Modifying an engine hoist

[jmarkwolf]

I have a nice robust engine hoist that I use around the shop frequently as a general purpose shop crane (no engine work). It's built from thick wall square tubing, and consequently heavy. It is quite stout, 2-ton capacity, and made by AC Delco. The only thing I don't like about it is that the legs don't fold up. I have to lift them vertically out of their "keepers", then slide them into place horizontally, and pin them. Getting the angle right is compounded by the fact that the legs are so heavy (and getting heavier every year). It's a man and wife effort to get the angle correct to slide the legs into place.

I'd prefer folding legs, but the affordable HF 2-ton engine hoist is thinner wall tubing and probably has less capacity even though it claims the same capacity.

I'm surprised that I cannot find any examples on the web of someone modifying a hoist like mine to make the legs fold. It would entail removing the top surface of the square tubing of the base and drilling some new holes for folding and pinning, and possibly removing the old vertical "keepers" for the legs.

I'm reluctant to tear into this mod for fear I might compromise a perfectly good hoist.

Has anyone on the forum preformed such a mod, and how successful was it?

 

[benmychree]

You'd have to think that the HF hoist is likely rated in Chinese pounds, not US pounds ---

 

[Superburban]

I would suggest taking a trip to Harbor freight, and take pics of their hoist. I'll try to remember to get pics of my Goodyear hoist, and maybe others can snap pics of theirs. With enough pics, you should be able to devise a plan, and figure out the best places to reinforce the tubing, to hold up to the folding, and pin stress.

 

[extropic]

I have an alternative suggestion which you might find acceptable for removing/installing the extension legs.
My suggestion is to use wooden wedges or an automotive scissor jack to control the height of the front transverse brace of the white base.
The idea is to position the base so the extension legs are essentially free from any bending moment. If the base were angled up, so that the extension leg casters were off, or almost off, the ground it should be easy to extract/install the legs. It still requires lifting and manipulating the weight of a leg, but my suggestion should remove any friction from binding.

If you insist on hinging the legs, and assuming you can do (or have access to) fabrication and welding, add the hinging mechanism outboard of the existing base. Weld whatever you desire outboard of the existing leg socket tubes. Brace as required.

 

[C-Bag]

I need to fiddle with the legs in my HF folding hoist in order the get the pins go. I use a wooden block and pry bar to lift the base up just bit and the pins go in. Since all you need is pivot points, if you have enough depth in each hole of the base. If you have the same size tubing as the leg just fab short pieces that become the pivot point when pulled out that would attach to the leg. It could be as simple as a hinge welded the inside top of the hinge tube and the leg. This way you pull the leg/pivot out, pit the pin in the pivot tube, fold the leg up. Pull the leg down, pull the pin and shove the leg/pivot up inside the base and put the pin in the leg and go. I don’t know if that clear or not. but the pivot doesn’t have do anything structural and the frame is not modified.

 

[Flyinfool]

I have the HF 2 ton with folding legs. You still have to fiddle and lift the main part to get the holes to line up to put the lock pin in place.
For some reason all of the lifts I have seen all put the pin in from the side. If the pin went in from the top you would not have to lift all the weight to line things up You would have the length of the leg to as leverage to help yo line up the hole.
Like with what you have now where the leg goes into a socket, the socket is taking all of the lifting loads, the pin is just to be sure that the leg does not work its way out during use.

For what you have, Add a shim (maybe just 4 washers each) to the front casters to raise the front a bit, this will make it a lot easier to slide the legs into position.
Drill a hole thru all 4 walls from the top for a pin to drop thru then you have the leg as a lever arm to get the hole lined up.
Add 2 posts to the base as a place to store the legs.

 

[Dabbler]

I use a 2X4 to lift the front wheels off the ground for aligning. When not in use it hangs on the back of the crane.

 

[Superburban]

I use the jack handle.

I have one of each style. I like the removable leg hoist, because I can move or load it in parts, to move it around (Dam grave driveways). The folding leg one is just too heavy for me to load in a trailer to take somewhere if I need to.

I did not forget the pics, will try to get them today.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Excellent ideas everybody, you've all inspired me!

I was unaware that the same issue of needing to jack the front of the hoist while pinning the legs exists on the HF hoist. I would've been annoyed to purchase one and still have one of the two issues I have with my current hoist!

I've further refined the 2 issues I struggle with:

1. Lifting the heavy legs vertically in/out of the storage "keepers", and...
2. Lifting the small "front" casters off the ground to change the angle of the leg "socket" to allow sliding the legs into place.

Addressing issue #1. I have some cribbing wedges that I tried to raise the small casters off the floor but they are just a scoche too short. Extropic's idea of using a jack was a good one I hadn't thought of, but my floor jack and engine hoist can be at opposite ends of my shop at any given moment, with all manner of ****e betwixt the two. Then I thought I'll affix some sort of vertical "jacking" screw to the front of the frame member between the two small casters. The two bolts at the bottom of the hydraulic RAM tube could be employed, without any welding, to affix the nut for said jacking screw.

Addressing Issue #2. C-bag's idea of affixing additional length to the leg length for purposes of attaching a hinge of some sort got me thinking. Perhaps a short length of C-channel extension welded to the end of the leg socket tubes could be drilled and pinned to serve as the hinge. Zoom into pic below. The legs could be slid out enough for a hole drilled in the end of the leg would align with a hole in the c-channel, slide the pin in and fold the legs up. Minimal welding shouldn't compromise the hoist, and would only need to strong enough to hold the weight and folding forces of the leg. The longer hinge point for the legs might make it "tippy" while employing. Alternatively, perhaps just modifying the leg keepers so that I didn't have to lift the heavy legs into and out of them, just lean them in and close a strap to hold them.

But honestly, if #1 is solved, I might call it good since deploying the hoist will now be a one-man job.

 

[Superburban]

If you think about it, you do not want the front wheels of the main body to touch the ground, when the legs are in the outward position. With any weight on the hoist, it would rock on the wheels. Pretty much no way to not have to lift it some to assemble the legs. You should only need to lift an inch or two. Maybe just a block of wood, to help with the leverage.