Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

[iboat2011]

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone has made any lifting tools at home to load/unload heavy outboard motor to/from boat before and after use. If yes, can you share some of your design idea or even some pictures of it?

Thanks a lot!
Andrew

 

[wellcraft19]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

Years now since I've had to deal with that, but back home we always used "lifting slings" set in a pair and "wrapped" around the the drive shaft part. Take the engine covers off first to ensure that nothing gets crushed.
Then used a hoist and lifted it off the transom. If needed a high-lift "lifter", check with you local tool/equipment rental places. They sometimes have a lot of odd stuff, although I also seen an engine hoist placed on the back of a pick-up truck just to get higher up. Scary...

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

A simple come-a-long

 

[nwcove]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

how heavy is the motor? ive seen guys use a kids swingset (kids were grown.....and not swinging on it!) and it was one of the wooden sets, made from 4x4's. like bob said, a run of the mill come along , hooked to the lifting eye (if the motor has one) will work just fine.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

I made a hoist from some 2 inch square perforated steel tubing. One part shaped like a tee plugs into the hitch of the truck and a mast slides into it. A removable crossbar is bolted on top and two straps run to the load tie-downs in the front of the bed. A come-along runs through a pulley on top of the mast. It is good for about 300-350 pounds when I am not near my winch at the home garage.

 

[iboat2011]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

I made a hoist from some 2 inch square perforated steel tubing. One part shaped like a tee plugs into the hitch of the truck and a mast slides into it. A removable crossbar is bolted on top and two straps run to the load tie-downs in the front of the bed. A come-along runs through a pulley on top of the mast. It is good for about 300-350 pounds when I am not near my winch at the home garage.

Sounds very interesting. Do you mind sharing a picture of it? Thanks a lot! Andrew

 

[zopperman]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=496010

That's mine. Cheap, easy, reliable.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

It is disassembled because the truck is hitched to a boat, but you should get the idea from the photos. Simple and effective. I elected to not make it pivot but that is an easy modification. Come-along or winch can be mounted almost anywhere it is convenient. I use a jack on the back to keep the truck from squatting under load--less junk to carry. Last time I used this was to mount a Force 150 five cylinder engine.

And yeah, I know: I am not a good welder.

 

[iboat2011]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

Those are really good ideas. Thanks a lot for everyone's help!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Tools to lift a heavy outboard motor.

Fashion a bracket that you can lag bolt to the inside header of your garage door. Then use a come-along like shown in Bob-VT's response. They are cheap at any farm store. Most engines have lifting eyes on them. Mercury has a lifting eye tool that screws into the flywheel. If you don't have a garage, but have a big tree, some stout rope or chain around a stout branch will work. No garage and no trees, then your local rental store will have an engine hoist.