HF Shop Crane

[Eric Commarato]

Harbor Freight 2 ton shop crane, should I buy the folding version or the non foldable version? If any one has either one of these which do you prefer?

[Matt Sollars]

I have the 1 ton version. I went foldable, because as rarely as i'm going to use it.....smaller storage was important to me.

Very handy to have for 100$

matt

[Matt Meiser]

Folding--non folding takes a lot of space. I could have a non-folding to use whenever I want for free but its not worth the hassle. But I'm hoping to get the 2T folding very soon. The weight rating is with the boom all the way in. It drops by something like 75% with the boom out making the 1T lighter duty than I'd prefer myself.

[Curt Harms]

I have the 1 ton. The legs stick out as far as the boom and if they didn't fold it'd be hard to store. As it is, the crane takes up perhaps 3 ft. X 5 ft. approximately. I bought mine when I got the Jet J/P. Figured that by the time I paid for 2 days rental, I could buy the H.F. and sell it when I no longer need it. So far so good.

[Harry Hagan]

Foldable for sure. Unless you can park the legs under something else, they will be a tripping hazard. I looked at the Harbor Freight model several years ago to aid in assembling equipment and ended up purchasing one from Sam’s that was better made and less expensive. I had arranged to sell the unit to a HF customer at a discount but still have it. It’s real handy and those folding legs give it a small footprint.

Go with the 2 Ton. Fully extended the 2 Ton only lifts ½ ton.

[Eric Gustafson]

I bought the one ton foldable and have had it for a couple of years. Most of my equipment is in the 500-600 lb range. I don't have anything heavier and don't expect to either. Everything I have picked up has been no problem at all with the crane at full extension.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I have the 2 ton foldable, but I take it one step further and unbolt it and store the pieces in the attic when I'm not using it. It doesn't take up much space then. I only use it every 6 months or so and I have a 800 pound hoist mounted to my shop ceiling for lighter stuff. It takes about 10 minutes to put together.