Pep Boy "Big Red" Engine Hoist: A POS

[jay50]

If anyone is considering buying one of the Torin Big Red engine hoists at Pep Boys, save your money for something better.
I bought one the other week when it was on sale.
Ended up replacing most of the M8 bolts/nuts because they were such poor quality with the threads. Several broken during tightening with socket/ratchet

Biggest problem with this POS was the welds at critical locations. I guess Joe Chen was drunk on rice wine that day and didn't bother to finish some of the areas

I made a couple of pics that I will post later; can find the camera cord

 

[beanz2]

Isn't it incredible these same guys managed to send one of their own to orbit?

 

[bmwpower]

Trying to find some info on one of their unit's in which the lift arm bent upon using due to shoddy design.... watch out. It was some time ago so I may be out of luck.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Trying to find some info on one of their unit's in which the lift arm bent upon using due to shoddy design.... watch out. It was some time ago so I may be out of luck.

Thread would have been in 2006, as that was around the last time I frequented this place. I believe it was before it became the Garage Journal, when it was the Garage Junkies.

 

[nissan_crawler]

looks identical to my hf hoist that works great, along with many others I know of...

I would be curious to details on how one "bent".

 

[Elroy]

Trying to find some info on one of their unit's in which the lift arm bent upon using due to shoddy design.... watch out. It was some time ago so I may be out of luck.

We saw those photos and it was almost beyond belief. Maybe someone could dig it up. It was truly a joke. Sorry you have a POS on your hands

 

[Flathead Red]

I stopped going to Punk Boys about 10 years ago when they gave my wife the run around on a faulty battery. Never will use them again. POS

 

[Elroy]

Trying to find some info on one of their unit's in which the lift arm bent upon using due to shoddy design.... watch out. It was some time ago so I may be out of luck.

Found the post on another forum.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=194915

It's a little over 3 years old and hope we're not stepping on the rules too much. Elroy posted the link purely to show what a true piece of **** these lifts are. That failure could have been fatal.

 

[HOTFR8]

If anyone is considering buying one of the Torin Big Red engine hoists at Pep Boys, save your money for something better.
I bought one the other week when it was on sale.
Ended up replacing most of the M8 bolts/nuts because they were such poor quality with the threads. Several broken during tightening with socket/ratchet

Biggest problem with this POS was the welds at critical locations. I guess Joe Chen was drunk on rice wine that day and didn't bother to finish some of the areas

I made a couple of pics that I will post later; can find the camera cord

Did you make a complaint to our Chinese member of the forum ? I notice he has not posted for some time. I wonder why ?
Sorry to hear you not happy with the quality. Pity those selling it to you could not see what you found. As for the rice wine that may have been the payment that week he worked.

There is an old saying 'The quality is long remembered long after the price is forgotton' In your case it sounds like you will remember the quality, price and the place you purchased for a long time.

On another note a Foundry will close here soon in my city. Jobs will be lost to China. Soon we will make nothing here.

Will be interested to see your photos.

Sorry if my post sounds sarcastic......but like you I am tired of shonky POS stuff when I have seen so much good quality stuff both made here ( here being USA & Australia) and in China.

 

[rsanter]

a story I have about pep boys is when I went in there (years ago) and asked for a clutch, pressure plate and throwout for my ranchero with a 260 in it.
he asked of it was an automatic or a standard

bob

 

[blklegend]

I have a cherry picker from Pep Boys, haven't had issue with it at all, I use it several times a month even used it to lift a mid rise lift onto and off a truck.

 

[eborcim]

Those pics looked like the fulcrum was in the wrong place and it was weakened by the hole drilled through the square tubing.

 

[lojim]

Those pics looked like the fulcrum was in the wrong place

It looks like the exact placement as my fulcrum. I don't think that is the issue. If you notice - the fulcrum point is very small on the red one - but larger on mine. I think the problem was more size than location.

 

[tcianci]

Yes, but did yours actually fail or are you just jammed in over the quality of the fasteners (which is understandable). Please clarify or guys out there with the product may stop using a functioning tool for no reason.