Need to pull a Perkins, Deutz, or Deere diesel engine? Here are a few ideas on what you can use.
Need to pull a four-cylinder or smaller engine? Can’t get access to a 3-ton overhead hoist on a power trolley? Here are some ideas we’ve come across to help pull your engine. None are recommended as ideal. Some aren’t even recommended!
- Rent a cherry picker or floor crane from a rental center.
- Borrow a local utility or tree company’s bucket truck and tie a chain fall to the bucket.
- Borrow a forklift, a front-end loader or a backhoe.
- Hire a tow truck service and use the extended boom of the wrecker.
- Build a tripod. Take three 8′ horizontal supports from an abandoned chain link or cyclone fence, flatten one end of each 8′ piece, tie together the flattened ends with a bolt and now you have a tripod. Hook a chain fall to it and you can begin pulling your engine. Dr. Diesel™ has been building these since he was 16 and working on a Perkins 4.108 engine at a boatyard in Downeast, Maine.
You shouldn’t sacrifice your toes to a Perkins 4.108 in your boat, or to a head from your the Deutz diesel in your Bobcat 863 Skid Steer Loader. We recommend wearing steel-toed work boots while pulling an engine. Your toes are too important to lose to a Perkins cylinder head.
Written by Dr. Diesel
Knowledge is power. To help our customers, we share tech tips summarizing some of our opinions, knowledge and information of interest that we have gathered since 1916 when Foley Engines opened for business. If you have any questions or comments, go to “Ask Dr. Diesel™” where you can pose questions about engines, clutches, exhaust scrubbers, etc.
