The best pick-up cranes, compared.
Top pick: Pismire 1,100 lb crane and 3,500 lb winch – Highest score at 88: the title splits a 1,100 lb crane from a 3,500 lb 12 V winch, at 57 kg, with 4.4 from 141. Not a load test, and not a UK review sample. Best value: Generic 12 V pick-up crane RSWTC87 – Lowest shelf price at about £328.61, score 56, with wired and wireless control claimed and no safe working load on the page. Updated October 2026.
A pick-up crane is a jib in the load bed. It lifts a load to bed height and slews it aboard. Buyers are mobile mechanics, farms, yards and private owners moving generators, engines, logs or machinery. The figure that matters is a safe working load for each boom position, not the largest number in the title. Those review texts are labelled United States or, so the stars are not a UK sample and not a weld inspection. Prints 7,000 lb and 5,000 lb with no chart. States hook height and rope length and does not state voltage. Three of the four have no star line. At work, expects a configuration-specific safe working load and a thorough examination. Private use is a different duty, and the vehicle plate still applies on the road. Checks before you pay are in the [pick-up crane buying guide](/hub/lifting-equipment/pick-up-crane/sub/pick-up-crane-buying-guide). Pulling an engine in a garage is a wheeled engine hoist. A 230 V hoist on a beam was removed from this set. Hitch-mounted hydraulic cranes, manual-winch bed jibs, lorry-loaders and toys are not these four rows.
A pick-up crane is a jib in the load bed. It lifts a load to bed height and slews it aboard. Buyers are mobile mechanics, farms, yards and private owners moving generators, engines, logs or machinery.
16 products checked · 52 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 4
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you need a printed crane figure before you pay?
The Pismire folding bed jib is listed at £1,013.25 with a separated 1,100 lb crane line and a 3,500 lb 12 V winch in the title, a 57 kg item weight, and 4.4 out of 5 from 141 on the amazon.co.uk capture. That star line is the only review sample in this four-row set, but the written texts in the file are labelled United States or Canada, so they are not a British buyer consensus and they are not a weld inspection. Themes in those texts include short winch leads, clips too small for a vehicle battery, a locking handle that arrived as a bolt, cable leaving the drum groove, and at least one report of an unfused boom-pivot weld and another of failure near 250 lb. The title says orange while a bullet says yellow paint, and a wireless remote is not in the bullets though a review describes a wired controller. In this capture it is the listing that most clearly splits jib capacity from winch pull, which is why it leads the comparison score, not because 1,100 lb has been proved at your boom angle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You will plan lifts around the printed 1,100 lb crane figure, accept non-UK review labels, and mount the base into the chassis rather than the bed skin alone.
Less suitable: You need a chart for each boom hole, a confirmed wireless remote in the box, or proof the winch will hold well above 1,100 lb.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the 3,500 lb figure the crane capacity?
The title prints 1,100 lb as the crane and 3,500 lb as the 12 V winch. The bullet says a 3,500 lb winch kit is included. There is no chart for each boom position.
What colour is printed?
The title says orange. A bullet says a yellow paint finish. Both lines are in the same saved listing.
Does the listing include a battery?
No. The bullet includes the winch kit. Reviews describe a 12 V supply with a short lead, and they do not describe a battery in the box.
The Generic RSWTC87 is the cheapest kept listing at £328.61, described as a 12 V electric pick-up truck crane with a telescopic jib between 110 and 150 cm and bracket heights between 105 and 210 cm. A bullet claims both a wired hand controller and a wireless remote, and another mentions a thickened steel base plate without giving its dimensions. The capture prints no safe working load, no winch pull figure, and no amazon.co.uk star line, so you are buying on geometry and control claims alone. The specification table lists the item weight as 1 g, which is clearly a placeholder rather than the mass of a bed jib. Folding is not stated. At this price the listing can look like best value until you notice there is no pound or kilogram limit you can plan a generator or engine lift against, which is why the comparison score stays well below the reviewed Pismire row despite the lower shelf price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the lowest-priced 12 V bed jib in this set and you will treat every load limit as unknown until the seller confirms it in writing.
Less suitable: You need a printed crane figure, buyer reviews, or a fold-down boom for everyday driving.
Specifications
Common questions
What load does the listing state?
None. The bullets describe a 12 V winch, a 110–150 cm jib and a 105–210 cm height, and they do not print a safe working load or a winch pull.
Is a wireless remote stated?
Yes. A bullet says the crane supports a wired hand controller and a wireless remote.
Can you use the printed item weight?
The specification prints 1 g. That is the figure in the file, and it is not a usable mass for this crane.
The VACARX truck pick-up crane sits at £841.59 between the budget Generic row and the upper DEFNES and Pismire prices, and it describes a cable-and-winch outfit rather than a fully specified 12 V electric package. The bullets give a hook height of 160 cm, a total height of 215 cm, 9.5 m of 5 mm rope, and a 27 x 27 cm base with eight mounting holes, but they do not print voltage, rotation, a remote, or any safe working load. Assembly is required according to the capture, and there is no amazon.co.uk star line. That leaves you with rope geometry and a base footprint to compare against your bed, not a lift you can sign off from the listing alone. None of the four kept pages prints outriggers, so side slewing still depends on how you mount the plate and how you keep the pick-up level. For mid-price money you get more dimensional detail than the Generic page on rope and hook height, yet less electrical clarity than the 12 V titles, which makes this row awkward unless you already know the winch type you are pairing with the jib.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want stated hook height and rope length for a bed mount and you will confirm capacity and voltage with the seller before lifting.
Less suitable: You need a marked 12 V winch in the box, a fold-down boom, or reviews to judge reliability.
Specifications
Common questions
What capacity does VACARX print?
None. The bullets give hook height, total height, cable length, rope size, base size and hook opening, and they do not give a safe working load.
Is it 12 V?
The saved listing does not say. Voltage, a remote and rotation are all unstated.
Do you have to assemble it?
Yes. The saved listing says assembly is required.
The DEFNES truck bed crane is listed at £968.99 with a 13 in square base, a three-position boom between about 1,200 and 1,700 mm, and hook heights between about 1,500 and 2,200 mm. The title prints both 7,000 lb and 5,000 lb for a 12 V winch, and a bullet repeats 7,000 lb at maximum height, which is the opposite of how a proper jib chart usually reads. There is no capacity chart by boom hole and no amazon.co.uk star line in the capture, so you cannot lean on buyer feedback either. The page does state 360° rotation with a locking handle, folding for storage, and a one-year warranty sentence aimed at winch failure or boom deformation. Until the seller resolves which pound figure is the crane and publishes a configuration table, treat both headline numbers as unverified title lines, not as a safe working load you can plan a lift around.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a folding 12 V bed jib with stated dimensions and you will treat capacity as unknown until the seller sends a chart.
Less suitable: You need a marked safe working load before you pay, or you want buyer reviews on the amazon.co.uk line.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state one lifting capacity?
No. The title prints 7,000 lb and 5,000 lb, and a bullet talks about lifting 7,000 lb to maximum height. There is no capacity chart.
Is a remote control included?
The saved listing asks the question and does not answer it in the bullets, so the listing does not state a remote.
Does it fold?
Yes. A bullet says the jib folds for storage in the truck or a warehouse.
Scores use the four amazon.co.uk listings kept here. Shelf prices, star lines and review counts were scored on 20 October 2026. There was no load test and no thorough examination. A high score means the listing states one crane figure separate from the winch, plus evidence you can check on the page. It is not a safe working load certificate. The highest score is the top pick. Best value is the lowest shelf price in this set with wired and wireless control claimed, and with no safe working load on the page.
Crane figure clarity
30%One crane line separate from the winch scores highest. Two conflicting crane or winch lines in the title score low. No safe working load on the page scores 0 on this part.
Mount and boom facts
15%Base size, boom range, a fold claim and a rotation lock score here when the listing states them. A missing field stays missing.
Power and control
10%12 V scores when it is stated. A remote counts only if a bullet says so. An unanswered question on the page is not a specification.
amazon.co.uk stars and sample
25%The star line is scaled, then the review count is added. No star line scores 0 on this part. Pismire is 4.4 from 141. Those review texts are not labelled United Kingdom.
Price against the evidence
20%Shelf price in GBP is judged against what the page actually prints, not against the largest pound figure in the title.
Choose the job first, then the safe working load at the reach you will use. A winch pound figure is not the jib, and a title that prints two capacities without a chart has not given you a lift you can plan.
A pick-up crane here is a jib in the load bed that lifts a load to bed height and slews it aboard. Loading the bed is this category. Pulling an engine in a garage is a wheeled engine hoist. A 230 V hoist on a beam was removed from this set. Hitch-mounted hydraulic cranes, manual-winch bed jibs, lorry-loaders and toys are not these four rows. The winch figure is not the jib, which is the point of [pick-up crane capacity](/hub/lifting-equipment/pick-up-crane/sub/pick-up-crane-capacity).
Pismire's 3,500 lb line is the winch, and the crane line is 1,100 lb. DEFNES prints 7,000 lb and 5,000 lb with no chart. A higher claim at full height is unsupported.
Base size and the hole pattern are not a chassis design. Ribbed beds need spacers. The load path has to reach the frame or a hitch the manufacturer rates. Call a fabricator before you drill or weld a spreader.
A wireless remote is included only when a bullet says so. DEFNES asks and does not answer. Pismire's bullets do not state a remote. Review texts labelled United States or Canada are not a British weld inspection.
The limit has to match the boom position you will use. One number for a telescopic boom does not meet the marking idea in LOLER regulation 7. Prefer the crane figure over the winch figure. Pismire is the only title that splits them, at 1,100 lb and 3,500 lb, and it still has no chart. DEFNES prints 7,000 lb and 5,000 lb, including 7,000 lb at maximum height. Generic and VACARX print no safe working load. None of those pounds is a proved lift.
None of the four prints outriggers. 12 V is stated for Pismire, DEFNES and the Generic row, and VACARX does not state voltage. A remote counts only from a bullet, which only the Generic page gives. Only Pismire has a star line, 4.4 from 141, and those texts are not labelled United Kingdom. The Generic weight field prints 1 g. Missing fields stay missing, including duty cycle, fold on two rows, and a configuration chart on all four.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one person to load an engine, generator or tool into the bed, and you can have the mount fabricated. Pismire is the only row that splits a 1,100 lb crane from a 3,500 lb winch. There is still no chart by boom hole, and the review texts are not a UK sample.
You lift logs, fence posts or machinery outdoors, where paint, a wet remote and a missing capacity chart matter. Pismire is still the only separated crane figure. None of the four prints outriggers, and a yellow-paint bullet conflicts with the orange title.
You are comparing a listing near £300 with one near £1,000. The Generic RSWTC87 is the lowest price and states wired and wireless control. You still need a safe working load, even where LOLER may not bind a private user. That page does not print one.
The top pick is the Pismire 1,100 lb crane and 3,500 lb winch at about £1,013.25. It scores 88, the highest here, because the title separates a 1,100 lb crane from a 3,500 lb 12 V winch, the item weight is 57 kg, and amazon.co.uk shows 4.4 from 141. That star line is not a UK sample. The review texts are labelled United States or Canada, and they are not a weld inspection. There is no chart by boom position. Best value is the Generic RSWTC87 at about £328.61, a different ASIN, score 56, the lowest shelf price, with wired and wireless control claimed and no safe working load on the page. Skip Pismire if you need a capacity chart or a wireless remote in the bullets. Skip the Generic row if you need a printed crane figure.
Pismire 1,100 lb crane and 3,500 lb winch
Highest score at 88: the title splits a 1,100 lb crane from a 3,500 lb 12 V winch, at 57 kg, with 4.4 from 141. Not a load test, and not a UK review sample.
Generic 12 V pick-up crane RSWTC87
Lowest shelf price at about £328.61, score 56, with wired and wireless control claimed and no safe working load on the page.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these four listings were scored on 20 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not run a lab test.
