"best" engine hoist?

[dawagarage]

hello gents, im in the market for an engine hoist to pull the motor out of my s14 for a rebuild.

i was originally going to get the 1 ton from harbor freight
http://www.gregandsandy.com/302/images/engine%20crane.gif
but some of the reviews mentioned it was lacking in both vertical and horizontal reach/adjustment.

so i considered their 2 ton, which has more reach, but then many reviews mentioned their hoists missing the majority of the assembly hardware.

so i wonder what hoists you guys have had positive experiences with.

if you could mention the brand/model/weight capacity and what applications (which cars, engines) it would be greatly appreciated!

[wangan_cruiser]

Lol just get one from kragen. Been using mine for since 09 and its been working fine. Got wet from rain and still good. Should be good with that

[davinci]

i got my big red one from northern tool. it has lifted my ls1 in and out bay many times

[jr_ss]

My hoist is an engine pulling slut. It's pulled Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and has recently moved on to boat motors...

Get one that will work. A 2ton will give you a longer arm to reach with, and if need be can be used to lift your whole damn car. I used it to lift the front of my car up so I could install my motor from the bottom.

[PyroTecK]

I've had the harbor freight one for a few years now and it's gotten the job every single time. Only problem is the cylinder slowly starts to, i guess, leak. It slowly lets the motor down, but for what it cost me I dont really care. My pos craftsman floor jack does the same thing. For the price the harbor freight sht gets the job done.

[Edwin562]

Torin jacks is the shit..

[jr_ss]

^^ OTC stuff rocks too.

[ZenkiKid]

I've had the harbor freight one for a few years now and it's gotten the job every single time. Only problem is the cylinder slowly starts to, i guess, leak. It slowly lets the motor down, but for what it cost me I dont really care. My pos craftsman floor jack does the same thing. For the price the harbor freight sht gets the job done.

+ 1. Only used harbor freight ones and theyve gotten the job done.

[ZenkiKid]

Whoops double post.

[The Dude]

Mine is a Performance Tool 2-ton from Napa. Looks to be almost identical to the one from harbor freight and similar in price as well. I've lifted my old RB25, an SR20, and my LS1 numerous times with it. I also lifted a Pulsar GTiR front clip off a flatbed truck with it.

[SomeoneWhoIsntMe]

best hoist I've ever used was this huge chainfall we had in the auto lab at school.

if you have the space for it in your driveway, I've seen gantry cranes for sale on craigslist before. I want one real bad.

[TougeSR20Kid]

+ 1 for harbor freight... Ive used em before many times and for the price you can't beat it. Had one and then sold it when I moved, I dunno something about cost of moving it, and now I'm in the market again :picardfp: Only reason I'm prob not gonna get another harbor freight one is cus I work at O'reilly's and get that super sweet employee price :)

[blueshark123]

I picked up a used harbor freight for 40 bucks i have had it for over 3 yrs without any problems besides the time i had to change the fluid and i keep it outside everyday in the snow or rain

[JFoxx]

if you own an sr20, and have a strong friend, you can just lift the motor out. lol ......thats what i do....

[Lutz Performance]

Harbor Freight and Norther Tool, they are cheap but if you take care of them they will last a long ass time

[CamryOnBronze]

I have the Harbor Freight one in the original post. Used it a handful of times so far without any issues!

[blueshark123]

if you own an sr20, and have a strong friend, you can just lift the motor out. lol ......thats what i do....

Yea i rather pay 200 then pull it out with my hands haha. I like to have a good back.

[JFoxx]

Yea i rather pay 200 then pull it out with my hands haha. I like to have a good back.


its not as bad as you think, we usually remove the head first, and as long as the motor is drained, it is really easy to pick it up. i can hold/move the motor by myself, and i am by no means a buff guy, with a friend its a peice of cake.. sr's are pretty light motors....


but back on topic... +1 for harbor freights stuff

[TheRealSy90]

People think ls1's are heavy lol.

[Tantwoforty]

the first time i put my KA in we used a chain and a 2x4
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/392340_10150420916704801_237319929_n.jpg
Who needs a hoist!?
No but that sucked, now i have this one..
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/179938_10150923420049801_1718682782_n.jpg

[cdlong]

Here's a good one.
Engine Crane, Diesel, 6000 Lb, H 88 1/2 In - Engine Stands - Automotive Lifting Tools - 4CWN2 : Grainger Industrial Supply (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/HEINWERNER-Engine-Crane-4CWN2?gclid=CLbJyKeB6rACFSoZQgodhx3i4A&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Fleet%20and%20Vehicle%20Maintenance-_-Automotive%20Lifting%20Tools-_-4CWN2&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=4CWN2&ef_id=Q2RPBdOqkAQAAIUH:20120625182343:s)
I know you said you wanted the best, I don't have any personal experience with it, but it should be able to handle the overwhelming task of pulling one small engine once. :facepalm:

Are you delusional? Just buy or rent an engine hoist and be done with it. It's not that hard. Are you the same guy that wanted "the best coilovers" then wouldn't considering anything over $1100? Like anything less than something costing 10x as much could ever be considered "the best."

Yea i rather pay 200 then pull it out with my hands haha. I like to have a good back.

Why would you want to pay $200 and also pull it out with your hands?

[blueshark123]

Why would you want to pay $200 and also pull it out with your hands?

Than lol thanks for pointing that out.

[landins13]

ive got a 2.5 ton crane i got on sale at advance auto. ive pulled my motor at least 15 times as well as multiple other cars with no issues.

[dawagarage]

Here's a good one.
Engine Crane, Diesel, 6000 Lb, H 88 1/2 In - Engine Stands - Automotive Lifting Tools - 4CWN2 : Grainger Industrial Supply (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/HEINWERNER-Engine-Crane-4CWN2?gclid=CLbJyKeB6rACFSoZQgodhx3i4A&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Fleet%20and%20Vehicle%20Maintenance-_-Automotive%20Lifting%20Tools-_-4CWN2&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=4CWN2&ef_id=Q2RPBdOqkAQAAIUH:20120625182343:s)
I know you said you wanted the best, I don't have any personal experience with it, but it should be able to handle the overwhelming task of pulling one small engine once. :facepalm:

Are you delusional? Just buy or rent an engine hoist and be done with it. It's not that hard. Are you the same guy that wanted "the best coilovers" then wouldn't considering anything over $1100? Like anything less than something costing 10x as much could ever be considered "the best."



Why would you want to pay $200 and also pull it out with your hands?

i dont know where you get "delusional" from. i was just going to "buy one and be done with it" until i started reading some problems that people were running into. LIKE NOT BEING ABLE TO REACH THE ENGINE. why would i spend money on known problems? a wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.

you seem practical, you even say yourself "why would you pay $200..." well the same logic applies here.

youre right 'its not that hard," but again who wants to spend money on known problems? here let me just go down to the store, buy the hoist, set it up and then when i lower it, it turns out the beam isnt long enough to span the engine bay and remove the engine.

it isnt very technical, i agree. i do have experience with 'technical' lifts, and hoists. i have a category 3 crane license, i move multiple 4000 to 8000 pound high explosive missiles and torpedoes with 4 to 8 ton electric and pneumatic bridge crane daily. as well as operate 2 ton to 15k forklifts. and none of that is really difficult, but you still want to ensure youre using the right equipment for the job.

"best" here was to get people to initially view the thread, to which i then defined as "hoists you guys have had positive experiences with." the word "best" is subjective. what is best to you might not be the best for me. which, again, is why i defined the word here.

[cdlong]

"best" here was to get people to initially view the thread, to which i then defined as "hoists you guys have had positive experiences with." the word "best" is subjective. what is best to you might not be the best for me. which, again, is why i defined the word here.

It also has the side effect of making people think you're an idiot if you think you need the best hoist and start talking about Harbor Freight.

"Best" is not subjective. It's asking for the single highest quality, most suitable item out there. If you'd added some criteria, "best under $200" then you'd sound less like a teenager with outlandish dreams and more like an adult that can reason and make rational decisions.

As for the HF hoists, people go on the internet to post problems. No one posts "the hoist worked ok and nothing of interest happened." OK, not no one, but the numbers are skewed. Measure some stuff and see if it will work yourself.

[Nismo 240]

thats same one i used for my swap it works fine i also used to change the motor,transmission and transfer case all at the same time in 4x4

[dawagarage]

It also has the side effect of making people think you're an idiot if you think you need the best hoist and start talking about Harbor Freight.

"Best" is not subjective. It's asking for the single highest quality, most suitable item out there. If you'd added some criteria, "best under $200" then you'd sound less like a teenager with outlandish dreams and more like an adult that can reason and make rational decisions.

As for the HF hoists, people go on the internet to post problems. No one posts "the hoist worked ok and nothing of interest happened." OK, not no one, but the numbers are skewed. Measure some stuff and see if it will work yourself.

youre over thinking shit. do you get called anal often, do people mention that you over analyze?

i would think that if someone saw equipment from HF that they would have an idea of what kind of price range im shooting for. thats like someone making a thread about wanting a new car and posting a bunch of early 90s vehicles theyre considering and then someone throwing in a 2010 sports car. they shouldnt have to say "oh my price range is $5000" it should be common sense.
as well as how i mentioned im pulling my engine for a rebuild. this should denote a few things: like how i dont need a shop crane hoist and how i just need something thats enough to pull the engine out and then reinstall it later.

again, best is subjective. in almost every example that it is used. best could mean cheapest, highest quality, farthest boom length, most compact when stowed, etc etc

[cdlong]

I often call myself anal, but that's beside the point. You asked for the best without any caveats so that's what I provided, jokingly I might add, I never expected that to be in your price range. I completely understand what you want, I'm not confused in that area. I'm just giving you crap for not being able to portray that.

[dawagarage]

'just giving me crap.' ok, i can accept that.

[Bentleyness]

i got my jack from HF for 120$ w/coupon and its not orange like what u see when u look them up. mine is gunmetal and has pittsburgh logo on the side, maybe they gave me the wrong one? but ether way its was a good buy for me. I think they go bad because ppl leave the load on the jack and cause damage?

also bought HF engine stand for 60$ w/coupon(get the 4 legged one not the 3 leg), and a rapid 1.5 ton jack for 70$ w coupon,

[dawagarage]

i like pittsburgh stuff, specifically this jack:
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_12358.jpg

ive read that a lot of reasons the hoists go bad is because you have to add additional hydraulic fluid into them, as well as prime and bleed the system. and yeah hydraulics are known to drift so i can see leaving the load on with out a mechanical stop can affect things.

im also pretty set on getting their 4 leg stand

[Dek-Thai]

^^^thats a nice jack

[Drifting Kalamari]

I have never had a problem with my Harbor Freight Hoist!

[NNOCENT]

harborfreight 2ton foldable.

the space-savings was worth the extra money for me.

[ixfxi]

it isnt very technical, i agree. i do have experience with 'technical' lifts, and hoists. i have a category 3 crane license, i move multiple 4000 to 8000 pound high explosive missiles and torpedoes with 4 to 8 ton electric and pneumatic bridge crane daily. as well as operate 2 ton to 15k forklifts. and none of that is really difficult, but you still want to ensure youre using the right equipment for the job.

hey calm down, showoff

if you're such a hotshot, then why dont you use a category 3 crane to install your motor?

missles
explosives
torpedoes

and you drive a 240sx?

psssh

[dawagarage]

^ silly guy. it wasnt showing off. it might be showing off if i had said that in the first/first few posts, but not post 25. i said all that to show that im not technically inept, that i do have experience. 'hotshot' has nothing to do with anything. i wish i could use the cranes at work, then i wouldntve needed this thead. but alas, those cranes are all at work, installed on ibeams, and i dont have the option of having them in my garage nor could my garage support them.

the 3rd part i dont understand....

[ixfxi]

can i come to work and swap my motor?

LFA v10... should only take a few hours. brian, you in for the help?

brian harte world

[dawagarage]

you can try. you might be able to have someone get you on base but if you try to get down to the magazines or the compound, you might end up in prison.

[dawagarage]

called up harbor freight, they didnt have the 2 ton in stock. nor did any of the surrounding stores NOR the warehouse! online also says its unavailable.

anyways, im bumping this thread to let yall know of the great deal i found...
Pepboys has a 2 ton engine hoist available for $179.
http://static.pepboys.com/images/productImages/55442100/T32002X.jpg
similar if not exact design of HFs (im sure theyre all made in the same factory in china.) comparably, HFs is approx. 219. thats the cheapest youre gonna get