Old vs New !! The new Pittsburgh Engine Hoist from Harbor Freight stacks up against our old Excalibur "Made in U.S.A. hoist. Some stuff from Harbor freight is surprisingly good! Others, not so much!
I got the Harbor Freight one a year ago and have used it about 4 times. Worked pretty good. But a couple days ago, I went to pull the motor out of my truck, and the cylinder kept falling. I put more oil in it. but the seals inside were shot, it won't pickup the engine. Tore it apart and there were several seals that are just dried out. After 1 year. So I got another cylinder that also has the air on it. So you can raise it by yourself and be up near the motor, & be able to move the engine around while you use the air control. Works good. The wheels are my next upgrade. Good video, Thx. 👍
Got the same "Pittsburgh" hoist 2 years ago to use for the outside work. Kept the boom all the way down when not in use. 1 month later I went to use it and it had a giant puddle of oil under it. I gave it to a friend, and found an ancient Blackhawk one for 60 bucks at an estate sale. Its worked perfectly since. Great review!
Interesting comparison. I suppose the Harbor Freight one would be handy for smaller jobs but for me the Excalibur would have to be my 1st choice. I have an A/C Delco that seems to work for most every situation I've had it in so far.
Great video. The boom lenght is important and I found out the hard way with the Harbor Freight one. It is not long enough to pull a engine out of a 3rd Gen Charger. Not enough reach. Had to borrow my friends old engine puller to get the job done.
I've had the Pittsburgh lift for about 19 yrs. No problems to this day. It's shorter height is great when I'm working on my van and smaller cars. For my c body's I have an old Napa lift that i got at a garage sale. Good video on the lifts.👍👍👍👍
Man if I Do a video on this it will take at least an hour to explain all the mods that can be done with cherry pickers from making them modular as in different wheels for different tasks like rolling over grass to accessories crossing over with my homemade rotisserie and lifting pick up beds and cabs too pulling fence posts...too adding square tubing to mount to a 5k lb rear hitch trailer. You can go to the steel store and buy the square tubing to make nearly any configuration you can dream up!😂.... I have two both have been heavily modified for moving all kind of things both I got for free and both USA made.....and both way over 30yrs old! Your old one was the best and still is the best the harbor frieght is ok for the import crowd but when it's 440. Hemi. Ford big block or Chevy big block time go with the tried and true oldie and still a goodie!!... Cause I sure will.
@@318willrun true story I was an NYC bike messenger.... My bike broke in the middle of my shift... My manager said go home till you can get another bike.... I told him no give me the spare frame in the shop and in under 30 minutes I'll have a bike to go to work on he said go for it!....in less than 30 minutes I was back on the street making money 💰...this kid knows his limitations and his skills! 😂😂😎
Great vid thanks guy the old usa hoists are scarce & most people arent gona make vids about em so kudos to YOU .... so a que: @1:11 i see the chain out-the -front of the better one now can i place the chain like that on the HF hoist for a few extra inches ????
I got a HF hoist several years ago. The arm is too short for almost everything we work on. I have to take a front wheel off and put the engine in from the side. I dont much like doing it that way but it works.
Great comparison video. I’m currently restoring an old crane similar to the Excalibur because I just wasn’t happy with what is out there new today. Just curious what is the total leg length on the Excalibur from back to front when assembled?
Great comparison! That Excaliber is nice! I bought a Larin 2 ton at TSC over 20 some years ago. It's pretty stout with 2 vertical stanchion supports behind the cylinder and an air motor to pump up the ram. Forget how much it was. A few years ago, I was looking for a decent engine stand and wasn't happy with the ones I saw from all the usual players. Most looked like they were made by one company (in China) and spray painted a different color depending on who was selling them. The other thing was a lot were the 3 wheeled junk or the 'H' leg design. I checked Craigslist and got a deal on a vintage Walker 'USA' stand for $75. It's the 'U' type and super strong. The head plate and mounting 'tabs' are 1" thick steel. I had a buddy one time dump his engine that was on a 3 leg stand when a pebble got caught under a wheel. It was ugly. I almost dropped an engine with one once too so I stay away from those especially with big blocks. They're very 'tipsy'.
I was just at HF recently and had noticed that the newer hoists are smaller than the HF Pittsburgh hoist i have at home. Definitely could be a disadvantage with the newer models.
I Have That Same Hoist (Excalibur) Works Great --- Made In US (Except For The Ram Tawain) I Use The Harbor Freight To Load And Unload Things Off The Trailer ---- It's Quite A Bit Lighter Easy 2 Move Around --- And Small Motor Jobs
2nd gen camaros and montecarlo's need a real long one.I had to remove the nosecone on my camaro to get the engine out. And I dont screw around with that engine up in the air. I get it out and down on the ground before the china seals give out....
It pulled the 326 out of our 66 LeMans and I wasn't paranoid. We even left the heads on it. I'm not saying it's the best hoist, but it's great for guys who pull a few engines a year. If I was a professional, I would definitely buy better.
My HF ram leaks after 1 use. Leave it un attached laying on floor. Hope it lifts next time. I see HF sells a ram for $60. Will buy warranty. And had to mod the boom for extra length.
IYO let's see HF pull an engine. Thing is, it can do the job; vs. cost. It comes from China because that's where the stockholders of the corporations can make the most profit. An AMERICN employee owned manufacturer could do it for that, or less, and BETTER and everyone would make a good paycheck. Just get rid of the stockholder part of it. (aka, the loan that never ends).
I bought my Harbour Freight one, about 7 years ago, it has steel wheels, and seems to have more reach than the one here, but it leaks down slowly, takes a month or more.
@@318willrun They could have made the legs of the crane and engine stand different, so that the crane can load direct to the stand, instead of having to put the engine on the ground, then blocking the crane legs up to put the stand ones under them.
