LARIN Engine Run Stand (ERD-1000)

I'm a classic car hobbyist outside of my regular job and have been looking at engine test stands for quite a while, with my cars just being a hobby I keep a pretty tight budget on what I spend and try to get the most bang for my buck (it has to be worth it and needed or I won't buy it) I also know from past experience when it comes to shop tools you usually get what you pay for, but not this time! At the price I purchased this item for it was more than well worth the money, everything has a great finish and all the welds look good. It's very sturdy after assembly. Some reviews indicate the fuel tank is a little small and I do agree with that if you're going to be running an engine longer than the 30-40 minute break in time BUT refilling it isn't any more difficult than refilling the lawn mower when it runs out, it's a minor issue to me. People writing the reviews complaining about the small gas tank and cheap gauges need to price other models, you can buy better gauges, fuel cell, and a better ignition switch and it would still be much cheaper in the end. This stand is a real value all things considered. I had to get taller casters because my big hoist legs wouldn't fit under the frame but my smaller hoist would so that depends on the hoist you have and not a problem on their end. There's no frame work for a radiator but to my surprise garden hose adapters for cooling water to the engine "are included". Overall I am very pleased with this motor test stand and wish I had bought 1 sooner! This IS the engine test stand for the hobbyist like myself no question about it. Affordable, nice looking, and functional. Hey if you don't want a stand without a radiator or small gas tank go pay $1,000 or more for a better model and stop complaining, I bought this stand that does what it was intended for and had money left for engine parts!! You do the math. . . . . .

Price is great, it is a little difficult to put together due to instruction not giving you much info. Just followed the picture in the box to put mine together. I also did my own modifications to re-enforce the stand, I will also be adding taller caster to be able to get under test stand with engine hoist. First engine on test stand , I had to put blocks under to be able to get engine hoist under and have enough extension to place engine on stand.

I purchased the Larin METS-1 engine test stand knowing that it was an inexpensive test stand and just a fraction of what some test stands are priced at. Plus unlike the other much more expensive engine test stands out there, the Larin METS-1 comes with a tachometer, oil pressure, and temperature gauge as well as an ignition switch with key. Most of the others don't come with those and each gauge must be purchased separately and it all adds up quickly. I'd read many reviews of others that had made this purchase before me so I knew the instructions were poor and assembly might be a bit of a challenge. It's a no frills test stand but I feel more than adequate for my needs as primarily a classic car hobbyist that probably won't use the stand more than half a dozen times at most per year. If necessary, I can modify and improve it as I needed, I know the price was less than the materials alone would have cost me to build one from scratch, so it was an easy decision to buy this one and make it work. If you decide to purchase this item, take your time assembling it and refer to the photo on the box and you'll figure out the assembly of it just fine. One note that will save you some time and trouble is that the temperature and oil pressure gauge terminals are labeled incorrectly (but the black and red wires for the gauge illumination are fine). There are three terminals to drive each gauge, the only one of the three that is correct is the center terminal which is ground or negative 12 volts. The terminal marked "+" is actually where the sending unit wire needs to be connected. The terminal marked "S" is actually where the positive 12 volts needs to be connected. Once I figured this out, both the temperature and oil pressure gauges worked fine. I added two toggle switches, one to control the gauge lights and a second one to control an electric fuel pump. Drilling the holes in the stainless steel instrument panel can be a challenge, use a drill press and some cutting oil and start with a 1/8" pilot hole and work your way up a few drill sizes at a time to accomplish this if you decide to do the same. I also fabricated some engine mount plates to go between the mounting stands supplied with this item and the engine block. I'm satisfied with this item for the bargain price, I'd move my opinion from satisfied to happy IF the instructions were written better and the terminals on the gauges were marked correctly but that just cost me some extra assembly time so no big deal. Larin METS-1 Mobile Engine Testing Station

When I got it home and started putting it together, the instructions were almost useless. When I opened the package for the gas tank, the cap just fell apart. Don't know where to get parts for this thing. I can't make heads or tails of the wiring diagram for the gauges and I don't think it is right to begin with. The oil pressure gauge doesn't work properly, as it pegs the needle and the engine is even started. The steel used to make the wheels is a very cheap grade as it bends very easily. The wheel is not concentric with the hole in the center of the wheel. The fuel tank exit tube is much larger than an fuel line normally used on US Cars, and that makes the fuel tank useless. Does anyone know where I can get replacement parts??? If you do, contact me at [email protected]

Arrived earlier than expected looks to be pretty decent for the price we plan on making modifications as it sits low to the ground would recommend

I received the METS-1 after having the first unit returned because it was damaged in shipping (never arrived at my house). I would agree with other assessments that it's decent for the price, especially when compared to the other much pricier stands on the market. It is a very minimalist design. The finish on parts is good, and all the black tubes, the instrument panel, the battery tray and the fuel tank are wrapped to protect them from being scratched during shipping. I've just finished the assembly and I agree with previous reviews that the instructions are incomplete at best. One thing in the instruction's favor is that most of the major frame pieces are labelled with stickers (A, B, C, etc) and referenced by those letters in the instructions. On the other hand, the instructions only partially discuss attaching the casters, and there is no instruction on where the different bolts (mixed together in a single bag) are used. Here are a few pieces of advice: 1. Before I started, I removed the axle bolts and ferrule from the casters and added some axle grease to the inner cavity of the wheels and reassembled them. 2. Assemble the casters to the end tubes (labeled "D" and "E") using two of the shortest bolts in the bag for each caster. I used a magnet to place the bolts through the holes in the end tube interior. Leave some slack to allow the caster position to be adjusted. 3. Attach the 3rd hole in each caster to the corresponding side tube. Leave this bolt slightly loose also. This will help but not completely locate the end and side tubes relative to each other while you tighten the threaded rod. The fourth hole in each caster will be unused. 4. When tightening the threaded rods (step 4 in the instructions), ensure that the ends of the end tubes ("D" and "E") are flush with the sides of the side tubes ("B" and "C"). Tighten the rods slowly so that the alignment is maintained. 5. Once the threaded rods are tightened, give a final tightening to the caster bolts. 6. The straps holding the fuel tank under the instrument panel must be wrapped around the tank before they're attached. I found the process of attaching the straps with the tank to be awkward without a 2nd pair of hands. Even after the straps are tightened, the tank will still be loose in the straps. Now that the thing is assembled, here are things I noticed: 1. There is no provision to secure the cross bars (labled "A" and "A1" in the instructions) that slide front to back nor is there a way to secure the vertical bars that slide along the cross bars. Is the weight of the engine expected to hold them in place once it's installed? 2. The bottom of the frame sits 6" off the ground with the included 5" casters. I plan to build blocks to sit under the wheels so I can roll my engine stand underneath during installation. Once the engine is installed, I plan to either used the engine hoist or a floor jack to get the stand off the blocks. 3. The fuel tank has no provision for a return line. Either the tank needs to be modified or you'll need a different tank if your engine has fuel injection with a return line from the pressure regulator. 4. The gauges are inexpensive and only the tach has wires to connect to a signal source. The other two gauges include only lighting wires. The gauge wires are tiny (22 or 24 gauge). No senders are included. 5. There's no provision for mounting a radiator. Two fittings are included to attach water hoses to the water pump intake and the thermostat housing outflow hoses. 6. if your engine mounts are not like typical v8 engine mounts with a single bolt running through the frame front to back, you'll have to figure out a way to attach your engine mounts. This stand is also not set up to handle a FWD horizontal engine.

Supprised good quality material and easy to assemble. Only thing I wish they had done was supply longer wires from they gauge panel. The panel is wired but the wires only about 3 inches long.

I bought this stand three years ago and I still love it. I used this stand as a starting point to build my engine test stand. I welded up a set of engine mount arms that will fit both Ford 289 and Chevy 350. I added racing start and ignition switches/buttons, a ford ignition switch, ballast resistor, radiator mounts and radiator, electric fuel pump and pressure gauge, battery and charger, a fuse block, timing light, toggle switches (fuel pump, water pump, radiator fan, etc), etc. The end product is my own personalized test stand and a lot cheaper than buying one that has all the features that mine has.