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How to use an engine support bar

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a bar on the floor and a car that stays in the bay while a mount, clutch or timing part comes loose. Feet on the wrong part of the wing, a chain on an unknown bracket, or a beam wound past its mark are the usual failures. Support the car, seat the feet, hook a rated chain, take the slack slowly, and unwind in reverse. The [engine support bar comparison](/hub/lifting-equipment/engine-support-bar) lists the seven tools. Peter F. checked maker instructions and public UK sources. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The bar is not an engine crane.

You have a bar on the floor and a car that stays in the bay while a mount, clutch or timing part comes loose.

Our top picks

Draper Draper engine and gearbox support 13350

Best overall

Draper Draper engine and gearbox support 13350
8.8/10about £110.28
View offer
BGS BGS engine support 8515

Alternative

BGS BGS engine support 8515
7.6/10about £110.53
View offer
US PRO US PRO engine support beam 500 kg

Best value

US PRO US PRO engine support beam 500 kg
7.2/10about £69.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Support the car before you support the engine
  2. 2.Seat the feet in the gutter, inside the marked span
  3. 3.Hook the chain and take the load slowly
  4. 4.Release the load, and the point where you stop

Support the car before you support the engine

Put the vehicle on axle stands or a lift, apply the handbrake, and switch the engine off. HSE guidance on working under vehicles says you should not rely on a jack alone while you work underneath or while load transfers onto a beam. The jack can help you position the stands. It is not the base for the job. Bring the bar to the wings only after the car is stable or, for an under-vehicle prop, to the point in that listing’s paperwork. If you are still choosing between a wing traverse and the under-vehicle US PRO row, read the engine support bar buying guide. This sequence assumes a gutter-mounted wing beam or a wide bar such as the BGS 8515.

Seat the feet in the gutter, inside the marked span

Draper’s 13349 and 13350 instructions place rubber supports in the gutter of the front wing panels, not on the wing surfaces. BGS 8515 asks for a flat reinforced surface inside the wing, with an optional third point on the radiator support. Stay inside the printed range: 1,000–1,550 mm on the BGS 8515, 750–1,450 mm on the Neilsen CT4283, and 730–1,480 mm on the US PRO and Draper 500 kg beams where that span is printed. If the gutter is crushed or heavily corroded, stop. The BGS 8606 uses adjustable feet and a non-slip pad for a steep wing, still on sound structure, not on cosmetic metal.
Draper Draper engine and gearbox support 13350

Testsieger

Draper Draper engine and gearbox support 13350
8.8/10about £110.28
View offer

Hook the chain and take the load slowly

Hook the lifting bracket named in the vehicle handbook or workshop manual, using a chain or sling rated above the load you will hang. The Draper 13350 listing includes two chains. The Draper 13349 Amazon line says one, while hosted instructions for that model family mention two. Count the box before you trust a single leg. The BGS 8515 includes two pendant ropes. The Neilsen listing names 90 cm chains and threaded hook rods. Take the slack gradually. The US PRO wing beam describes fine adjustment screws and height adjusters with bearings. A sudden snatch loads the rails before you notice a foot that has shifted. Check both feet while you tighten. Do not hang engine and gearbox as one mass unless the stated kilogram covers that combined weight and you know the mass. This page does not calculate it for your car.

Release the load, and the point where you stop

Unwind the adjustment in the reverse order you took the load, then unhook when the slack is visible. Do not remove the bar while load still hangs on the chain, and do not cut the load loose suddenly. Stop and call a professional when the lifting point is unknown, the wing rails are unsafe, the gearbox must be lowered and you have no transmission jack or other safe support underneath, or the bar is work equipment whose examination status is unknown. Engine held, gearbox on its own jack, is the pattern on engine support bar for gearbox and clutch.

Common questions

How do I know which bracket on the engine takes the chain?
Use the vehicle handbook or a model-specific workshop source, and hook only the lifting point that source names. If you cannot identify a rated lifting point, stop. A chain that looks convenient on a bracket is not a substitute for the point the maker of the car specified. This page does not list brackets by model.
Can I support the car on a jack while the bar takes the engine?
Not for the duration of the job. Axle stands or a lift carry the car. The bar carries the engine relative to the car. HSE guidance on working under vehicles says you should not rely on a jack alone while you work underneath or while load transfers onto a beam. The jack can help you position the stands. It is not the base you leave in place.
What happens if I extend the beam past the marked maximum?
You leave the range the maker tested and printed. BGS treats extending past the marked maximum as a failure mode. Set the BGS 8515 between 1,000 and 1,550 mm, the Neilsen CT4283 between 750 and 1,450 mm, and the US PRO or Draper 500 kg beams between 730 and 1,480 mm where that span is printed. Move back inside the mark before you load the chain.
Does a rubber pad mean the wing cannot crush?
No. A rubber pad reduces slip and scratching on a correct seat. It does not strengthen a thin, crushed or corroded panel, and it does not turn the outer painted skin into a rated anchor. If the gutter is badly corroded, stop before you take the load. Padding is not a repair.
Does a garage have to put this bar on a LOLER scheme?
If the bar is work equipment, LOLER 1998 applies in Great Britain. INDG422 commonly allows six months for accessories and twelve months for other lifting equipment, unless a competent person sets another scheme. That duty sits with employers and garages, not with a home purchase. OC 803/69 covers stands and brackets and does not name this wing bar. An EN 13155 line does not replace the printed kilogram.

Related pages

Best engine support bar

Engine support bar

Engine support bar buying guide: span, load and feet

Engine support bar for a gearbox and clutch job

Engine support bar vs engine stand: which job fits

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these seven listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.

  1. HSE: Working under vehicles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. LOLER 1998 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE OC 803/69 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE INDG422 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Draper 13350 engine and gearbox support (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Draper 13349 and 13350 instructions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. BGS 8515 universal engine support (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BSI BS EN 13155:2020+A1:2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)