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Getting Engine Out of Crate

Stockmanreef

Well Known Member
So I have the IO 390 from Lycoming sitting in the garage and I would like a creative idea as to how to get the engine off of the crate/box it came in. I have a cherry picker but that is useless since the legs won't straddle the pallet the engine is currently on. I went to a local rental place and they don't have anything that will work. The pallet is 40" wide.

I am trying to figure out how to jack up the pallet one side at a time and slowly raise the engine off the ground so that I can get the cherry picker under the engine.

My one thought would be to completely take the box off from around the engine and assemble the cherry picker around the engine (if possible) off the ground (above the pallet, then lift the engine and remove the rest of the crate and the pallet, and then put the engine onto something.

Am I just missing something simple? Am I being a complete idiot? Any thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
ken
 
Leave it be until you want to mount it.

2 ways

Either fit onto the engine mount vertically, then put the assembly onto the firewall or...

Put the mount on the firewall, then fit the engine onto the mount.

Either way, use the cherry picker with a good sling under the arms.
 
I raised the pallet off of the ground onto, I think, 4x4 inch blocks. Whatever will accommodate the legs of your engine hoist. I used a lever (actually, a mattock) to lift one side of the pallet at a time onto the blocks. Then, it was easy to position the hoist directly over the engine. :D
 
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I did leave it be. Now it is time to mount. After I asked the question, I figured out the solution. I am also not sure I worded the question correctly. I literally had not way to lift the engine with a cherry picker.

Solution: A couple of 2 by 4s and a couple of car jacks did the trick. I will raise the engine up, pull out the pallet, and then put the original box for the engine on cinder blocks. This will allow me to get the cherry picker under the engine to lift it off the Lycoming crate.

I will then probably build something out of wood to hold the engine so to put on all the suggested hardware before mounting the engine.
 
Serious confusion here until I realized that you were actually talking about an engine hoist/crane. A cherry picker is something completely different.

Cherry Picker

Now that you have it sorted, how about a few photos of the arrangement that worked? My engine should be here by the end of the month (unless Lycoming delays it for the fourth time...).
 
I had the same predicament and was trying to figure it out until my 14 yr old son went and got a 2x4 and used it as a lever. Put a few pieces of wood under the pallet and it was solved. I felt stupid and proud at the same time.
 
An A&P I know called an engine hoist a cherry picker. I was confused as well at the time and thought that it was a common term for it. Apparently not.
 
I work in the industry, and have never seen a manufacturer call that boom lift a cherry picker. Perhaps it's a regional thing. (i.e. Coke/pop/soda) My entire life I've known engine hoists by the term"cherry picker".
 
yeah, it's pretty common vernacular in the automotive world to call an engine hoist a cherry picker too.
 
Live and learn. Might be a regional thing. So long as we can all lift our engines, though, I?d be content to call it by either name. :)
 
I raised the pallet off of the ground onto, I think, 4x4 inch blocks. Whatever will accommodate the legs of your engine hoist. I used a lever (actually, a mattock) to lift one side of the pallet at a time onto the blocks. Then, it was easy to position the hoist directly over the engine. :D

Exactly what I did; slowly raise up the pallet on blocks, roll the engine hoist under, suspend. The the real challenge was getting the box off. Lyc's pour-in-place-type foam packaging did a good job of molding the box to the engine. I had to cut away part of the box to get the engine out.

BTW, this is my understanding (Left coast perspective). Looks like you can hoist an engine with a cherry picker, but not pick cherries with an engine hoist.

Engine hoist:

61858_W3.jpg


Cherry picker:

CherryPicker_1.jpg2b096b19-f360-4bcd-b210-cfb2a695f021Default.jpg
 
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Ok--I have the engine off the pallet and on cinder blocks. Is there an easy way to pick up and rotate the engine 180 degrees. It is currently backwards. I would like to minimize rolling the engine around when hoisted off the ground. Should I raise the engine remove the box and then lower down on something with wheels? Then I can turn the engine around. Maybe these are stupids questions, but I am lifting a $38K thing off the ground and would like to avoid mishaps.

thanks
ken
 
Ok--I have the engine off the pallet and on cinder blocks. Is there an easy way to pick up and rotate the engine 180 degrees. It is currently backwards. I would like to minimize rolling the engine around when hoisted off the ground. Should I raise the engine remove the box and then lower down on something with wheels? Then I can turn the engine around. Maybe these are stupids questions, but I am lifting a $38K thing off the ground and would like to avoid mishaps.

thanks
ken

Backwards to what? The plane? No reason to do anything until you're ready to mount it, but then...

It's an engine hoist. It's designed to safely hoist engines. If the engine is properly attached to the hoist via the chain, it's not going anywhere you don't make it go...move slowly, watch what you're doing, and it'll be fine.
 
If I understand the question, it sounds like you should just twist the lifting chain 180? before you hook it to the engine lifting ring. Then lift the engine slowly while someone holds the engine so it doesn't spin rapidly.
Is that what you are talking about?
 
Exactly what I did; slowly raise up the pallet on blocks, roll the engine hoist under, suspend. The the real challenge was getting the box off. Lyc's pour-in-place-type foam packaging did a good job of molding the box to the engine. I had to cut away part of the box to get the engine out.

BTW, this is my understanding (Left coast perspective). Looks like you can hoist an engine with a cherry picker, but not pick cherries with an engine hoist.

Engine hoist:

61858_W3.jpg


Cherry picker:

CherryPicker_1.jpg2b096b19-f360-4bcd-b210-cfb2a695f021Default.jpg

They're pretty similar in the way the main boom articulates, so I see how the cherry picker hoist got its name.
 
Ken,
If something comes up and you need a hand, let me know. I am in Okemos, so not that far away and I will come up. I remember when you got your kit several years ago!
 
More importantly..

Picking Cherries or lifting engines..make sure you have your oil pressure fitting in place!! Don't want to pick more cherries than you need too!
 
I remember when I undressed my first engine. Carefully removing her foam, not to scratch her with the razor knife as my hands shook. Afraid I would faint seeing her cylinders for the first time.
Seems like just yesterday.

R
 
I remember when I undressed my first engine. Carefully removing her foam, not to scratch her with the razor knife as my hands shook. Afraid I would faint seeing her cylinders for the first time.
Seems like just yesterday.

R

Good times, good times... ;)
 
Ken,
How long did it take to get your engine, It's been 6 months for me and can't get a straight answer.
 
I haven't received it yet. The initial shipping date (after placing the order in January) was mid-April. It's since been delayed four times. The last estimate (received about ten days ago) was 6/24.

I emailed Anne at Van's again this morning to see whether she could confirm that date. She told me to expect a phone call earlier this week from her contact at Lycoming, but I'm still waiting to receive it.

We're all so dependent on Lycoming, but I'm extremely disenchanted with their business practices. Yes, we've all heard the story about their cylinder vendor, taking that work in-house, etc., but none of that should be the problem of their customers. Repeatedly missing production targets and shipping estimates is a serious issue. At the very least, Lycoming should be offering a discount to each of us so affected.

Of course, that's not going to happen and we're entirely stuck with them. I guarantee you that Cessna isn't having to wait for engine orders to be fulfilled...
 
Harbor Freight engine hoist

I used Harbor Freight engine hoist pictured above. As I recall, the boom on the 2 ton unit was long enough to reach over the center of the pallet
 
I used Harbor Freight engine hoist pictured above. As I recall, the boom on the 2 ton unit was long enough to reach over the center of the pallet

Good news! That?s the hoist I bought and I?ve been trying to figure out what the challenge might be.
 
I just heard that Lycoming's new completion date is 7/10. I'll believe it when I see it.
 
Cherry picker is a regional thing. I wrenched in the midwest when I was young. It was a cherry picker there. East coast however, its an (engine) crane, or hoist..... now pass me a soda...or uh.... a pop....or um maybe... a tonic....?:D
 
I ordered my engine at Oshkosh last year and it arrived January 3rd. I was not really in a rush, but I wanted to make sure that I had the engine when I wanted it and after looking at all the kits being sold, I did not want to wait on the engine.

I did the same with the panel from SteinAir. I started working with Stein Air in 12/2018 and then started getting parts in early 2018 (servos and other things to get in the plane before mounting the panel). The panel design was finalized panel around Oct 1, 2018 and received the panel on Jan 28, 2019. The panel is in the plane now and I have run all the wires through the firewall (at least I hope all of them are through).
 
We're all so dependent on Lycoming, but I'm extremely disenchanted with their business practices. Yes, we've all heard the story about their cylinder vendor, taking that work in-house, etc., but none of that should be the problem of their customers. Repeatedly missing production targets and shipping estimates is a serious issue. At the very least, Lycoming should be offering a discount to each of us so affected.

Of course, that's not going to happen and we're entirely stuck with them. I guarantee you that Cessna isn't having to wait for engine orders to be fulfilled...

Consider another engine? I have a Superior O-320, 160HP. I even had the opportunity to go to their facility and build the engine under their supervision. Better engine in my opinion and about $1000 less than Lycoming equivalent, and you can virtually have it tomorrow.
 
Consider another engine? I have a Superior O-320, 160HP. I even had the opportunity to go to their facility and build the engine under their supervision. Better engine in my opinion and about $1000 less than Lycoming equivalent, and you can virtually have it tomorrow.

Unfortunately, at this point, I’ve already paid in full. Also, I need a 210HP IO-390 equivalent and I don’t believe that Superior is currently offering one.
 
So, having never bought a new engine in a box/ on a pallet, I'm not understanding why you need to pass anything under the engine in order to lift it. Sounds like a good way to bend an intake tube.

What prevents you from hooking a chain to the engine lift ring(s) and cranking away on the lift? :confused:

Thanks for taking a moment to explain the dilemma to a bystander with nothing to contribute.
 
So, having never bought a new engine in a box/ on a pallet, I'm not understanding why you need to pass anything under the engine in order to lift it. Sounds like a good way to bend an intake tube.

What prevents you from hooking a chain to the engine lift ring(s) and cranking away on the lift? :confused:

Thanks for taking a moment to explain the dilemma to a bystander with nothing to contribute.

I was also puzzled as, having done this before, never previously encountered any issues with the hoist.

My sense of the discussion is that some guys can't fit the legs of their hoist around the engine pallet sufficient to get the chain vertical over the lift ring. So, they need to raise the pallet in order to get close enough to lift the engine.

My current hoist has an adjustable boom which I have set to 1 ton. Should I need to go all the way out ? ton, that won't be an issue since the engine only weighs ~400 pounds.
 
What Ken said. With my hoist and I suspect others, the boom will not extend past the end of the legs. Therefore, to get the chain over the center of the engine, you need to raise the pallet enough to get the hoist legs underneath. Not at all difficult. ;)
 
Maybe come at it from an angle? I.e., the corner of the crate, instead of straight on to one side? The hoist won't care how the engine is oriented.

I just don't recall this being any issue when my Lycoming was hoisted out of the box, but then, it's been a few years...
 
Maybe come at it from an angle? I.e., the corner of the crate, instead of straight on to one side? The hoist won't care how the engine is oriented.

I just don't recall this being any issue when my Lycoming was hoisted out of the box, but then, it's been a few years...

Exactly. So long as I can get the hook on the lift ring, I don't care if it's at a slight angle. The bolts securing the engine to the pallet will already have been loosened, so I'm happy to let the engine swing, twist, etc. while I back them off the rest of the way. The engine will self-align under the hook (just a big plumb bob), the pallet will drop away, and you're off to the races. Lift it up the rest of the way, roll the hoist over to the front of the airplane, and bolt it on.

No big deal.
 
Ken,
How long did it take to get your engine, It's been 6 months for me and can't get a straight answer.

It took 11 mos. for me to get the IO390, so plan accordingly. Same issue with getting the hoist under far enough to attach to engine. Two of us lift off the pallet on to two dollies, then was able to lift engine out. Had to remove the sides of the box. I kept the bottom foam part of the crate and lightly lowered on to it still attached to the hoist to prep for mounting.
 
I could not get the legs of the hoist under the engine. It would have been a **** of a swing had I tried the approach suggested above and I personally am not going to do that with a $38K engine.

It was easiest enough to use 2x6s under the engine (between pallet and engine) and lever up the 2x6 with 2x4 until I got the engine high enough to put 8" tall cinder blocks under the engine box. I now have the box removed from the engine and the hoist in place sort of holding the engine even though it is sitting on cinder blocks. Just being safe.

I used Nylon climbing slings to attach to the engine, which then attach to an engine leveler on the hoist. I might buy new slings before mounting engine, since they are 25 yrs old. In case anyone wanted to know what a climbing sling is:

https://www.amazon.com/GM-CLIMBING-...limbing+sling&qid=1561246215&s=gateway&sr=8-3

they can hold 22kN.
 
I could not get the legs of the hoist under the engine. It would have been a **** of a swing had I tried the approach suggested above and I personally am not going to do that with a $38K engine.

I suppose that everyone has their own comfort level with this sort of thing - and the degree of swing is entirely dependent on one's own hoist configuration - but if it's secure, then it's secure and isn't going to fall. The value is irrelevant.
 
5 pages (so far) discussing how to lift an engine out of a crate with an engine crane,,,,,,I am at a loss for words, yet somehow we can build an airplane.;)
 
So, having never bought a new engine in a box/ on a pallet, I'm not understanding why you need to pass anything under the engine in order to lift it. Sounds like a good way to bend an intake tube.

What prevents you from hooking a chain to the engine lift ring(s) and cranking away on the lift? :confused:

Thanks for taking a moment to explain the dilemma to a bystander with nothing to contribute.

...and finally...to those who have not yet...the engine is place on supportive foam in a heavy duty cardboard box. Tough plastic bags are arranged around the engine then filled with expanding foam that creates a tight protective cocoon. Placed throughout are 6-8 2lbs bags desiccants.
To remove engine, open up, remove / peel away all the foam bags on top and hoist. Pull box off and continue to peel away the packing material putting it all in the box. Inside is the engine manual along with a logbook and papers on how to correctly bring the engine to life.
If able, store the box and packing for future use. I store my engine and prop shipping container wrapped in plastic in my hanger, up high, tied to ceiling and wall. I do this to guarantee that the engine and prop will always work perfectly and all my troubles was for nothing.
It was Christmas deluxe.

R
 
the engine is place on supportive foam in a heavy duty cardboard box. Tough plastic bags are arranged around the engine then filled with expanding foam that creates a tight protective cocoon.

It's quite well protected that way. Removing all that foam is the most laborious part of the whole process.
 
weird--my IO390 was not packed that way. No dessicant anywhere in the crate/box. Lycoming asked me if I wanted foam around it for long term storage--just in case factor. I said yes. They put in a large sheet of thick plastic on top of the engine and sprayed in foam around the sides of the top. After taking off the top wood cross supports the foam pulled out with no issues--it was not tight at all. I then cut off the cardboard box. The engine is held down to the bottom with plastic straps and a metal plate that connects the flywheel. It was a 10 minute exercise--but I have not unbolted the flywheel yet.
 
FWIW, I specifically declined the long-term preservation. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s packed once it finally arrives.
 
Engines I've received (Aerosport & others) have come on standard pallets with plywood sides & tops, so they were too big to get the engine hoist under if the driver set the pallet directly on the floor. It's easy enough to pry up the corners & build up the height with stacked 2x4s so the hoist legs will roll under. At this point I open the crate (plywood or cardboard, doesn't matter) & lift the engine & pallet with the engine lift ring, place 2x4s sideways accross the hoist legs & lower the pallet so it rests on the hoist legs, store it there & move it around as necessary till I actually mount it on the plane. Easy..
 
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