WARNING HARBOR FRIEGHT 2 Ton Capacity Heavy Duty Load Leveler

I was lifting an engine and trans getting ready to install it today and luckily was only about a foot off the ground when a chain link snapped.Iv done about 5 installs with this,,very dangerous!!! I revamped it with a quality chain,I hope nothing else gives,,,jim

 

Thanks for the heads up. first thing tomorrow I will inspects mine

 

Oh shit!! I have the same one! Thanks.

 

seems to me someone posted about this about a year ago. He wasnt as lucky as I remember, crushed his hand I think.......

 

Mine didnt show any signs it just let go at a weld on the link,,I would scrap the chain for sure...jim

 

I didnt mention it was a all aluminum LS motor,light compared to most too!!

 

I slowly lowered my flathead engine down onto a Harbor Freight furniture dolly that they rate at 1000 lbs. It flattened it like it was made of bamboo. The carpet on the end pieces just covers some very flimsy dried out plywood. Beware!

 

This is me about 2 months ago,,not good!!

 

Human life is worth less in China than here. They are willing to put up with a lot more industrial accidents.

Unfortunately there seems to be a real lack of standards enforcement on the importation of crap, be it jacks, hoists, electrical cords or other substandard junk, from off shore.

It seems that jacks and lifting devices are loaded until they fail, then whatever this weight was, they double it and that is now the rating of the equipment.

 

I bought some extra chains shortly after I bought my leveler. I will go ahead and throw out the HF chains now. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Anything you lift with should be USA made with ratings listed upon purchase or else expect it to fail randomly. We REFUSE to use anything chinese made for lifting in the crane world. Seen lots of examples of broken lifting equipment that was made overseas, also have had to test USA made equipment to the breakage point and have had little unexpected failure.

 

I have one also and I note that the adjuster seems to bind under load, it looks to be poorly aligned with the gizmo part that attaches to the lifting hook.

I think I will keep my fingers clear when using it and in the meantime try to source some local replacement chain.

 

mine was an ac delco--very substantial looking---link let go as it was passing over the radiator support on my one ton---thank God my son and i were not hurt ---also offshore junk

 

Definitely a wake up call..Im going to give the main link on top a look tomorrow,I may re weld a piece over it where the factory weld is on it ..

 

Had one of those let loose on me at work a few years ago while dropping a motor in a boat. It wasnt the chain but the leveling mechanism that broke. Luckily I had a fresh pair of underwear in my desk for emergencies. Throw that thing in the trash.

 

Looks like you have Harbor Freight tires on the front of that thing also. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Just think of all the money you saved over buying a quality American made (and tested) leveler.

 

^^^I personally would buy an American made product...if I could find one. I bought the Harbor Freight one ONLY because I could not find another. Does anybody have a link to an American made version of a load leveler?

Andy

 

Same deal with jack stands. I will not use a set of HF jack stands if I'm actually going to get under the cars.

 

If replacing chain make sure to use rated "Load Chain". The stuff at Lowe's, etc. won't cut it.

 

I had a guy at work who was a big fan of the Harbour Fright stuff. He had a tool box full of it - and as a rule, most of it failed when stressed.

 

I'm funny about chains. I've been yanking engines since 1974 with the same lengths of chain I bought at a marine supply store. Anything that comes with a chain since then, I swap in my good chains when I use it.

Bob

 

That thing would be in the scrap hopper,getting hurt or possibly even killed is'nt worth saving a few bucks.

 

Broke a chain, the screw mechanisn stinks, I would replace the chains and the screw with a better peice of threaded rod. and even then I would stay as far away from it as possible with a load on it.

 

I believe you can purchase chains that are safety rated to a certain strength, higher the rating higher the price but well worth the expense.

 

We have Rotary lifts at work used for lifting Dodge 3500-5500 trucks....made in China. Just knowing they come from China scares the hell out of me.

 

Are you trying to tell us that Harbor Freight's cheap Chinese tools are junk?

Is that what you're trying to say?



(Sorry, couldn't resist. Glad no one got hurt this time)

 

Well, im glad you weren't hurt but you should have known better. Its not like chinese shit isnt discussed here daily. I dont use any chinese shit for important work. I.e. lifting heavy.

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

i had, the word here is had one. that damn thing was dangerous. chain broke. changed chain then the long crank rod twisted up like it was hot butter.not again amigo!!

 

Here's the funny part: Chinese crap is everywhere now, even Sears Craftsman's line is moving toward being made in China. So its easy to knock someone for buying Harbor Freight crap...but I'll bet most everyone here has something made in China sitting in their garage, in their toolbox, or even worse...on their car! What a travesty!

Seriously just get some nicer chain on there and don't dance around underneath it too long. You'll be fine. FWIW the first thing I did when I bought mine was chuck the included chain and ran up to the hardware store and got better chain. A few pulls later and its holding up just fine.