Sunex 2 Ton 5222 Engine Crane vs Harbor Freight 2 Ton Engine Crane -EricTheCarGuy
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- čas přidán 29. 09. 2015
- Link to Sunex 5222: www.sunextools.com/index.cfm?s...
Link to purchase crane: $469.99: www.jbtoolsales.com/sunex-tool...
Harbor Freight Crane: $229.99: www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-ca...
I recently pulled the engine from my 1982 Ford Mustang with my new Sunex 2 Ton hoist. Here's the video.
• 1982 Mustang Donor Car...
It was my first time using the tool and I learned a few things about it in the process. I was able to compare my experience with the new hoist with that of the old one. This video covers that comparison.
I like the new hoist. There are a couple of things I miss about the old one, but I don't miss the fact that it's pretty much falling apart after about 4 years of use. I will miss the handle and the fact that the hook was easier to use, but I'm looking forward to the dual pump action and the easy rolling casters on the new Sunex.
Make your own decision about which hoist you'd like to have in your shop.
Check out some of the other tools from Sunex: sunextools.com
Tool reviews posted every other Wednesday.
Camera: Brian Kast
Thanks for watching!
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Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
to replace bolts: go to your local farm supply and buy a "hitch pin" like the farmers use with their implements. Hitch pins come in a vareity of lenghts, thickness and hardness to fit everything from your kids tricycle to big 8 wheel drive tractors. i think Orschln is in your area.
I would get the Harbor Freight and change the casters. For the price savings, the replacement casters would fit the budget. I would also get rid of the nut and bold of the arm and get a pin for it.
Great video and thanks for the improvement ideas.
+MontiR Aruba agreed, my grey 1 ton HF unit already has the pin/quick release so i guess they already took that to heart versus Eric's hoist being the older orange version.
+MontiR Aruba They sell the casters at harbor freight too.
+Reddituar the bearings come out 😂
+MontiR Aruba That's exactly what I did with mine. It works great.
+MontiR Aruba Be careful about which casters you buy from HF. Do not under any condition buy casters "Made in India". They are of vastly inferior quality compared to those made in China. I've found that this also holds true for tools in general.
Sir, On my harbor freight engine crane, I switched the bolt out, on the boom, with a 5/8 inch hitch pin.
Sounds like the Sunex people and the Harbor Freight people need to all get together and make one perfect engine hoist by taking the best bits off of both of them.
+LMacNeill Or the harbor freight people can watch this video and upgrade theirs a little so I can get the best of both worlds at harbor freight prices :)
Make one perfect engine hoist? Mine isn't a Sunex or Harbor Freight, but very likely built in one of the same factory's since it looks and functions exactly the same as the HF hoist. It is missing the cross bar handles Eric showed on his though. It would still be a long ways from ever being perfect even if it had the best features of the two hoists combined. I've done a few thousand lifts from a couple of hundred lbs to over 50 ton. That experience taught me I better respect any lift that weighs more than what you can move by hand. Knowing that I still bought my hoist because it was cheap and also knew what my maximum weights would be. I also down grade any off shore made lifting equipment by at least half since you can't fully trust the steel, weld penetration, or the piss poor design. Using threaded bolts through the cross holes and with thinner walled square tubing put's those grade 5? or less bolts in a serious shear condition. The thread depth also reduces the bolts cross sections strength even more. That's simple physics for what happens and not just my opinion.
These hoist's may or may not be safe at there rated 2 ton load, but if I own something expensive hanging off it's hook then I have to be 100% lucky during every single lift. It isn't unknown for even high grade steel to have inclusions in the metal never mind the cheapest and lowest grade of steel possible these hoists have. Without access to a proper X ray machine used to check steel and welds it's impossible to ever be sure they can handle the full load until you do it. Rolling them around with a load then puts even more stress on the parts. One single failure could be expensive and maybe if your real unlucky needing some major medical treatment. But there overall design is still faulty because they built them down to a price point. They could and should have added some 1/2" plate welded to either side of most of the cross holes to fish plate and spread the high point loads over a much larger area. The inner tubing should have had heavy wall pipe across the full width of the tubing and welded to both sides to do the same thing. If I had a welder I'd do exactly that. For myself the heaviest mine will ever lift might be around 600 lbs so I bought the 2 ton instead of a 1 ton. For the price I'd say these hoists are barely ok, but I sure don't blindly trust anything I'm buying at the lowest price no matter what the load limit on it say's. :-)
Cantilevered caster mounts to the top edge of the lower frame for 6 swivel casters with 5 inch frame clearance and the dual pump ram from the Sunex with 3 pins - 2 for the folding lower arms and one for the crane arm. Alternatively, you can also replace the hydraulic ram with a hybrid manual, air ram. Washers and nylon lock washers for all bolts.
Thanks for the comparison and heads up on some modifications necessary. Appreciate your time for those of us on a tight budget.
Eric you hit upon some very important concerns, thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough review.
i have the harbor freight one and am perfectly happy with it
Nice job.....good comparison video! Thanks!
When you consider that they are likely made on opposite sides of the same factory in China..... The earlier Sunex model is a dead ringer for the HF unit,The only difference is the casters. The pins are easy to find at a tractor supply store.
I installed a trolley and pulley system on an existing 8" I beam in the celling that seems to work great. It was the best tool I've invested in by far..
Great review Eric. A set of torches and a welder, you could have the ultimate Engine lift there..
Super unbiased review. I really appreciate it as do most CZcams viewers. I'm restoring a 1947 8n tracot engine and will definitely buy the harbor freight. Now... if I was restoring a chevelle in a garage with a nice floor I'd go sunex
3 years later and this is still a good video, thanks. Brought up some issues that I had not thought of that will be important for my use. Right now some sales going one and it looks like I can find the Sunex for about 2.5x the price of the Harbor Freight unit. With the difference in cost, I'm going to investigate what can be done to improve the weaknesses of the Harbor Freight unit before I purchase.
I can live with the slower hydraulic cylinder.
The quick release pins vs. bolts is an easy fix if it gets annoying.
For my application I am worried about the height of the legs. 7.5" is too tall by about an inch. Looks like they both use 4" wheels. Trying to find out the bolt pattern of the stock casters, and see about some better, low profile units (in my case I'm not worried about rolling over seams and such so smaller wheels should be fine). The worst case is having to use a floor jack to create space when needing to use the hoist. A more involved mod to the HF unit would be to put plates over the top of the legs and mount the casters to those, similar to the way the Sunex unit is for the rear wheels. But that's a lot of effort when there are other ways to work around it.
I'm looking at a chain swivel or swivel hook that would allow a little more height than stock but keep some of the flexibility.
As someone who's fought to get the HF hoist under vehicles & equipment, and the slow, and my leaking cylinder, I love your Sunnex & would pay the difference today!
Great review Eric. Clear succinct communications.
Great review, I have much more confidence in the Harbor Freight unit. Thanks!
I have the Orange Harbor Freight 2-ton engine hoist. Its about fifteen years old, and have pulled quite a few engines with it, as well as lifting heavy objects from the bed of my truck. I do take very good care of it. I have not had any problems with the bearings going bad on the casters. Also mine has the hook like what is on your Sunex engine hoist. I like the fact that I can roll mine sideways as I can get into some tight places in my garage, if I have to. I have been very pleased with its performance. Also you can buy those pins at any farm tractor store, to replace to bolt and nut.
In Australia our equivalent of harbor freight, supercheap auto, sells a very similar crane to the harbor freight unit. The two big down sides to the supercheap ones are: the middle wheels don't swivel and they don't come with a handle on the back (a massive pain to move in tight spaces). They do however come with a pin system for adjusting where the boom sits. I have considered changing my pump to an air assist pump, as it takes soooo long to pump the boom up.
On Amazon's site they have a picture of the Sunex assembled like their instructions. But I agree with Eric's assembly of the unit.
Very nice review. Just got my HF a couple days ago and put it together today. It's interesting that you point out that the HF chain takes it down a couple of inches. For my use that's actually what I need.
I was expecting a gladiator style fight to the death between the two engine cranes.....
But this is even better. Great video Eric!
Glad I saw this video. Was looking at the harbor freight engine hoist and I didn't realize that you have to slide the lift bar back for certain weight capacities. I was thinking it would lift the full 2 ton at the maximum extension. I was going to lift an SA200 that weight about 1300 lbs.
we had to replace the hydraulic ram on our hoist and we got a replacement from harbor freight that is powered by air and is really nice.
Love the dual action a real time saver. Thanks Eric!
Rob, dear Rob. - Just how much time will you save lifting an engine. - Maybe 15 seconds? - and when doing somthing like that where there are a million thing to snag on speed kills.
Thanks for the comparison. Replacing the Harbor Freight’s casters with heavy duty steel ones, and replacing the boom bolts with locking pins, would seem to be cheaper than buying the Sunex, and Harbor Freight probably sells those items. For the small shop mechanic, the Harbor Freight with its moving handle seems to be a better value overall. Thanks again for the video.
Swap the pin on one of the rear leg pivot with the boom bolt, you could use bolts on both sides and have an extra pin to use for the Sunex hook bolt
Seems nicely made
Fair comparison, I don't mind the castor wheels on my HF yet. But I would really like the dual action hydraulic pump lever. Thanks for the video
Very helpful, especially the leg clearance height as I need to get under a mill and a lathe.
Very nice review. I'm going with harbor freight. For doing something once or twice a year you cannot beat the price. Also I would think I would buy or make a pin like the one in the Sunex. Great idea. Great comparison video. Thanks!
EXC, articulate and informative review.
Big *Advantage* in the Sunex is the low chassis for getting under low cross members and A-arms. *Disadvantage* wider spread wont fit between wheels of narrow width vehicles. Also the drop hook box takes away 3-4 of precious lifting height.
I've wanted to drop the rails on my HF hoist closer to the floor from day one. The reason the HF casters are difficult is they're all swivel casters
This is a great review, keep the good job eric
Great comparison. This literally the 2nd video of yours I've seen. The one thing I didn't gel with, is you kept saying the bearings keep coming out of the HF picker. You also say you've had it for years. Which makes some sense. Lots of easy mods you can do to the HF unit to make it work for cheaper than the Sunex. Thanks for the info sir.
I remember when you had that HF engine crane when you were in that tiny cave of a shop and remember you had trouble rolling it around because there was a lip in the concrete. It also should be noted that HF engine crane is now what, 6 or 7 years old?
They may have changed the design by now. Hopefully the guys at Sunex will see your video review and make those design changes especially with the assembly instructions.
Great video. Lots of good info there. Lucky me I have a different hoist so I don't have to decide.
A combination of the two would be good.
My dealership has spent thousand of dollars on engine cranes and I still fall back to my old reliable “Horrible Freight” crane.
I did upgrade the casters and hook to a spinner from Northern Tools. Upgraded the removable hinder bolts to tow hit pins from TSC. Upgraded the bottle jack to pneumatic for $100.
So I bought a crane for $175 and dumped anther $200 into it for upgrades. Mainly because HarborFreight is one of the few cranes that have casters on the front and rear. I hate fixed casters in the front. Four Spinners make it easier to maneuver the crane with a heavy load. Especially when you have to pull and engine and pivot the crane 90* because there a wall behind you.
You could swap the pivot pin from one of the legs on the HF-the rear ones that aren't normally removed when folding it-for the boom adjustment bolt and have the pin feature.
Checkmate Sunex.
I have an older big red with the fixed out rigger castors and some times I really wish it moved side to side. But I use mine for mainly moving heave machines
I always use washers on anything like that to keep the paint from chipping off like that. Washers usually have a sharper edged side and an more rounded edge side. Put the rounded side against the paint. YMMV but this has worked well for me.
The design of the handles which make the unit more easy to maneuver has been used since time immemorial on Chinese push wood planes. An excellent design feature that they haven't copied from someone else.
Great review sir.
Thanks Eric. Good info.
I have the Harbor Freight, I wish mine had the Low clearance as the Sunex 2 because when lifting objects off the bed of my Ranger-the shock bolts lined right up to the casters on the lift and became a pain to find just the right spot to make it work!
In summary. Since the bolts on the HF could be replaced with pins and the casters replaced the real advantages of the Sunex are.
1. Lower leg profile.
2. Dual pump hydraulics.
And the HF has
1. Better lateral movement
2. Moving handle.
I have the Harbor Freight one, there's no need to cut the chain. I can have mine in the fist link from the hook and just leave the chain dangling. No biggie. I feel you on those casters. Man, they can be a pain in the butt!
Tractor Supply has the pins you want by the thousands.Also, neither unit works off concrete worth a damn, and since I do not have a concrete floor, I would have too put 6" or 8" wheels to use either one. Thanks for the review.
sunex makes great tools
Good review. Thanks
excellent review ....... and comparison
Great review!
I bought a duralast instead,,,224 dollars,,, more then happy with mine,,,and I went to tractor supply and replaced boom extension with a pin,,,you really have to miss the front casters not being able to turn,,that was a must for me.
go to the towing section at the parts store and get some tow pins as quick disconnects, they work great for what your doing and will obviously handle upwards of 15000 pounds
Thank you so much for the video.
Hi Eric very well explained. I want to know which one can pull a foot of diameter stump thanks for the review
Very informative! Thanks
For the difference in price you could swap in a pneumatic/hydraulic cylinder as well as upgrade the casters and have $ to spare. It's like $80 for the new hydraulic (which is a direct drop-in). And you don't even need new casters. If you want it like the Sunex, just cut the bottom side of the square pipe and put an axle through the sides with the wheel suspended in the middle. Personally I'd cut the bottom and both sides off, weld them to the underside of the top side for reinforcement and bolt the casters to it. That way you retain the range of movement while still reducing the height. Though that will be harder to start moving as you've seen, due to the need to turn the casters first. But either way, the Harbor Freight one isn't perfect right out of the box - but if you don't mind putting in a little work, it's not hard to make the case for it being the best bang for your buck. Which is the case for a good amount of their products nowadays
Although they will not be sending you a commission check, you just made a sale for Harbor Freight! Thanks for the review.
My unit is made by Torin, looks just like HF but in different colour. It was worth $180 I paid and castors still work well (but I don't use the it as often as I like)
great video you can get pin and bolt for quick release for 15 bucks you can also replace cater for like 50 bucks i would get the harbor freight for the occainal week end warrior
In regards to the pin vs bolt issue. It would be relatively inexpensive to go to the hardware store and pick up a couple of those half inch pins to replace the bolts with.
Great job...Really appreciate it.
looks like the sunex has extra pins used as the pivot point for the legs? Why not swap one of those with the bolt that holds the hook? I'd also like to hear your thoughts on those nicer casters after they get a bit more use. Any recollection as to whether or not that harbor freight unit used to roll a bit easier when it was new?
So easy for the big work,like pulling out with a 4D56 engine.
Great video man, very informative, thanks a lot!
I just got the new 2ton hf houst to do my 07 mountaineers 4.0. damn timing...
This is a newer version of the old Harbor freight design. The old one has a feature not found on the new one and impossible on the Sunex. On the old one the casters were not attached to the frame. The casters were attached to telescopic sliders that slide into the frame. The Sunex casters block the square tubes so this wouldn't be possible.I use those sliders all the time because it allows you to increase the footprint and therefore balance of something you are pulling that is not directly below the hook.I use this for moving very large rocks frequently.
Good honest review, now after a year plus how about an update? Just an idea. Thanks for sharing, be safe.
I would get the harbor freight one and change the casters for better quality, they are pretty much the same design.
Very Good Video! Thank you!
The sun X1 is really nice the only thing I don't like about it is you can't turn the front side to side make the Harbor Freight one but the Harbor Freight one bearings Caster is always falling out nice job man
Eric, I got my assembled and I can say for 100% sure the directions work as written. Did you tighten things up as you went possibly too much? I left mine very loose and everything went together great however, had I tightened things I believe I would have had issues.
Same with my new jets engine stand many had issues and it was from not leaving everything loose until the end.
Love your videos...they so pertinent...you leave no screw unturned. Just wondering what they weigh (each) can they be lifted easily, say onto your ute or van. Beside taking out engines, they should come in handy, lifting for removalists (with some jobs). Like lifting up a piano or slate billiard table...they weigh up to half ton. Im considering the idea of adding a winch (like a landrover) to it, and also a hand or foot brake to control the movement, say one's going down a driveway with something heavy.
Thanks for the informative video! It helps you to know what to look for.
So who has actually ever hung two tons from one of these? Looking to move a mill, which luckily should only be less than _one_ ton, but still...
over a ton and a half....more then once too. - We use ours to place big transformers in places you cannot get at with a towmotor.
Sweet, future welding handle on the sunex engine hoist. By the way you could buy a pin for the hook to replace the bolt set up at an agriculture store or fabricate your own by getting a bolt that's around the same diameter possibly grind the thread on the bolt for a smooth surface and then drill a hole for a pin. This would be a nice little video lol.
But that would burn the precious paint. - If he is crying about the bolts scratching the paint he would have a frigging cow if he welded anything on it. Depending on his skill that part of the boom is a stressed member. I wouldn't trust him to so it.
Eric, great vids. Definitely helped me in a couple situations. Has anyone mentioned to swap positions of the Bolt and Pin on the Sunex? Not as nice as two pins but maybe slightly better than the bolt at the hook.
Good video, thanks.
Those casters appear to be the same ones sold individually at HF. If true, they are rated for 300lb each x 6 = 1800 lbs. Less than the heaviest capacity of the lift. They might be good enough to support a static load, but pushing a 2 ton load around the shop and it's not surprising that those casters will fall apart.
@EricTheCarGuy Have you considered just replacing the boom hook bolt with a trailer hitch pin on the Sunex? That would be a simple fast mod that would get you what you're looking for as far as a quicker way to remove/replace the hook.
You can get replacement parts for all harbor freight products, like casters, and no shipping shipping cost
Harbor Freight stuff is notorious for crappy casters. Their 'us general' brand tool box is a tremendous value for $329... except the casters. Half the reviews on the site specify this and even provide a link to order better ones from another site. You could probably upgrade those pretty easily. (Not part of this tool review, obviously. But hey, if you ever run out of ideas...... heh) Thanks for another cool video!
what features you like with the sunex can be modified to the h/f hoist. and there go the same can be done to the sunex. but at what cost. and being a mechanic, i always keep a 110 volt mig welder and portaband near by.. ergo; my pick is h/f. also that double pump ram. i like my rest time, when i can get it.
Now that's what I call a tool review :)
Will a hitch pin that locks a tow ball on a truck fit in the hole for the hook? I would just go pick up one of those up for a couple bucks at napa or advanced, serve the same purpose as the other pins and plenty strong.
I got my HF crane about a year or two ago and they have updated the pin on the boon to the same style as the one on the Sunex. Thought that might be of use to someone.
So, it was a lot easier and cheaper to modify the previous in a few details, I did that mine, got new casters, piston and welded the handle, also modified the hook, and you can change bolts for pins.
Yeah, the extra low profile of the sunnex is nice, but it's very annoying that you can't move the front of it around while trying to position - you typically want as much movement as possible when trying to wiggle it in or out. Also, the hook of the sunnex is very restrictive, as you pointed out.
I, as others said, get the HF, wait until the bearings wear out (they may not for us mere mortals, as we're likely to do a lot less engine swaps than you!) and then replace them with good casters.
Just buy both and use the best parts from each one ;-) I bought a HF one years ago with the intention of changing out my engine, sold the car before I could use it. meh, someday I might use it to... my mind just went to a dark place, sorry. Great video review dude.
Thanks for the comparison and suggestions on caster modification. I'm in the market now for a 2Ton lift and watching HF's coupons closely. I am a garage mechanic, and do everything I can on my own. Something about paying retail Shop Rates for something I can do just gets sideways in my head. I really like the dual piston aspect on the Sunex, but for me it is not worth the extra $250. With my eventual rate of use of maybe two or three times per year after I retire, the HF version should outlast me, LOL. I've seen a lot of reviews about the HF's ram leaking down, sometimes QUICKLY. Has anyone here experienced that?
Good review Erik. Always enjoy your videos which constantly get better (videography wise). Helps to have a camera man/woman doesn't it?! Thanks!
Great video.We make that stuff t00 in China,Very strong 2 ton and 3 ton type.
FYI you can use a tow receiver pin on either one.
You could drill a small hole through the end of the bolt and use a cotter pin instead of the nut that would make it quicker to change the boom length on the Harbor Freight crane. I'd say with that upgrade and a new set of casters it would still cost less than the other and be better
The guy doesn't look like he would be capable of cross drilling a bolt. Gloves to do a review? Give me a break.
Eric, why not change the bolt for the boom and pin for the hook around? Set the boom on the 1 and 1/2 ton or whatever weight point and put in the bolt. And put the pin on the hook end. That way you all you have to do is remove the pin, hook up the engine, put the hook back up to the boom and then reinsert the pin.
On the Sunex, switch the boom adjustment pin and the engine hook bolt. Or just buy another pin.
The harbor freight unit , that nut and bolt can be replaced with a pin for a trailer draw hitch as I suspect so can the bolt of the hook unit of the other unit .
byt the HF one and upgrade the casters. and change the boom extension bolt to a 2dollar pin or make one from a bolt and drill a hole for a cotter pin.
The Roll Test; The Sunex sounded heavy but smooth - The Harbor Freight sounded light and rough...
When it comes to tools, you can hear the quality...
Fixed castors work a lot better on sloping or uneven floor. Makes it a lot easier to control.
Hey Eric, Is there any difference in the thickness of the tubing?? Great video.
I find it really fricking odd that I also had the old 5210 sunex back about 1998,anyway I called sunex about a hydraulic rebuild kit cause mine leaked when I got it new but they didn’t recognize their own fricking part number not did they have a rebuild kit.can you imagine brilliant people like that.I welled the bar and am going set it up(cut & weld) so it folds up into a corner.over all I love mine old or not.