What did you receive in the mail today for your Ranger?

[Chris M]

My understanding is when you replace the cover or gears (or new rear end) you would fill up to the top plug. This will allow for oil to displace though the rear end and should settle to where the level is at the lower plug when you check it. When you change it by draining from the bottom plug, you now fill to the lower plug.

You can fill though either plug. So I guess if you were using a syphon you could fill through the top plug while checking through the lower plug.

Another answer was that this cover fit a couple different axles but that one didn't make much sense. Usually the bolt pattern is different.

Since the drain plug is at the bottom, wouldn't that allow for all the fluid to drain, necessitating a top plug fill?

I admit my ignorance, which is why I asked the question to begin with. Apparently I'm missing something that would make the answer make sense. What is it I'm missing?

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[NeilP]

All the pieces are listed as a total of 114 pounds. The yellow part is the heaviest with that large bottle jack.

The weight of the yellow section along with the height to lift it are pretty taxing for me. But you can bear hug it and keep the strain off your back. I now know to grab it as low as I can to plunk it into the base.

I'm thinking of some quick release pins, like I had on my John Deere, for the jack itself. That would make all sections pretty equal in weight, or at least more manageable.

For more effective transport, as in bringing the crane along with a big thing in the bed, you can leave the receiver part and cross member in the hitch. you can tie up the legs.

I suppose you could also leave it fully assembled as long as you had the yellow part strapped in. It just sits in a tube with two bushing/bearings. It woul take a heck of a pothole to make it pop oit - but I'd certainly secure it. A ratcheting strap might be afequate to keep tension on the two parts.

It connects to the hitch with a standard hitch pin and two bolts with jam nuts hold the horizontal bar in place. The legs already have velcro straps to secure them but not in a way I'd use if leaving it on.

You now have me very curious as to the feasibility of leaving the entire unit on. The legs support the load and crane, so it might be asking for trouble to lift them up and leave all the weight on that cross brace (certainly long trips would straine those welds, but going local to pick up a granite skab for a step might be okay).

I was wondering if a person could replace all the bolts with pins. That would certainly make it easier to move if it was in multiple pieces.

 

[Chris M]

What could it be?

Sheesh, even some eighth-inch plywood for packing. Make sure to watch my 3-hour ASMR unboxing video on YouTube ... =p

don't let Greta see all the landfill stuff =D

I use that Model T wrench regularly - it lives in the center console =)

is it a crane/hoist thingie?

well, it is! now I can drive down the street and snow blow the tops of snow banks!

lifts it plenty high

could rig it tighter to the top, if needed ...

beats lifting it by hand, that's for sure!

able to swing the main weight into the bed and not so much on our light-duty tailgates. probably place a piece of OSB for anything questionable

it's got nice welds and weighs enough to need a mini-hoist to get it into the bed! I did fasten the parts to 4 of the bed tie downs in case of sporty antics - now I officially have no carrying capacity ... =p

I should have tried this little cargo net I got, kind of cute in it's diminutive size (supposedly 660# working cap and about 39 inches square - 1 metre)

got some 6'x2" rigging (basically tree saver straps) - will look for smaller as these needed those ginormous shackles in the pic) - all in all, I like it

MaxxHaul Hitch Mount Hydraulic Crane-1000lb. Capacity

from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CE0WCW $319.99
6 foot straps X4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X2H9MSG $25.99
3 foot cargo net https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B27T3ZZW $20.86
useless tiny 3/8" shackles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3SV6GGR $11.99

My giant shackles come from my dad 40 years ago. US-made and one inch means $300+ each today! Crazy!

I will use this crane/hoist a few times a year (like to return a rented commercial 400-pound lawn aerator that I use in the fall - they have a ramp to load it and I don't have a utility trailer so ...). Also to load my air compressor if I want to use it to help my daughter restore the old FJ40.

If I was less impulsive, I saw a good number of used one's online and I'd feel pretty good about spending half of what I did on a used one.

Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's can also order these if you want to deprive Jeff Bozos of his insane yacht expenses.

"If I was less impulsive..."

Hahahahahahaha!?

 

[Grumpaw]

I was wondering if a person could replace all the bolts with pins. That would certainly make it easier to move if it was in multiple pieces.

If you replace all the bolts, then.....OMG....you'd have to eliminate... The Nut's !!!!!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I received a 1 litre spray bottle of Doktor Doom Rat Repellent.

While I was scrubbing down my Ranger and cleaning the engine bay, I noticed some rodent footprints on the engine cover and while I was wiping it down with 303, I saw a few teeth marks here and there. That’s why I ordered the repellent. It arrived today and when I went to spray down the engine bay, I saw this!

There is a red squirrel in the backyard and it looks like the little bastard was fixing to store his food supply in there. And, what’s he going to eat when he runs out of those cones?

If you look closely, you can see a few bites out of the foam. I’ve considered it an act of war.

 

[AzScorpion]

How clumsy/heavy is that crane to load & unload from your truck bed? It looks like a good invention for loading & unloading. Just curious if my old worn out back could handle moving the crane around.

I always used a set of folding aluminum ramps. They're (somewhat) lightweight, have non slip centers and easy to store. But David loves to buy all sorts of gadgets until he finds the one he likes best. ?

 

[subquark]

I received a 1 litre spray bottle of Doktor Doom Rat Repellent.

While I was scrubbing down my Ranger and cleaning the engine bay, I noticed some rodent footprints on the engine cover and while I was wiping it down with 303, I saw a few teeth marks here and there. That’s why I ordered the repellent. It arrived today and when I went to spray down the engine bay, I saw this!

There is a red squirrel in the backyard and it looks like the little bastard was fixing to store his food supply in there. And, what’s he going to eat when he runs out of those cones?

If you look closely, you can see a few bites out of the foam. I’ve considered it an act of war.

Top pic reveals a glowing missed opportunity for your Ranger.

Those shackles are crying out for a chain!

But how crazy is it that you have full pine cones in there! At first glance, I thought they were ears of corn!

Let us know of any downside to that Doktor Doom as I think the base chemical of it from US Amazon might be an option I want. Downsides like bad smell, burning eyes, or itchy skin.

Sure seems like a great approach!

 

[Grumpaw]

Top pic reveals a glowing missed opportunity for your Ranger.

Those shackles are crying out for a chain!

But how crazy is it that you have full pine cones in there! At first glance, I thought they were ears of corn!

Let us know of any downside to that Doktor Doom as I think the base chemical of it from US Amazon might be an option I want. Downsides like bad smell, burning eyes, or itchy skin.

Sure seems like a great approach!

NO!!!!! One Chin Chain is unique, specifically on Soupie. Another Chin Chain on another Ranger, well, it just becomes commonplace.....
"Oh look, another Ranger with a Chin Chain"!!! "Yeah, but now there's two, so MEH"......
Pretty soon there will be a third and than a forth, and before you know it, there will be at least a dozen, and the market will become flooded with "used chin chains for sale" !!!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Top pic reveals a glowing missed opportunity for your Ranger.

Those shackles are crying out for a chain!

But how crazy is it that you have full pine cones in there! At first glance, I thought they were ears of corn!

Let us know of any downside to that Doktor Doom as I think the base chemical of it from US Amazon might be an option I want. Downsides like bad smell, burning eyes, or itchy skin.

Sure seems like a great approach!

 

[twk]

My understanding is when you replace the cover or gears (or new rear end) you would fill up to the top plug. This will allow for oil to displace though the rear end and should settle to where the level is at the lower plug when you check it. When you change it by draining from the bottom plug, you now fill to the lower plug.

You can fill though either plug. So I guess if you were using a syphon you could fill through the top plug while checking through the lower plug.

Another answer was that this cover fit a couple different axles but that one didn't make much sense. Usually the bolt pattern is different.

Based on my amateur "we race our cars for fun" buddies, and have diff coolers, those two holes are for filling the diff, and for the diff cooling line return. I would guess the upper one is for filling. The diff cooler draws oil from the drain plug. I've never seen a diff cooler for our Rangers, but the provision is there for all the tinkerers who would like to have one.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

What could it be?

Sheesh, even some eighth-inch plywood for packing. Make sure to watch my 3-hour ASMR unboxing video on YouTube ... =p

don't let Greta see all the landfill stuff =D

I use that Model T wrench regularly - it lives in the center console =)

is it a crane/hoist thingie?

well, it is! now I can drive down the street and snow blow the tops of snow banks!

lifts it plenty high

could rig it tighter to the top, if needed ...

beats lifting it by hand, that's for sure!

able to swing the main weight into the bed and not so much on our light-duty tailgates. probably place a piece of OSB for anything questionable

it's got nice welds and weighs enough to need a mini-hoist to get it into the bed! I did fasten the parts to 4 of the bed tie downs in case of sporty antics - now I officially have no carrying capacity ... =p

I should have tried this little cargo net I got, kind of cute in its diminutive size (supposedly 660# working cap and about 39 inches square - 1 metre)

got some 6'x2" rigging (basically tree saver straps) - will look for smaller as these needed those ginormous shackles in the pic - all in all, I like it

MaxxHaul Hitch Mount Hydraulic Crane-1000lb. Capacity

from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CE0WCW $319.99
6 foot straps X4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X2H9MSG $25.99
3 foot cargo net https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B27T3ZZW $20.86
useless tiny 3/8" shackles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3SV6GGR $11.99

My giant shackles come from my dad 40 years ago. US-made and one inch means $300+ each today! Crazy!

I will use this crane/hoist a few times a year (like to return a rented commercial 400-pound lawn aerator that I use in the fall - they have a ramp to load it at the rental shop and I don't have a utility trailer so ...). Also to load my air compressor if I want to use it to help my daughter restore the old FJ40.

If I was less impulsive, I saw a good number of used ones online and I'd feel pretty good about spending half of what I did on a used one.

Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's can also order these if you want to deprive Jeff Bozos of his insane yacht expenses.

Edit: I wanted to thank @DIYAndy for his post on this same "crane" back in 2019:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...ruck-bed-crane-for-the-2019-ford-ranger.3508/

This rig is awesome! So helpful if you’re working on your own and ever rent a plate compactor or need to load/unload nursery trees that have a large root ball. I’m sure you can think of a bunch of other reasons too. ?

You could be the king of the big box store shoppers…

Lot Attendant: Would you like some help loading that sir? We have a forklift if you don’t mind waiting a bit.

David: No thanks, I’m good. Actually, would you guys like some help loading stuff for other customers while you wait for your forklift?

 

[Ninong]

Got the "correct" adapter from Dongar today. Have to give them credit on making it very easy to get the correct harness, and they even let me keep the incorrect harness!

 

[Fordup]

What could it be?

Sheesh, even some eighth-inch plywood for packing. Make sure to watch my 3-hour ASMR unboxing video on YouTube ... =p

don't let Greta see all the landfill stuff =D

I use that Model T wrench regularly - it lives in the center console =)

is it a crane/hoist thingie?

well, it is! now I can drive down the street and snow blow the tops of snow banks!

lifts it plenty high

could rig it tighter to the top, if needed ...

beats lifting it by hand, that's for sure!

able to swing the main weight into the bed and not so much on our light-duty tailgates. probably place a piece of OSB for anything questionable

it's got nice welds and weighs enough to need a mini-hoist to get it into the bed! I did fasten the parts to 4 of the bed tie downs in case of sporty antics - now I officially have no carrying capacity ... =p

I should have tried this little cargo net I got, kind of cute in its diminutive size (supposedly 660# working cap and about 39 inches square - 1 metre)

got some 6'x2" rigging (basically tree saver straps) - will look for smaller as these needed those ginormous shackles in the pic - all in all, I like it

MaxxHaul Hitch Mount Hydraulic Crane-1000lb. Capacity

from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CE0WCW $319.99
6 foot straps X4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X2H9MSG $25.99
3 foot cargo net https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B27T3ZZW $20.86
useless tiny 3/8" shackles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3SV6GGR $11.99

My giant shackles come from my dad 40 years ago. US-made and one inch means $300+ each today! Crazy!

I will use this crane/hoist a few times a year (like to return a rented commercial 400-pound lawn aerator that I use in the fall - they have a ramp to load it at the rental shop and I don't have a utility trailer so ...). Also to load my air compressor if I want to use it to help my daughter restore the old FJ40.

If I was less impulsive, I saw a good number of used ones online and I'd feel pretty good about spending half of what I did on a used one.

Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's can also order these if you want to deprive Jeff Bozos of his insane yacht expenses.

Edit: I wanted to thank @DIYAndy for his post on this same "crane" back in 2019:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/thre...ruck-bed-crane-for-the-2019-ford-ranger.3508/

I have been looking at one of them for getting the filled 100 pound propane tanks back in my truck. They won't help me because they're not supposed to be laid down. Looks like it should handle 200 pounds no problem. Thanks for the pics.

 

[subquark]

I have been looking at one of them for getting the filled 100 pound propane tanks back in my truck. They won't help me because they're not supposed to be laid down. Looks like it should handle 200 pounds no problem. Thanks for the pics.

It'll handle 200 pounds easily. One big drawback is that the boom isn't very long and you have to get what your lifting really close to it. I'm thinking of welding a 12" extension to it and believe it could be more than strong enough for 400# farther out.

It also would be nice to maybe have a bare chain hanging down (remove the hook and maybe a foot longer of chain) and then have a short chain, like 3 links, with the crane's slip hook relocated to it and a grab hook on the other end to act as an adjustable length.

In my pics, I have the crane as close to bed as possible (maybe a quarter inch) so that I could get the load closer to center (that extension would saolve that).

But really, if I still had access to the shop in Texas, I'd weld up my own crane (would be a fun project). But, lol, at the cost of steel and rods, buying this one might be cheaper - espacially if you get a decent bottle jack.

Northern Tools has one that sure looks identical for about $60 more.

 

[subquark]

I was wondering if a person could replace all the bolts with pins. That would certainly make it easier to move if it was in multiple pieces.

I just swapped out the two bottle jack bolts to hitch pins, similar to what I'm familiar with for tractor 3-point hitches. These are also used in flat-tow trailer hitches and other applications. Side note, this might be the first thing I've ever bought from a Nebraskan company. =)

5/8" would easily fit but 1/2" are plenty strong with a shear strength of at least 17,000 pounds (grade 5). Pins are made for shear loads, and while the bolts are grade 8, they're still made for clamping loads (stress). Keep in mind that with a max load of 1,000 pounds, these pivot points will be subjected to much more force due to leverage.

I haven't weighed it, but that tall bottle jack is at least 15 pounds. The yellow crane part is significantly easier to move now and it has a built-in velcro strap to keep from smacking yourself with a flailing boom. =D

The crane part could be separated further at the boom connection and I'll try it like this before I do, a normal receiver hitch pin would work fine in that spot.

Note that this is supposedly powder coated but it clearly in just unbaked paint. It chips easily...

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