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Bike Lifts

It is quite understandable that not all of us can afford a full professional lift for our bikes, but that would be nice if we could. I have personally used the Pit Bull and it does look very well made and can hold a large bike quite stable, however I personally have a lift that was made for Delco branding bought a a local auto parts shop. It seems to do the job but could be more stable.

If I were in the market to do it again, I think that I would pay a little more money and look first for quality and safety for that $20,000.00+ beast that it has to sit on the lift.
 
Just purchased the Harbor Freight lift last week, $69 on sale. Havn't used it yet but it looks strong enought to do the job, rated to lift 1500lb. The bolts are all 8's, which surprised me, they must have read Glider's thread on upgrading the bolts.
 
Word of caution - never leave your bike on the lift unless it is in a locked position. Your jack won't give you any notice if it starts leaking internally, but you might hear the results.

Thorns
 
Thorns has the right idea, and if you leave it up for extended periods, do use safety straps, don't want your loved ones getting their bicycles, opening car doors or laundry baskets catching on things while up in the air, knocking it over or falling against something -- the definition of an avoidable accident.
 
I converted my 4 post car hoist to be a 2 bike hoist. It's rough, but I get by somehow. :D see pic at picturetrail.com/210ken look in FXDWG album
 
I have read all of your post and replies and wanted to add a little something in regards to quality. I speak on experience only, being a mechanical engineer who specifies and approves mechanical products on large commercial projects,hospitals and stadiums,from all over the globe.

1. Whoever said you get what you pay for is true and not so true.

I was in the market for a lift for cleanning purposes only, I live on the beach and have a one car garage so being able to twirl my bike around is not important to me.

I looked a the Pit bull online and during bike week as well as I think JS lifts and others. The claims of being made in the USA is very Weak. Assembled in the USA? Maybe, Boxed in the USA to be able to comply with that statement? Maybe? Most of these jacks used in these stands are made of Cast Iron, Anyone who knows, 80-90% of cast iron is poured overseas. The steel is the same. There are very few steel mills left in our country and if you are buying from them the price is outragoues and mostly used for US Government project. Welding? Well I doubt the guys who sell these jacks hand weld everyone. All of these weld look to me like they are ERW ( Electric Resistant Welds) done by a machine at about two passes.

Glider was 100% correct in his statement about the Grade A 8 bolts. After the jack, they would be the next to fail and if your using proper locking mechanism the jack is disabled.

2. Harbor Freight is a Walmart for the light duty home repair man , however the company itself is very strong. I checked out the yellow 1500# stand and found it very durable, in fact same pattern as the craftsman and several other models ( No doubt all from the same place in China with different labels). At $69.00 and another $19.00 for a two year hassel free replacement warranty, I could not go wrong.

Everyone who lifts their bike in their garage to clean or anything else should be more concerned in tying the bike off and safety of you and your bike. Proper precautions here and you will not go wrong with any of these lifts.

Once again your were all very helpful to me when I was shopping for a lift for my needs. I prefer me and my bike to be on the ground and not in the air.
 
Thanks for sharing your analysis of the product available. I appreciate the perspective and knowhow of a trained engineer.
Ken
 
I may be alittle late on throwing in my opinion...I bought a pitbull lift and love it! I've got two bikes and I'm in my mid-40's. My back can't handle what it use to be able to take, but having that bike at my chest while I'm standing, makes working on my Harley's alot more fun than it used to be. Also, I use it when I'm detailing, and I get the bikes alot cleaner than I did while they were sitting on the floor. I can see the bike alot better. JMO.
 
Just this week I purchased a J&S Motorcycle jack. I am well pleased with its quality and performance. I read many reviews and posts about many of the products available out there today.
The J&S jack has lift rails that easily fit under the frame and are long enough to allow easy set up positioning. The J&S web site shows several videos of the jack in use. The jack works just like they show. It's very stable and rolls very easily on garage floor even with bike lifted.

As a contrast, I have only used one other motorcycle jack, borrowed from a buddy. It was a Torin, and seemed to be made well, but my Electra Glide was not stable on it and aligning the lift rails under my frame was a bit tricky due to very little clearance between the metal end tabs on the rails. It also left red paint on my black frame where the metal tabs rested against the sides of the frame (repeated use would eventually mar or chip my frame paint, I believe). Also, the Torin jack wheels do not roll/swivel easily, making it cumbersome to move the bike if needed. The Torin jack costs much less than the J&S, but for its superb stability, ease of use, and long term purchase I find the J&S worth the extra bucks.
 
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