (i.e. 1000 lb.)
vertical travel > 3 ft.

This is for lifting a racing boat off the trailer to remove and re-install a bottom cover used for trailering delicate hulls. Boat race weight is 515 lb., but due to the potential for both damage and injury, I'd want at least 2x safety margin on that. Single point lift, using a bridle that is kept with each boat.

Desiring something light (pref. aluminum) with a boat trailer winch for vertical lift, preferred over hydraulic piston type. I haven't found anything meeting these spec's, they all seem too small or way too heavy, nothing in this somewhat in-between space. Aiming for something that will fit standard 2" hitch, such that we can place this hoist on the truck, wheel the boat trailer into place, hoist, (un-)cover, and set the boat back onto the trailer.

I will build if necessary, and can both run basic structural calc's and simulation (thru SolidWorks / CST), but will want to run my design past a real structural engineer for a sanity check. Would prefer to buy, if one can be found at reasonable price.

Thanks!

I honestly think it would be much easier to fabricate a simple knock down frame for a gantry as well.

 

[Ashful]

I honestly think it would be much easier to fabricate a simple knock down frame for a gantry as well.

Maybe. My thinking behind the hitch hoist was that it's more compact, as I'll be traveling with it and a truck/boat load of gear. The gantry would need to easily span an 88" wide trailer, and be about 8 feet high to the lifting eye, so some relatively long sections.

Also, snaking a delicate varnished vintage wood boat on a painted trailer thru the gantry will become a thing, rather than just wheeling it to the back of the truck and pivoting on the near tire.

 

[SpaceBus]

How do other people deal with this?

 

[EbS-P]

Do you have a fifth wheel. Think many a shear leg lift. That slides in the hitch pivots near that point, top tied off to the 5th wheel with or without a wench. Leg could be added to take some load to ground right near hitch. Boat wench to lift straight up.

Really crude. Hope you get the idea.

 

[Ashful]

How do other people deal with this?

That's the funny thing. I asked a former president of my racing class, and he mentioned that several have asked about the same, but no one has made one yet.

Many yacht clubs have real boat launching hoists that we can use for this, and others have mast lifting rigs that can be jury-rigged for this job, but not real conveniently. My local club is one of those without a launching hoist, but we have a mast-stepping rig. It's so inconvenient that we usually prefer to just get three strong men to lift the boat while a kid or female crew pull the bottom cover off, as the boats only weigh 515 lb. Unfortunately, this prevents me from using that boat with my family, as my kids and wife are not nearly strong enough for the job.

The plus side is that I've been given indication that, if I build one, there may be demand for several more. Likely not enough to make any sort of living off of it, but likely enough to pay for the initial engineering and prototype work. Since I do FEM simulation for a living, I already have it set up in my structural mechanics solver, just waiting for another (paying) job to finish running over this weekend, before it's turn at bat. I'd like to try to do it all out of a few simple sections of welded 6000 series aluminum square tube, with a boat trailer winch to do the lifting, in order to keep it as light and cheap/simple as possible. No need for pivoting to swing it into a truck bed, the way the 1000 lb,. hitch hoists you can buy work, this is literally a simple up/down maneuver.

 

[salecker]

Ashful
I think you could build something along the lines of what you showed.
Personally i would build one,but add some side outriggers.

 

[Jags]

The torsional side load on a 2" reciever going 8 ft into the air and 5 ft out (or whatever that is). Could be pretty high. Think 20 mph wind gust while boat is in the air.

 

[Ashful]

The torsional side load on a 2" reciever going 8 ft into the air and 5 ft out (or whatever that is). Could be pretty high. Think 20 mph wind gust while boat is in the air.

Yeah, I'm concerned about that, too. It's on my list of things to check, and might be resolved with a simple transverse "T" foot on the bottom vertical pipe. I hadn't considered wind loads, my mind went more toward people leaning on, pushing on, or pulling on the boat, trying to wriggle the heavy bottom cover out from between the hull and the trailer bunks or rollers.

 

[Jags]

Or a cross bar on the main upright that will sit on top of the rear bumper....

 

[SpaceBus]

I think you are really in crane territory here.

Maybe this is useful?
https://www.nicholsfleet.com/brands/brand/maxilift-cranes

 

[Corey]

The torsional side load on a 2" reciever going 8 ft into the air and 5 ft out (or whatever that is). Could be pretty high. Think 20 mph wind gust while boat is in the air.

Yeah, I'm concerned about that, too. It's on my list of things to check, and might be resolved with a simple transverse "T" foot on the bottom vertical pipe. I hadn't considered wind loads, my mind went more toward people leaning on, pushing on, or pulling on the boat, trying to wriggle the heavy bottom cover out from between the hull and the trailer bunks or rollers.

In a quick browse, I see where they have 'receiver mounted' cranes even up in the 1000-2000 pound rating range. Possibly you could use one of those designs as 'inspiration' and whittle away all that is unnecessary, plus focus on the exact design factors you need. (seems like that high rating is needed as a base, then you loose quite a bit of that when the boom is extended to meet your 4ft reach requirement.)

Apex Hydraulic Receiver Hitch Crane - 1,000 lb. Capacity

Our Apex Hitch-Mounted Crane makes loading heavy cargo such as engines, and generators into the bed of your pickup truck easy. The receiver hitch crane lifts up to 1,000 lbs.

www.discountramps.com

Admittedly, at these types of load ratings, these cranes are using the receiver hitch as little more than a 'third leg' for stability - having two other strong legs of their own - adding weight and complexity. Possibly those are needed - as Jags mentioned lifting in a 20mph wind. Not sure what it is like where you are, but around here, we certainly could not expect the wind to let up to 'only' 20 mph just to lift a boat! But wind loading on cranes is a very big consideration!



Though one thing I'd be curious on - do you have to lift the whole boat all at once? Is it possible some sort of custom designed jack could lift up one side and allow you to slip the cover off and past any trailer bunks on that side, then move the jack to lift the other side of the boat and slip the cover past those bunks, too. Then the cover would be essentially 'free' in the middle of the trailer - easy to slide out?

Or another possibility - if this is 'your' specific boat - any way to just add protection to the trailer itself - plastic / fiberglass panels to deflect road debris? ....guessing this is what the bottom cover helps with?

 

[Mutineer]

Sounds like you're trailering a woodie Thistle? Our club has two hoists so unfortunately I can't add anything

 

[Ashful]

In a quick browse, I see where they have 'receiver mounted' cranes even up in the 1000-2000 pound rating range. Possibly you could use one of those designs as 'inspiration' and whittle away all that is unnecessary, plus focus on the exact design factors you need.

That's exactly what I'm doing. As you noted, there are several hitch cranes on the market at up to double the capacity I require, but they're all offset to the side, and designed to swing a load into the bed of the truck. Lots of extra parts, weight, cost and complexity I don't need, in this application. My intent is to copy the basics of these designs, eliminate the offset and pivot elements, and run it thru a structural analysis. Another project has been trying up my analysis software, and I had a somewhat major appliance replacement project pop up this week that wasn't in my schedule, so it's taking me a bit longer than planned to get to this.

Or another possibility - if this is 'your' specific boat - any way to just add protection to the trailer itself - plastic / fiberglass panels to deflect road debris? ....guessing this is what the bottom cover helps with?

This is actually where I started, but as the boat is wider than the trailer frame, also sits down between the rails of the frame, and others also expressed interest in it, these factors pushed me toward moving the hoist from trailer-mounted to truck-mounted.

Sounds like you're trailering a woodie Thistle? Our club has two hoists so unfortunately I can't add anything

Ding, ding, ding! Good eye. Was it the 515 lb. that gave it away?

If you're into Thistles, you likely know my boat. It was Doug Labors first Thistle, the rebuilding of which got him hooked on this class, and (rumor has it) it was the model for the Great Midwest Yacht Co Thistle hull form. It won Nationals in 1986 under another prior owner. If you still have your Bagpipe magazines from 2009/10, you can find a photo montage of my (latest) full rebuild of this boat, posted by another member as a surprise to me.

 

[salecker]

That's exactly what I'm doing. As you noted, there are several hitch cranes on the market at up to double the capacity I require, but they're all offset to the side, and designed to swing a load into the bed of the truck. Lots of extra parts, weight, cost and complexity I don't need, in this application. My intent is to copy the basics of these designs, eliminate the offset and pivot elements, and run it thru a structural analysis. Another project has been trying up my analysis software, and I had a somewhat major appliance replacement project pop up this week that wasn't in my schedule, so it's taking me a bit longer than planned to get to this.


This is actually where I started, but as the boat is wider than the trailer frame, also sits down between the rails of the frame, and others also expressed interest in it, these factors pushed me toward moving the hoist from trailer-mounted to truck-mounted.


Ding, ding, ding! Good eye. Was it the 515 lb. that gave it away?

If you're into Thistles, you likely know my boat. It was Doug Labors first Thistle, the rebuilding of which got him hooked on this class, and (rumor has it) it was the model for the Great Midwest Yacht Co Thistle hull form. It won Nationals in 1986 under another prior owner. If you still have your Bagpipe magazines from 2009/10, you can find a photo montage of my (latest) full rebuild of this boat, posted by another member as a surprise to me.

You know the rule...
Pictures or it never happened

 

[Ashful]

You know the rule...
Pictures or it never happened

Of the hoist, or the boat?

No hoist yet, but the boat is easy. First photo shows the bottom cover installed, the item for which the hoist is intended.

 

[Mutineer]

Yes, the 515# was the big clue. My father-in-law had a woodie, #611, back in the 60's and my wife remembers, not so fondly, having the whole family of mom, dad and 3 kids refinishing the hull every winter in their walk out basement. We just sold our old #2112 to a guy who was looking for a sailboat for his grandkids, that he intended to put outriggers on so they won't get scared. OK, whatever floats your boat, just pay the money and take it away. I redid the decking on that oldie about 6 years ago, hard to find mahogany at the time but it all worked.

 

[Ashful]

Cool! You got the Rush boat! I'd have bought it just for the hull number.

Was that a Clark or Schock boat? Seems too late for D&M, but too early for GMW. I used to sail 2940, which was a Clark. Fast boat, the present owner of it won the club championship with it at least a half dozen times, even though the glass hull had gone soft long ago.

Outriggers to make a Thistle less scary? If you're scared of boats, and of swimming, this is not the boat for you. They've been known to flip end-over-end, when caught with a strong gust from the rear, not just onto their side.

 

[ABMax24]

I've managed to get out of the office/shop more lately, and have been running a picker similar to this one. Lifting capacity is 1500lbs at 29.5ft from the base. I think this would solve your problem.

Probably a little on the expensive side though, last unit the company bought was $160k.

 

[SpaceBus]

Cool! You got the Rush boat! I'd have bought it just for the hull number.

Was that a Clark or Schock boat? Seems too late for D&M, but too early for GMW. I used to sail 2940, which was a Clark. Fast boat, the present owner of it won the club championship with it at least a half dozen times, even though the glass hull had gone soft long ago.

Outriggers to make a Thistle less scary? If you're scared of boats, and of swimming, this is not the boat for you. They've been known to flip end-over-end, when caught with a strong gust from the rear, not just onto their side.

Is it a total loss if they flip end over end? I know almost nothing about boats, much less those with a mast and sails.

 

[Mutineer]

It was a D & M boat, 1966 vintage, a little soft in places but basically solid. This guy sails a big boat in the Straights of Tasmania in the winter then spends summers in Ohio. I told him to send us pics when (and if) he puts outriggers on. Never seen one pitch-pole but heard about several incidents out on Lake Erie. My wife muttered under her breath to just let the grandkids sail on it first without outriggers then see if they can handle it.

 

[Ashful]

Is it a total loss if they flip end over end? I know almost nothing about boats, much less those with a mast and sails.

Not necessarily. If nothing breaks (on the boat or the crew), a good crew can have the boat righted, bailed, and back in the race in time to avoid a DNF. Getting thrown from a boat that's been lifted 25 feet into the air and flipped end-over-end might end the racing day for me, even if the boat is fine, but nothing anywhere near that extreme has never happened to me. Most capsizes are simple roll-overs, which tend to happen more slowly and gently, or an occasional "death roll" where the boat quickly rolls onto you (usually during collision avoidance or a big wind reversal). End-over-end is very rare anymore, as the class has implemented rules aimed to cancel racing on days where it's likely to happen.

But because the class has allowed incrementally higher rig tensions and bigger mainsails over the years, in order to stay very competitive among other classes, they've managed to introduce a failure point into the boat: the gooseneck. Essentially, when you get hit by a big gust from behind, since we have such an enormous over-powered mainsail, the force generated on the mast will actually cause the boom to punch thru and shatter the aluminum mast at the gooseneck fitting where the boom and mast meet. My own boat was dis-masted the year before I bought it, along with 8 others in the same race, that day.

25 feet of mast exploding feet from your face, and crashing down on top of you has a way of ruining your day, but I don't think I've ever heard of damage to the extent where the boat wasn't able to be rebuilt and put back into service.

It was a D & M boat, 1966 vintage, a little soft in places but basically solid. This guy sails a big boat in the Straights of Tasmania in the winter then spends summers in Ohio. I told him to send us pics when (and if) he puts outriggers on. Never seen one pitch-pole but heard about several incidents out on Lake Erie. My wife muttered under her breath to just let the grandkids sail on it first without outriggers then see if they can handle it.

Depends on the kids. They build them chunkier today, maybe they have enough weight to keep the thing upright, if they hike hard. Pulling those jib sheets in a blow might be a bit much to ask of anyone under 14, I suspect, unless you rig up some sort of 2:1 on them.

 

[Mutineer]

And if you break the mast, GMW from what I hear has a huge backlog cause they can't get the raw aluminum (aluminium as the Brits say) blanks. Sold my GMW 15 year old mast to my BIL who had another older early 80's vintage GMW mast cause the newer one had better flex etc.