This device works very well within certain limits. Like others have said, you have to make a judgement call whether its worth bringing it with you and setting up or not. I am only only speaking to general use, and not something specific like hunting.At my age, a single item weighing 70-80 lbs is about the most I am willing to lift into my truck. At and above that is where this device comes in handy. I have several items that are above that and I need them put in my truck periodically, such as small outboards, inflatable boats (folded up in a bag), generators, and it has become a real back breaker or a ridiculous amount of setup to do that (ramps, etc.). These items weigh 75-250 lbs and they are relatively compact and easy to use with this device.I would say that items in the 75-150 lbs range work very well. The winching aspect is easy and controllable up or down. The winch mechanism does ratchet on the way up, but not on the way down without doing a two hand trick. The overall assembly does have some flex, but nothing of concern. The boom swings easily, despite not having a bearing of any kind at the pivot point.150-250 lbs is ok. The winching is a bit tougher, but still very manageable all around. The overall assembly flexes more, but still seems like its going to be fine. The boom does not swing as easily, and here is where a bearing or nylon bushing would have been good to have.I only tried one item above 250 lbs, with a weight of about 350 lbs. The overall operation becomes difficult to do this on your own. Its best to have someone do the winching and a second person controlling the load. Winching is tougher, especially going down. Lots of flex. Swing is less cooperative. You can do this solo, however, I would say about 350 lbs is the limit. If I were to be lifting items above 250 lbs on a regular basis, I would consider another model with stabilizing feet and/or something with an electric winch. It becomes very difficult to do the winching and controlling the load safely.You could potentially use this with an electric winch. Simply do not install the manual winch, cable and rollers. Use the upper roller brackets to create a loop point. Hook a marine electric winch onto that loop or adapt an ATV electric winch with a hook for same use. You set up the boom first and then hook on your winch at the top. Good to go. I would not recommend permanent attachment of an ATV winch, for example at the same location as the included manual winch. This upgrade would not necessarily be to increase capacity of the overall device. It would just be to make it easier to use, especially solo.Overall, I am happy with this device. These days keeping my back healthy is more important than money. Even if you went the way of boom plus an electric winch, the cost is very minor relative to back surgery and recovery time. As long as you have reasonable expectations, this device serves the purpose.

Worked great putting my generator in the back of my truck and work great for putting heavy pieces of wood that I cut in the back of the truck that were too heavy for me to lift. A short person might have trouble putting the top half together.

I am nearly 70 years old. In good health and active. However, I do not want to risk a back injury or a blown gasket somewhere in my body. My push mower weighs approximately 80 pounds. To deadlift the mower into the back of a pickup truck has become more than I am willing to undertake. So I purchased this lift to get my mower, generator and other items into my truck. The metal is fairly substantial. It performs the task at hand with little effort. However, there is some room for improvements that would not increase the cost significantly. First of all, the twisted cable is a mess. Anytime there is slack in the line, you get the bird nest effect which causes minor problems. Braided cable would have been a much better choice. I will be replacing my cable soon. There should be some kind of plastic or other material where the vertical post swivels around. The metal on metal set up will eventually scrape all the paint off and rust is inevitable. I am not overly impressed with the crank and spool configuration, but it is functional. Time will tell how it holds up. There is a risk of injury to your hand while placing the upper portion of the vertical staff. Not sure how that could be fixed but it seems there could be a better design. I attach the two vertical posts together before placing it in the receiver part of the device to avoid a mishap with my hands. Overall, I am well pleased. For the price, it is a decent lift. No regrets for the purchase.

Takes a little time putting it together the first time but then you are ready to go. Bought for my elderly dad and he loves it. Perfect for large loads.

Dang. This is beefy! Well made. Very tall. Like surprisingly. Haven’t actually used it on a deer yet, but it should work great.

Used this to load and unload my 170lb full propane tank. Absolute breeze and the capability to swivel is great. No issues putting it together. I highly recommend it. No missing parts, just different then what the instructions say.

Bought to load 233# mobility chair. Lifted it fine BUT it leaned and would not swing. Into truck. Should have returned. Husband first called Viking and they immediately said to throw away first one and they would ship new one actually sent an email that says that! So we waited. NO SHIPMENT. CALLED AGAIN AND THEY SAID THE WAREHOUSE WAS READY TO SHIP IT. WAITED AGAIN***NO LTHING CAME. CALLED AGAIN AND THEY ASSURED US IT WAS "going to be shipped this week". By now we are past return window and it never came. I trusted reviews but this thing is junk.

So far, so good. I assembled this thing in about 30 mins. The only complaint is that the instructions talked about cotter pins, but used bolts instead. I like that, but had me scratching my head at first. Updated instructions would probably be best for someone who isn’t mechanicaly inclined. Other than that, it clears the tail gate, pivots, and cranks like a champ. Now for a deer…

I was looking for a solution for loading and unloading my 110lb generator without assistance. This product fits the bill.Assembly instructions were clear and concise. Total time to install, unload and break down the rig was 10 minutes. Winch effort is very light. Highly recommended.

Makes moving my fuel tank in and out of my truck very easy and I can now do this alone. The tank is empty when I lift it out of my truck.

One thing I found the tubing had not been cut square. Not a big issue, it caused the upright to lean back a bit. I drilled an extra hole where the two tubes inserted to create a locked position.I would recommend this rack jack for anyone needing that extra lift when only.

Great device. I use it to lift my outboard to and from my truck. Im able to open the tailgate and use the Rack Jack II at the same time. It rotates 360 degrees.