Engine hoist and hydraulic jack recommendations

[PeteMeindl]

Hi guys,

We're building up our supply of tools in anticipation of a mark iv arriving in about a month. Do you guys have any good recommendations for an engine hoist and a hydraulic floor jack? Given the wide variety of types & prices, I wanted to get your expertise on a good one of each of these to get. Have people found the Pittsburgh brand from Harbor Freight to be of good quality? They seem to have some good prices.

Thanks a lot for your advice!

Pete

[emac]

I have an engine hoist that I believe came from HF. After having a couple of cheapo jacks quit, I splurged and bought a NAPA low profile jack and it works awesome. The handle is padded, goes up fast, and it rolls really nice. You need a low profile jack for the roadster.


https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NLE7916402

[RJD]

I used a Harbor Freight 2 ton shop crane and a Harbor Freight 2 ton load leveler. (I've read on this forum that the Harbor Freight 1 ton crane's arm may not have enough reach). I also had the chasis on Harbor Freight wheel dollies. Once I had the engine hoisted, I rolled the chasis beneath the engine and used the leveler to tilt the engine as needed while I lowered it into place. I also had the rear end jacked up and on blocks on the dollies to give me a better angle. All tools worked flawlessly and I was able to install the engine by myself in two hours.

For a floor jack, I have the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton aluminum racing jack with rapid pump. It too has worked flawlessly and is easy to manuever around.


Good luck with your build.

89413
89414

[CraigS]

These jacks are great
https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/floor-jacks/15-ton-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-62160.html
I have an 8 yr old one that works fine except as you lower it, once the car weight is off, you have to push it the rest of the way down w/ your foot. I ought a second one last year when they were on sale and I had a coupon.

[edwardb]

X3 or whatever on the 2-ton HF engine hoist. It has the necessary reach and in general is a decent tool for the price. Those little HF aluminum floor jacks are nice and light and handy to have around. I have a couple. But if you're only going have one, I'd recommend one of their low profile models. It will reach under the very low finished build where the others won't. Plus lifts higher. Only downside is they are somewhat heavy. Looks like they have several part numbers for the same jack, but like this one: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-low-profile-steel-heavy-duty-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-61282.html.

[davekp]

These jacks are great
https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/floor-jacks/15-ton-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-62160.html
I have an 8 yr old one that works fine except as you lower it, once the car weight is off, you have to push it the rest of the way down w/ your foot. I ought a second one last year when they were on sale and I had a coupon.

I have one of these but I don't like the way the handle returns to the up position when you release it. I also have the low profile model and I like it.

[cv2065]

Another vote for HF floor jacks. I have had the 3 ton low profile jack for 5 years with no issues. I also had the 2 ton crane which worked great as well.

[Mark Eaton]

I started out with the 1.5 ton HF engine hoist but quickly upgraded to the 2 ton because it didn't have the reach. Also, the HF load leveler is nice except its handle is poorly made. I was able to find a replacement on Amazon, its in the photo.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=84206&d=1523925118

[Papa]

Another vote for HF 2 ton engine hoist. Check Craig's List as they are listed for sale quite often. The HF leveler is okay except for the crank handle. My jacks are from Sam's Club. One is Michelin and the second is Big Red. Both are about the same and work well.

[jrcuz]

We put my eng/trans in just like Mark above but with a HF 1 ton crane and a lift plate instead of the leveler no problems.
JR

[turbonut48]

I use HF tools for items that dont get used a lot or anything close to the maximum load rating. They work great for the price.

The Nut Tom

[DavidW]

I started out with the 1.5 ton HF engine hoist but quickly upgraded to the 2 ton because it didn't have the reach. Also, the HF load leveler is nice except its handle is poorly made. I was able to find a replacement on Amazon, its in the photo.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=84206&d=1523925118

HF for the engine hoist and low profile jack, having a lift is nice too, wish I had one.
Anyone have any reviews on the BenPak/Quickjack portable car lifts?

[1932]

I have Quickjack and find it to work very good, can work under car and still work in or over at the same time.

[RickP]

My HF 1.5 ton floor jack recently was upgraded to their 3 ton Daytona model

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-daytona-professional-steel-floor-jack-super-duty-63183.html

I am very impressed with this jack.

For my engine hoist I purchased a 2 ton from Eastwood Paints.

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-2-ton-folding-engine-crane.html

I was able to get one for less than 100 bucks because the box was damaged and they were phasing the model out. Alternatively, you could always rent a lift from your local equipment rental company. Only reason I bought the lift instead of renting one is because in two pulls, it paid for itself. Stowed away in my shed now.

[GoDadGo]

No Hoist No Problem:

As long as I have a house up on stilts, a good beam, and a chainfall, then I'm fine.

https://youtu.be/IGYtX-3p7xk
https://youtu.be/Vhbftk4AP4k
https://youtu.be/-nVDzIjSjh8

You really need a low profile floor jack and some dollies to move things around if you want to do the installation the easy way.

Good Luck!

[PeteMeindl]

Thanks a lot, guys, for all the great advice. Sounds like harbor freight is a great way to go - glad to hear it!

[Clover]

I was planning on buying a hoist on craigslist and then selling it again once I am done with it. I figure I will be close to braking even and will have it as long as I need it but not need to store it long term. As for jacks, I have a big red that I thought was okay for years. I ended up getting a better long arm low profile jack off Amazon and finding out that the Big Red was not so nice as it does not have much control when lowering and took about three times as many pumps to lift. If you are buying a jack, I would not go with the cheapest option but at least get a mid range one. Plenty of good options and they should all be safe, however, fewer pumps and more control are nice.

[Derald Rice]

A note on the HF engine hoist....The reach is not always the same on used hoists from craigs list. maybe it depends on when it was manufactured. Mine was at 47 inches as measured from the base of the cylinder to the hook, and with a leveler it was great when the body was off.

Fast forward to last winter when I did a engine swap and now the hoist will not reach over the nose to the engine. It needed another 12 inches to lift. So, the hoist that was great with the body off, may not be so great with the body on.

My solution was to borrow a neighbors hoist that had an extended reach, and then later I modified my hoist to extend the reach. It now will reach out to 70 inches so that the engine with trans will come out from the front. Another big takeaway from the borrowed hoist was that it had an air over hydraulic ram. It was so easy to plug the air hose in and lift away, I also added it to my modified lift.

On the levelers, some of them the handle can be removed and the shaft can be double nutted so that an impact wrench can be used. Saves busted knuckles when adjusting the leveler.

[KDubU]

I used a HF engine hoist and it worked flawlessly. Can’t say the same for their jack though. A seal or something went on it only a few days after purchasing and had to return it. Was then hassled by the store associate who I promptly told off as receipt was in hand and wanted a refund, not a credit nor another jack that may go on me in a few days.

[jrcuz]

needless to say but you need to use jack stands any time you jack up your car before you get under your car
JR

[Tree]

Anyone other then RickP have any experience with the Eastwood 2 ton engine hoist? At the $189 it is selling for, it seems like it may be as cheap as used cherry pickers go for in my area. I would in a way pay shipping to have a new one over a used engine hoist. Maybe it just makes sense to spend a bit more for the HF one that everyone else seems to use.

[toadster]

the HF 3-ton low profile (https://amzn.to/2jKyU3K) has worked great on my son's 3 mustangs, all were lowered and this works great!
plus it doesn't break the bank!

110606
(https://amzn.to/2jKyU3K)

[frankb]

I have been using my HF 3-ton hyd jack for over 30 yrs now and other than a slight leak at the plunger, it is still just fine! I could use a low profile jack, but don't have much storage space in my garage, so this one will be around for a while longer!

[edwardb]

Like I mentioned when I posted in this thread a while back, the little aluminum floor jacks from HF are relatively inexpensive, light, and work pretty well. But I highly recommend their low profile models, and also highly recommend the longer reach versions. If you only have one, that's what to have IMO. Big and a bit heavy, but will do anything for these builds. The long reach is especially useful to reach in from the back and lift off the pumpkin, which I've found is the quickest and easiest way to lift the rear of the car. They're just long enough to still be able to pump the handle while reaching from under the gas tank. HF has changed their models and part numbers, and looks like maybe they're upgraded some. Plus upgraded the price. Their 20 and 25% off coupons help. But still the one I would go for. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-long-reach-low-profile-professional-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-black-64781.html.

[Tree]

The Daytona series jack that HF has is basically the Snap-On jack. I am not sure if that is the one that people are talking about with it being low profile but Snap-On actually sued HF about the jack and they settled allowing HF to continue to sell it. It takes four or five pumps to lift completely, which is nice. It is HF's nicest jack, or at least was in the past but was only about a quarter of the price of Snap-On. No warranty with it like Snap-On though. I know a lot of people really like that HF Daytona jack.

[Al_C]

Another vote for the HF engine crane. 2 ton model. I'm on my third crane. The first one was the one-ton and didn't reach well. Sold it on CL for just a little less than I paid for it. Second crane had hydraulic issues, but it got through my and Broku518's installs. Brought the crane back to HF and they replaced the whole thing. I was impressed that they did that.

[Ducky2009]

As RJH said, he used Harbor Freight wheel dollies under the front wheels when using the engine lift. Just wanted to make sure you know why.

You probably know this, but I'm going to say it anyway... just in case you don't. Most (if not all) engine lifts will not fit under the frame if the front wheels are installed and sitting on the ground. You have to make sure the legs of the lift are extended further out than the lift hook. If not, the lift could tip forward and the engine will hit the ground. Again, I assume you would see this before it happened, but don't want to hear bad news later.

Also, an engine leveler will be a big help. I think there's one in every pic shown. https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=engine%20leveler

Enjoy your build and remember, the only dumb question is the one NOT asked. We're here to help.
Ducky aka David