1000 lbs is 1000 lbs whether the force exerted is horizontal or vertical. The warning about not using them for lifting is purely a ploy to decrease liability, since there is likely to be more "damage" to people or property if the cable hoist is used for lifting and something fails.
Only a chain type, or a chain fall hoist. IMO, all cable come alongs should be shipped back to China to be melted down and made into something less dangerous, like a handgun or a grenade.
Another vote for a quality, chain style come-along. Last fall I needed to drag a very heavy old dock out of a lake and up onto a beach for the winter. I went to my local hardware store and had them order for me the best come-along they could get. Arrived cheapo cable made in China; oh well - had to get the job done. Worked fine to skid the dock up on the beach but then... wouldn't release. Not a problem I would want with 600+ lbs suspended. Be careful.
Yeah, it will be fine. We use the shit out of come alongs at work, they'll lift a hell of a lot more than an engine. Especially fine since you aren't lifting it very high or far. If its in proper condition, the handle will bend long before you overload the cable or the ratchet mechanism, they're designed to do it. I wouldn't give it a second thought. Some people are just worry-ers I guess.
I've used come-a-long for engines and other less than brilliant lifting operations...scared the sh*t out of myself too...if it's all you have, it will do the job, just be careful.....better to beg, borrow, or steal a cherry picker
pulled lot's of engines with a come-a-long and an old swing set back in the day. i wouldn't think twice about now.
Some of the best money I ever spent was the $50 I spent in 1966 when I was 14 years old, after I bought Henrietta the '38 Ford pickup, at Western Auto for a USA-made chain fall hoist. It's never let me down. You can't go up or down a half a click on a come-along, but the chainfall is infinitely adjustable. Good tools are not cheap, cheap tools are not good. Lifting is usually not the dangerous part with a come-along, it's letting the load back down. That's when you're more likely to get a finger mashed or cut off.
Just think of all those years I did it all wrong! I think I've probably pulled 100s of engines, many with attached transmissions, with a come-a-long. Of course it was a 30 year old made in the USA one. I think it had a 2000 lbs rating. Like any tool, if it was taken care of and a guy learned to use it correctly, it worked well. I remember dropping 2 engines in my past, one was with a chain fall, the thing just started slipping and dropped my big block Mopar onto the steering box. That one cost me an oil pan and windage tray and about 2 hours time. The 2nd one was with a cherry picker, the cylinder blew and instantly dropped the engine on the ground. I never dropped an engine with my come-a-long. These days, I use the cherry picker (after having replaced the cylinder), but I really don't trust it much. Gene
I did a lot of things when I was 18-20 that I wouldn't do today. That's why 18-20 year olds make the best "ground pounders;" they're fearless, but they don't always come back alive. I vote no to the come-along ( Of course I may be biased; I still carry a hernia scar from lifting a Flathead off a tailgate onto an engine stand!)
know more than you are doing you should be fine.hoist it up move dolly put new dolly under it lower it back down.keep fingers clear
Used one many times for pulling engines with no problems. Be sure it`s in good order and the correct weight rating for your job . Be careful !
Northern Tools has a 1000 lb capacity chain come along on sale for $69 but you need to invest in an engine hoist ,you will need it to put the engine in the vehicle anyway.I like everybody else have used the comealong for lifting and it is a pain in the ass.
Depends on how big the comealong? I bought large one at auctoin for $5. it was broken and I welded it back. It,s cast steel and I used a nickle rod. Ive hooked this to stuck buried vehichles & winched them out. But some one before me did break it. i use a cherry picker now. but when I was a kid I used to use a chain hoist attached to a tree limb . I now have the same chain hoist on a sturdy frame with casters. oldwolf
Picture of chain hoist & stand. I dont hardly use this anymore. I used to pull diesel engines from semi trucks with it. The hoist is welded to the chain . its so heavy7& bulky you can leave it anywhere without worrying about some thief carrying it off. Oldwolf
I used a come along to lift my 56 international cab off and on my frame. didnt trust it but it for shure worked. Was very heavy to have to lift all the wait with one arm then trying to bring it down is even harder
I have had mine since the early 60s and have pulled a few engines with it and have pulled many a car up on to the trailer with it. Have used it to pull body damage from a friends Toyota that was hit in the rear so hard that the trunk floor was folded up to the back of the seat. With some plate bolted to the parts and a good tree you can pull a lot of damage out of the late model cars with a come a long and a big hammer.
I agree that it can't be a bargain basement unit. A GOOD come-a-long will do this with no problem, a chain come a long is the best. I have pulled probably 30-50 engines with a come a long and a very big tree.
It's all I had in the "old" days. I've pulled SBC with Powerglides and TH400s still attached and even used it to pull a Caddy 331 with the old cast iron Hydromatic attached. Keep in mind, as other poster have pointed out, the one I used was made in the USA in the 1970's. Like you would with anything, keep your body parts out of the way and make sure it's attached to something solid. All that being said, a cherry picker is not that expensive and is a good investment. I wouldn't use a come along these days...unless I had to. I just remembered, I once used my come along to pull an entire '69 Corvette body off of the frame.
When I was a teen we used them to pull engines alot, usually by looping them over a convenient tree branch. Still have the scar from when the handle whacked me in the chin once. I'd prefer a chain block, but for your short height movement I'd probably use a come along.
if ya do, whats gonna snap is the cable, and it tends to go flying when it does (ask me how i know) at extremely high speed, enough i would imagine to take an arm off. x2000 on the cherry picker.....
I bought a 302 from a guy once, he C-clamped an extra 2x4 to a joist, hooked a come along to it to get it off the stand and onto a tire in the truck I was using. It was sketchy, but it worked... When I got to my garage, I bolted a stand to the 302. It was 6" off the ground, so I let the air out of the rear tires and shoved it back on to the floor. (Later, I bought a hoist! haha-) I always treat everything as if will fail immanently, and keep my fingers and toes out of the dangerzone. I did have an engine hoist (old, homemade) break on me and dropped a flathead 2 feet to the concrete, one of the waterpumps exploded into fragments. Exciting.
Well put, Weez. Hope for the best, but ALWAYS plan for the worst-case scenario. That's putting safety first. Funny, but safety is basically FREE, just a matter of taking a little extra time to think out each move, then go slow. Don't rush, so you can always allow for a so-called"out.", ya know? BTW, none of us would have to use a comealong, if we all had the financial resources to have, or rent, something more efficient and safe. This is the real world, so guys use what they can get to get the job done. GIVEN A CHOICE, even I wouldn't make a comealong my first choice. But even those of us who have used comealongs many times seem to agree on some things, among them (1) use a unit rated sufficiently to lift your engine (hey, better to use a 1,500 or 2,000 pound puller, if you can get it!); (2) DON'T use a comealong with twisted braining or obvious broken wires in the cable, and (3) buy or rent American-made. Lastly, even if you make all the preparations alone, beg or borrow a buddy to be present when you go to lift, lower or move an engine or trans., etc. If something goes wrong, they can lend assistance OR get you help.
While I might trust a come-along to pick up an engine, I would never put a case of beer at risk on one. Does anybody make them in the USA anymore? Many are recommending a cherry picker type hoist. Most, if not all, of the cherry picker engine hoists are made in China too. Maybe in the same factory.
This made me smile! I was reading the replies and thinking "Did it years ago, wouldnt do it today." I'd ask around a little.... if ANYONE you know are car guys, someone has an engine hoist you can borrow for an afternoon.
Put the 440 in my sport fury with one. I chained it to a tree in my grandmas back yard. No problems. Still I wouldn't get under it. Havent used one for a motor swap since I got a engine lift. 15 years ago.
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