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Bed Crane

From 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 “BigGoldDuallie SOLD” — documented by Steve83.

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1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I haven't been able to find a bed crane that stows out-of-the-way, so I'm building one. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - These tubes will reinforce the bed so the crane can handle some load without bending the sheet metal. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - It's coming together slowly... 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - Apparently, my base plate is pretty strong, since that's all that's holding the ~70lb assembly up right now. I haven't made the top bracket… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - It fits! It works! A lot of it is just tack-welded, so I have to take it apart & finish booger-welding everything. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - Even with the boom fully compressed, it has enough reach to lift something over the t/g. But extended like this will be easier. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I still have to drill the holes in the black boom for the extension pin, and then sandblast & paint everything. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - Extended at full droop, it just clears the t/g. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This isn't FULL-height, but it's close. Obviously, it can only be used like this when the camper shell is off. But it might work for removi… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This is the main reason I built my own instead of buying one - storage, and accessibility. It self-stows clear of the bed floor and below t… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I built the cable long enough to use the snatch block at full extension, but it's still short enough to rearrange. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I kicked it off into the deep end: the test-run is a complete 5.8L engine with a full torque converter (because the engine threw a rod), an… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This boom is thinner tubing, so I expected it to fold as I was raising the engine, but it held. So did all my partial-welds, and the places… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - After resetting with the normal boom, I stripped it to the long block. The crane is relatively easy to pivot & control, even with the truck… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This was with the long boom swung straight to the side, which puts the most load on the bedwall & brace. There was some creaking from the c… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - With the shorter boom, it swings inside. I put one strap on the engine to keep it from swinging, and drove home. I still have to dismantle… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This engine/trans came out of my '83 Bronco and is going onto a '93 Bronco frame with all the '83's running gear. [url=http://www.supermoto… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I need to haul my front door, and it won't fit in the bed, so I'm removing the camper shell. The crane should help... GO TO THE NEXT SEVERA… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I had to add a small plywood pad, but the crane lifts the shell easily, and reaches very close to its balance point. GO TO THE NEXT SEVERAL… 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - It's on the bedrails to keep it from tipping in the breeze, but the camper's weight is entirely on the crane, which still swings easily. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - It's on the bedrails to keep it from tipping in the breeze, but the camper's weight is entirely on the crane, which still swings easily. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - I lowered the crane until I could pick the camper up on my shoulders, and walked it to the back yard. 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - This is the first time I've had the camper off, and probably the first time it has been off in more than a decade. Note that the crane stow…