Trying to save my back! MAXXHaul Hoist a Winner!!!

Dave Diefenderfer

Dave Diefenderfer

Well-known member
I tried to set the 15hp Yamaha on the South Bay by myself. The sponsons/hull prevented me from getting close. When I reached out with the outboard about 18 inches from my body, I could not control the weight and it got twisted on the motorboard. It took Brian and I some effort to get it back off, then we did set it properly. It is obvious that I will need to raise the motor a good 2 or 3 inches, so it will be on and off a few more times.

First thought was to buy or borrow a motor lift, but they are heavy, bulky, and won't allow me to pull the motor without pulling the boat out of the shop tent. Not a big deal, but got me scheming some. While searching the interwebs, I found a couple slick truck hitch hoist options. The cheapest was a game lift, but that appears to have some limited reach and somewhat fixed heights.

Then I found a couple versions of this: https://a.co/d/5nf31z0

Amazon appears to have the best price, while Northern Hydraulics has a similar, but out of stock.

I am thinking this might be a handy tool to have. Does anyone one have something similar, or better?
 
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Good morning, Dave~


No experience with such a lift, but...I am a big fan of saving one's back through the many applications of mechanical advantage. I learned the lesson from my father-in-law, who owned a sawmill. Although all the men were rugged guys - especially compared to me - they never lifted anything heavy by hand. Hydraulics were always nearby. As you know, I love the chain hoists (what my father-in-law knew as chain falls) in my shop for lifting boats - and my 40-horse Massey-Ferguson for lifting anything outside. I just replaced the wheels on one of my trailers with the tractor bucket as my "jack".


Rhodes 19 on Sea Lion roller trailer - APRIL 2023.JPG



So, my only other thought would be a chain hoist from a tree limb?



And - in any event - this OB lifting harness may come in handy over the years (I'm thinking I need one for my old and heavy 33-horse Evinrude.)



OB lifting harness.jpg



Hope this helps!



SJS








 
Dave

You mentioned shop tent. What kind of floor is in there? If it is concrete then an engine hoist, aka cherry picker, would work fine and given the relatively weight you could get by with the cheap ones easily found. If it is dirt that solution won't work well because they need a good hard surface to roll on. In that case the truck mounted version, like the one you linked to, seems to be a good solution for your motor lifting needs.

Eric
 
Another suggestion and one I've done in the past is to use a floor, aka transmission, jack to raise the motor off the transom. You'll need a buddy to balance the outboard on it's skeg while you operate the jack and pull the trailer/boat out of the way and trade for an engine stand, but it works.

Eric
 
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You,ll need to measure carefully to see if the hoist arm making the swing from point a to b will be long enough. I'm guessing no unless that bottom tubing is adjustable to get hoist in closer. An overhead tracked hoist would be your best bet. or a support overhead and use a come a long to raise and lower onto transom. With the weight of a small outboard it could simply be built with some 4x4,s Raise up motor and slide boat away from it
 
Thank you all for your input.

Steve, I had not seen that outboard harness, and will add one to my order!

All, my tents are the Costco/Tractor supply tents. I made floors in the 2 shop tents (4 others are storage only). I obviously don't live in a HOA community, and I suspect I have 2 neighbors that are the only ones that see my stuff, wish we did!

The floor in the shop tents is pallets covered in plywood. Not perfectly level, but out of the dirt, and easier on the legs and back than concrete, and way cheaper!

Space is limited in a 20ft tent so a traditional motor hoist would be impractical. All being said, I certainly could reposition the boat to make any of your suggestions workable, but the idea of a relatively portable lift that I can manage off the back of my PU is of some interest too. I know I am on the downhill side of strength, and flexibility, so if I have it handy, I hope I will use it!

Stay tuned, unless I see a better option, I will order one up and report back.
 
Per the description of your work area this may not work for you. I bought this lift at Harbor Freight when I had to replace the transom in my Lund 1775 and it worked great. I see they are currently on sale new for $200 though I've seen quite a few used on FB market place.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-61858.html
 
For a 15 hp, I wouldn't hesitate to put a block and tackle on the hoop of a Quonset hut style storage tent, I can't remember if yours are Quonset hut style or house style. Either way, a block and tackle with 2 2x4s more or less vertical (angled in at the top, out at the bottom for clearance) to support the structure would work. The snow load that those structures are designed for probably exceed the motor weight, just have to spread out the force a little.
 
Steve Sanford said:


And - in any event - this OB lifting harness may come in handy over the years (I'm thinking I need one for my old and heavy 33-horse Evinrude.)

Click to expand...

Doesn't the motor have a hook or a place to attach a eye bolt for lifting under the cowl? Seems like it should, one that heavy.
 
You guys are not much help, helping me spend my money! While I certainly appreciate all the work arounds, having a lift that can go with me is desirable. In any case, both the harness and the lift are on order and should be here later in the week. I know my 25hp, and 40hp both have rings, but don't think the 15hp does, though I did not check before I ordered the harness.
 
My MAXXHaul Hoist arrived. I was impressed with the quality. The box is re-enforced with plywood, and there was only a minor tweak to one of the tabs that an adjustable wrench took care off.

I set it up as designed in the garage.
IMG_8137.jpg

And then started purusing the internet to find an appropriate adapter to convert to my intended purpose. While the unit is well designed to lift into and out of a pickup bed, I knew I also wanted to use this as a cherry picker. The fact that I was working off an uneven surface (raised floor of the shop) meant that the outrigger legs would not work for me. I certainly would not attempt this with a heavy load, but the job I bought this specifically for was quite successful.

IMG_8141.jpg
IMG_8142.jpg

I was able to reach the motor, raise it to clear the hull entirely, and rotate it over to set it on the cart. The only strain is moving the parts of the lift around. I envision finding a cheap hand cart and configuring it to hold this specifically to easily store and move it as a set.



IMG_8140.jpg
 
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Dave~


Congratulations!


re a hand truck. I bought one shortly after I moved here to the farm - and before I owned a tractor or built my shop. It was a Father's Day gift to myself - and has saved my back many times over. A great help if you have a wood stove, water heater, machinery, et cetera. Now I mostly use it to move our picnic table around the yard....


All the best,


SJS


 
Can either use this in the pick up as shown or make a bracket for it to be put on a floor. Buddy has one and it works quie well. When I get older, going to install one on my truck to lift my ice shack into the bed.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-bed-crane-60732.html


Mark
 
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