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In my case I was able to put the stand pivot on the engine, and then lift the stand onto the engine. Once there I was able to swing the entire assembly out enough to get a stand leg out of the hoist legs and slowly lower the loaded stand to the floor..
Mine doesn't drop sharply off, The rear wheels of the stand lower to the floor, the front casters drop off and the frame then holds for a second, then to the floor.
Another trick that works well after the pan is off is to take the tailgate off, lift the front of the engine a few inches and slide onto the truck. Slide the frame off the mounting head, and then attach the lift. I do the engine work for a buddy who restores 60's Mustangs and have to juggle engines often and this helps. Now I have 2 289's, a 390, 2 428's, and a '94 5.0 for a different buddy in the garage. I need tricks.
The 2 ton folding model should suit you well for what you need it for. I like the feature of being able to fold mine up and push it into a corner, not having to move it constantly. I have had to replace the cylinder hoist because the linkage on the hoist to jack it up, broke. Didn't have time to rig something up and was much faster to buy a new hoist and slap it in there. Be sure to buy an engine leveler also.