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Hydraulic motorcycle lift for GL1800

8809 Views 37 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Hawker22, 
Stephen Johnson
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Hi, :waving:new user..what's the best lift/jack for the GL1800..not forgetting that i live in England Bournemouth to be exact & i would like to purchase one over here as they are to expensive to import.. Cheers Steve.:cool:
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Patch
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jackjohn wrote:
I bought a red one from Sam's Club about three years ago and it has been a life saver. Stabilization has not been a problem. I wish it would go higher but I would only feel secure with my Wing up high on a platform type lift and even the chinese versions of those are over a thousand bucks.
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H.F. sells one for that is $349.99 normally but is on sale for $299.99. Here's a link.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91764
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jackjohn
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Thanks Chris.
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englishted
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Just had a look at that link Chris. Sure is great value for money and it has the drop down flap and wheel chock just like more expensive tables.
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SilverDave
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......  I feel that whether  it costs $85, or $850  its still slightly unstable with  900 lbs up in the air... and you possibly tugging away to remove a tire/forums/images/emoticons/sad.gif...  My '57 Chevy restoring friend has a really expensive  Red Hydraulic Auto  jack.. but he always  uses 4  cheap sturdy squat  jack stands  before he crawls under his cars.. Call me paranoid, but  Hydraulic cylinder jacks CAN fail , and can fail very quickly...no matter how much they cost/forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif......  If my bike is up in the air for more than  the time for an oil change... I safety tie it UP with 6 trailer ties (and 4 "soft ties") , to 6 Eyebolts screwed into the garage ceiling./forums/images/emoticons/cool.gif..  each tiedown, and each eyebolt is rated to 300lbs../forums/images/emoticons/cool.gif and I always test it by lowering the jack about 2 inches...... Wing just swings there , in its "cradle"./forums/images/emoticons/big_grin.gif............ Redundant ? perhaps... but the bike equivalent of "Jack stands ", I think ........... SilverDave/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif
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Eamonn1200
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SilverDave wrote:
...... I feel that whether it costs $85, or $850 its still slightly unstable with 900 lbs up in the air... and you possibly tugging away to remove a tire/forums/images/emoticons/sad.gif... My '57 Chevy restoring friend has a really expensive Red Hydraulic Auto jack.. but he always uses 4 cheap sturdy squat jack stands before he crawls under his cars.. Call me paranoid, but Hydraulic cylinder jacks CAN fail , and can fail very quickly...no matter how much they cost/forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif...... If my bike is up in the air for more than the time for an oil change... I safety tie it UP with 6 trailer ties (and 4 "soft ties") , to 6 Eyebolts screwed into the garage ceiling./forums/images/emoticons/cool.gif.. each tiedown, and each eyebolt is rated to 300lbs../forums/images/emoticons/cool.gif and I always test it by lowering the jack about 2 inches...... Wing just swings there , in its "cradle"./forums/images/emoticons/big_grin.gif............ Redundant ? perhaps... but the bike equivalent of "Jack stands ", I think ...........SilverDave/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif
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Most of those tables andlifts have safety grooves so that if the hydraulic ram fails the most the table or jack will drop is an inch or so.
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Patch
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YES! Both the Craftsman and the H.F. lifts have safety locks on them. Once the lift is up, the safety falls into place and if the jack failed it would only drop enough for the safety to catch. There are several different spots for the safety to catch.
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Patch
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englishted wrote:
Just had a look at that link Chris. Sure is great value for money and it has the drop down flap and wheel chock just like more expensive tables.
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There is a Harbor Freight store just down the street from me and they have one of the lift tables on display. It looks very sturdy and fairly heavy duty. I believe that it is well worth the money if that is what you are looking for.
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SilverDave
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 ...I am worried.. not only about the Bottle Jack  unit failing./forums/images/emoticons/confused.gif. but also the critical bolts at the two corners of the scissor unit...and the whole unit.. even with the tie down straps  holding the bike to the jack... just tipping over whilst I wrestle with a rear tire... The one inch drop till it hits the safety is a good Idea./forums/images/emoticons/big_grin.gif.. but .... we are not working on a 30 lb  lawn mower here ... But then  the nifty thing about the 21st century ??? we all get to enjoy our own paranoia's... SilverDave /forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif
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Stephen Johnson
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Hello All,:waving:

I have listened to all your remarks, cheers.. i found a site called EASYRIZER..over here.. the lift they do looks very interesting it cost about £400 just over... i forget the name they use for it here.. but they are world wide apparently.. the name they use for it in the states is QUASAR'S BIG BLUE.. bit expensive.. but i shall purchase it as soon as fund's become available as it will lift my wing & it can be hung on the wall when not in use.. i recommendhaving a look at it.

:18blue:
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Ruaidh
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SilverDave wrote:
...I am worried.. not only about the Bottle Jack unit failing./forums/images/emoticons/confused.gif. but also the critical bolts at the two corners of the scissor unit...and the whole unit.. even with the tie down straps holding the bike to the jack... just tipping over whilst I wrestle with a rear tire... The one inch drop till it hits the safety is a good Idea./forums/images/emoticons/big_grin.gif.. but .... we are not working on a 30 lb lawn mower here ...But then the nifty thing about the 21st century ??? we all get to enjoy our own paranoia's...SilverDave/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif
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With regards to the "one-inch drop to the safety, you should raise the lift higher than needed, then engage the lock and lower the unit until it stops at the lock. That way you relieve the pressure (somewhat) from the jack and you don't have to worry about "falling" to the safety stop.

I wasn't thrilled thinking about the tilt factor once the bike was lifted but using my Harbor Freight lift, and attempting to control the situation, I rocked Eeyore while on the lift. Rocked both side-to-side and fore-and-aft and while the list moved a little (I hadn't engaged the adjusting bolts that go through the frame of the lift and bite against the floor) it was fairly stable. Granted, it wasn't 2-3 feet in the air but I felt secure with it.

I imagine if I really tried to I could tip it over, but let's try that with someone else's bike. Also, this is merely my experience with this tool. Your results may differ...

Ruaidh
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exavid
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SilverDave wrote:
My '57 Chevy restoring friend has a really expensive Red Hydraulic Auto jack.. but he always uses 4 cheap sturdy squat jack stands before he crawls under his cars..
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Anyone who goes under a car without stands is a fool. All jacks can fail. That said, the equivalent of the jack stand is the safety lock on all the bike jacks I've seen. In fact when I raise my bike on the jack, I bleed off the jack until the lock is firmly engaged. That requires me to give it a pump or two before I can lower it, but it does make things more secure. As for the bolts shearing off, c'mon folks, supported on both ends a short 1/2" bolt could support several Goldwings. So far I haven't seen near as many items in the papers about people being hurt with collapsing bike jacks as I have hurt from riding bikes.
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Patch
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My bike is up on the lift and the lift is engaged in the first stop and the bike tires are approximately 3" off the ground. I have one of the supplied ratcheting straps on to help secure the bike. The lift is very stable without engaging the ground support bolts. I did engage the ground support bolts and it made it even more stable.

I have removed and replaced both front and rear wheels and have had no problems with stability and had absolutely no fear of my bike falling.
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Silverfox
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Stephen Johnson wrote:
Hi, :waving:new user..what's the best lift/jack for the GL1800..not forgetting that i live in England Bournemouth to be exact & i would like to purchase one over here as they are to expensive to import.. Cheers Steve.:cool:
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I am a bit late I know, but I spotted this on ebay today and you may be interested as it is in England. Item number 7991926690.

Hope this might be of help Stephen.

Pete
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jackjohn
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I use my lift from Sam's club regularly and on occaision have leftthe bikeon the jack over night. Once the jack has settled back to the safety latch, it cannot fall further. I have rocked the bike back and forth and side to side, it will rock but would take quite a shove to get it to tip over. As for sheared bolts, I have heard that story before, but never from anyone who has actually seen one. The 1/2 inch bolts do carry the load under a great deal of mechanical disadvantage, but they show no signs of wear let alone shear.
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Hawker22
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For all you other Canucks out there. What do you think of the jack in this week's Crappy Tire flyer? Good sale price?? I may pick one up just in case I get good feedback.

Thanks
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ARKnapp
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Just bought the jack, took it home, ripped off the poorly attached Mastercraft Label. Put the GL1100 on it and took it to the top, locked it in the safety locks and it sits high enough for me to sit in a seat and work on the bike. Rocked it, rolled it around the garage. NO problem. But I did make slight modifications.

I cut up 2-2" x 6" lumber to have the bike sit on the lumber and this keeps the exhaust pipes from taking the weight of the bike. Also the second 2" x 6" is notched to fit between the arch way in the over night stand. I mount the bike on the jack with the main stand holding the bike up, then slide the cut wood into the stand so with both pieces of lumber in place the new jack holds the bike from the frame and not the motor, transmission, or aluminum parts.

At $89.99 + 15% taxes the jack is helpful, I still find I crawl around on the floor but visibility and access is easier. The safety hooks are great and that is what hold the bike up, not oil under squeeze. The included web tie down is OK, it keeps the jack and bike as a unit and as a unit can withstand some rocking. In removal of wheels I would have a buddy (wife) keep a hand on the bike just in case. This will take some getting used to since it sits uo fairly high. I have also tied the whole thing off to the sides of the garage and at that it is very stable.

Storing the jack seems OK, I leave the detachable handle in place. Another fine quality copied product from China. When I examined the whole thing I am still amazed that they can make it for that price, ship it to us, CTC makes its 35% and everyone is happy. Just wait until the Chinese figure it out, who will be our next cheap labour market maker.

As I tell my kids eat up, since there are starving people in China, now I tell them study hard since there are starving people in China and India who want your lifestyle, job, career. The jack is a good tool, just use common sense and use safety, since there is no margin of error, keep the floor clean and remember a lot of garage floors have a 1/4" run off to the foot so a loaded jack on wheels can roll.
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stretrod48
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These jacks are great but must be used safely and with common sense or you could get hurt bad or die undera bike!!:chopper:
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Hawker22
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ARKnapp wrote:
Just bought the jack, took it home, ripped off the poorly attached Mastercraft Label. Put the GL1100 on it and took it to the top, locked it in the safety locks and it sits high enough for me to sit in a seat and work on the bike. Rocked it, rolled it around the garage. NO problem. But I did make slight modifications.

I cut up 2-2" x 6" lumber to have the bike sit on the lumber and this keeps the exhaust pipes from taking the weight of the bike. Also the second 2" x 6" is notched to fit between the arch way in the over night stand. I mount the bike on the jack with the main stand holding the bike up, then slide the cut wood into the stand so with both pieces of lumber in place the new jack holds the bike from the frame and not the motor, transmission, or aluminum parts.

At $89.99 + 15% taxes the jack is helpful, I still find I crawl around on the floor but visibility and access is easier. The safety hooks are great and that is what hold the bike up, not oil under squeeze. The included web tie down is OK, it keeps the jack and bike as a unit and as a unit can withstand some rocking. In removal of wheels I would have a buddy (wife) keep a hand on the bike just in case. This will take some getting used to since it sits uo fairly high. I have also tied the whole thing off to the sides of the garage and at that it is very stable.

Storing the jack seems OK, I leave the detachable handle in place. Another fine quality copied product from China. When I examined the whole thing I am still amazed that they can make it for that price, ship it to us, CTC makes its 35% and everyone is happy. Just wait until the Chinese figure it out, who will be our next cheap labour market maker.

As I tell my kids eat up, since there are starving people in China, now I tell them study hard since there are starving people in China and India who want your lifestyle, job, career. The jack is a good tool, just use common sense and use safety, since there is no margin of error, keep the floor clean and remember a lot of garage floors have a 1/4" run off to the foot so a loaded jack on wheels can roll.
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Thanks for that very thorough report. I now have one of those jacks, still in the box out in my garage. I do have one problem in that my garage floor, although very smooth, has a large slope toward the center drain so I can wash the car inside in the winter. The guy who floated my floor got a bit carried away in the slope, but you know what they say. It is now cast in concrete. So I will have to be extra vigilant for runaway bikes.LOL

Thanks
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