Harbour Freight 1200 lb Table Lift

[vtwin88]

Hello Everyone,

I'm considering buying the Harbour Freight 1200 lb Table Lift for my 05 Road King.  The concerns i have with the lift
are length and stability.  I recall reading a bunch of threads on Harbour Freight lifts on the old board but i'm not sure
it was this model.  Most of the web search results were metric cuiser related with complaints being the lift is too short.
Any opinions provided good or bad will be appreciated.

Thanks, Rob

[truck]

This might help you.

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/displayItemList.do?search.keyword=motorcycle+lift

I have the 1000# lift and my Ultra fits nicely.

[buzzurd]

I have 2 of the 1000lb. table lifts.1 is the air over hydralic and the other is the manual foot operated.Have not had any problem getting any bikes on them.It will obviously be to short for a chopper but stock bikes will fit no problem.Picked up my 88 FLHTC with no problem.The manual operated lift will require a different front wheel vise.The one that comes with it is a POS.Bought one on ebay for $35 and drilled new holes and mounted.
Buzzurd

[Big Dan]

I was given the 1000 pound model as a gift. It handles my Ultra with no problems. I replaced the wheel vise with the auto-locking wheel chock, which allows me to easily put the bike on the lift by myself. The only drawback to that, is that I can no longer service the front wheel on the lift. I use a bike jack for that. Maybe Truck will post a pic of the "outriggers" he made for his. A very wise move.

[truck]

[Tre_11 FLHX]

I looked at the link that Truck posted, looks like a decent lift.  One thing I did not see was the price.  Maybe I missed it,  does it cost?

Thanks,
Mike

[03deuce]

If you go to the Harbor Freight website and search for motorcycle lifts it will show the price. 
P.S.  They have a 20% off coupon that is good for 3 days, I believe 26-28 Dec.  Find it with a google search.

[HogBob]

I have the 1000 lb. lift and made side boards like Truck's for convenience when driving up, backing off or just parking the bike with the sidestand down. Works great with mu Ultra. I added a few extra tiedown eyebolts for convenience and use a scissor jack to raise the back or front wheel. Attached photo shows the front wheel clamp with my Dyna but it also works with the Ultra and the C Clamp is just extra insurance.

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[FSG]

I have a similar lift and suggest you put some 2 x 2 x 1/4 "plate or similar under those adjustable pins, it'll spread the weight some and reduce damage to the concrete.

[truck]

I also did like HogBob and moved the tie down attachment points foreword to be about parallel with the forks.

[03deuce]

Is the hand/foot pump model ok, or is it worth the extra money to go for the air lift model?

[bigblock6912]

harbor freight #'s 94121&94813 both have the good front wheel vises. if you're near a harbor freight you can order from the store and have it shipped to store. you pick up from store no cost for shipping. fairly well made units. sturdy

[d-dog]

Sometimes the store price is higher than the webpage price.  If so, you can bring a printout of the webpage, and they'll give you that price.
Dog

[mark61]

   I too have the foot operated table. I bolted on some 1 1/2"x 1 1/2" angle iron  toi the under side then some 2"x6" on the sides for the kick stand  but more importantly so I can park and lift the lawn mower tractor on it. Makes dealing with that slow ride a lot easier! No more laying round on the floor cleaning/changing belts and or any thing else! Works good!


mark61

[truck]

   I too have the foot operated table. I bolted on some 1 1/2"x 1 1/2" angle iron  toi the under side then some 2"x6" on the sides for the kick stand  but more importantly so I can park and lift the lawn mower tractor on it. Makes dealing with that slow ride a lot easier! No more laying round on the floor cleaning/changing belts and or any thing else! Works good!


mark61

Do have any pictures?

[northbrun]

I have one of the 1200lb lifts. It works great for me.. operates on compressed air lifts my springer with no problem with about a 50lb air supply. the wheel vice works well. and this is the only lift (I beleave) that will accept table side extensions. cost $579.99 online, and not availabel in stores. look for cupons and or sales..

[fattyboy3]

I bought one from Complete Hydraulics. 1500 # and 110" long 24" with optional side trays. Really nice, works for my chopper and SG also $699. Very pleased, air powered with foot control.

[sandrooney]

579.00... If I remember correctly I only paid 500.00 for my Handy lift, but that was 8 years ago. They couldnt have gone up that much. I would at least check it out. The Handy is a great lift, very stable.
SR

[Old Crow]

579.00... If I remember correctly I only paid 500.00 for my Handy lift, but that was 8 years ago. They couldnt have gone up that much. I would at least check it out. The Handy is a great lift, very stable.
SR

Depends on what you mean by a lot.  http://www.handyindustries.com/shop/subdepartment_view.asp?D=1&page=2&S=21

[sandrooney]

HOLY MOLY!!!!!! I guess they did go up. Makes that HF lift look real good.
SR

[hdxlr8r]

http://www.broadwaylifts.com/Motorcycle_Lifts_s/3.htm

This is a better price.   

[HogBob]

Sir Garfield,
A good suggestion to save my garage floor. Thanks!

Bob

[hotham]

I have the 1000 lb model.  It works great for my needs.  The drop out rear section is a help when changing a rear tire.  I bought a Viking front tire clamp and I have a pallet jack for raising the rear tire.  I found one of their coupon deals for $299.  Paid $60 freight which was perfect, as we live out in the country.  The truck driver had a large pallet jack he used to roll it into my garage.  Keep in mind that these jacks weigh over 400 lbs.  A real deal for the home work shop.

[Tom]

FYI, Handy does build a cheaper hobby or homeowner lift for $595 and it's made in USA

http://www.handyindustries.com/shop/product_view.asp?idProduct=1153&D=6&S=0

[vtwin88]

Thanks for all of the info folks.  I like that Handy Lift but it doesn't have the rear wheel door,  the model with
the door is a couple hundred bucks more.  I buy US whenever possible but in this case the budget won't allow
it with the options i want.  I was leanin' more toward the HF 1200 LB lift, it has the door and optional side extensions,
the vise and dolly are included.  According to the two local stores in my area it can be ordered and shipped to either
store with no shipping cost.  The side extensions are internet order only which is crap but i have no choice, i could
make them at work but i'll have almost as much cash invested after paying for material and powder coat.  It won't
get weekly use let alone daily so i hope it holds up.  I have a couple of winter projects i need to do and i'm tired
and too damn old to be laying on the floor.  Again many thanks for taking the time to respond! the photos and links
are great!

Regards, Rob

[PoorUB]

Vtwin, have you considered the Direct Lift? http://www.directlift.com/ Warehouses in several states to avoid shipping. I bought the Procycle with drop tail, andside extensions and think it is a very nice lift for the money.

[shoveled71]

I bought mine last year while they were on sale for 279.95, had a 15% off coupon, have a HB store about 40 miles from home, picked it up myself for about 250.00, best investment this old man made. Spike

[HDRDR]

I bought mine last year while they were on sale for 279.95, had a 15% off coupon, have a HB store about 40 miles from home, picked it up myself for about 250.00, best investment this old man made. Spike

Very nice for the money looks good so does the ride

[mark61]

Do have any pictures?

As you can see I bolted the angle to the under side of the table with 1/4" carrage bolts then bolted the 2x6 to the angle. I welded an extention on the pump lever to clear the addition. Release lever works fine as is.

mark61

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[Reddog74usa]

I guess if your only gonna use it once in a while the HF lift is ok. I went with a handy as it's 10 times better quality and a lot more stable. Plus I helped keep an American in a job.  The HF lift is a China made unit. i would compare them in person before you part with your money.

[marty59]

Just used my HF 1000# model for the first time this weekend - a nice Christmas present for myself. Just ordered a new front wheel clamp and scissor jack both delivered for $135 as a nice addition.
http://www.weliftmotorcycles.com/MotorcycleClamp.htm

Marty

[truck]

Just used my HF 1000# model for the first time this weekend - a nice Christmas present for myself. Just ordered a new front wheel clamp and scissor jack both delivered for $135 as a nice addition.
http://www.weliftmotorcycles.com/MotorcycleClamp.htm

Marty

That's the scissor jack I use too. I don't use the drop out panel when I remove the rear wheel, I just get everything loosened up then jack the bike up high enough to shimmy the wheel out.

[smittyon66]

I have the manual HB lift. One advantage it has for the homeowner is that you can move the lift with the bike on it.
In the winter I park the bike on it, turn it 90 degrees, and can park a car behind it.

[Molly]

I started out with the same Chinese made lift as the one shown here but just didn't trust it with the Road King. In the end I bought a Handy one (they do a lift for the home handyman which costs less than the pro lift - though doesn't have the wheel drop-out plate). One word of caution though, the wheel vise on my Handy lift fitted badly and took a lot of shimming with washers before it'd hold the bike bolt upright. Two years later I'm still trying to get them to replace it (my local agent is less than helpful).

My advice? Skip the Chinese one but find an alternative to the Handy lift too.

[fatboy]

  What happened to the "build your own" one, that someone posted a while back? It was built out of 2x10 and was three pieces that sepparated. They had put up the dim's. and material - can't seem to find it.

[FSG]

This one ? Click the thumbnails.

By mokeypoole of HTT

Here is the box and I was the original builder.  I used 2 x 12 boards 8 foot for the sides.  The top is made of 4 2 x 10's.  There are 2 x 12's underneath the frame for support.  The front section is 24 inches long, the middle is about 42 inches long and the rear is 30.  I am using these dimensions from my head so make sure there is at least 42 inches between your wheels before you make the middle section (if you have a sportster, it may be a little shorter and you could make the section 40 inches instead)

[Reddog74usa]

Wow Molly. I never heard of that situation with a Handy. My wheel vise and all the other acc. fit perfectly and bolted right on. I did get the pro series with the front and side extentions. they all fit right up. In fact I didn't know they even offered a home use unit.

[fatboy]

Thanks, Fatboy_SirGarfield
Thats was the one.

[HogBob]

Attached (I hope) are photos of my Harbor Freight lift with the minor mods I made to the anemic front wheel clamp. The picyures were taken with my Dyna on the lift, but it works equally well with my Eltra Classic. As shown, I added channel iron extensions lined with wood to grasp the wheel tighter and welded a nut on the clamp wheel so I can use an air wrench or a rachet to tighten/loosen it. Works well for me.

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[nubs77]

I just bought a direct pro lift from http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/.
Very nice if you call them they will let it go for 595.00. I was able to pick mine up for 636.00 with taxes. THE PLUS IS THAT IT IS AN AMERICAN OWEND COMPANY.

[PoorUB]

I just bought a direct pro lift from http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/.
Very nice if you call them they will let it go for 595.00. I was able to pick mine up for 636.00 with taxes. THE PLUS IS THAT IT IS AN AMERICAN OWEND COMPANY.

Hate to burst your bubble, but the Direct Lift is made over seas! It is a nice lift though, I have one too!

[nubs77]

Thanks, they told me that it a made in the usa. I will have to call them.