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Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Here's some more.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Here they are.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by Bob

I was supposed to do this post quite a while back. It was for Irish Fixit to see. When he passed, I kind of got bummed out about it and figured no one else had gin poles so no big deal. I have had some PM's about it so here it is. I was putting up a metal building last week and using the truck to put up the rafters as I usually do. The doors are installed after the rest of the building is done except for the roof. I put the poles out but lower them down while I back into the building, then raise them up to high enough to raise the roll up door. No manual labor is needed to hold them in position or adjust them at all. Irish's wouldn't do this and he really wanted to know how.

The secret is in the pulley that the winch line goes through before going up the poles. The first two photos show the bed, bottom of poles and the pulley. The line going to the top of the poles and then coming back down to the truck are the ones to pay attention to. They are the moving lines and to be able to move the poles, have to both be above the pivot of the poles them selves. To be able to do this, the pulley has to be of a diameter to keep the line above it, no matter what position the poles are in. When the poles are down and stored, the height of the pulley keeps the line above the poles pivot point. Take in line and the poles will raise because there are two lines pulling on it. The third picture shows the poles partially up doing this. This makes it so easy to stand them up and put them back, no physical labor required.

Now look at the picture of the pulley again. The link straps that hold it are long enough that when the poles are up, the bottom of the pulley is also above the pivot point of the poles. This is important for holding the poles up and adjusting them with the winch line. The forth picture shows where you put the hook in a ring welded to the head ache rack. That line as well as the line through the bed pulley are both above the pivot of the poles. Take in line and the poles will raise. The normal lines that hold the poles up are now slack. Unhook the line from the rack that, for mine, is a chain. Now you can let the poles down or take them up, where ever you need, all held by the winch line. Last picture shows the poles way down so I can back through a door opening.

Looks like the good old days.

Dave

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Thank you. Feel free to message them if that is easier man.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

I'll try to get them lined out and post them again.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Bob, could you possibly get me those pictures? Theyre not on the thread anymore for whatever reason. Thanks!

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Now I want gin poles on my 97 OBS powerstroke

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Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

I have started using the Bob design that I shamelessly copied, it sure works. I need to finish a few details but it works and is very usable.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Nice work on the poles! A couple of our older wreckers had a setup similar to yours for adjusting the height, only the chain ran all the way from the headache rack through a regular shackle at the boom, instead of an achor point, chain just slipped through the shackle so adjustments could be made on the driver side.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

I looked at and test drove a '73, 3/4 ton, crew cab, International 2wd when I was shopping for a tow rig for the boat. It would turn on a dime, but had lots of condition problems. It would have been a nice truck to run - in good condition. Instead I opted for a chevy with lots of condition problems.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by 12V71

I had a '64 Scout with a pickup cab. Bought it for $250 in 1978, poor thing burned a quart of oil for each tank of gas. Lost interest in it ('72 Chevy Blazer took my fancy) left it sit for 3 years 'til one of Dad's friends saw it and had to have it. He gave me 1500 bucks... that became an early '70's Jeepster. Gotta love those swoopy body lines.

My 65 Scout had the removable hard top. That SOB was heavy too!!! Absolutely no sound or heat insulation in the vehicle but factory posi in the rear, (postal spec.) and I think some type of traction enhancement differential in the front too because unless you were on the pan, it wasn't going to stop in snow. Never did run off road in the mud but pushed a lot of snow in those days during winters.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by Slob

They were very "Spartan" in amenities too. Very utilitarian in nature even with the nice package addition. Rust got the best of them early around here. I had a 65 with a 266V8 and that truck would get past 283 and some 327 Chevy engines easily. Had some 304, 354, 392, 404, engines in trucks too. All were pretty hard on gasoline. Also had a 65 Scout with the four cylinder that was 1/2 of a 304, (152) and it ran like a watch. Left hand drive I purchased from the postal service.

I had a '64 Scout with a pickup cab. Bought it for $250 in 1978, poor thing burned a quart of oil for each tank of gas. Lost interest in it ('72 Chevy Blazer took my fancy) left it sit for 3 years 'til one of Dad's friends saw it and had to have it. He gave me 1500 bucks... that became an early '70's Jeepster. Gotta love those swoopy body lines.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

They were very "Spartan" in amenities too. Very utilitarian in nature even with the nice package addition. Rust got the best of them early around here. I had a 65 with a 266V8 and that truck would get past 283 and some 327 Chevy engines easily. Had some 304, 354, 392, 404, engines in trucks too. All were pretty hard on gasoline. Also had a 65 Scout with the four cylinder that was 1/2 of a 304, (152) and it ran like a watch. Left hand drive I purchased from the postal service.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

I worked for a company in the early 80's that was still running a few Farmall pickups, The one I drove was a 73 4x4 3/4 ton and the steering box was always coming loose on the frame. But it was 10 years old and I don't know how long it had that issue. It did have a 392 engine that would pass anything but a gas pump. It had no problem packing an SA200 Lincoln around in mud, sand, and some really rough country. The door hardware sucked, the seat was garbage, and it seemed like the engine needed tuning about every 4 weeks. but they were some tough trucks. Putting fuel in the front fender was a little different too.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by Slob

Don't see too many IH pickups around any longer. Last one produced was for the 1974 model year and they were few and far between.

yea but those old IH pickups pretty tough, a framer back in the sixties had one with A five speed tranny ,he said his next one would have a two speed rear as well .I worked for Checker board in the summer .

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by Slob

Don't see too many IH pickups around any longer. Last one produced was for the 1974 model year and they were few and far between.

Yeah, they are a bit rare, bought this one cheap, needed carb work. Seems to be a nice truck

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Originally Posted by Hoff907

still working out the details, but it works well, even if the neighbors give me wierd looks

Attachment 1690857

Don't see too many IH pickups around any longer. Last one produced was for the 1974 model year and they were few and far between.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

still working out the details, but it works well, even if the neighbors give me wierd looks

Attachment 1690857

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

you ever use fork truck and pick up a too heavy load and you go high enough balance point reached and back wheels come up and load comes down fast ??
.
just saying i have had tons i lowered fast and then back of fork truck comes down fast, all with no shock absorbers. talk about whip lash
.
just saying often raising a too heavy load and reaching balance point it all happens fast. many a crane operator knocked his crane over that way

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Thanks for the thread, Bob, like you I miss Irish and his posts.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Great write up, thank you for sharing. I have been shamelessly looking to copy your poles and rigging. Can you show more details about your head pulley? How does it allow for the changes in the angle when you extend the poles?

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

That is great to know. I had not thought about loading a jackknifed trailer. I am envisioning loading the 26.5 tires and wheels when we have those go out and our swivels which I figured I could get on the bed with a fixed pole and control cable just overcoming gravity.


Lincoln SA-250
Lincoln SW 200
Miller Thunderbolt

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

You can set things o the bed of the truck with gin poles. I have left just enough room at the back of the bed behind the poles for setting things if not too big.

This sounds complicated but is really easy to do. I have a measured piece of chain that I can hang from the head of the poles to the rear bumper ledge that lets the poles go forward, just until they are straight up. It keeps the poles from falling forward onto the rack. I measure up the lifting winch line the height of what I'm picking up, a length just shorter than the bed to pole head. I put a clamp on the winch line there. When you start lifting the object, eventually the clamp will get to the head and stop. At that point, as you keep winching, the poles will start forward. When they get to the stop of the keeper chain you put on, they will stop. Then you can just let the object down on the bed, no problem. I've loaded engines, large hydraulic cylinders and such this way.

Also, and I do this a lot, you can load onto a trailer with out taking the trailer off the truck. I have a slip in receiver hitch that drops down like on lots of trucks. It lets me jack knife my trailers to 90 degrees. You can back a trailer along side some thing and jack knife it to where the object is behind the truck. Pick it up to above the trailer. Get in the truck, taking the control with you. Straighten out the truck and trailer and lower the object onto the front of the trailer. This is very easy after you do it a couple times. I loaded a 5'x8'x1" plate onto a trailer like this using a plate clamp.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Nothin beats a good old work truck.
Thanks for posting, this is great information. And those drawers are very impressive.

Re: The secret to easy adjustable gin poles.

Thank you for sharing. I have always liked the way your truck is setup. I am going to be asking you some more questions when I start building another bed. I never thought about trying to run a PTO or hydraulic winch by myself. No big deal to make a hydraulic winch remote with solenoids I suppose. We run hydraulic pressure and return to each of the two buckets we pull on all our tractors. From there the pressure feeds usually danfoss 3 bank valves. Have you ever seen/used/thought about a set of double winch poles? If I could set something heavy on the back of my truck I would use those things a lot. I am wondering now if the base for the poles where close to the cab and I could run winch line independent of boom angle I could do what I am after.


Lincoln SA-250
Lincoln SW 200
Miller Thunderbolt