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HF shop crane question - cpolubin - 05-14-2018
Can anyone tell me what the folded footprint is for the Harbor Freight shop crane? I'm considering picking one up and concerned about where to store it. Not an abundance of spare space in the shop.
Thanks.
Cliff
RE: HF shop crane question - daddo - 05-14-2018
Mine isn't from HF, but it's probably just as close.
The only hindrance are the legs that stick out below even after folding them up. They stick out about 24". The arm sits nicely downward and for the most part, out of the way.
Unless I'm pulling an engine, it gets stored in another shed.
RE: HF shop crane question - Tony Z - 05-15-2018
Which crane are you referring to? Engine or gantry?
RE: HF shop crane question - fredhargis - 05-15-2018
You are right to be concerned about storing it in a small shop...mine always seemed to be in the way. It's also not a HF, but the paint is likely the only difference. It's 34" wide, and 21" deep. Though it was always in the way, it's still invaluable if you are by your self most days. Storing it in the shed (which I also did at one time) isn't all that convenient since you can't roll it across the yard, I used a 2 wheel dolly to move mine. Not elegant, but it worked.
RE: HF shop crane question - daddo - 05-15-2018
If it had bigger wheels, I always thought it would be good for helping to pull fence posts, lifting and moving big rocks and such.
RE: HF shop crane question - TDKPE - 05-15-2018
(05-15-2018, 08:26 AM)daddo Wrote: If it had bigger wheels, I always thought it would be good for helping to pull fence posts, lifting and moving big rocks and such.
I put a 10 ft extension on my 2-ton Excalibur (a Craigslist find) to make some light picks high up. Handy things, those shop cranes.
[attachment=10387]
The two 45 lb barbell plates in the back were counterweights for the long boom.
cpolubin: Folded up, it's 30" wide by 22" deep. I store related things on the floor in and around it, like jack stands and floor jacks, so the open spaces aren't wasted. But it's not an HF unit, so take it for what's it's worth. The legs for mine have to be unplugged from the bottom horizontals and stored vertically in pockets. Heavy pieces. Folding should be much easier, but I doubt there is much footprint difference.
RE: HF shop crane question - cpolubin - 05-16-2018
Thanks for all the info and advice. The crane would very occasionally be used for lifting equipment. More often for lifting larger projects like a dresser up onto stands to make finishing easier.
I'll take your dimensions and see if there's a good place to store it.
Thanks
Cliff
RE: HF shop crane question - Ken Vick - 05-16-2018
(05-16-2018, 08:25 AM)cpolubin Wrote: Thanks for all the info and advice. The crane would very occasionally be used for lifting equipment. More often for lifting larger projects like a dresser up onto stands to make finishing easier.
I'll take your dimensions and see if there's a good place to store it.
Thanks
Cliff
I bought one a few years ago from HF thinking it would be a big help with lifting tools but in actuality, it wasn't and took up a lot of room as well. I ended up giving it to a neighbor who was a mechanic where it would be useful. The main problem I had was that the legs are not spread wide enough to go around the object you are lifting. They have to and then the boom has to end up pretty much over the center of the object to be lifted as well. If you can get the crane legs under the object because the object is already off the ground, then it works pretty well. It wasn't tall enough to lift my bandsaw, nor were the legs wide enough to lift my planer, dual drum sander, jointer, TS, etc. It works best for things like pulling engines out of cars because you can slide the crane legs under the car with the boom centered over the motor. Ken