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Harbor Freight Motorcycle Lift

The other thing about MIG is that it is FUN. Someone on this forum called it "knitting for guys" and I love that.

And Gail, "NOTE E", the bent over points on the angle iron is fantastic attention to detail.
 
Thanks!


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here are some additional notes for the extension project.

Notes
a. Main attachment bolts are 7/16 x 1ÔÇØ

b. Newly drilled holes in the lift table. These also match holes drilled in the bottom support drilled about 3/4ÔÇØ in from the end of the angle iron.

C. This is the original stop that came with the lift. I used it to establish the overall width of the extension.

D. These supports were cut from 1/8ÔÇØ x 3ÔÇØ flat stock. Welding is not necessary. A 1/4ÔÇØ bolt in end of each piece will work just fine. Most anything will work because youÔÇÖre just trying to keep the pieces from moving around.

E. I hammered the leading edge of the angle iron over so that it wouldnÔÇÖt damage the tire if i missed as i roll the wheel onto the extension. (not really necessary)

f. The bottom support is a piece of 1ÔÇØ x 1ÔÇØ x 1/8ÔÇØ angle iron cut to fit between the support rails on the bottom side of the lift. Drill holes to match the width of the extension. See note b
 
I've been thinking about HD locking Castor wheels.

That would make moving the lift around in the garage much easier and when it's in the driveway, I could simply lock em down.
 
Re-the welding advice

A lot of good advice. One of the best pieces of advice I received from my old welding supplier was, the best looking welds don't hold the best and the worst looking welds don't hold the worst. 75% of welding is the set-up/fit. Good luck.:burnout
 
I've has my HF lift for almost three years and it's paid for itself several times over. Now, when I ask someone to come over and help me with my bike, they know in advance that they wn't be laying on the concrete or crawling on their knees.

The lift also makes bike cleaning much less of a chore!

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Never thought of cleaning the bike on the life - that is a great idea :thumb
 
BTW, for anyone contemplating the purchase of a Harbor Freight lift, the current issues of Sport Rider and Motorcyclist have a $120 discount coupon for their $399 motorcycle lift.The coupon is good through 6/2/10.
 
Multi use tool...wish the flash would have fired.:laugh

rolled it to the back of the truck and unloaded a "free if you come get it" grill yesterday! Had help putting it in...needed an extra hand at home.

He also has another HF lift under all his stuff in his storage unit and is still downsizing...I may get #3 soon!:thumb
 

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I ordered this lift about a month ago and it finally arrived this week. I plan on sinking it to floor level. I am sure this is not going to be a fun project but I am going to give it a try anyway. I will post pics as the project progresses.

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Add ons?

Really like the idea of having lift set into floor, but don't some lifts have add on's (like wings for the side so garden tractor & or 4 wheeler can fit also). Would not want them on all the time, just to have it handy. So here goes the main question, would such a device still be capable of being set into floor without a much bigger hole in the floor ?
 
Add on Wings

Bob, the wings can be put on and removed easily. You would just need to raise the lift far enough to put them on and remove them before you lower the lift completely. The wings add 1 foot per side.
 
You did a fine job, it looks great. I won't do that in my shop since I like to roll the bike away when I'm doing a multiday job. With it on the stand, I can roll the stand with the bike on it into a corner or where I need it. But if you have the room, it's a great idea.
 
You did a fine job, it looks great. I won't do that in my shop since I like to roll the bike away when I'm doing a multiday job. With it on the stand, I can roll the stand with the bike on it into a corner or where I need it. But if you have the room, it's a great idea.

I think I understand what youÔÇÖre saying. The reason for the sink is I lacked the room for a full size table in the middle of my garage, this way I have the lift and it takes up no room at all. When I want to do other things I just move the bike. It has also provided the unexpected benefit of an adjustable height work bench.
 
It's funny now that you mention it. Sinking the lift saves a lot of space when you are not using the lift. I could park over mine if I did that. Once a bike is on it, it 'eats up' space for me since I would not have the flexibility to roll the bike on the stand off into a storage area on longer projects!

I too use mine as a workbench, more specifically a welding and metal cutting table, so at least it does double duty for the space it occupies.

But again, you did a really nice job on sinking it.

My buddy has a drain in his garage floor which is nice when he washes cars or the floor with a hose. I'm thinking the ultimate is a sunken lift with drain in the pit!
 
My buddy has a drain in his garage floor which is nice when he washes cars or the floor with a hose. I'm thinking the ultimate is a sunken lift with drain in the pit!

I actually considered that until I looked into the local code and environmental regulations that would apply.
 
Yes, if you're going to let govt. get in the way, you can't do anything in America it seems. My buddy's drain just goes out back to the lawn, not to the city pipes. It's no different than washing your garage and aiming the water outside. It goes to the same place. But, still, he has his in such a way that if he goes to sell the house he can just cap it off to avoid any issues.
 
As my (thanks to Ron White) Kupen is about to expire on the $299. HF lift....I thought I'd give this thread a bump and hang some tags on it so it is easier to find- once again. OM
 
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