[jamcgowan]

See title.

I'm trying to determine which will best suit my needs. I have never owned a MC lift, so be gentle.

I'm really looking for sensible, coherent, answers, please, no flaming or fillerbustering. :wink:

 

[Guest]

If your looking for the "Cadillac " style lifts , Handy is pretty hard to beat, VERY stable, great table for putting your tools/parts on while you work . I started out with the "typical Sears" bike jack and after my 750 fell over on top of me while I was working on it , tethered and all . I changed real quick when the Wing rode into the Stable . I can ride the bike right onto the table, it can be used for working on all kinds of stuff, including, snowmobiles, quads, lawn mowers etc . I find it far more diversified then just a MC jack . Bottom line, if you can stretch the extra coin for a table , you won't be sorry .
:yes:

 

[copjr]

I have a Handy Lift, like the shops use.

It cost less than the CB.

 

[BlueWing]

If you have a ton of room then a table lift is really nice. If not then a Pit-bull lift. Send Bulldog a PM and ask him. He has both types of lifts and can steer you in the right direction.

 

[IR Harry]

Strider pretty much hit it on the head. The lift is more versatile, little more stable, takes up more room, and more expensive. The ATV jack does what it is supposed to, a lot cheaper, and takes up a lot less room.

If boils down to what you want and how much. If you are just going to use it occasionally to change oil, take the tires off, clean the wheels, etc, the jack will works just fine. But it you want to get it up in the air so you can sit on a chair and polish the mufflers, have a lawn mower that need tinkered on, and are an overpaid flight instructor ( :lol: ), then the table lift is the answer.

 

[jamcgowan]

Strider pretty much hit it on the head. The lift is more versatile, little more stable, takes up more room, and more expensive. The ATV jack does what it is supposed to, a lot cheaper, and takes up a lot less room.

If boils down to what you want and how much. If you are just going to use it occasionally to change oil, take the tires off, clean the wheels, etc, the jack will works just fine. But it you want to get it up in the air so you can sit on a chair and polish the mufflers, have a lawn mower that need tinkered on, and are an overpaid flight instructor ( :lol: ), then the table lift is the answer.

Overpaid flight instr is an oxymoron. :wink:

 

[bangladave]

I have the Sears Craftsman lift. Like Strider said you need to be a little careful with the bike up in the air. The big difference between the two is that with the big table lift the wheels are still on the table. Or if the bike is on the center stand the rear is free to spin. I have a trailer hitch and to remove the rear wheel with out jacking the bike way up in the air you need to remove the center section of the hitch. This is a major pain. I just jack the bike all the way up, take out the lug nuts and the whole wheel and tire slip out the bottom. You can not do this with the table lift. Except for changing the rear tire the table lift would probably be the way to go. Of course there is the $$$ factor also. My $.02 worth.

 

[GL03]

Three years with a wing, and if my sears lift is used about four times a year, thats alot. Agree the pit-bull jack is a beauty, but for the time my jack is used, have not gotten one yet. Still in the back of my mind though. :roll:

 

[Bulldog]

I copied this from another thread I responded to.

Might be redundant!

OK here we go:

"As many of you know, I sell Pitbull lifts and provide a very good price to board members. This is not an advertisement for me.

I own both the Handylift platform lift with 13" front extension, 12" side extensions etc. Very costly. When i first got this lift, I was a proud daddy. I was just like the bike shops, big, proud and mean.

Then I bought a cheap small, frame lift (Sears) regrettably. I then purchased a used Pitbull off of this board and have never looked back.

Here are some differences by comparison. I use the frame lift about 20 times a week for customers and my bike. I use the Plate lift two times a year. Once for winter storage and once for summer storage.

The Frame lift allows you to get underneath the bike entirely, for work and inspection. The plate lift only raises the bike off the floor to make it easier to clean.

Changing oil/filter on the plate lift, is not much different than doing it on the floor of the garage. The plate restricts your space and view, much the same as any floor would, no matter how high you have the bike lifted.

Pulling front and rear wheels can be done on a plate lift, but not anywhere near the ease of a frame lift.

Frame lift takes very little foot print of the garage space. Plate lift takes up the best part of a bay.

Very easy to situate bike and lift it with a frame lift, not so with the plate lift. It can be very daunting to put a bike up on a plate lift by yourself. Especially for us height challenged folks.

If I could do it all over again, I would never have purchased either the cheap Sears frame lift nor the HandyLift. "

"If you like it, I love it"

Bulldog

 

[Guest]

Sorry Bulldog but your conflict of interest shows pretty obviously in this post. Ask or look in 99.9% of the motorcycle shops in North America and you will see the table lifts .
I can do EXACTLY everything you claim only the "pitbull" style of lift will let you do, with 100 % more stability then you will ever get on yours , and yet some .

But hey to each his own , just let that Wing get off balance once , you will never forget it . :shock:
I figure a $20,000 motorcycle is worth more then just a $75 jack . IMHO of course

 

[Bulldog]

Strider,

Do I owe you money or anything? Seems like you are all over me today.

Here is a repeat of what I said in another post.

"Strider,

You are all over me today. Seems you could figure a better way to disagree. What $75 jack are you talking about? Or did you not read the post or know enough about what we are talking about? And still decided that you must comment.


I own and use both a HandyLift and Pitbull. What is your real life experience?
You have a great day up there in BC.

If ya get time to come south, drop in and we can share a soft drink. And I will even show you some NY hospitality coupled with mutual respect. "

Bulldog

 

[Guest]

Bulldog just razzing ya ! :a13:

Us Canucks have a rep for that :lol:

Will take you up on the armchair racing over a beverage for sure . 8)

http://www.handyindustries.com/

 

[bobnpaso]

For Bangladave, or Pitbull,
Not having the table lift, but seeing some shops use it or something like it. I thought they had placed the bikes towards the rear and used a drop down under the rear wheel to remove the wheel without removing the hitch or mufflers. I was wondering if this was possible on all table jacks. I'm sure it must require repositioning of the front wheel stop? If the bike is to be positioned on an extreme end,(rear wheel removal) I would guess the frame is anchored to the floor real securely. Still, don't you need something or someone to stabalize the bike for tiedown after driving up on it? Are they wide enough for foot placement to dismount or would one be stepping down the extra 3+ inches?
I too have the Pitbull, using it only two or three times a year. At least its good for staying in the corner and being a rack for extension cords, etc.
Just wondered about the drop end, and thoughts for jamcgowan.
Bob D.

 

[ANGUS]

lift

I was in the Market for a table lift till I seen a Pitt Bull demonstrated .I was sold it is so versatile.I love it and no it not for sale.I have had both wheels off at the same time and just rolled the bike out of the way stable as a rock.

 

[sbg]

[/img]

a picture is worth cheapo craftsman lift gets me fixin a lot of bikes, use jack stands under front engine guards for safety and ratchet through rear bag guards to lift - helps if you have substantial rafters to hang stuff from also

 

[Big Wes]

I use the typical hydraulic motorcycle jack to raise my bikes once up in the air, I put a pepsx stand under it in its place.http://www.pepsx.com/main.htm I use it for both the Gold Wing and the VTX. Very Very stable, not as nice as the table stands , but rock solid non the less. 8)

 

[copjr]

After a couple of times of fighting the bike onto the Handy Lift, I decided to get the side extensions because I had nowhere to put my feet to dismount. I forget the price but it was like :shock: so I purchased two 2x12s and two pieces of water pipe and some u-bolts and made my own.

For a rear tire change, put the bike on the lift, then onto the center stand.

VERY IMPORTANT STEP >>>>> put a rachet strap on the center stand and engine guard. you don't want that center stand folding up . . .

Then when the stand is secured, slide the bike back so the rear tire clears the back edge of the lift. I put a another strap from the engine guard forward to the I-bolt provided. you just want that strap snug

There is no need to anchor the front end of the lift to the floor. It has been stable for me to work all over the bike.

I also picked up a scissor jack at the salvage yard, then had a friend weld up an 8x8 steel plate on the top. Then with a piece of rubber tool mat between the jack and engine, you can raise the front wheel off the lift to remove and replace it. I have done both wheels at once.

For me, the table works great.

Besides, I don't know how the frame lifts would move around on my carpeting . . .

:lol:

 

[Bulldog]

copjr


Are you saying that you can move your table lift with a Goldwing on it, over carpeting?

Bulldog

 

[copjr]

Uh no . . .

But that is one advantage of the frame lift, you can roll the bike around your garage. It would not move on the carpeting.

The table is stationary, but you knew that.

:wink:

 

[sbg]

cheapo frame lift in action for suspension upgrades and 30K servicing

[/img]