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Engine stands
coyoteboy - 4/11/11 at 04:30 PM

Do you lot buy engine stands rated well above your engine weight? I'm looking at a stand rated to 250kg but I know my engine weighs in somewhere around 200 and if I'm swinging off it to remove bits I don't want it falling. Are they flexy and horrible up near their rated limit?


designer - 4/11/11 at 04:41 PM

Get a good quality one, which will cost.


MakeEverything - 4/11/11 at 04:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
Do you lot buy engine stands rated well above your engine weight? I'm looking at a stand rated to 250kg but I know my engine weighs in somewhere around 200 and if I'm swinging off it to remove bits I don't want it falling. Are they flexy and horrible up near their rated limit?


Bloody hell, what engine is it??


DixieTheKid - 4/11/11 at 04:54 PM

I have just aquired a Clark engine stand. Ive got a cossy lump on it at the moment and its fine, even with my 13 stone hanging off of it.


coyoteboy - 4/11/11 at 04:56 PM

Audi V8, it's meant to be 185ish without alt etc, so I'm guessing that built up with all manifolds it'll be around 200.

I don't mind buying a quality one but all I can see for a sensible price are not what I'd consider "quality", just average, despite some being upward of £100. A cheap clarke would hold it according to it's specs but I bet it'll be off balance and unhappy.


coyoteboy - 4/11/11 at 04:58 PM

Dixie, do you know what model it was ?


iank - 4/11/11 at 05:09 PM

What about building you own from plans? Cheaper for the same quality if you can weld.
These plans are for one that looks butch and manly enough for your engine.
http://www.digiplan.ca/metal/dgenginestand.shtml

or this one if you don't have a lot of space for storing it afterwards.
http://www.digiplan.ca/metal/dgfoldengstand.shtml


[Edited on 4/11/11 by iank]


coyoteboy - 4/11/11 at 05:16 PM

Can weld but don't have a welder close to me or a supply of small quantities of steelwork and I reckon driving around finding the parts and cutting it all will cost me more than just buying one But I like that thinking, that's my style!


MakeEverything - 4/11/11 at 05:42 PM

I think if it were me i would build a cradle for it to sit on a bench. Easier than trying to turn it on an engine stand, and safer too.


pmc_3 - 4/11/11 at 07:05 PM

I would of thought you would be fine, they have to factor in a safety margin and would of been tested with a greater weight


scootz - 4/11/11 at 07:09 PM

I had an RS4 V8 on a Clarke 250kg engine stand for a while without any problem.


steve m - 4/11/11 at 07:11 PM

I just build my engines on the bench and move them about by hand
Why do you HAVE to use a stand?


Dusty - 4/11/11 at 07:15 PM

Machine mart do a four wheel stand rated at 340kg for 71 quid. That should be stable and strong enough.


snapper - 4/11/11 at 07:22 PM

The 3 leg T shaped ones are a bit unstable, the U shaped ones stronger are more stable.
Using a crane to attach the engine to the U stand is a struggle as the crane legs hit the U legs.


daviep - 4/11/11 at 07:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I just build my engines on the bench and move them about by hand
Why do you HAVE to use a stand?


You don't HAVE to use a stand but it is much easier especially when building bulkier engines, but if doing things the hard way floats your boat then happy days.

Davie


Cornishman - 4/11/11 at 07:44 PM

I too have a Clarke 250Kg one, which works fairly well.

A word of CAUTION if you use the facility to rotate the engine to access the underside then you will need to

be VERY carefull with handling the weight and balance. Mine is pretty difficult to safely rotate even with a tiny

Austin Seven engine on it!

The main reason I use one is that when I shut up and go home I can put a clean bin bag over the engine

to keep dirt out, and it is up of the dusty dirty floor or bench.


steve m - 4/11/11 at 09:07 PM

Well Davie,

i can not say its ideal, but my garage space is limited, and xflows are quite light compared to some engines
like the OP whos engine is 250kg

my whole car only weighs a tad over double that!


HowardB - 4/11/11 at 09:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Cornishman
I too have a Clarke 250Kg one, which works fairly well.

A word of CAUTION if you use the facility to rotate the engine to access the underside then you will need to

be VERY carefull with handling the weight and balance. Mine is pretty difficult to safely rotate even with a tiny

Austin Seven engine on it!

The main reason I use one is that when I shut up and go home I can put a clean bin bag over the engine

to keep dirt out, and it is up of the dusty dirty floor or bench.


Bench, engine stand?? the A7 engine was washed in the kitchen sink, and rebuilt on the kitchen table,... still going strong 40 years later!


coyoteboy - 5/11/11 at 01:19 AM

Not much hope of me putting this on a bench because once it was there I'd never move it again My plans for this car are for it to be not much more than double this engine weight either!

Thanks for the pointers guys. Part of the issue is that it's not being built as such - I'm not pulling it apart, I'm going to clean and paint it and do some intake mods and set up the loom for it on the stand, but not strip and rebuild, so I want to be able to rotate it and get access with degreaser, water, paints etc etc - hard to do with an engine that weighs more than me on worktop and don't want one hanging from a crane.

Incidentally it's not THAT heavy, bearly more than a 3S-GTE from an MR2 turbo!


coyoteboy - 10/11/11 at 03:05 PM

In the end I went for the heavy weight Clarke with two legs rather than 1. Got it on the VAT free deal with machinemart for 60 quid.