Why you NEED an engine hoist...

[Jason White]

After much head scratching and asking for input here, I opted to rent an engine hoist at the local rental yard to lift my cabinet saw onto a mobile base that I recently built. The hoist cost me $40 for the day and was definitely the way to go.

I thought about investing in an electric winch, but the engine hoist allows me to move the hoist to the equipment instead of the other way around. If I ever buy one, it'll have to be one that folds up because this thing takes up a lot of room.

Thanks for the advice, all!

Jason

[glenn bradley]

For about the same price as you medical insurance co-pay plus the prescription for Vicodin you got the job done without injury. Kudos! I rented a Genie lift to mount my Cyclone blower. Much better than the instructions which advised 2 friends. It took quite a bit of jostling to get the blower in place . . . we woulda been really tired wihtou the lift ;-)

[Jim Mattheiss]

Jason:

How's she handle? I have the same casters under my Jet contractor saw and they are great!

As others pointed out in the thread describing the saw base you built - that's quite a base!

Cheers

Jim

[Fred Hargis]

That's a good way to do it. I live in the country and seldom have anyone to help with such stuff, so I opted to buy a cheapo folding engine hoist for about $130. It's earned every bit of that since I had it.

[Jason White]

Handles great!

Jason


Jason:

How's she handle? I have the same casters under my Jet contractor saw and they are great!

As others pointed out in the thread describing the saw base you built - that's quite a base!

Cheers

Jim

[Jason White]

What's a "genie" lift?




For about the same price as you medical insurance co-pay plus the prescription for Vicodin you got the job done without injury. Kudos! I rented a Genie lift to mount my Cyclone blower. Much better than the instructions which advised 2 friends. It took quite a bit of jostling to get the blower in place . . . we woulda been really tired wihtou the lift ;-)

[Eric Gustafson]

That's a good way to do it. I live in the country and seldom have anyone to help with such stuff, so I opted to buy a cheapo folding engine hoist for about $130. It's earned every bit of that since I had it.

I bought my cheapo hoist at HF on sale for maybe a little less than that. They take up little space when folded. I couldn't do without it! :)

[Ryan Baker]

That's pretty much how I moved mine too. I use my engine hoist all the time to get big heavy stuff in and out of my truck, etc. Worth the money, but it does take up a lot of space, even folded up.

[Rick Levine]

I also bought one from HF on sale and it definitely is the way to go. I have used it enough times to have more than had it pay for itself several times over the rental fee and it with it folded up it takes up very little room, at least the HF version.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

If you don't have a forklift, an engine hoist is nearly required for being a guy. I found that a pallet jack is another useful thing to have around, even though I do have a forklift.

[Rod Sheridan]

Gee, being a city slicker all I have is an aluminum Genie lift.........Rod.

[Greg Crawford]

Jason,

I did the same thing with this

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=996

I put 2 2x6s together with a 2x4 across the top, and used that to hang the hoist from my rafters. I've lifted my 18" band saw, 15" planer and 12" jointer. I would have tried the engine hoist, but I've never seen any with parallel legs like that, and the legs have always been too close together to straddle my machines.

You're definitely right. It's the only way to go! I never could figure out how to lift my cyclone into place with it, though.

[Bob Slater]

Fool that I am lifted my Dust Gorilla in Place Solo with the help of some straps attached to Eye Hooks in the ceiling. Lucky no one (me ) got hurt. I have a chain hoist on a ceiling beam for stuff I want to lift at the wrong end of the shop.

[Bill Huber]

I don't get it, couldn't you just pick up the saw and then slide the base under with your foot ??????:D:D:D:D

That is a good looking base, it should it and two or three more.

[Chris Parks]

I don't get it, couldn't you just pick up the saw and then slide the base under with your foot ??????:D:D:D:D

That is a good looking base, it should it and two or three more.

That is basically what I do. Mine has long rails on it so I just pick it up at the end of the rails and push the base under. It then can be pulled down flat and pulled onto the base using the rails, all on my own. it is a full 12" cabinet saw so is not light and I am only a short person as well so strength isn't the key. I first did it with two people then saw how easy it was so do not need a helper now.

[Larry Edgerton]

I bought a 1955 Towmotor forklift for $280, has been handy for 17 years now, so it is at $16.50 a year and getting better all the time. My brother and I got a bit tippsy at the shop some years ago when we had a new TIG welder and decided to weld pictures on the side of it, so some day it may be in the Smithsonian! :)

[Myk Rian]

I don't NEED an engine hoist. I went to HF and spent $40 for a 1 ton chain hoist. So, for what you paid in rental fees, I have my hoist forever.

[George Sanders]

I have an engine hoist that I got for $60 at an auction. I bought a better cylinder for it (3 ton) from Northern tOOL. Wish I had it when I and a friend unloaded my Park's planer from the back of a minivan. Oh, my achin' back.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I bought a 1955 Towmotor forklift for $280, has been handy for 17 years now, so it is at $16.50 a year and getting better all the time. My brother and I got a bit tippsy at the shop some years ago when we had a new TIG welder and decided to weld pictures on the side of it, so some day it may be in the Smithsonian! :)

Larry, we've got to see that! Photos please!

[Jason White]

That was actually what I wanted to do, but couldn't find a chain hoist for sale locally and needed something right away. The engine hoist was the only thing I could find.

I will say, however, that I like the idea of having something I can move around to my various machines and it would be great to have it for loading/unloading big stuff in my pickup truck.


Jason



I don't NEED an engine hoist. I went to HF and spent $40 for a 1 ton chain hoist. So, for what you paid in rental fees, I have my hoist forever.

[Kirk Poore]

Yes, fold up hoist are The Right Tool for unloading big things, or taking apart big things (like 1200 lb Olivers):
http://www.owwm.com/photoindex/images/4693-A.jpg

Pallet jacks are darn handy too:
http://www.owwm.com/photoindex/images/4693-B.jpg
My jack cost less than a mobile base.:) I paid $90 (plus $5 for a can of spray paint), and they're on Craigslist around here every month or so for $100 or less.

Kirk

[Dwight Boesiger]

Having used a borrowed engine hoist last year to lift a new lathe off a lowboy, I can appreciate its utility. I am about to receive a new SawStop cabinet saw and am considering looking for a fold up engine hoist to purchase with the original task to off load a Ford F150 with the new saw on board. However I started wondering whether a less expensive foldup engine hoist would be capable of reaching high enough to off load the saw. F150 tail gate height is about 34 to 35 inches and the assembled saw stop tabel is quoted at 34 " high. Thus packaged and on a pallet it looks like one would need on the order of 75 " just to clear the top of the package. I would appreciate any experience out there which would say using xxx brand engine hoist would work. Anybody know the height of the shipped SawStop package?
Thanks
Dwight Boesiger

[Dave Lehnert]

What model Harbor Freight lift is everyone using?

[Don Abele]

Dwight/Dave, here's a post to a thread I started about a year ago about unloading a jointer/planer combo unit. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=83523

Be well,

Doc

[Dwight Boesiger]

Don
Thanks, you got me looking at possibilities at Harbor Freight. It looks like you went with the 2 ton model. I'll bet that would work fine but I doubt that I would ever need more than a 1 ton. It also appears a bit heavier than I had hoped for. I wanted something that would be easy to store and did'nt want to need another engine hoist to unload my new engine hoist. Joking of course! Seriously is it easy enough to maneuver into a storage space and get it out of the way?

Dwight Boesiger

[Don Abele]

Dwight, stored in the folded position it does take up a good deal of real estate. From memory, I'd say about 3x3. And yes, it is VERY heavy. It comes in multiple boxes which can each be handled easily. The casters are large and roll smoothly, even over cracked concrete.

I found that the weight was a bit of a disadvantage last year when I had to get it into my basement. Thankfully we have a bulkhead, but it was akward getting it down there (just me and LOML). I used it to remove/reinstall the 1.5" one-piece slate for our pool table (1500 pounds!!!) so I could install hardwood flooring in the rec room. Worked like a champ!

The biggest disadvantage I've found with it in my MANY uses are the outrigger legs. The are splayed at an angle and often get in the way. The example posted above has the legs square out which gives a larger area for a machines foot print. I'll have to look at mine and see if a mod is possible.

As for the two-ton rating - that's only at the shortest arm length. Fully extended it's only rated for 500 pounds. Though, like I said, I lifted my pool table slate which is 1500 pounds with no problem. I wouldn't routinely use it over it's rated capacity.

Be well,

Doc