HF shop crane question

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Can anyone tell me what the folded footprint is for the Harbor Freight shop crane? I'm considering picking one up and concerned about where to store it. Not an abundance of spare space in the shop.

Thanks.
Cliff

[Bob Ballard]

My 2 ton is 21" x 33 1/2", the boom,when completely down,makes it 26" x 33 1/2". I use mine quite a bit.
Bob

[andy bessette]

Unless you are R&R'ing engines, a patient lift is much handier around the shop. I have both, which are stored outdoors.

[Matt Day]

A patient lift appears to be basically a $1,000+ engine hoist. Post a picture of what you mean if I’m wrong, but googling “patient hoist” comes up with what I said.

For a home based diy’er, there not much better than an engine hoist for loading and unloading machinery.

[andy bessette]

My patient lift was purchased in like new condition, on eBay, for ~$200. Its great advantage is its small size, compared to a shop crane, and its ability to splay the leg "forks" so you can lift from directly over the top corner of a bench, and then pull the forks together for maneuvering around the narrow spaces in the shop. Mine is all chrome and looks like:
https://bellevuehealthcare.com/produ...-patient-lift/

I still use my shop crane for helping with loading/unloading large, heavy machines, from my truck, where I have plenty of room to maneuver. But the patient lift is unbeatable for jobs where you must lift, lower and maneuver around the shop items way too heavy to man-handle.

[Larry Frank]

I love my HF engine lift. I just looked at patient lifts and they do not have the weight capacity of an engine lift. Would not have been enough for my cabinet saw or dust collector.

[Bill Dufour]

I have a OTC Floor crane and it is nice because the legs can swing out and straddle most machine bases. I paid $400 for mine and had to go to Carson City to get it. Did not win my money back in the casino.
Did see the outside of several brothels on the way. I think there are no more government run ones any more.
I used the trip to buy some stuff at Home Depot not sold in California.
Bill D.

https://www.otctools.com/products/44...avy-duty-crane

[Doug Dawson]

I love my HF engine lift. I just looked at patient lifts and they do not have the weight capacity of an engine lift. Would not have been enough for my cabinet saw or dust collector.

I just used that HF unit to unpack a Powermatic 882 jointer off its pallet and drop it onto the mobile base. The lift has enough weight capacity for whatever shop machinery ordinary mortals would have in mind. The trick is dealing with the pallet "overhangs" that interfere with where the lift extension legs should be. For that I've found it useful to "trim" the pallets to accommodate the legs, and a Milwaukee Hackzall with a wood demolition blade satisfies quite nicely (if you want another ridiculously useful tool, and I know you do.) Also recommended: some OTC 4305 "Engine load levelers", these are really nice, should be in your kit.
I wish I had the vertical height capacity for a mobile two-poster shop crane, but I don't, my ceilings are 8' even, a bit too low. That would be crazy useful. I like to make big things. What is woodworking, really, but a test of your resourcefulness.

Doug

[Doug Dawson]

I have a OTC Floor crane and it is nice because the legs can swing out and straddle most machine bases. I paid $400 for mine and had to go to Carson City to get it.

Ouch, amazon is selling those for US$4k. I paid US$200 for my HF crane twenty years ago. I've considered paying a fabricator to build wider (dog-leg) legs for mine. You've certainly SCORED!!

Technology marches on, and it would be nice to get better casters for my ancient HF crane. The Chinese will build to spec per the manufacturer, and who has good ones.

Doug

[Keith Weber]

The HF engine hoist is what you'd expect from something made in China. The bearings on the wheels are horrible, so it has a mind of its own trying to move it across the shop floor. The level of difficulty and frustration of doing this gets worse the more weight that is lifted. The cylinder bleeds off, so I can't leave anything suspended on it overnight, or it will be resting on the ground in the morning. The pump lever has a storage ring, but there's nothing but inertia to hold the lower end of the steel bar, so it often ends up falling onto the floor. The pins on the folding legs can be difficult to engage because of the design, so I keep a 3-foot length of 2x4 on the hoist to use as a lever to line up the holes. The legs themselves are splayed, so they're often too wide to get under something, or too narrow to get around something. I hate that thing!

That said, it's cheap, it lifts a lot of weight and it does the job most times. I can't imagine not having one around the shop. Maybe some day, I'll build a better one, or do some modifications to this one, but until that day comes, it will be a fixture in my shop. I also have a 2-ton chain hoist from one of the steel trusses in my shop that is sooooo much more enjoyable to use, but I keep the engine hoist around for those times when I need to lift something away from the chain hoist.

Those patient lifts don't look strong enough for shop use (at least in my shop, anyway). With any lift, don't put anything under something lifted that you value not being crushed -- EVER!

[Bill Dufour]

[QUOTE=Doug Dawson;2812973]Ouch, amazon is selling those for US$4k. I paid US$200 for my HF crane twenty years ago. I've considered paying a fabricator to build wider (dog-leg) legs for mine. You've certainly SCORED!!

The OTC crane weighs twice the HF version. It little casters for moving unloaded are the same size as the HF load wheels. The load wheels are 5". Still easier to move around empty then the HF version. Only problem is the moving joints are much closer tolerance and have to be persuaded with a hammer to line up when repinning it together. This does mean once assembled there is very little shake to the frame.
Bil lD

[Jim Barstow]

Any idea how to lift something on to a bench sitting on top of a fixed cabinet? There is no space for the legs of a typical engine hoist. I've considered removing some sheetrock and putting a steel bar between the ceiling joists. It isn't mobile but perhaps I could "swing" the equipment?

[Matt Day]

What do you need to lift?

A scissor lift cart might be an option. Like this:
https://m.harborfreight.com/500-lb-c...not%20provided

[Rob L. Jones]

I have the HF 2 ton crane. It really has come in handy. Even used it to install the cast iron table on my bandsaw.

The gantry style is another alternative. However, it is a lot more expensive and has a lower capacity.
https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-...ane-69513.html

[Doug Dawson]

The cylinder bleeds off, so I can't leave anything suspended on it overnight, or it will be resting on the ground in the morning.

Bleed the hydraulics. I had to do this once about ten years ago. Standard jack procedure, never had to do this again, everything was fine afterwards. Hydraulic fluid is not healthy for painted surfaces, so protect surrounding equipment.

Still open to anyone who owns one of the "higher end" versions of this foldable hoist who is happy with the performance of the casters, so I can gimme some of that radical goodness. I know they're out there.

Doug