Engine stands

I was out looking for a 1000 lb engine stand and noticed that there was a considerable price variation between brands.

All look pretty much the same, and all have been approved by the local authorities to carry 1000 lb worth of engine. So whats the difference? The way I see it, manufacturing one of these is not rocket science.

One supplier even said that they would only sell the quality brands. When I asked him what the difference was, he just replied "well I wouldn't risk puting one of my engines on a cheap one".

Is it a state of mind, or is there a real difference? I'd be more than happy to dish out more of the green folding stuff for a "quality" unit if it was worthwhile, but I'd want to know what extra I was getting for my money.

Any thoughts or experiences?

You want one with 4 wheels, as it will be a bit more stable under load than a 3-wheeler. Other than that, I don't think there's much difference...

The price on engine stands has really come down in the US. I assume all Chinese made.
4-wheel is good advice.

MikeDD

Ditto on the 4 wheels. If you are pushing the stand and hit something on the floor, a crack or a hole, the 3 wheel jobs will flip on you more easily. A feature that you may be interested in that I have seen on the tube is a crank handle to positively turn the engine (like a BBQ Spit), rather than loosening a bolt and muscling the engine over, these are geared.
I don't know the brand that that feature was seen on. Brian