Hiab/Crane

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Nasher

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Down South near Pompey
www.simonnash.co.uk
An odd request but I'm trying a few places.

Does anyone local to me have access to, or knows somebody with, a small truck with a Hiab or similar in the Clanfield/Petersfield/Waterlooville area of Hampshire?
Anything with a mobile small crane or lifting capacity really.

I need some help, in exchange for some cash, for a maximum of an hour, possibly just 15 mins.

Previously I've changed the outboard engine on my boat at the yard where it's kept with a standard automotive engine hoist, but it's a real pain, as not only is the ground rough around the boat and covered in shingle, but a standard crane doesn't go high enough and I have always balanced the crane on several scaffold planks and used them to move the crane about on, which always feels a bit dodgy.

The guy who brought my old engine rocked up with a hiab and just lifted it up into the back of a truck and laid it on an old mattress in 2 minutes.

The engine weighs @240Kgs, and the lifting eye on the top needs to reach @ 7' to get it on the boat.

The engine is currently laying flat on it's back on a pallet in a container at the yard, but I can get it out onto the ground.
It needs lifting on it's (long) pallet on to the back of the truck, transporting @ 100 yards, then lifting upright using the lifting eye and positioning at the transom whilst I put 4 bolts in.

Being a RIB, building a scaffold over it isn't as easy as it sounds.
I need to lift the engine then manoeuvre it into position, so the scaffold would need Wheels.
The scaffold would also need to be huge to fit over the boat, as the engine sits between the tubes rather than hanging out the back completely.
I could remove the A frame and wiring, but the legs would need to span the tubes @8’ wide at @5’ off the ground.

Reversing the boat on it's trailer up to the engine hanging in the air accurately enough on my own isn't as easy as it sounds when the trailer is 8.5m long, is twin axle, and on rough ground.
I'd need to get it very close to be able to get my shoulder behind the engine, push it into place and get the 4 bolts in.
I'm very remote from the transom of the boat when I'm in the driving seat of the car, and of course completely blind to what's going on.

If anyone knows somebody who could help for a reasonable price please let me know.
I’ve asked delivery drivers delivering materials to my house up the road, the local Farmer, and several different contractors around the area but nobody wants to help.

Thanks

Nasher.
 
Use 3 no 20 ft scaffold poles ( aluminium would be lightest)attached at the top with swivel couplers. Back the RIB tight to the outboard. Assemble the 3 poles with 2 just aft of the stern of the rib. It will not matter if they do not meet your size dimensions because they will be aft of the rib. Angle them so the top comes over the outboard position.
Place some ply pads in the rib infront of the steering position & stand the third pole on that. Fix it to the first 2 poles at the top. You now have a tripod with 2 poles on the ground & one inside the rib. The first 2 can be fairly vertical, the front one fairly angled. You can assemble it on the ground behind the rib the swing it up so the front leg goes up onto the rib as the other 2 go upright.
Rope them together to stop the legs spreading.
Hire the poles from a scaffold firm. Look for someone erecting scaffold & slip the blokes a couple of bob.
Attach a puller to the apex
Puller
Then lift the outboard near vertical.
If you cannot do it where the outboard is then use the tripod to lift the engine onto a pallet or sheet of ply. Drag the pallet with the car to a suitable spot.
Help would be useful & if you do not have any friends then I suggest that you get out more;)
 
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Thanks Db, that would of course work, but with hiring/buying the poles and hoist etc it's probably the same or more hassle than reverting to my engine crane and scaffold planks, which I at least already have.

I've discovered today that a Turf company are based really close to the yard, so am planning on driving past on my way home tonight to see if their wagons are equipped with cranes.
Just need to catch one of their drivers with a wad of cash in my hand then.

Nasher.
 
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There used to be a bloke advertising on ebay as a machine mover who used a 3.5 tonner with a decent hiab on it. That would work but not sure of price.
You can get long reach engine cranes, mine will get to 7 foot I think. It came from SGS Engineering.
You can get, possibly hire, purpose built A frames and chain hoists.
Just options if there is no one local in need of beer tokens....
 
You could ask at your local scrapyard. They'll have guys bringing in scrap who would be willing to do it for you. Just check the straps they use or buy your own. They're not expensive.
 
Thanks all.

That looks good DavidPBO.

As mentioned the trouble with an engine crane, even a bigger one, is the ground it's on, so I'd still need to use scaffold plank tracks under it to move the engine about. My own crane needed 3 layers of Planks to get the height with the old engine, but I think the newer one is taller.
And any arrangement of scaffold etc needs to be mobile to enable me to move the engine into position,
Oh, and yes I do raise the hitch of the trailer with a jack as much as possible to lower the transom.

A forklift would be great, but there is not one at any of the businesses at the yard and the nearest industrial estate is a couple of miles away.

I like the idea of hanging around a scrapyard, but as we all know I'd have to be very careful about what sort of Character knew where the boat and it's outboard was stored. The site is very secure, but it would appear that big outboards are able to be taken in minutes from secure sites with a lot of damage to the boat.

Nasher
 
Nasher said:
An odd request but I'm trying a few places.

Does anyone local to me have access to, or knows somebody with, a small truck with a Hiab or similar in the Clanfield/Petersfield/Waterlooville area of Hampshire?
Anything with a mobile small crane or lifting capacity really.

I need some help, in exchange for some cash, for a maximum of an hour, possibly just 15 mins.

Previously I've changed the outboard engine on my boat at the yard where it's kept with a standard automotive engine hoist, but it's a real pain, as not only is the ground rough around the boat and covered in shingle, but a standard crane doesn't go high enough and I have always balanced the crane on several scaffold planks and used them to move the crane about on, which always feels a bit dodgy.

The guy who brought my old engine rocked up with a hiab and just lifted it up into the back of a truck and laid it on an old mattress in 2 minutes.

The engine weighs @240Kgs, and the lifting eye on the top needs to reach @ 7' to get it on the boat.

The engine is currently laying flat on it's back on a pallet in a container at the yard, but I can get it out onto the ground.
It needs lifting on it's (long) pallet on to the back of the truck, transporting @ 100 yards, then lifting upright using the lifting eye and positioning at the transom whilst I put 4 bolts in.

Being a RIB, building a scaffold over it isn't as easy as it sounds.
I need to lift the engine then manoeuvre it into position, so the scaffold would need Wheels.
The scaffold would also need to be huge to fit over the boat, as the engine sits between the tubes rather than hanging out the back completely.
I could remove the A frame and wiring, but the legs would need to span the tubes @8’ wide at @5’ off the ground.

Reversing the boat on it's trailer up to the engine hanging in the air accurately enough on my own isn't as easy as it sounds when the trailer is 8.5m long, is twin axle, and on rough ground.
I'd need to get it very close to be able to get my shoulder behind the engine, push it into place and get the 4 bolts in.
I'm very remote from the transom of the boat when I'm in the driving seat of the car, and of course completely blind to what's going on.

If anyone knows somebody who could help for a reasonable price please let me know.
I’ve asked delivery drivers delivering materials to my house up the road, the local Farmer, and several different contractors around the area but nobody wants to help.

Thanks

Nasher.
Click to expand...
Farmer with a telehandler is your answer. All farmers I know have one to lift large bales etc. They are a standard piece of equipment nowadays as they can handle large bales and pull trailers and be used on the road.
 
Another option is local gravel / hardcore delivery lorry, they have grabs that will lift and often owner drivers, speak to a local garden centre or turf supplier and they should have contact details.
 
You could try the local plant hire companies at Swanwick or else Warsash(EMT Plant Hire)at FleetEnd ,probably 24 hire,bookable by phone and free delivery from Swanwick.

ianat182
 
Sounds like you are already half way there with your engine crane.
If it was me I would mount it on the trailer that I already have and gently manoeuvre it with the car. Failing that you could make a robust trolley that could be dismantled for not much money and then always have it available.

This chap has put one on the back of a landrover but a trailer/trolley would do also:
Static Mounted Crane 900kg

150kg caravan jockey wheels are 25 notes each from ebay, one on each corner so you can level it, Bit of timber or steel for the frame...you get the idea.
Edit...maybe better to have a couple of trailer wheels at the front and a single jockey wheel at the back.
 
Last edited:
Nasher said:
An odd request but I'm trying a few places.

Does anyone local to me have access to, or knows somebody with, a small truck with a Hiab or similar in the Clanfield/Petersfield/Waterlooville area of Hampshire?
Anything with a mobile small crane or lifting capacity really.

I need some help, in exchange for some cash, for a maximum of an hour, possibly just 15 mins.

Previously I've changed the outboard engine on my boat at the yard where it's kept with a standard automotive engine hoist, but it's a real pain, as not only is the ground rough around the boat and covered in shingle, but a standard crane doesn't go high enough and I have always balanced the crane on several scaffold planks and used them to move the crane about on, which always feels a bit dodgy.

The guy who brought my old engine rocked up with a hiab and just lifted it up into the back of a truck and laid it on an old mattress in 2 minutes.

The engine weighs @240Kgs, and the lifting eye on the top needs to reach @ 7' to get it on the boat.

The engine is currently laying flat on it's back on a pallet in a container at the yard, but I can get it out onto the ground.
It needs lifting on it's (long) pallet on to the back of the truck, transporting @ 100 yards, then lifting upright using the lifting eye and positioning at the transom whilst I put 4 bolts in.

Being a RIB, building a scaffold over it isn't as easy as it sounds.
I need to lift the engine then manoeuvre it into position, so the scaffold would need Wheels.
The scaffold would also need to be huge to fit over the boat, as the engine sits between the tubes rather than hanging out the back completely.
I could remove the A frame and wiring, but the legs would need to span the tubes @8’ wide at @5’ off the ground.

Reversing the boat on it's trailer up to the engine hanging in the air accurately enough on my own isn't as easy as it sounds when the trailer is 8.5m long, is twin axle, and on rough ground.
I'd need to get it very close to be able to get my shoulder behind the engine, push it into place and get the 4 bolts in.
I'm very remote from the transom of the boat when I'm in the driving seat of the car, and of course completely blind to what's going on.

If anyone knows somebody who could help for a reasonable price please let me know.
I’ve asked delivery drivers delivering materials to my house up the road, the local Farmer, and several different contractors around the area but nobody wants to help.

Thanks

Nasher.
Click to expand...
Can't help with source of a crane but most of the devices mentioned will do the lift easily but will lack the smooth descent lowering back onto the transom and getting the bolts ligned up. I recommend you attach your engine hoist tackle (chain hoists are best) to the crane and do the final descent using that. I did it this way when I got a local guy with a JCB to lift an engine in. Just hooked the chain hoist onto one of the teeth of the rear bucket. I controled the final alignment as I was in the best place to see exactly what was needed without having to rely on communication with the crane driver.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
I would use a chain hoist (because I have one).
I don't see why you can't take the Rib to the motor. I must be easier than all this faffing about.
 
Just a thought on the precision part of it.

Could you get the engine as close to the bolt holes as possible and then use a trolley jack under the trailer to easy it up
to the motor?

W
 
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