There are a few tools that the automotive mechanics and some DIY vehicle experimenters have to probably fall in love with. Though the tasks that they use these tools for can be exciting and intimidating at the same time. These tasks related to your vehicle’s engine require more of a sophisticated and detailed procedure. Engine removal is one such job that includes tasks like clutch replacements, rebuilding old engines, repairing damaged head gasket, or replacement of rod bearings. This application demands quite several tools to be used to complete the job efficiently, few such tools you need are a good socket, some Phillips screwdrivers, a myriad of different flatheads, and the most important centerpiece of your tool armory is the engine hoist cherry pickers.
Before understanding the importance of the engine hoist let’s see some of the facts related to it. The first thing you need to know about this is the weight of an average engine which is somewhere in the range of 400 to 600 lbs. If you are not someone from the strongman competitions or do not have a CrossFit training of deadlifting, then realistically you may not be the one to lift your engine with the hands. Even if you are someone from this category it’s not wise rather very stupid to do things this way. What you need instead is a great tool that is particularly geared towards this job. The second thing you need to deal with is getting things done safely at that moment when you lift the engine out of the car while everything is unbolted. You know how dangerous can the consequences be and how important it is to have a heavy-duty engine hoist capable of saving you from any dangerous consequences during your engine removal application.
What Exactly An Engine Hoist Is?
Before getting into any details of the article, at first we must see what actually an engine hoist is, and later we will see the determinants for an engine hoist to be good or bad. Well, by now, you may have better understood the fact that the engine hoists are the tools that enable you to lift engines out of the compartments and lower them for allowing you to perform any restoration or rebuilds. It is also called an engine crane, an engine lift, or a cherry picker. It consists of a sturdy support structure that is generally made of welded steel or aluminum. It also comes with a cantilever beam extending from its frame with a chain attached for connecting the tool to the lifting eyes on the engine. A hydraulic cylinder is there to raise or lower the cantilever. You also find a hand-actuated lever pumping which can change the height of the tool. Finally, there you also have casters mounted to it for allowing it to roll. As for the reason, the engine can easily be transported once it is lifted high enough to clear your engine compartment.
The Reasons To Use Engine Hoist?
To simply answer this question we will say that you will use an engine hoist when any situation will occur that needs the uplifting of your engines. This occurs generally when you go for the entire removal of the motor for either repairing or replacing it. An engine hoist can also let you raise the engine slightly to create space for some repairs. There can also be some non-automotive uses that this guide is not intended to cover.
Engine Hoist Safety
An engine host is rather simple to use for simplifying your complex tasks, however, you need to be aware of few things to be able to use the tool safely. Have a look at some safety measures before getting one for your job.
Always make sure you are using proper lifting points while attaching the hoist to the engine
Having some knowledge about the engine can help you big time. You need to observe your engine better before trying to attempt engine removal to find a bolted bracket containing a lifting eye. You can pick up some specific bolts with the hoist which are structural in nature. Having a diameter of 1/2” or more they can simply thread into the engine block. Be aware of attaching your hoist to something other than this. You will have to control your temptation of trying to attach it to different components like any exhausted hose or manifold as these cannot support your engine weight, and using them you will end up damaging the components or getting yourself injured.
Ensure the hoist has enough capacity to be able to lift the engine
Meaning, the engine hoist must have the right specifications to lift the weight of the engine. You always may not know the actual weight of your engine as it is not often published. Although you can search through the internet discussions to find out the weight information. It should not be a big issue most of the time as they come with higher capacity than it actually needed for your daily commuting vehicles like a car or a sedan. This only matters when you have one large truck or anything similar. Another piece of information you should know is that using a supplementary engine lever or chains should have a high rating to support your motor.
Reviewing The Best Engine Hoists
Torin Foldable Engine Hoist – 2 Ton
Torin is one of the most popular names in the automotive tools industry. Their products range from floor jacks, jack stands, engine hoists and, engine stands among other tools. They have a great reputation for making high-quality tools, and their 2-ton engine hoist surely does justice to their reputation. The best reason that you can consider going for this hoist is that it is the highest valued hoist you can get on the list. Surely, there are other hoists with some different-looking designs and features, but in terms of value for the price, it is almost incomparable. With a capacity of 2 tons, it is almost capable of anything but the largest ones around. It comes with the additional property of being foldable. This makes it portable and storable enough even for tightly spaced constraints in the garage. It also comes with a telescoping boom, meaning you can extend this tool so that you can have the lifting hook sitting above the engine. You should also be informed that lifting capacity can drop down incrementally to 1000 lbs at the very extension point, which indeed is plenty for most cars. The lifting range is between 1” and 78/75” making this a taller one to remove the engines of SUVs or trucks. This cherry picker comes with 6 wheels which provides excellent mobility and stability. Overall a great built quality engine hoist that is likely to come from a brand like Torin. Lastly, no way you find anything wrong with this. If you want to make sure whether you have checked everything or not then go through our next section to see a few more in the list. But just to make you sure that despite having some more on the list, we recommend this the most.
Wimmer 2 Ton Air Hydraulic Shop Crane Foldable Engine Motor Cherry Picker Hoist
We have another high-quality engine hoist from a high-profile venture in the automotive tools industry. Wimmer, a great automotive tools manufacturer lives up to our expectations even with their 2 Ton Rapid Rise engine lift. The best thing about this engine hoist is that it is easily portable and storable for those who have smaller garages. It makes things simpler as it folds vertically, meaning its footprints are rather small when it’s time for it to be wrapped up. The next feature to be discussed is its rapid rise. A smart hydraulic system provides a mechanical advantage to the users, allowing them to raise the hoist 6 times faster than other engine cranes. It helps a great deal saving your time allowing you to pump lesser times while adjusting the height of the crane before actually removing the engine. With a capacity of 2 tons with the retracted 4-position adjustable booms and 750lbs with fully extended booms, it is a heavy-duty engine hoist to handle most cars and truck engines without any problem. But we still want to clarify that we recommend it as one of the best ones in the lower capacities engine hoist category. Although there are some great additional features that more than compensate for it. Its low-profile casters with low minimum height also work as a benefit for the mechanics. With a great fit and finish, this equipment looks great with its bright red paint. All in all, it is an incredible engine hoist capable of delivering the best in its range. You can be more confident about buying this product as it comes with a great 1-year warranty campaign.
OTC 4000lb Capacity Folding Floor Crane
Next, we have on our list is the OTC 4000 lbs Capacity Folding Floor Crane that offers great value for its kind. This lift comes with an ideal two tons capacity making it capable of lifting any average vehicle like an economy car, sedan, or truck. The low-profile wheels that it comes with make it ideal for getting beneath low-height cars. Having a good height range and a telescoping boom provides you with the versatility to remove engines whether it is a small car like Honda S200 or a large one like a Jeep Cherokee. On the whole, it has a very good build construction with clean welding and proper alignment. It has a great finish without having common flaws like cracking, chipping, or flaking. which we often see on car tools. Another feature that we find really exciting which is also one of the USPs of our list is that it is foldable making it a compact one for easy storage. This cherry picker is a high-value one and it is pretty worthy as you need to pay well to get the real good stuff. To your much delight, shipping comes free with this expensive one. Lastly, this engine hoist is also available in a 1-ton version to make it convenient in case you don’t want a high-capacity lift. This version sells for a bit less and can a bit more savory for you.
Vestal 2 Ton Shop Crane Engine Hoist with Folding Legs
We end our list with a great engine hoist manufactured by Vestil, one of the prominent purveyors of industrial equipment. Vestal 2 Ton Shop Crane Engine Hoist is portable and designed primarily to lift engines. This hoist has a capacity of 2000 lbs with the retracted bloom which drops incrementally to 500lbs with extended boom. Besides, having the telescoping boom allows you to extend the chain to further mount out making it easier to access your engine without being restricted for size. This is sufficient for any car engines of small and medium range. The build construction made of solid steel is very sturdy. It is painted with a sporting yellow color contrasted with four black casters that are responsible for the easy roll-on. As we mentioned earlier about our fascination for the foldability feature that even exists in this hoist as well that makes it tight and compact enough for your garage. You can simply remove the pin supporting each leg to fold it. This is a great one from Vestil coming at a fairly reasonable price. You may not add the superlative degrees like the lowest, most heavy-duty, or prettiest with this engine hoist but you will surely say it is a decent setup at a decent price for any engine swap jobs. Although degrees like the smallest, lightest, and easiest to store can be added to this one as far as our comparison concerns. Finally, you should also know that the higher capacity versions of the same hoists are available and you can go for any of them in case you have a larger engine to lift yet you find the same efficiency even for those versions as well.
Engine Hoist Accessories
To get complete satisfaction with an engine hoist, we need to quickly mention one of the most vital accessories you want with your hoist. It is the engine load lever which is also called by the names like whippletree, whiffletree, doubletree, equalizer bar, or leader bar. As you will see that there are shortcomings you will find in an engine hoist to overcome which you need the load leveler. The problem with the engine hoist is that it has only one connecting point from which all the chains are supposed to connect to your engine. For the reason that it can very tough to keep your engine steady and horizontal while lifting it out of your vehicle. You have to use a load leveler to overcome this shortcoming. It is basically a bar that generally has a sliding mounting point that your engine hoist can be hooked to. It allows the easy redistribution of the load of the engine. Additionally, you can custom tailor your lifting device to the particular range as most of the leveler comes with adjustable length chains having numerous attachment points. One thing to keep in mind that they hang under your hoist that effectively makes a slight decrease to your maximum height. You can carry on your engine lifting without even having an engine leveler but you understand that it is time-consuming, takes extra effort, and thus, not efficient. Please click here to see some of the engine load levelers and their prices.
Final Words
After going through this article we believe you have somewhat become an expert on the engine hoist, especially when it will be about picking up the best heavy-duty engine hoist. We hope you have a better understanding of engine hoists now which has made our efforts paid off.
All Image Source: Amazon.com
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