Thinking of a buying a lift, opinions wanted...

AF4iK

AF4iK

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...opinions about the lift that is ;)

Actually, there are 3 that I'm looking at and I'd like to get some feedback from users who have used or owned any of these:

Princess Auto 1000 lb foot-pump operated - $350

Royal Distributing 1000 lb air/hydraulic - $570

Princess Auto 1000 lb air/hydraulic - $600

An air-powered hydraulic lift would be sweet. But in reality I don't need it so I'm leaning heavily toward the PA manual lift table. My questions are:

1. Is the platform low enough to park a typical sedan over it when not in use? I realize it depends on the car and of course there's the wheel chock which will have to be avoided.

2. Because I'm lazy, I'd like to know how much effort is required to use the foot pump as a function of both time and muscle exertion lol (ie, how long does it take to raise and how hard do you have to pump?). I'm grasping for reasons to splurge on an automatic lift table here :D

3. Final question: how sturdy/stable is this lift? My garage floor is a little uneven due to a long crack which I've covered up with roll-out vinyl flooring.

Thanks
 
I have the first one. I don't know anything about a typical sedan so can't answer that. Foot pump effort is a non issue. Stability is a little concerning. To address that I installed out riggers of 2x2x1/4 angle iron with larger swivel casters at all corners and threaded stabilizers. The casters allow the lift be moved sideways with bike on(in lowered position).
 
Thanks inreb, that's the kind of insight I wanted to hear. Appreciate it
 
You will need to have a pick up or trailer to get it home. They are shipped in large wooden crates.

I have the second one - it is good for what it is. There is flex in the frame when you weight it down with a big touring bike or cruiser. Fine with sport bikes - but still flexes.

Unless you are going to be wrenching on bikes all day - a lift is a bad investmnet, it eats up way too much space. And are heavy. You can do all the same things with a good set of stands.

You can sedan ive over them and clear the underside as long as it is a something that isn't ultra low like a import.
 
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I bought a lift years ago ... i ended up selling it after 3 yrs because I never used it .... say for an oil change the time used to setup the lift, get it on the there and strapped down i could be half way through my oil change by then ... i only ever used it a handful of times then sold it after 3 yrs
 
inreb said:
Foot pump effort is a non issue. Stability is a little concerning. To address that I installed out riggers of 2x2x1/4 angle iron with larger swivel casters at all corners and threaded stabilizers. The casters allow the lift be moved sideways with bike on(in lowered position).
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frekeyguy said:
I have the second one - it is good for what it is. There is flex in the frame when you weight it down with a big touring bike or cruiser. Fine with sport bikes - but still flexes.

Unless you are going to be wrenching on bikes all day - a lift is a bad investmnet, it eats up way too much space. And are heavy. You can do all the same things with a good set of stands.
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chiller said:
I bought a lift years ago ... i ended up selling it after 3 yrs because I never used it .... say for an oil change the time used to setup the lift, get it on the there and strapped down i could be half way through my oil change by then ... i only ever used it a handful of times then sold it after 3 yrs
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Here's a video of the Harbour Freight foot pump model (the same one you're looking at from PA) so you can see the time and effort it takes to lift it;

http://youtu.be/jmsFy0X_Wn0

For me, the foot pump model was quickly eliminated. All three of the lifts you posted are lever action so if space is tight from front to rear, understand that these lifts take a little more room when lifted then when lowered.

As long as you're doing more than just oil changes (which I assume you are if you're looking at a lift) then I disagree with frekeyguy and chiller; having a lift makes doing everything so much more comfortable and easy. I use it for my bikes, my friend's bikes, my lawnmower (sounds silly, but again, it's so much more enjoyable to get off the floor to work on engines), snowblower... you get the point.

As for stability and flex issues, that's why I didn't buy any of the ones you've listed, although I did look at them. I decided that if I was going to get a lift, I'd pay and get a solid one. I bought a Direct Lift Pro Cycle DT for $775 and love it. Flex and stability are not issues with this lift and as it's a scissor lift, it occupies the same space wether raised or lowered because it goes straight up, not levered.


http://www.directlift.ca/pro-cycle-dt.htm.

And a video of it being operated.

http://youtu.be/boSJTq5U0Og
 
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Scissor jack from scrap yard and milk crates ;)


Sent from the future using my GOLDEN iPhone 30 SS
 
The amount of square footage it takes up can be problematic. But how much square footage does a bike project take up that's not on a lift? Comes down to how much open space you have available. These lifts are lacking big casters on all 4 corners. You need to be able push the whole thing into a corner to clear up floor space.
Just a word of caution, if you have to order it, make sure it's the right colour and model.
 
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It can actually allow you to work in less space when your not bent over and trying to lay all your stuff out on the floor. I have the PA one and it's both air/foot pump activated.

Working on the ground is for Neanderthals.

You also won't be able to park overtop of the lift. It does have leveling jacks to stabilize it on uneven surfaces.
 
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I have one from Direct Lift. Pneumatic (air) cylinder lift, comes with side extensions and dolly to move around if required. It's about 6 inches off the ground when lowered, very stable when lifted - no issues at all. Decent front vise will hold up bikes without straps. With extensions you can angle most bikes and use paddock stands to do wheel service etc. and still leave the vise on it. I use mine a ton for basic maintenance and would never go back. I bolt on plastic slides so I can load snowmobiles on work on them in the off season.
 
+1 for Direct Lifts model. I have one and it is great. It was cheaper to buy out of the US distributor and bring it back in myself though.
 
The Skylift is the latest in a bunch of similar lifts. They are interesting and I did look at them but decided against because;

- they are bike specific; you have to get adapters for each type of bike you're working on. Not a big deal if it's only your bike you're working on but I work on friend's bikes too... and I currently have 3 bikes myself

- they can only be used on bikes; I use my lift for lawnmowers, snow blowers, etc... I even will use it as a work bench if I need.

- they're expensive; the Skylift you posted is more expensive than the Direct Lift I have, and again, my lift is much more versatile than those lifts.

schnellschnell said:
I know you already narrowed it down to three, and maybe you already ruled out the ABBA skylift but I wonder why people always go to scissor lifts. These seem so much more useful. Am I missing something?

http://www.abbastands.co.uk/product_details.asp?id=44

j
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coyo said:
And here's my thread on the same idea from a year ago;

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?167522-Thinking-about-a-motorcycle-lift
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Man, I used google site search and still missed that thread.

Thanks for the feedback guys. You've pretty much addressed all of my questions except for the ambiguity of whether a car can be parked above it which is no biggie (car is only parked in there in the winter).

- In all honesty, it will be mostly oil changes for the bike. I do my own mechanical work so I'm sure it will come in handy but at present I have no problems or projects planned (though I do want to start a track bike eventually).
- Platform-type preferred so I can work on other equipment and it can double as a general work surface when I need more space than my small workbench.
- I have enough garage space to move it around if necessary but it would be nice to just leave it where it is and park the car over top.
- Ideally a scissor jack for a car would see much more use but they're too expensive. On the other hand a $350 bike lift I can swallow and if I end up selling in the next few years so be it.

There are other reasons why I shouldn't buy one right now so I'm just weighing the factors/convincing myself =)
 
When I did my research I read of several people that were parking over top of their lifts. I'll go measure the distance from floor to deck on my Direct Lift if you're interested.

I certainly hear what you're saying re; saving money on the purchase. I'll refer to inreb when he said that there are some times when you just have to buy quality. Not to jam on the other lifts and those who own them, but there's already comments here from owners of those lifts re; stability and strength... I don't want to thing about these things at all when my ride is suspended 3 feet above ground.

AF4iK said:
Man, I used google site search and still missed that thread.

Thanks for the feedback guys. You've pretty much addressed all of my questions except for the ambiguity of whether a car can be parked above it which is no biggie (car is only parked in there in the winter).

- In all honesty, it will be mostly oil changes for the bike. I do my own mechanical work so I'm sure it will come in handy but at present I have no problems or projects planned (though I do want to start a track bike eventually).
- Platform-type preferred so I can work on other equipment and it can double as a general work surface when I need more space than my small workbench.
- I have enough garage space to move it around if necessary but it would be nice to just leave it where it is and park the car over top.
- Ideally a scissor jack for a car would see much more use but they're too expensive. On the other hand a $350 bike lift I can swallow and if I end up selling in the next few years so be it.

There are other reasons why I shouldn't buy one right now so I'm just weighing the factors/convincing myself =)
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coyo said:
When I did my research I read of several people that were parking over top of their lifts. I'll go measure the distance from floor to deck on my Direct Lift if you're interested.

I certainly hear what you're saying re; saving money on the purchase. I'll refer to inreb when he said that there are some times when you just have to buy quality. Not to jam on the other lifts and those who own them, but there's already comments here from owners of those lifts re; stability and strength... I don't want to thing about these things at all when my ride is suspended 3 feet above ground.
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Yea I'm still mulling it over... if I planned to use it more frequently I'd probably spend extra on a higher quality lift. I may just hold off for now but we'll see. It'd be nice to see it in person so I can decide how comfortable I am with the stability. Thanks for your input
 
dricked said:
It can actually allow you to work in less space when your not bent over and trying to lay all your stuff out on the floor. I have the PA one and it's both air/foot pump activated.

Working on the ground is for Neanderthals.

You also won't be able to park overtop of the lift. It does have leveling jacks to stabilize it on uneven surfaces.
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Nope
 
AF4iK said:
Yea I'm still mulling it over... if I planned to use it more frequently I'd probably spend extra on a higher quality lift. I may just hold off for now but we'll see. It'd be nice to see it in person so I can decide how comfortable I am with the stability. Thanks for your input
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Bought the PA version with the pneumatic attachment option (the $600ish one). Never used the included chock, added the separate (proper) one also offered at PA. Turns out the table is a bit narrow for a Burgman 650. My garage floor is pretty cracked but not a problem with the leveling feet. The table wobbles a little bit when it's up with weight on it. Nothing dramatic though.

The thing is HEAVY (two strong dudes required) and I think it's a bit too large to store under a parked car, especially with the chock bolted on. In the end the overhead garage door rail prevented me from lifting the Burg to full extension (hits windscreen). Working at chair height is nice, but the scoot is too heavy to roll up, you need to ride it on. In this case, an accident waiting to happen. It's really is suited more for lighter bikes, so I'll probably sell it soon.
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