My problem: I need to stand upright a 950 lbs motorcycle that has fallen, I'm unable to pick it up by myself. I don't need to lift the entire 950 lbs off the ground, the wheels will stay on the ground.
My idea: A beam that will lay across the bed of my pickup truck; its approximately 5 ft across the inside of the bed. The beam will extend about 4 ft beyond the side of the truck (so 9 or 10 ft overall length). I'm thinking of something like a see-saw, with the fulcrum on one side of the pickup bed. A vertical support on the opposite side of the lifting end, pushing the end down, held in place against the top rail of the pickup bed. I'll put a winch along the boom, with a pulley or block and tackle to lift the bike with. I'm planning on using southern yellow pine.
What size beam do I need? Is a 4x4 strong enough? Laminate 2 2x6? Anybody have a better idea?
This is not meant to be a permanent installation in the truck. It goes in and out as needed.