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Motorcycle Lifts

4090 Views 22 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Greetings all, got a question...
I bought a hydraulic scissor lift to put the E-Glide up on while in the garage to keep from getting flat spots on the tires during extended gaps between rides and to reclaim about 1 1/2 feet of vertical space lost when it's on the jiffy stand. It's like the one pictured in this post. My question is quite simply is it safe to put all of the weight of the bike on the bottom frame tubes underneath the engine? Something I found that I didn't expect after returning home from a 10 day cruise was an oil spot on the garage floor. When I took the bike off the lift I saw that one of the "arms" of the lift which the bike rests on has oil on it too. Not sure where the oil is coming from but know it's not the lift. Anyone else using one of these lifts, and if so are there any precautions to be taking before the New Jersey winter sets in?

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no problems here. I have a craftsman red jack and the last 3 yrs my bike sets on it all winter. no leaks or problems. jack it up to its highest point set the safety bar and let it settle on it. plug battery tender in an forget it until spring. wifes new fatboy will be on one this winter also.
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Yes just line it up correct I put my V/rod&Full dresser on mine also with no problems high tech frame on V/Rod also! Got mine from Sears great to have don't buy the Harbor freight one junk!Level flat floor a must!I don't leave them up for extended periods of time but I'm almost sure it whould not hurt bike!:new:blahblah:

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I use a Sears yellow jack--same one as in pics posted by Slandrew above, for my Road Glide. For extended storage in winter I leave my bike with the tires still making contact with the garage floor but most of the weight is on the jack. Never had a problem.
What year is your bike and I hope you didn't put the stand on the oil pan to lift the bike. That may be bad.
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I have two of these from Harbor Freight. No problems.



Got them with a coupon for $59.00 each delivered.

Keep one in my garage and one in my haul trailer. No problems so far. Neighbor has the same unit but it says Craftsman on it, same manufacturer as the parts are interchangeable. Save the bucks.... go HF.

Had enough good service with those two that I took the $299 dollar coupon and got this three years ago. Never a problem, though I did take off the crap wheel chalk it had and put the HF gray one for $29 on it.




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No prob with my harbor freight except I wished it was easier to move it around with the bike on it. Hard to push it


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I have a similar jack to what you have pictured. My bike sits on the ground year round. I don't have issues with flat spot on the Dunlops. I don't have problems with the forks or shocks from hanging fully extended all winter .


JMOP
Have 2 Harbor Freight. Ultra & Softtail are on them all winter. I use mine to turn the bikes around and move them all over in their space in the garage. The floor does need to be clean.

I've seen lots of HF jacks none of the guys I know have ever complained about them. Great value for the money.
No prob with my harbor freight except I wished it was easier to move it around with the bike on it. Hard to push it


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Pull the axles of the casters and put a little lower unit grease in them. Or boat trailer water proof bearing grease.

And like the post above. Sweep the floor.
Sweep the floor.
:thumbsup
:sparI have no luck with Harbor freight returned a lot of stuff because of issues:blahblah:Sears sells a better one then the one I have also:)
I have one like yours also. Not sure of brand but it works just fine sits directly under both frame bars under my heritage and ultra. Never had any problems. Had my heritage on it for a couple months 2 winters ago while I did some upgrades to it.
I also have the Harbour Freight jack its now two years old and I leave the bike on it for extended periods of time with no issues. In fact the bike has been up on the jack for three months alreadyand will be there all winter seeing that I'm still laid up with my work injury. It's really been a bummer not being able to ride all year.:mad
Have a Sears Red Jack and a Handy Table, two bikes sit on kickstands all the time one is left on the Handy table over winter. Never had flat spots course the tires are always properly inflated all the time.
Thanks Guys!
I have a 2009 FLHT Electra Glide.
I always make sure the lift is under the frame tubes, it would be a bad idea to try to lift it via the oil pan. While it was on the lift I used a mirror and flashlight to track down the oil drip. It was coming from the oil pan drain plug. I changed the oil putting a new rubber o ring in place and the drip is gone. Thanks again for all the replies and comments.
I've got a similar jack I bought used on craiglist for $50 earleir this year but hadn't contemplated storing the bike on it over the winter. I suppose it would be fine but the bike spent last winter on its jiffy stand with no issues with the tires. Mine are Dunlops as well. I may consider at least elevating it this year a bit to take most of the weight off them though.

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Have the Sears "red" scissor jack. Works well, but the hydraulic jack part only lasted a year and a half, but I was able to buy just the hydraulic unit from jack manufacturer/distributor for around $35.
Doesn't Sears/Craftsman still warranty their tools for life or at least more than 1.5 years?
I have the Sears one and it seems to drop a bit over time. I also have one of the Atlas Cycle Lifts and it holds the Street Glide or HighBall fine for extended periods of time with no flat spots that I notice. Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Motor vehicle Automotive tire



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