Harbor Freight Engine Lifts, Cranes, And Stands: How To Pick The Right Ones For Your Project

If you're working on a car and need to remove the engine, you'll run into trouble doing it without having a lift or crane to help. Engines are heavy, so picking up the right lift is important. Harbor Freight is a good store to check out, and you can find quite a bit available that'll help out in an engine swap.

Harbor Freight has a few different cranes, lifts, and stands to pick from, and it'll come down to what you need for your project. The big thing to be aware of is weight, as you don't want your engine being dropped because the crane can't support it. Luckily, you have a few different products to choose from with varying price ranges, so you should be able to find something that fits your budget.

While you'll see low prices, which could be even lower if you have a Harbor Freight membership, there's no need to worry about getting a bad product. Each item mentioned has high user scores, so you can save cash and pick up something reliable.

To get your engine out of your car in the first place, you'll need to invest in a crane. You could skip a stand entirely if you don't need to swap anything from your old engine. Pittsburgh carries a pair of cranes at Harbor Freight for $269.99 and $369.99 that can hold up to one ton and two tons, respectively. You can pick up a lifting sling that'll work not only for engines but large objects like tree limbs. You can spend as little as $8.99 for a Haul-Master sling that supports up to 2,000 pounds.

There are three choices to pick from for engine stands at Harbor Freight. For $299.99, you can pick up the Daytona stand that supports up to 1,500 pounds. For $199.99, you can grab the Pittsburgh stand that can support 2,000 pounds, and a tier down for $99.99 can get a Pittsburgh stand that holds 1,000 pounds.

Each of these stands has user scores of 4.0 or higher from Harbor Freight shoppers. Some of the biggest car engines ever made don't weigh more than 1,000 pounds, so you might be able to lower your budget when shopping for a stand. This could be why the cheapest stand is the most popular, as evidenced by the most user reviews. Not all engines are lightweight like that, however, so you may have to go bigger and spend more.

Most car engines will work fine with the 1,000-pound limit Pittsburgh stand that costs $99.99. This is the cheapest option, and it should still be able to cover most of your bases. The stand is great for repair work, but its limitations are clear if you're trying to get a new engine into a car. To save yourself trouble, know the weight of the engine you're working with and go from there.

You'll want to grab a crane and a stand if you're taking on an engine swap. Getting an engine put into a car is a difficult task without a crane, and grabbing one would let you take the old engine out and replace it with a new one. These carry a heftier price tag than a stand, but it's necessary if you're trying to get the job done in a timely fashion. It'll again come down to knowing the weight of your engine and picking the crane from there.

Simply put, engine cranes are good for swaps where you plan on ditching or storing the old engine. You need to pick up a stand if you plan on doing any repairs, as the crane isn't suited for that. You won't typically want to keep an engine on a crane for an extended period unless you're willing to risk an engine crashing to the ground.