The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Hydraulic Hoist for Dumping

I am a newbie and proud owner of a Chevrolet 1948 1.5 Ton Dump-bed truck. It has an unusual hydraulic Hoist mechanism which I have not been able to find mention of on the forum.
The hydraulic cylinder is located behind the cab of the truck in an upright position and uses a cable system on pulleys giving it a 2 to 1 lift advantage over the direct hydraulic lift. There is mention of a similar system which was patented in 1917 by John Schwister but other than that nothing yet. Any information would be appreciated.
Here is a link to pictures. https://goo.gl/photos/dFyUTEepauz2VYvN6

welcome to the site! That is definitely an interesting hoist setup! I've never seen one like it but, I have not seen everything by far!
It is hard to say what some farmers did to get things to work, or where they get stuff they use!

I've seen similar set ups on farm wagons. Not sure if yours is homemade or factory built, but it is kind of cool. As long as it works I would keep it if it were mine.

With some research on Hydraulic Hoist Patents I came across the following patent which appears to be close to what I have.
Has anyone heard of a Schwister Hydraulic Hoist? Ive added two additional pictures that show the patent.
Here is a link to pictures. https://goo.gl/photos/dFyUTEepauz2VYvN6

That's a new one for me. Looks functional. My only concern is where that steel pivot tube is attached to the wood beams serving as the bed frame. It doesn't look like it would take much to tear the bolts out of that old wood. I'd consider reframing the bed with steel. Neat design though, thanks for sharing.

I have seen similar setups dating back to 65 to 70 years ago. Hydraulics weren't very reliable in those days. In fact many dozers used winches and cables instead of hydraulics. I think it would be a shame to get rid of the wood frame. I would consider fish plating it with a piece of flat. That way you would have the strength of iron and still retain the wood. I think you could probably run a 1/4" flat between the hoist and the beam. Drill a few more holes in the hoist to bolt it to the flat and then bolt the flat to the beam, it would strong enough for anything the hoist would lift. With the fish plate in the inside, you won't see it except when the bed is raised.

I am currently in the process of taking the wood frame and bed off to refinish and think that your ideas are sound. I will try to keep the big bolt community updated as to my progress.

In the mean time I have aquired a steel Knapheide platform body which will fit on the chassis. I am planning on adapting it as a replacement for actual farm material handling. The box is the same dimensions and the structure appears to match the frame at 36". Any insights?
https://goo.gl/photos/N2AAXE8q6RPhDJSq9