Dr_Snooz
11-09-2014, 08:18 AM
If you're looking to buy an engine hoist and don't want to break the bank, there are basically two choices at this time. Both are available at Harbor Freight. You can look elsewhere but all you're going to find are the same two hoists painted different colors.
The first is a 1-ton folding "shop crane": 1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69512.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_21460.jpg
The other is a 2-ton version of the same thing: 2 ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane (http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69514.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_22322.jpg
The pics look exactly the same, but the two hoists are very different.
My 454 is 700 lbs in full trim, so I thought the 1-ton hoist would be sufficient. I was very wrong. It's small. Very small. By which, I mean tiny. Here's how tall it stands next to my truck.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_094729_zpsa7d2e373.jpg
At the 1/2 ton setting, the boom extends a meager 28".
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095033_zps0182ca18.jpg
At 28", with the hoist butt up against the bumper...
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095454_zps74eb6ff7.jpg
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095504_zps53ecbbf7.jpg
...the hook lands right on my water pump; not even close to where it needs to be.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095523_zps18485735.jpg
Given the weight of my engine, I can't go any farther without risking damage to the hoist.
Theoretically, the 1-ton hoist is sufficient to do the job, yet in reality, it's an April Fool's joke. If you have a big job to do, don't buy this hoist!
I returned the 1-ton hoist and replaced it with the 2-ton variant, branded as AC Delco from O'Reilly Auto for the same price as Harbor Freight (Harbor Freight was out of stock). The 2-ton hoist stands a couple inches taller, and the boom extends just far enough to put the hook in the center of the engine.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_125903_zps359a26f7.jpg
Better yet, the boom lifts much higher too.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_140604_zps83e09a20.jpg
Allowing the engine to... well, not quite clear the grill without some extra fiddling.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_140616_zps74e951e8.jpg
At least with the 2-ton hoist, I was able to get the engine out. The 1-ton, unfortunately, was only good for a few belly laughs in the shop. I'm not sure where the 1-ton hoist would be useful and I note that it's being sold as a "shop crane" and not an "engine hoist", even though it comes up in the results for an "engine hoist" search. The 1-ton might be large enough to pull a 3g or Civic engine, but if you're going to the expense and bother, why not get a hoist that will work for any engine you (or all the people who will want to borrow it) might need to pull? Moreover, even if the 1-ton was enough to pull a small engine, you'd still likely run into trouble if you wanted to subsequently hoist that engine onto a trailer or pickup bed. It just doesn't extend far enough or lift high enough.
Note: I do want to give Harbor Freight customer service a BIG shout out here. I bought the 1-ton hoist online and had it shipped to my place. Shipping cost me $6. That's not a typo. When I contacted them to say I would be returning it, they immediately sent out a return shipping label with no questions asked. Better yet, they allow returns of online items to retail stores. I returned the hoist to the store and they took it back, no questions asked and refunded me cash.
Now I have to comment on the state of the hoist that I returned to them. The lovely shed you see pictured above is my brother-in-law's. He has 3 boys who love to help. His 9 year old built the hoist. He's smart and capable, but he slid the parts all over the gritty shop floor as he built it, scratching up the paint in doing so. The 3 and 6 year old boys spent the rest of the time destroying the original packaging that the hoist came in. When I returned the hoist to the store, it was a scratched up bunch of parts piled in a shopping cart. It was no longer new and definitely not salable. There was no way of knowing whether all the parts were there, but HF took it all back and refunded me the full amount.
Big shout out to Harbor Freight for customer service I didn't deserve.
The first is a 1-ton folding "shop crane": 1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69512.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_21460.jpg
The other is a 2-ton version of the same thing: 2 ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane (http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69514.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_22322.jpg
The pics look exactly the same, but the two hoists are very different.
My 454 is 700 lbs in full trim, so I thought the 1-ton hoist would be sufficient. I was very wrong. It's small. Very small. By which, I mean tiny. Here's how tall it stands next to my truck.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_094729_zpsa7d2e373.jpg
At the 1/2 ton setting, the boom extends a meager 28".
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095033_zps0182ca18.jpg
At 28", with the hoist butt up against the bumper...
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095454_zps74eb6ff7.jpg
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095504_zps53ecbbf7.jpg
...the hook lands right on my water pump; not even close to where it needs to be.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141107_095523_zps18485735.jpg
Given the weight of my engine, I can't go any farther without risking damage to the hoist.
Theoretically, the 1-ton hoist is sufficient to do the job, yet in reality, it's an April Fool's joke. If you have a big job to do, don't buy this hoist!
I returned the 1-ton hoist and replaced it with the 2-ton variant, branded as AC Delco from O'Reilly Auto for the same price as Harbor Freight (Harbor Freight was out of stock). The 2-ton hoist stands a couple inches taller, and the boom extends just far enough to put the hook in the center of the engine.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_125903_zps359a26f7.jpg
Better yet, the boom lifts much higher too.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_140604_zps83e09a20.jpg
Allowing the engine to... well, not quite clear the grill without some extra fiddling.
http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_20141108_140616_zps74e951e8.jpg
At least with the 2-ton hoist, I was able to get the engine out. The 1-ton, unfortunately, was only good for a few belly laughs in the shop. I'm not sure where the 1-ton hoist would be useful and I note that it's being sold as a "shop crane" and not an "engine hoist", even though it comes up in the results for an "engine hoist" search. The 1-ton might be large enough to pull a 3g or Civic engine, but if you're going to the expense and bother, why not get a hoist that will work for any engine you (or all the people who will want to borrow it) might need to pull? Moreover, even if the 1-ton was enough to pull a small engine, you'd still likely run into trouble if you wanted to subsequently hoist that engine onto a trailer or pickup bed. It just doesn't extend far enough or lift high enough.
Note: I do want to give Harbor Freight customer service a BIG shout out here. I bought the 1-ton hoist online and had it shipped to my place. Shipping cost me $6. That's not a typo. When I contacted them to say I would be returning it, they immediately sent out a return shipping label with no questions asked. Better yet, they allow returns of online items to retail stores. I returned the hoist to the store and they took it back, no questions asked and refunded me cash.
Now I have to comment on the state of the hoist that I returned to them. The lovely shed you see pictured above is my brother-in-law's. He has 3 boys who love to help. His 9 year old built the hoist. He's smart and capable, but he slid the parts all over the gritty shop floor as he built it, scratching up the paint in doing so. The 3 and 6 year old boys spent the rest of the time destroying the original packaging that the hoist came in. When I returned the hoist to the store, it was a scratched up bunch of parts piled in a shopping cart. It was no longer new and definitely not salable. There was no way of knowing whether all the parts were there, but HF took it all back and refunded me the full amount.
Big shout out to Harbor Freight for customer service I didn't deserve.