[DrAlloway]

I have a motorcycle (8 feet long but only 600 pounds) which I want to load into a PM with a High Roof (which I will buy).

I want to know if anybody has real world experience loading a motorcycle into a PM with a TRUCK CRANE ??

The attached image is from Norther Tool (2,000 pound max, 1,000 pound with arm fully extended). The idea is to bolt base into back/left corner of PM. Open doors / swing arm out / attach web lift straps to bike / hand crank winch lifting bike to PM floor height / swing arm into PM / lower bike and push into front wheel chocks.

 

[poundsand]

Why not a ramp?

 

[DrAlloway]

Why not a ramp?

A ramp is another possibility. I am pretty familiar with Pros & Cons of ramps - and - want to learn Pros & Cons of Truck Crane - to help decide which would be best for me. In my case (73 years old) and SOLO need to load/unload 600 pound cruiser with huge aluminum saddlebags without dropping bike on ground or me.

It wouldn't hurt, however, to include ramps in this thread for other people thinking of loading a motorcycle into their PMs.

Basic Ramp Options:

A) one wide ramp - wide enough for rider's feet to touch on both sides

B) two narrow ramps - one ramp for bike and one for driver to walk up along side

1) winch assist - bolt winch to front of PM - web straps to front of bike

2) ride bike up ramp - big advantage of PM is its 21" bed height

A variation I am considering is welding a Front Wheel Chock to a very low dolly and using winch assist up ramp just wide enough for dolly.

 

[ThomD]

Ignoring the ramp option since I'm sure you are aware of it, I see some challenges:

1. Your image is too small to see and I can't find anything like that on the HF site.
2. That setup would require a very strong backing plate setup. The penalty for getting this wrong could be expensive.
3. Rigging the bike for lifting might require some sort of carrier frame. That risks putting you over the rated limit.
4. Even if you swing the bike in, half of the bike will be sticking out the back. Balance is everything in this setup. Off center loads would be bad. So, you swing the bike around. You still need to pull it into the van while paying out the cable. (I can't tell how far that crane arm extends) Doesn't sound like a job for fewer than 3 people.

I got a smile out of "only 600 lbs". My bike isn't 8 feet long and weighs only 375.

 

[ThomD]

I like the idea of a front wheel chock, with a wider ramp and winch assist. THAT would be a one person job.

I had two narrow ramps to get my bike into my Pickup. Never felt comfortable with that.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

I like a ramp, it doesn’t matter how wide it is when you just ride the bike up it into the van, truck etc. BMW F650GS, 400 lbs + 190 lbs for rider <600 total. Why are you carrying it anyway? Ride it where you want to go. Here is mine as I arrived home from a cross country trip. All the camping and food and cooking gear is in the panniers. Pack light travel far. There are van trips and there are motorcycle trips I try not to confuse them by carrying the M/C.

 

[DrAlloway]

1. Your image is too small to see and I can't find anything like that on the HF site.

Sorry, Northern Tool (I edited the original post).

 

[DrAlloway]

Ignoring the ramp option since I'm sure you are aware of it, I see some challenges:

3. Rigging the bike for lifting might require some sort of carrier frame. That risks putting you over the rated limit.

I use web (with ratchets - just tie downs) in my garage to lift bike for maintenance with no problems. Bike has front engine guards (two straps) and rear frame rails (two straps). Probably need a balance bar to compensate for rear/front weight difference.

 

[DrAlloway]

Ignoring the ramp option since I'm sure you are aware of it, I see some challenges:
4. Even if you swing the bike in, half of the bike will be sticking out the back. Balance is everything in this setup. Off center loads would be bad. So, you swing the bike around. You still need to pull it into the van while paying out the cable. (I can't tell how far that crane arm extends) Doesn't sound like a job for fewer than 3 people.

Crane pivots 360 degrees. So I was thinking it would pivot toward front of PM enough to get rear wheel onto bed. Perhaps not. This is why I am seeking real world experience.

The crane's arm extends from 37" to 51." Rated 2,000 lbs with shortened arm to 1,000 fully extended. It looks like the arm just slides in or out - but - without any mechanical advantage to do so under load of motorcycle.

Perhaps the crane should be mounted a foot or so into the PM to allow the rear wheel to touch the bed.

AND, surly a large heavy plate under the PM floor to keep the bed from bending.

 

[proeddie]

DOC,

Here's a thought from a guy who has never ramped a bike into a van, truck, or anything else! First I'd have to learn to ride it!

How about a ramp that is hinged at the edge of the van and connected with steel cables at the back edge of the ramp to a 12V HF heavy duty winch? Pulleys at the top. Ride on, remote control-winch up the back to level, roll level into the van.

Or a way to lift the back edge to level with power jacks?

At many recent RV shows I've seen lots of toy haulers that use a winch to raise a ramp (or porch area) from down to up, parallel to the back doors.

 

[KilWerBzz]

May I suggest these two items from HF:
solid 1200-lb-capacity-convertible-aluminum-loading-ramp 30" X 72" unfolded - $149
Badland® 61840 2500 lb. ATV/Utility Electric Winch with Wireless Remote Control $79
The ramp has lips on both sides to keep your feet from sliding off. When not in use as a ramp it could sub as a bed platform. The winch I listed should be 12v. Now get a heavy bar slide between the two front seat bases attach the winch and you can pull the MC up the the ramp while sitting on the MC seat. I have done this with a 1960 case garden Tractor we guessed it to weigh 1000 lb with loaded ag tires and bucket into a chevy express. Wait for a 20% off for the ramp the winch goes on sale offen for $49- $59.
P.S. I see PO ED beat me.

 

[MtBiker]

Take a look at snowmobile / ATV lifts for pickups.

 

[poundsand]

a 8" bike that's "only" 600 lbs... some kind of bagger / cruiser, so relatively wide. probably something around 3'.

well, the cons are that the crane is bulky and is going to be door / wall scraping. min extension on that crane is 37", plus 18" is the min width from mount to the edge of the bike. plus space for you to maneuver. the crank mounts on the rear of the crane, so you need space for that. and you're going to swing it through a 60" door to fit in between 74" walls, and you still need to winch all that by hand. not to mention mounting the crane, which will need to be able to handle a large moment - that's going to need to attach to a frame member, not just through the flooring.

the easy, assisted, solution would be to mount your chock, add an electrical winch that attaches to the 'step' behind the seats, with the winch strap passing right through the chock. get a wide atv ramp, and walk it right up with the winch. safer, easier mounting, more versatile, and takes up less space.

the really easy solution is to back the van up towards an upslope - the slope of a driveway is enough (put the rear wheels into the even lower drainage that's probably right in front of a driveway), and ride it up the ramp (if it's a wide ramp). with this looowwwww van, i can easily walk a bike up (on a pickup truck, i run it up the ramp (i use a folding (skinny) ready ramp ), with a step next to the ramp).