Chain Hoist:
While a cherry picker is great to have, I have the problem
of too much stuff in the garage and not enough room to store
a cherry picker. Usually I just rent one ($20 for the weekend)
when I will have a quick job, but that gets old.
I bought a chain hoist. 1/2 ton capacity. About $150 for
a decent version "JET" brand. Only problem was the 10'
pull chain. I cut the chain so it hangs down about 3'
and used a repair link (prevents the chain from hitting
the car, etc).
My garage is recessed into a 2 story house. 10' ceiling
in the garage, and is fully drywalled. The beams over the
garage and 'engineered' truss beams to support the second
story of the house. Much more robust than a simple garage
roof structure.
To spread out the weight, I used an "eye" hook rated at 2000
lbs. Hooks through a 2 x 10 board, with a 1/4" steel backing
plate. The board is 12' long, and bolted to six of the truss
beams.
With a bicycle hook in the ceiling, I can lift the chain up
and out of the way. It is way over engineered, as I mentally
picture my sons under it... no place for second guessing.
Advantages:
No storage space is used.
Takes less than a minute to unhook the chains, and makes it
much easier to move things around (putting a block on the
engine stand).
Cherry pickers always seem to have too wide of a wheel base
for the roadster! Rental hoist are big and heavy! Meant for
a 1000# diesel engine, not a 250# roadster.
Disadvantage:
Less convenient than a cherry picker as you have to position the
car under it. Not a problem with a light weight roadster. With
a heavy Land Cruiser... ug!
Cheers,
Tom Walter
Austin, TX
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