Get The Fuck OutShop Setup, Storage & RiggingFolding engine hoist

What's the easy way to move something heavy around a small shop?

The reason most people don't own an engine hoist isn't the price. It's that a hoist takes up a parking space and you'd use it four times a year.

The boom's capacity falls sharply as it extends, and the markings on it are limits, not suggestions. Never exceed the rating at the position you're actually using, never put any part of yourself under a suspended load, and keep loads as low as possible while rolling.

⚡ Rule of thumb

An engine hoist lifts and rolls any heavy object, not just engines — and buying the folding kind means it collapses flat against a wall between jobs.

Starting point

Boom set to the rated position for the load (marked 2T / 1½T / 1T / ½T)

Measured

Rating drops as the boom extends — read the marking at the position you're using

Confidence

Creator technique

▶ Source video — Engine Hoist Does What?! — The No Way Guywatch on YouTube ↗

Applies to

Process: Lifting and moving heavy objects in a home or small shop
Materials: Engines, machinery, tooling, anything too heavy to carry
Setup: Folding hydraulic engine hoist rated for the load, rated slings or chain
Floor: Flat, hard and clear — castors need it

Why it matters

A hoist turns a two-person lift into a one-person job, and does it without anyone's back being the load-bearing element.

The folding frame answers the only real objection. It stores flat against a wall, which is the difference between owning one and wishing you did.

What good looks like

Boom pinned at a position rated above the actual load
Rated slings or chain, rigged so the load can't shift or swing
Load kept low while it's rolling, on a flat clear floor

How to apply it

Work out the weight, honestly, then set the boom to a position rated above it.
Rig with rated gear and take up the slack slowly. Watch for anything shifting.
Lift only as high as the job needs, then roll to the spot with the load low.
Lower it fully and fold the legs and boom to store flat.

Exceptions & tradeoffs

Castors catch on cracks, cords and floor drains. A load that's fine standing still can tip a hoist if a castor stops dead.

Hydraulic rams leak down. Never leave a load hanging while you go and do something else.

Common mistakes

Reading the 2T marking and using it at the fully extended positionEach boom position has its own rating — use the one you're actually at
Reaching under a suspended load to line something upNever. Block it, lower it, or move the thing you're lining up

The No Way GuySource & visual reference

Using a folding engine hoist as a general shop lifting tool, and the boom's position-dependent ratings — Engine Hoist Does What?! Nooo Waaay! ↗ at 0:12–0:50.

Summarized and independently edited by Start Here. Starting values and cautions are our editorial notes, not a quotation from the creator.