Keith Kaplan wrote:
>
> Before you buy, decide where you intend to store an engine crane until
> the next time you need it.
I used to require that the friend who borrowed it last had to store it
until someone else needed it. 8-)
> Some of them fold up a bit, but they're still kind of bulky. There's
> something nice about letting the rental place store it for you.
>
> As for features, get one that folds well.
Harbor Freight (as an example) sells two types. A two ton crane that
folds (about $300) and one that just dissembles (about $200). The
folding one takes up some floor space, a couple of feet by a couple of
feet. The ones that dissemble are heavy and in my case, take up wall
space where I stack the components against the wall. If I did it
over, I'd buy the folding one.
As for renting them, there are a couple of disadvantages. You usually
have to hurry and finish the job so that you don't have to pay another
days rental. And the rentals tend to be abused. The valves that you
use to lower the jack (and the boom) tend to be over-tightened;
resulting in an on-off effect. If it's yours, you can treat it
gently, and the rate at which the boom lowers can be controlled much
more easily. There's nothing like laying under a car guiding the
trans into place, when the engine/trans suddenly drops a couple of
inches as your assistant tries to lower it "just a smidgen"...
And whatever you do, buy one of the "load levelers" (as an example,
Harbor Freight sells them for about $26). They attach to the front
and back of you engine, and allow you to adjust the tilt as you are
removing/installing the engine/trans.
Tim Mullen
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