Cool muscle powered tool-can we diy?

I was just learning about timber jacks/peaveys, thought about how having wheels on them could be useful, and ended up here:


Very cool, right?
I didn't even check the price, I'm betting we could do pretty well making one of our own.
I'm already wondering if the clamp arm could be longer, jointed like on a peavey and controlled with a rod from up by the handle bars.
Probably impractical.
More practically, what does this system have that a hand truck doesn't, and how can we add those features to an off the shelf hand cart?

William,

I used to have a need to lift up logs.  My eventual solution was to place a very sturdy stepladder over the log.  I then created a fixture for a boating hand winch which was placed in the upper rungs of the ladder.  I strapped up the log and cranked away.

I loved it for two reasons.  First, it was simple and worked.  Secondly, it was dirt cheap.  I ended up loading a lot of logs that way.

Eric

Eric Hanson wrote:William,

I used to have a need to lift up logs.  My eventual solution was to place a very sturdy stepladder over the log.  I then created a fixture for a boating hand winch which was placed in the upper rungs of the ladder.  I strapped up the log and cranked away.

I loved it for two reasons.  First, it was simple and worked.  Secondly, it was dirt cheap.  I ended up loading a lot of logs that way.

Eric

Interesting.    Ed at Coral Castle used the same idea with tripods to lift huge rocks.