In the next few months, I've got to replace the engine in my 1962. I've done this twice before. But that was a very long time ago. I've got some apprehension. Trying to decide what to use for the hoist. Rental or made-in-China-cheap-stuff. I'm trying to determine if anyone has used these cheap hoists for engine removal.
When I last did this, the local tool rental place would rent you a hoist. It was a jobby on wheels that had an arm controlled by a hydraulic jack. Seemed to be a rugged piece, but I'm no expert. Of course, this time around, the rental place may be renting the same cheap piece I'm thinking of purchasing.
I seemed to remember it cost around $20-$40/day. For this job, I don't care about cost.
Since then, I now see that Harbor Freight, Pep Boys, and those guys at the swap meets sell cheap stuff from China. My practice on cheap tools are not to use them for critical applications. But that they're great for occasional use. I'd prefer to buy a hoist so that I'm not in a hurry to return a rental. But I'm concerned about quality.
If you look at these tools, the hydraulic jack is levered such that a little movement there translates into lots of movement on the end of the arm, where my 500 lb. engine is dangling. When I did this job the last time, I remember that getting the engine (and attached transmission) was a close fit requiring many small adjustments of the hoist. It's important to be able to control the movement of the engine within fractions of an inch. If you don't, it'll bang into your expensive paint job. Do you think that the hydraulic jacks on these cheap hoists are capable of fine adjustments? Any experiences?
When I last did this, the local tool rental place would rent you a hoist. It was a jobby on wheels that had an arm controlled by a hydraulic jack. Seemed to be a rugged piece, but I'm no expert. Of course, this time around, the rental place may be renting the same cheap piece I'm thinking of purchasing.
I seemed to remember it cost around $20-$40/day. For this job, I don't care about cost.
Since then, I now see that Harbor Freight, Pep Boys, and those guys at the swap meets sell cheap stuff from China. My practice on cheap tools are not to use them for critical applications. But that they're great for occasional use. I'd prefer to buy a hoist so that I'm not in a hurry to return a rental. But I'm concerned about quality.
If you look at these tools, the hydraulic jack is levered such that a little movement there translates into lots of movement on the end of the arm, where my 500 lb. engine is dangling. When I did this job the last time, I remember that getting the engine (and attached transmission) was a close fit requiring many small adjustments of the hoist. It's important to be able to control the movement of the engine within fractions of an inch. If you don't, it'll bang into your expensive paint job. Do you think that the hydraulic jacks on these cheap hoists are capable of fine adjustments? Any experiences?
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