Hydraulic Lift Table--Your thoughts and recommendations?

[mccutter]

Hydraulic Lift Table--Your thoughts and recommendations?

I've been dragging ass on working on my car. It doesn't help my "spare" car is running/driving good so I've really been milking this job. I've only been working on it a few hours a week. The heat and my propensity to sweat profusely has had a little bit to do with it...

I need to do a clutch slave (and maybe a clutch) and a timing belt and other maintenance work. I am pulling the engine/trans as an assembly out the front of the car. This will greatly simplify timing belt and clutch service.

A local shop let me borrow an engine hoist--they use a forklift for engine pulls and the hoist was just sitting outside their shop, collecting rust. At this point, I'm just storing it inside for them. The problem with the hoist is, there just aren't really any good points to attach a lift chain. The accessory bosses are on the thin side and the last thing I would want is to snap one off! Plus I'll have to support the trans to be able to remove the mount and attach a chain to the mount bolt holes. I could weld up lift brackets for the hoist but I'm thinking a lift table will just go underneath, pump it up a little, slide the assembly out, and work on it right on the table, maybe even at chest height.

But I don't often (or ever) need a lift table. Sure, if I have it, it will get used, maybe... So I don't want to pay a lot for one. There are none for sale used locally. Last one was near retail and I would have had to travel. HF and Vevor have some for sale. HF is 5min from my shop. No good deals on zamazom or debay. Here is what I found and I'm thinking I might join HF's "Insider Club" for $30 if it helps me save more than that. Dimensions in inches.

HF 1000lb cap, 20x32 table, 5" wheels, 11-34 range, 185lbs , $370
HF 500lb cap, 17.625x27.75 table, 4" wheels, 9-27 range, 90lbs, $250
Vevor 600lb cap, 18x28 table, ?" wheels, 9-28 range, ?lbs, $270
Vevor 500lb cap, 14.32x27.6 table, ?" wheels, 9-28 range, ?lbs, $240

Any other deals you know of? If I could get the HF 1000 for $300 that would probably be the way I go.

PS: the engine weighs about 325lbs and the trans about 125lbs for a total of 450lbs.

[LKeithR]

We had a "high-lift" scissor lift in our shop for years. (I still have it in my "semi-retired" shop now.) Bought from Princess Auto which Harbor Freight is pretty much a clone of. Capacity is about 500 lbs. and it will lift to about 54" which is great for lifting vises and rotary tables onto the milling machine and for lifting chucks up to the lathe. In my shop it's a "very" handy tool. I'd be a little leery of the 1000 lb. capacity of that one hoist but if you can get eyes on it you should be able to get a feel for how ruggedly it's built...

[toprecycler]

Couple years ago I bought (I think) the 1000# one at harbor freight. I had plans to customize it for a cart at work for various moving things. So far, it has not left my home shop.

Biggest dissatisfaction with it, is it will leak down overnight. I currently have my 10 hp phase converter motor on it, wheeled under a shelf. So it just is a glorified wheeled cart to move the motor around.

Other than that, I think it was worth the purchase price. I could not build it that cheap myself, but I figured I might be able to make a better cylinder for it, or maybe fix the leaking part.


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[Ironman]

Originally Posted by toprecycler

Couple years ago I bought (I think) the 1000# one at harbor freight. I had plans to customize it for a cart at work for various moving things. So far, it has not left my home shop.

Biggest dissatisfaction with it, is it will leak down overnight. I currently have my 10 hp phase converter motor on it, wheeled under a shelf. So it just is a glorified wheeled cart to move the motor around.

Other than that, I think it was worth the purchase price. I could not build it that cheap myself, but I figured I might be able to make a better cylinder for it, or maybe fix the leaking part.


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Leakdown seem to be a common Chinese trait. My 3 tom floor jack is the same way.

[dubby]

I've looked at the HF ones more than once, just never could make myself bring one home. I can see many uses for it, but I'm afraid it'll just end up sitting in the floor buried under another pile of crap. If I truly had a need for it I'd probably add it to the collection.

[mccutter]

Originally Posted by LKeithR

I'd be a little leery of the 1000 lb. capacity of that one hoist but if you can get eyes on it you should be able to get a feel for how ruggedly it's built...

If you look at the specs I put up, it is DOUBLE the weight of the 500lb unit. Double the pleasure, double the fun! But I agree on taking a look at them up close. My local HF has both in stock and they actually have a couple they use in-house to move big stuff from back in the warehouse to customer's cars. Not sure which versions they use. I'll have a chat with the manager to see what he can do. Usually he is a "company man" douche, but sometimes he plays ball, especially on open box items.

[Randyjaco]

I bought a 500# unit 5-6 years ago. The hydraulic cylinder went out a couple of months ago, so I bought a 1000# as a replacement. Since I work by myself, a lift table is a necessary tool. I think I paid @$150 for the first one. At 30 bucks a year, not a bad value. It sure has saved my back. I have used it for all sorts of applications. Now I am hooked, so $369 was not such a bad deal. My only gripe is the real estate it takes up when not in use

[mccutter]

Stopped in HF today. Took a look at the lifts. Talked to a dude there. The deal with the Insiders Club is they will put a blue tag under the item when it is available to members "on sale". The tags (on over 100 items he said), will alternate between different items every month or so. Otherwise, full price--do not pass go, do not collect 20% or 25% off... 25% off would put it at about $295.54 plus $30 for the club so about $325 OTD...

I was also eyeing the cheaper of the two ATV lifts at $140. I could use it on the riding lawnmower also. It IS time to change blades...

I've got a hair up my ass to see what I can come up with for brackets from the resource pile. Two 10mm bolts ought to be able to handle 500lbs or I might just make a bracket that goes to the front engine mount. That is two 12mm bolts and three at the tranny. I've got the engine hoist and a bottle jack and/or floor jacks. Time to get 'er done!

[mccutter]

I bought a motorcycle/ATV lift from HF today. $117 w/tax and coupon. Assembled easily. Has a "T" bar held in with a pin for moving it around--it is on the floor in one of the pics.

I was aware it was going to be a couple inches too short and had planned on utilizing a HF "mover's dolly" between the lift and engine/trans to make up some of the space and also to roll it around on, if necessary. Added some strips of 1/4" plywood from the resource pile so it would lay flat on the lift. This dolly already was reinforced with scraps to make it flat on top. Still a little bit short, I screwed on a couple more scraps (1/2" ply) on top to make up the difference. This dolly probably weighs about 25lbs with all the extra wood on it...

Added a chain to keep the engine from tipping backwards. Removed the engine and trans mounts and had to lower a little at a time while pulling the lift forward so it would clear the subframe and control arms. The lift rolled very easily and the handle helped to pull it. There is a big pedal to lift it by pumping and a smaller pedal that releases the pressure to lower it. The black knobs can be screwed down to keep it from rolling, if desired.

Once at the bottom of its travel, the dolly rested nice and flat on the lift. The dolly wheels are about 1/2" from the ground. I could put a couple pieces of 1/2 ply under the dolly wheels and roll it away from the lift but I'm just going to leave it on the lift--the lift rolls easily. I also better rigged the engine with another block and some straps so it would be more sturdy on the dolly/lift and it is. The trans ended up about 1/4" off the dolly and was easy to remove.

Got the big chunk of aluminasshole off the front of the engine. With the engine installed, this piece severely complicates getting to the timing belt/cover bolts. The belt, water pump and tensioners look fairly "new" but I have a box of new parts to be installed (for about a year now ) and the existing parts have at least 50k miles on them so not really "new"...

Overall, I'm happy with the lift and how it is working...