Low tech approach to loading 'smallish' log into bed of F150?

[foose89]

New to forum. Can anyone suggest the safety and or technique of using a come-along to drag a 18" x 96" red oak into the back of my F150. Low tech approaches get a gold star although I am not opposed to buying an electric or 'strongarm' winch. If the later is offered, I am not sure exactly where or how to mount. Thanks.

[Troy]

That's a 900 lb. log.  I wouldn't want to winch it in over your tailgate.  Best bet would be to figure how to lift it, back under it, and set it down in the bed.

[foose89]

Agreed. I was hoping to drop the tailgate before loading the log.

[broker farmer]

Take the end gate off the truck.  Take a small pole and start lifting and blocking one end of the log back about  16 inches.  Keep raising (and blocking underneath) this end until it clears the bed of the truck.  Drive two good sized stakes into the ground at the lower end of the log.  Start backing up (slowly) until the log slips into the bed.  You should be able to take the pole and wedge it in front of the stake pocket at the rear of the bed and then slide the log  completely to the front of the bed.  You're done.  Don't forget to put the end gate back on.

[Larry]

Welcome foose89, you have landed in a great place.

I've got two tree trimmers? :...the only equipment they have is a chainsaw and pickup.  They occasionally bring me good sawlogs in the back of the pickup.

I'll try to explain there technique.  They have two vertical pipes with a tripod bases.  On the top of one pipe is a boat winch.  They loop the cable under the log and up to the top of the second pipe.  Crank up the end of the log.  Back the pickup under the end and let it down on the pickup.  Take the pipe stands to the end still on the ground and crank it up.  Back the pickup some more and the log is loaded.  To make the log go into the pickup easy they have a 2 X 6 with two 1-1/2" pillow blocks.  They lay the 2 X 6 on the bumper before they let the first end of the log down.  The 1-1/2" shaft is little higher than the pickup bed.  Of course they don't have the tailgate on...they destroyed that years ago. :

Don't know how safe or efficient there system is but they have brought me quite a few logs and some have been quite big.

[Dan_Shade]

easiest way is to get a small engine crane and mount it into your bed from northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company or harbor freight.

LINK

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if you don't care about damage to the truck, parbuckle it over the bedside  ;D  welcome to the forum

[highpockets]

Foose89, welcome to the forum.  I'm not getting into how to load a log in a f-150 truck as I have never done it.   I do think the tripod thing is the way to go.  I've moved some pretty big machines around on pipe in my shop.  After you get the log into the end of the bed, you might want to throw a piece of 1" or 2" pipe under it to help it roll. 

It still amazes me the work a man will go through to get a log home. 

[metalspinner]

I did this all the time.  Into an F-150 in fact!  I use my lawn mower ramps and the come along to pull it in.  Role the front end of the log onto the ramps then start pulling.  My ramps are oak BTW.  And I screwed them together so they won't spread apart.  Of course, the tailgate was removed.  The come along was attached to the front of the bed with an eye bolt bolted onto a board (oak).  Two board "runners"  run along the lenghth of the bed and push against the back of the bed.  Then it's just a matter of pulling it up!

[Shawn]

What about the ford commercial where the F-150 lifts the truck then drives underneath it. Just a thought.
Welcome to the forum Foose89!

[metalspinner]

Oh,  I forgot to mention, my truck bed is all beat to heck for hauling logs in it. :(

[sawguy21]

If it wasn't beat up before, it sure will be after winching a 900 lb log into it.

[foose89]

Larry. Could you elaborate on the use of the 2 x 6/ pillow blocks.  Also how substantial are the tripods

Dan_Shade.  Is the log dragged up one end at a time.

MetalSpinner...  by 'front' of the bed I assume you mean section closest to the cab. How exactly are you securing the 'oak board with eye bolt' to the truck.

Et Al. Thank you for your time. As for tearing apart the bed.. I do have liner.. and I don't particularly care if the truck gets banged up in the process. This truck is purposely underpowered and a knock-about.. it was purchased during the height of my wives horse addiction as a counter to her request for a custom built V12 money trap.

[Engineer]

Here's my low-tech, 'cause I've done it.  Had to get four cherry logs into the bed of my F-150, this was probably six years ago when I was a little younger and a bit stupider and stronger.  Small log was 9" dia, large one was 14" dia., all were 12' long.  I figured each one was between 750 and 900 pounds.  No tools, not even a rope or a lever.

Got the logs angled so that they were about 20 degrees to the direction of the truck and one end was even with the tailgate.  Got under one end, deadlifted, scooted sideways and dropped it on the tailgate.  Then I picked up the other end and pushed until it was in the bed.  Did that for all four, the last one was pretty tough 'cause I was whupped. 

I don't recommend a person does this unless they are a really big dude with a good back and strong legs.   :'(

Option #2 is to rig a hoist or rope and pick one end up, back the truck underneath and then push it on the bed. 

[metalspinner]

The two boards that run the lenghth of the bed keep the eyebolt board from pulling forward.  These boards travel along top of - and rest on - the wheel wells.  All pulling pressure is tranferred to the back of the bed (right behind the taillights) through the runners.  The only problem I had doing this was the come-along only has 6' of pull.   Leave the come-along engaged as you travel with the log.  The biggest log I did this way was a 24" x 8' sycamore.  The longest was a 14' walnut.  I thought I would take a couple of mailboxes out with that one angle out the back of the truck. :D

[foose89]

MetalSpinner. Any problems with the two bed length boards slipping due to the angle introduced by the wheel wells? Once again, thanks to all; but not being one to leave well enough alone and possibly searching for a more generalized approach what is anyone's take on say, mounting a small fixed 'boom' or winch support at the back of the bed, centered with the long axis of the truck and pulling the log, or any log, up onto bed?

[getoverit]

If you are handy at welding, I may have a cheap solution for you  ;)


check out THIS LINK

I use this on a daily basis to load logs (sopme of them 40" in diameter or better) onto my trailer. All you need is a winch... I could even see where a good come-along would work if you just wanted to load one log at a time.  There are several versions of this idea on the forum, but I chose to make a swinging "A" frame to lift the logs. Maybe the link will give you an idea for a pickup truck. If you figure hout how to do it, PLEASE post some pictures of your invention!!

[foose89]

Getoverit.. thanks for the link, I've actually already come across your build.. very promising although I think it might be too obvious, visually, for my needs; I live on the shoreline of Connecticut and I'm quite sure my neighbors would choke on their ascot's if they saw me 'mad maxing' down the road with an A-frame welded to my truck. Joking aside, if I go the route of mounting something more permanent, which I probably will since now every road trip has become, extensibly, a log recon mission, I'm thinking of just an elevated mount point near the cab for a winch.. although at this point I'm not sure how I would mount it.

[Minnesota_boy]

Make a "pad" with attachment points for the a-frame that you can just slip pins with keepers into when you want to load.  Take the a-frame along, put it atop the load to go home.  I might beef up the front stake pockets on the truck and make a mount point for a loop of chain to hold the winch.  Put the winch inside the truck cab when you aren't using it so it doesn't go 'wandering off" in someone else's hands.

[chet]

I gave up on da log haulin' in da pickup years ago, pickups are way too expensive to repair or replace. I would suggest installing a good trailer hitch and getting a trailer. It doesn't have to be too big to haul more than you would in your truck. A trailer is much easier to load, and your truck will love ya for it. 

[foose89]

Valid point, although I tend to treat my truck as a trailer with an engine... there are way too many people in Connecticut spending big bucks on their trucks only to use them as a way to build waxing muscles. In your experience doesn't the initial cost/opportunity lost/taxes out weigh any benefit of having a dedicated log mover.  What of the times when your trailer isn't attached .. 'reclaiming' trees lost to road maintenance is a  brisk activity here. Note, I try to keep my acquisition in a uniform 8' length.. I realize this is probably not convenient for most. How expensive are smaller used trailers anyway?

[chet]

Look around, usually they can be picked up used rather cheap. Our trailers don't sit too often.  ;D  Even though we have 5. I built all mine except the tandum axle dump, but by the time I got done beefing it up I would have been better off building it too.  :(
Having a trailer is like getting your first pickup, you will wonder how you ever made due with out it.  ;)

[metalspinner]

Foose89,
I've looked for a good used trailer around here for a couple years before I found one beefy enough for logging abuse.  I've called each newspaper add and pulled off to see each roadside sale.  It seems people around here think any piece of junk with two wheels and a tongue should be 1000 bucks to start.  I've seen pop up trailers stipped down to the frame going for $700!   That's nuts.  But if you keep your eyes open and take different routes to where you are going,  you may find something of quality.  And of course, more logs!  The biggest advantage so far using my trailer has been that I can drop it off at the mill with the logs on it and come back later with lumber on it!  Almost like magic

Those runner boards are supported by the wheel wells.  They are 2 x 6's and are a tight fit between the front and back of the bed. 

[thecfarm]

Chet,like that log in the red truck.Looks like a trailer behind it?Didn't turn to sharp with that log on,did you?I feel sorry for them trucks,but fine looking logs.I think too a trailer would be easier.Seems like there was a past thread that someone would hook up their trailer to the front of the truck and would winch the logs on that way.

[chet]

Most of my hauling is done now on one of two 16' tandem axle trailers. Normally we load by parbucking over the side with a winch. If there are a lot of logs in one place or skidding to be done I'll bring the tractor and load with that.

[Engineer]

Has anybody used an old propane tank trailer, or a setup similar to the trucks that load and unload caskets?  I think that could be done as long as you are willing to dedicate the trailer to logs and lumber.