# What are lifting tools?
**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776
**Category:** The Bunker
**Created:** [June 26, 2018, 12:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776 "2018-06-26T12:27:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DemAvalon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DemAvalon)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2018, 12:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/1 "2018-06-26T12:27:34Z")
it has been a long time since I played cataclysm and I want to remove a damaged storage battery from an electric car, but it says I need a tool with lifting of 1… not jacking, lifting, that is new to me, what tools have lifting quality?, can I craft those tools?, if yes what are the requirements?
Any help would be appreciated.
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### Author:  [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/2 "2018-06-26T13:25:02Z")
Basically, you need something to lift a 400 lb weight while you’re removing it from the car - a forklift arm or similar.
I did add some documents on them to the vehicle parts on the wiki: [http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda\_wiki/index.php?title=Vehicle\_parts](http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/index.php?title=Vehicle_parts)
Basically, you can use a telescoping cantilever or boom crane if you have one, or craft a pallet lifter from pipe and a bottle jack, or install a frame on a frame to act as a forklift arm.
I generally prefer the telescoping cantilever in the early game - it’s foldable, provides jacking and as well as lifting, and is surprisingly easier to make than a pallet lifter even though it’s more useful. Build two folding frames, install a folding shopping cart basket on one of them and the cantilever on the other, and some castors, and you’re set to go around and steal storage batteries and reinstall them in your home base/deathmobile.
Late game, you’ll want a boom crane to change the tires on your deathmobile anyway, but it doesn’t fold so it’s not as useful for quick looting in the field. You can install it on a nearby vehicle, scavenge parts, and uninstall it and take it with you, but that takes a fair bit of time and isn’t that great a solution unless you really need a couple more 24" armored wheels.
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### Author:  [@DemAvalon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DemAvalon)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/3 "2018-06-26T14:17:10Z")
Thank you!, I generally don’t check the wiki since it often has outdated information, anyway thanks again for the help.
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### Author:  [@Alexander\_Sannikov](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Alexander_Sannikov)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/4 "2020-11-26T13:11:52Z")
For some reason this system has been extremely finnicky from my experience. I place the crane right next to a car, try to swap parts, but it says that 1 lifting quality is needed. I dance around (just go up and down a couple times), and now it works. Then I wait for one turn in place without doing anything and again it says that I need 1 lifting tool. What’s going on? I’m using a telescopic crane on a foldable frame.
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### Author:  [@PALU](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/PALU)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/5 "2020-11-26T13:39:29Z")
The lifting tool needs line of sight to the part lifted and has to be placed close enough (4 tiles, I think). There is on in-game vehicle that has an extremely narrow span when it comes to removing the engine. I think it’s called APC, but anyway, it is a vehicle with a window only in front of the driver, with all other (rather poor) visibility provided by cameras (when not broken).
You can provide better accessibility to parts by removing things that block line of sight before removing the hard to reach ones.
I generally repair vehicles sufficiently that they can be driven, drive the repaired vehicle back to my camp, and set companions on dismantling it once I’ve removed wheels and the engine or storage battery (electric engines are light enough not to need lifting for most characters). Meanwhile, my character takes a ride on a foldable bike back to the “real” vehicle, possibly to move on to a new vehicle to be repaired and brought back.
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### Author:  [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/6 "2020-11-26T14:45:07Z")
> [@PALU](#):
>
> I generally repair vehicles sufficiently that they can be driven, […]
Why not tow\* them back? It’s usually easier/cheaper than repairing and refuling…
\*Not sure if that’s in the 0.E stable version, in case you play on that one.
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### Author:  [@PALU](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/PALU)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/7 "2020-11-26T15:03:31Z")
I’ve only played 0.E2 stable, and the tow cable isn’t present in that version, as you guessed it might not be.
The remaining reason is that one of the most common reason for the need for repairs is that all wheels are destroyed, so with a tow cable the change would be to repair them sufficiently that they can be towed (as I assume that you can’t really tow a heavy armored vehicles lacking wheels over the fields that have to be crossed to reach the camp).
Also, if anything, towing should use more fuel than driving a vehicle, and the fuel would be recovered from the fuel tanks after the vehicles have been dismantled.
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### Author:  [@Paul\_Blay](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Paul_Blay)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/what-are-lifting-tools/15776/8 "2020-11-26T15:50:04Z")
I have used a ‘heavy duty tow cable’ a couple of times. They seem to stretch unpredictably with the car being towed getting further and further behind. After the second vehicle I towed the cable seemed to have snapped, I never did find it again.