Anyone use these stands as is?

[Los_Control]

Just curious what others have done to their engine stands.

I bought this cheap Harbor freight stand. My intention was to turn it into a minor welding project and beef it up. More I look at it more major it gets.

By the time I bought all the metal I wanted, may as well just build a new one from scratch .... or just buy a better quality stand.

 

The stand claims it is rated for 1/2 ton. The engine going on it is rated at 525 pounds without the trans, I do not know if that includes flywheel.

I would be pulling it down to bare block and send off for hot tank. So the longer it is on the stand the lighter it gets.

 

Real question, since this is my first engine stand, is there any do's or dont's ? I am guessing it will work fine as is.

Maybe weld it together instead of just bolts, then a bigger gusset and call it a day?

 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

the main thing that is cheese on these units are the low grade hardware.....upgrade that...torque adequately....should be relatively no issue from there...

[Frank Elder]

Bigger and better quality casters...........

[tom'sB2B]

It will work just fine.

Once I got the oil pan on. I swapped it to a hand made stand to put the flywheel and all externals on

[Ulu]

I don't know about the new ones.

I have a complete 230 longblock & head hanging on my HFS stand.

It's been there 20 years. Or more. It survived the move 18 years ago. 

 

I got delayed at engine installation by a bad  harmonic pulley and mamifold leak, then major life things like new houses and better cars and grandchildren, boats & lots of remodeling work.

 

But after I get my current OT car on the road, the D engine will eventually go into a P car.

[Los_Control]

11 hours ago, tom'sB2B said:

t will work just fine.

Once I got the oil pan on. I swapped it to a hand made stand to put the flywheel and all externals on

Thats good to know. Close as I can find the 218/230 weighs about 450 pounds. Complete engine on a pallet ready to ship.

3 hours ago, Ulu said:

I have a complete 230 longblock & head hanging on my HFS stand.

It's been there 20 years. Or more. It survived the move 18 years ago. 

Honestly do not know for a fact, I think the older ones did have thicker steel

 

Someday I do plan on putting the 218 from my truck on it ... I just want to run it a bit first, then get a game plan for it before pulling it.

Today I have a old flathead ferd v8. I have it sitting outside under the carport. I need to get it up on a stand and in the garage and torn down.

I just need to find out if it is a boat anchor, or a good engine to save. Currently spraying down with oil to keep from rusting and a pita.

If it weighs 525 pounds complete, is probably 400 or less now with no flywheel, heads, intake.

I figure if the stand has any issues, I can take care of while the block is off being hot tanked before putting it back on.

 

 

[Frank Elder]

Closer to 600 than 400 air cleaner to oil pan.

[Los_Control]

I found a old post here from 2018, while there were assorted replies, I kinda thought VPW would know shipping weight ... But what do they ship with them? Does it include exhaust, oil pan carb etc? I do not know.

 

@Dodgeb4yaVintage Power Wagon  ships them....

[keithb7]

Mine had a mostly assembled engine on it. I tore the engine down. Just the block on there now. I’ve been practicing my precision measuring on it. 
 

Very soon a complete 25” 228 engine will be on this stand. Will it hold up? We shall see. I think so. We’ll know soon enough. 
 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by keithb7

[Dan Hiebert]

Weight limits on equipment like an engine stand are nominal.  They will hold more weight, but are engineered to safely support a specified weight.  I had a Northern Tool engine stand similar to yours that I hung a Ford 300 I6 on, then a Ford 350M.  I could tell they were taxing the engine stand's performance, wouldn't roll well, engines wouldn't spin well, but what concerned me was that the whole shebang was "bouncy", as in the stand was flexing under the weight.  Good steel is designed to flex some, but cheap steel will fatigue.  Unknown where the HF stand is made, but Chinese steel is often of poor quality.  If your stand flexes with an engine on it, I'd beef it up.  And yeah, better casters if you'll be moving it around much.    

[kencombs]

Yes, I do.  But,  they aren't wide enough.  When an inline 6  engine is not exactly perpendicular, it tends to lean to one side and tips if pushed in the wrong direction, like when moving it around.  I like to tip then at about 45deg to install the valves and springs on flatheads.   And the flex another poster mentioned gets worse with inline 6s.  4s and vee types are not so bad 'cause of length difference. 

 

And rotating can be a problem, especially with OHV engines, with or without the head really changes the rotation issue.  One of these days I'll build a geared rotator. Maybe.

 

And I much prefer the type with two lower legs/arms rather that the single with a tee.  Much less flexy. 

[JBNeal]

Beefing up the HF engine stand to handle the flathead is about as much overkill as using all stainless steel hardware and grade 8 bolts on a Pilot-House.  The flathead is pushing the limits of the HF stand, but that only means care must be taken when working with it, because they will want to tip over if you get in a hurry rolling it around.  I looked at heavier stands, but those are for professionals who rebuild engines all day everyday, something I will not be doing.  If I rebuild a dozen engines with this stand, I would be confident enough to use it each time.

 

From my time designing aerial lifts, the worry that steel was flexing too much in certain situations was something that may have cost us a few sales over the years.  Even though we never had one failure from overloading, our competitors would talk up about how flimsy our booms were.  The reality was that we designed other components that would fail long before the main structure so that the mechanism would not operate in a weakened structural state, something that ANSI requires.  Year after year, our aerial lifts were the lightest weight in the industry, while still being competitive in functionality and cost.  The flexing of the HF stand only reminds me of this, as well as the not so great casters.  Beefing up the HF stand with stronger casters and structural bracing might just put an excess load on the frame welds, causing the very failure that is trying to be avoided...

 

HF is far from perfect, as many know...my first engine stand was exchanged for one with a little better quality

[Los_Control]

13 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

Beefing up the HF stand with stronger casters and structural bracing might just put an excess load on the frame welds, causing the very failure that is trying to be avoided...

Thats a very good point I did not think about.

 

Is a very good photo, you can look down the main tube and see how thin the metal is.

My first thought was to get some square tubing, & make a wider front axle for stability. That will look awesome.

Now the rear axle is going to look stupid wimpy compared to the front, so replace it also.

The castors look wimpy, lets make it look cool and replace those.

Now the bottom is beefy, you still have the thin wall frame, add some gussets here & there .... where do you stop and say it's not worth the effort? Better off to just build a new one from scratch. Or buy a better quality stand.

 

Thats where I am at ... I only plan to use it a few times, others have used them cautiously without catastrophic damage.

I know I can use blocks and a bottle jack under the front of block to take out some of the bounce. The Ford engines have a problem with lifters rusting in place. This engine has that issue. There will be some prying and banging bad words used, while taking this engine apart. I just have to be careful.

I do not believe this stand is worth putting a lot of money or time into beefing it up. I plan to have the engine on the stand today and may have other opinions about it. ?

 

 

[keithb7]

Update: I pulled my 226 ci 25” engine today. The bare block shown above was removed from my engine stand. The almost complete, pulled 226 was installed on to the stand. It did better than I expected. I could push on it, shove it round. Everything stayed rigid and firm.  I am happy with my stand. I paid $50 Canadian (about $35 US) for it used. It has a certification sticker on it. Claims to be rated for 1,000 lbs. 
 

I reminded today how heavy these old flathead motors are. Yowzers!

 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by keithb7

[Los_Control]

15 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

I reminded today how heavy these old flathead motors are. Yowzers!

I have to agree, I also got my engine on the stand today ... it is heavy. Same time the stand is performing better then I expected.

Almost no lean and no wiggle unless I get crazy ... it does roll across smooth concrete with ease. ... as much as I want to talk bad about it, is really performing better then I thought possible.

 

I honestly did not expect to be giving it a thumbs up report ... it leaves a lot to be desired, but actually performs as advertised.

[Ulu]

No one could should consider the harbor freight stand for professional work. This is made for the hobbyist and small lightweight engines.

 

You can put a big engine on it with care. You’re not going to want to do it over and over and over. 

[Tooljunkie]

I have 3 cheap engine stands. All 3 wheel type. They are all 20 plus years old so built with heavier tubing. Big thing is the 3 wheels, makes em tippy. I have been lucky so far. I keep telling myself to deal with the issue and to date have not. 
Inline 6 engines are the ones to be careful with, have had no trouble with a complete big block mopar on them. 
that being said, i have seen the remnants of buckled engine stands in the metal pile at the dump. 

[Frank Elder]

12 minutes ago, Tooljunkie said:

 I have seen the remnants of buckled engine stands in the metal pile at the dump. 

This.^^^^^

[Tooljunkie]

I bought a used shop crane, was left outside. Vertical tubes got water in them, froze and split. This was a perfect oppurtunity to make the uprights a foot taller and with heavier wall tubing. With my drive on hoist and full size trucks needing engines pulled this helped me greatly. 
 

if i was to buy another engine stand, i think i would be better off to build my own,using my old stand(s) as donor parts. 1/4 wall tubing being more than enough. Bigger wheels too. 
 

i added 3point hitch connections to one stand, as well as my shop crane, now i can move them safely from one building to another rven if loaded. My little kubota is essential around the shop. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

I modified my original cherry picker when I happened upon a nice newer unit.  The main purpose was just to add some pneumatic tires on larger casters so one can roll along the yard between buildings and what not.  Very effective....as I had also attached a towing bar  so my lawn tractor can be attached.  

[Frank Elder]

This topic reminds me of an old joke......I still have my great grampa's hammer all original, the head replaced twice and the handle three times....lol.

I guess what I'm saying is if you have the skills modify it, or build your own but don't trust that wimpy harbor freight product with your ungainly engine.?.

 

[Los_Control]

23 minutes ago, Frank Elder said:

This topic reminds me of an old joke...

I know I know ... Let me just say I was very disappointed with my purchase. But the joke is on me & I am laughing. 

The clerk asked me if I wanted to buy the extended warranty with it .... No mam, I am going to cut it up and weld it back together before I assemble it ... warranty would be voided. She laughed.

 

My whole goal was to buy a welding project, I was going to make it my own, then use it. Same thing @Tooljunkie @Plymouthy Adamsdid with there used equipment.

So when I get it home, I realize this is what it is .... Total junk and not a good foundation for a welding project. I simply have to search for better junk to start with.

 

I bought the stand with a plan to buy it cheap and make it great. That one bit me in the arse.

So the title of the thread ... Anyone use these stands as they  are?  I never planned to use it as is ... but I can get by with it.

[Tooljunkie]

8 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

I modified my original cherry picker when I happened upon a nice newer unit.  The main purpose was just to add some pneumatic tires on larger casters so one can roll along the yard between buildings and what not.  Very effective....as I had also attached a towing bar  so my lawn tractor can be attached.  

I had thought about the same thing. April i needed a diff fir the fargo, used shop crane on 3point hitch to lift the back of the truck. Boom on crane was shortened up for max capacity. As the kubota was good ballast it lifted it with ease. 
 

i passed on a hd engine stand,type with a crank,was $300. Was bigger than i would ever need. The real good ones do come up for sale from time to time. 

[DJ194950]

A friend bought one to work on a big block chevy motor! Complete motor- only a 396 early though, but most likely weighs close to same as the flattie complete without the length.

 

While it did hold it up with more sag than (scary to me) I liked and took one of us to lift up the front on the motor and the other to rotate the motor using the supplied turning bar.

 

I refused to have any part of me anywhere near the motor as one piston was removed to check a bore with very slight rust. Reinstalling the head on one side was very scary as the the thing flexed.

 

It worked but I would never buy a cheap motor stand and Work on it on the stand.

 

Only my OP. !

Not in my garage.

 

DJ

[tom'sB2B]

I hope not to belabor the point. The stand will support the installation of crank, rods, pistons, valves and timing gears. All the that require accurate measurement.

You have to take it off the stand to put the fly wheel and bell housing on anyway.

Build a rolling stand and build the rest of the engine on it. No weight problems.

Edited November 16, 2020 by tom'sB2B