Barry, Amazon has a great return policy so might buy it and try a simulated lift of a loco resting on a padded surface from a similar angle and distance and position you figure on using it for. Then if the engine did drop from its grip at least it would be on a padded surface with no collateral damage to any near by platform items. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Good luck whatever you decide.
BTW, another, albeit more expensive solution, might be buying one of those reach ladders that extend over a platform's surface but only you could decide whether that is feasible to use in your situation.
Originally Posted by Barry Broskowitz:
Kenn,
The description on Amazon for the less expensive grabbing tool by the same company states that it can handle 8 pounds. The difference between this one and the one on Amazon is that the Amazon device has an aluminum shaft and this one has a steel shaft. I'd expect that this one could equal, if not exceed, the 8 pound service load.
I agree that grabbing small objects could be more difficult, however, the primary purpose would be to grab an engine that's derailed in a hard-to-reach part of the layout.
John,
The best that I can work with would be one grabber so I'll just have to be a bit more careful to grab from as close to the middle as possible.
