Stupid Noob question: 7.3 extraction.

[laserjock]

Yep it's a 2000 lb HF stand I'm actually really impressed. It didn't really droop at all and I didn't take anything but the starter off.

 

[jaluhn83]

Just be real careful, with that much weight and the design / narrow base it's real easy for things to tip, especially if one of the legs fails. Those hoists always scared the snot out of me. I think they're okay with a 3-500# car engine, but the idi is something completely different. And once they start going over just get the heck out of the way and pray cause there's nothing stopping one short of concrete!

 

[73idi88f350]

yea my bear idi came in weighting in over 900lbs your not gonna catch that

 

[cpdenton]

Yup, my parts engine was hanging complete from the hoist, and I made the mistake of not letting down to the ground before moving it. Collapsed one of the braces on the side and down it went. Knocked a 60 gallon compressor over, knocked a stick welder across the shop. And launched a 30 lb can of 134 a completely out of the shop. We got lucky that it didn't really tear anything up, because it came down HARD.

I won't put a complete engine on one again. Just a long block only.

 

[jaluhn83]

Oh wow, you're lucky no one got hurt!!!

Personally I've used a forklift, winch/a-frame off the back of the truck and most recently a winch frame off the front end loader.

I pull them without pulling the front clip, if you do pull that then it's easier, but isn't needed with the proper rig.

My preference is to use 2 hoist lines, one just behind the center of gravity (lift brackets on #5/6 or 6/7 intakes works well) and then a tag line on the front - that makes it very easy to adjust the angle and all keeps it from twisting. My current rig uses a 3700# electric winch for the main line and then I use a come-a-long for the tag line - very easy to raise lower and adjust the angle from the ground. I just reinstalled the motor/trans in my rig and it took all of about 10 minutes and a minimum of effort to get it to drop it.

Don't have any real good pictures of the idi lifting rig - was too busy getting the motor in to take pictures. I was worried about hydraulic leak down on the loader since that screwed me pulling the motor (had the winch rigged off the backhoe, but it'd leak down as fast as I winched it up ultimately resulting in a smashed wiper motor, ac condensor, evaporator, evaporator housing & some oil pan/rocker cover dents.

 

[laserjock]

It's a 4000 lb hoist. Once I wasn't picking the truck up with the engine, it wasn't hardly breaking a sweat.

Still only moved it far enough to get it on the stand. That was scarier than anything else. Didn't have the boom out far enough to reach the stand. Some acrobatics later and all is safe and sound.

 

[jaluhn83]

4000lb in chinese math....... means about 1000# safe working load in my mind.

That's also only with it on the shortest extension - got to be careful with that, with the boom extended it's probably only "rated" at 1000#.

Seriously, I strongly doubt there's much engineering going into those, and the materials / QA can't be that great..... Sure it works, but I'd be very very careful with one.

 

[laserjock]

The hoist is actually a really nice one with a professionally rebuilt jack. It's not a HF Chinese knock off. The engine stand is another matter. Point well taken. I usually consider safe working load 50% of rated if the welds look decent. I certainly don't crawl around under it.

 

[junk]

Laser, I've got the same stand at my house. I had a loaded 7.3 hanging on it for at least a month and was no more worried than any time I have an engine sitting on a stand. One thing I've heard specific to these engines is don't bolt the engine stand to the engine spacer plate. I don't know if you have it that way or not. Make sure to bolt the engine stand to the engine block. A neighbor had an engine spacer break thus dropping the 7.3 to the ground.

Glad you got that out and were able to get the parts truck out. Can't beat that.