Opinions on engine cranes?

[Beefcake]

I'm about to fork out and buy an engine crane, but there is so many options and prices, I thought I might pick the brains of those that already have one. I guess it's like anything in that you get what you pay for, but not sure I want to spend $600 on a kincrome when one of the cheap n nasty ~$250 ones will do the same. All I am worried about is the cheap ones having crap wheels, dodgy leaky rams etc. It's only for weekend warrior stuff, not a busy workshop or anything, but still I don't want to be stuffing around with junk.
So any opinions out there from those in the know?

Thanks

[6.5 rangie]

i have a cheapy i got from Hare & Forbes, cost $230, 8 tonne ram, folds up, works a treat. Fold up jobby is great for storage space.

[ausyota]

The big difference with the Kincrome one is warranty!
If something does go wrong the will fix it.
Having said that I have a big 3 ton chinese one that I picked up in near new condition at a garage sale for $200 and it has been brilliant.
I have used it a number of times to pick a whole end of the hilux up to work on it!

[joshy]

ive been using a supercheap cheapy for the last 2 years without a drama. picks up the whole front of the nav without a problem.

[tehekho]

Just get a cheapie - if you break it buy another cheapie, if you break that, buy another cheapie. You're probably still ahead on the kinchrome jobbie.

Mine's a TWM imports model. Bought it second hand off a bloke who used it to lift a lathe up onto a bench he made for it, and that was it...

Since then it's picked up numerous subaru, toyota, daihatsu, nissan and other engines/whole cars

TL;DR Get cheap one, spend $400 change on beer.

[DUDELUX]

i have a cheapy i got from Hare & Forbes, cost $230, 8 tonne ram, folds up, works a treat. Fold up jobby is great for storage space.

I have the exact same one, its been great so far. $220 for mine.

[TheOtherLeft]

i have a cheapy i got from Hare & Forbes, cost $230, 8 tonne ram, folds up, works a treat. Fold up jobby is great for storage space.

I have the exact same one, its been great so far. $220 for mine.

Quite OT but what do you guys think about Hare & Forbes products? I am looking at buying some hand tools and H&R seem to have a lot of reasonably priced tools. I know they are Chinese-sourced but a few reports on other forums (er Woodwork forum) have been quite favorable to H&R.

I guess it's a safer bet then buying ebay tools which is more often then not a lottery.

[BlueSuzy]

Yeah but H&F drill presses are shithouse. Weak.



Another option is a frame and block and tackle.

I use a large gclamp, on a 12mmthk C Beam,(100x200x100ish) and block and tackle. Gotta love my overengineered balcony

[rockcrawler31]

Just get a cheapie - if you break it buy another cheapie, if you break that, buy another cheapie. You're probably still ahead on the kinchrome jobbie.

And that's what is wrong with the consumers in this country. Buy the best you can afford ONCE. Long after you forget the price, you and your kids will be using it in 30 years time. With breakages you will eventually pay the same price, but you'll have made mulitple trips to the shop to get a new one, used up ten times the resources to make one, made waste, and had the inconvenience of interupting a job because of downtime breakages.

[Struth]

H&F sell crap tiawanese and chinese machinery, better to buy second hand european than the new crud they sell.

[tehekho]

Just get a cheapie - if you break it buy another cheapie, if you break that, buy another cheapie. You're probably still ahead on the kinchrome jobbie.

And that's what is wrong with the consumers in this country. Buy the best you can afford ONCE. Long after you forget the price, you and your kids will be using it in 30 years time. With breakages you will eventually pay the same price, but you'll have made mulitple trips to the shop to get a new one, used up ten times the resources to make one, made waste, and had the inconvenience of interupting a job because of downtime breakages.

My tool box consists of kinchrome, blue-point and snap on.

I just couldn't justify the expense on an engine crane that I'll use once or twice a year.

[DUDELUX]

I bought the engine crane for my v8 conversion, only to not go ahead with it, but Im sure it will come in handy for flexing out the suspension or something.

[thehanko]

H&F sell crap tiawanese and chinese machinery, better to buy second hand european than the new crud they sell.

I much prefer to use good gear and hate the throw away society style of buying, however some cheaper gear is perfectly good enough for the home mechanic and from all accounts everyone who has used their crane on here has said it works well???

[Struth]

There crane is probably a beauty, mine is a $300 chinese thing and has pulled my V8 in and out 8 times in the last 6 months without once playing up.

It's just that H&Fs machinery is nasty pooh compared to a good second hand european item for the same price.

[stool]

Get one with the longest reach which can handle the load fully extended` As some of the cheap cranes are
only rated to 250kgs with the boom extended.

I had to remove my coil springs and let all the air out of the tyres so the engine sump would clear the radiator support
with the crane fully extended and well over loaded with a heavy and expensive engine swinging by its nuts.

Not good or safe.

[Beefcake]

thanks y'all, pretty well sums up what I was thinking (hoping), that the cheap ones will do the job. I'm not used to buying cheap tools, but this thing will be the same as most others and only get used a couple of times a year max I reckon. I'd love to buy an old school HD one, but unfortunately they don't fold up and I am tight for space. I was in supercheap today and they've got them on special for $200 at the moment with a 1250kg rating. Might be the go I reckon, just got to get the courage to buy something branded SCA. All seem to have about the same reach and rating, but good point to be aware of.

Thanks again for all the responses.

[oldmate]

I have a cheap one. Rather then replacing it with a cheap one if it craps out, just fix it with decent parts.

I put new wheels on mine. So far the frame and piston have lasted. Keep it covered when stored and it should last a fair while for the occasional back yard mechanic.

[chimpboy]

For some things you're mad to buy the cheap one.

But for an engine crane, the cheap ones are great. Mine's been fine and has lifted some very heavy shiat (Nissan P motor and gearbox from a G60 is a heavy combo). And I have heard the same from plenty of others.

For me it's a very occasional use item though.

[Beefcake]

I bit the bullet and went with a supercheap one, got it for $200 down from $360, 1250kg so pretty happy with that and has 12 months warranty. I'll put it through it's paces the net few weeks rebuilding a tractor, should be a good test.

[KiwiBacon]

How are you supposed to break an engine crane? Really?

My supercheap one works fine, it's rated to 500kg at full reach and it's had 400kg swinging on it. I looked at many before buying mine and I found no significant difference in any of them. So I bought the one that lifted a fraction higher.

[love ke70]

ive had a trade tools one for about 5 years now, never had a drama with it, and ive had mates borrow it and do god knows what with it
cheap is fine in this instance in my opinion