Leaking Engine Crane!

I've discovered a possible fault with my engine crane. Shortly after refiiting my clutch, I'd left it with the jib horizontal but I've noticed it has  it had 'drooped' under it's own weight and is now resting on the lifting hook on the engine!

Once the brakes were fitted, considerable weight will be added to the engine and so now, in addition to worrying about how far I could safely extend the engine crane arm, and whether or not the lifting hook on the water pump engine was fixed well enough to take the weight of the engine,  I need to worry about whether the hydraulic seals in the crane are going to fail and the engine drop - which will be disasterous for engine and chassis. Though to be honest, the engine is already heavy enough as it is.

This is a worry. I 've Googled engine crane seal replacement. I couldn't find anything that exactly matched my crane but found some generic videos. Other than being a bit physical and neededing a bit of improvisation, it seemed possible - as long as you kew what size seals you needed.  

The Dummy's Guide to.......htydraulic ram repairs

I don't. While some Sealey handbooks showed part numbers for the ram, unhelpfully, mine did not. And I didn't have the time to strip mine to measure the seals, and then source and wait for parts. 

No details of ram parts

I investigated hiring a crane, but that takes time and cranes are heavy to transport. Now the reason that I bought the crane that I did, was that it was the same as Doug's crane: the one up at the barn that had been used to remove my engine. I bought the same design because I knew it was up to the job. I'd even taken a few photos of his before I bought my crane....

Doug's crane. Not 'Sealey' branded - but the same?

With "same crane" to the front of my mind, and a whole crane difficult to shift, I'd even contemplated asking Doug whether I could temporarily remove and borrow just the hydraulic ram part of HIS crane and fix it to mine! But I decided there was no way he'd agree to that. My mate Richard is booked to help fit the engine and I thought about cancelling him.

 

In the end and with just a few days to go, I've decided to chance it: Richard is booked and coming round. Also, I'm thoroughly sick of the engine NOT being in the car and IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN - come what may....