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I have had J&S jackls, and yea they were great especially the oil pan catcher. A few times the bottle jack leaked, but nothing crazy and unsafe..They always took care of me, when they were still around. Gave the J&S away, as part of a deal..Regret it. but not the end of the world...
Got a black widow lift for my '24 road glide and Goldwing...Does a great job in raising, lowering, and stability. Maybe just a little less as good as the j&S....but never had any issues. Assembling was so--so but take your time
I was shocked to see the OTC price range $340-$475....similar to the retail price of my J&S back in 2015. Not sure what the distance is between the lifting rails or how secure the safety latch and notches are compared to the J&S but overall not that bad a jack. I do like that it's only about 3.5" tall so it should slide under even the lowest frame.
I lowered my King 1" front and rear because, well, because I need to touch the ground. The OTC was a consideration for that, but the J&S slides under just fine. The J&S stops when it touches the frame on the jiffy stand side but plenty of room on the jack pad rails.
Some on here mention not moving the bike when on the jack, but for me the bike is very stable on the J&S due to the wider rails. It's a nice convenience moving it around the garage to get the cars in or I can just ride in, jack up the bike and spin it around ready for the next ride.
I lowered my King 1" front and rear because, well, because I need to touch the ground. The OTC was a consideration for that, but the J&S slides under just fine. The J&S stops when it touches the frame on the jiffy stand side but plenty of room on the jack pad rails.
Some on here mention not moving the bike when on the jack, but for me the bike is very stable on the J&S due to the wider rails. It's a nice convenience moving it around the garage to get the cars in or I can just ride in, jack up the bike and spin it around ready for the next ride.
I just put 2 inch lowering blocks on my FLHTP. That solo seat sits quite a bit above the frame. I may end up dropping the front an inch but that won't be determined until riding season.
I've always been comfortable with how stable our bikes have been on the old Craftsman and the Auto Zone jacks. I have no problem wheeling the bikes around, but I tend to do that in the lowest detent of the locking bar.
If I'm doing something a bit more involved like an entire exhaust I'll use the lift table.
Do you ROLL the HF model around once it's got your StreetGlide raised off the floor? If so, how easily does it move all around and do you feel it's stable? The J&S is rock solid (no flex, no wobble, fully balanced and can roll smoothly and easily).
I dont make a habit of it, but yeah a few times.
Sometimes bike repairs have taken longer than expected and I'd roll it back outta the way so mama can park her SUV in the garage for the night. Rolls fine and plenty stable, though I personally lock out the lift arms and dont solely rely on the jack to hold it overnight (not that it wouldn't, just cya).
Getting a J&S is cool, but just saying if you're doing stuff like driving hours or waiting indefinitely for a J&S, there's easier options available. We all know HF has hits & misses, but their jacks have never been a miss for myself.
I have a old jack that I got from the recommendation of a indy HD shop. This was before the internet so information on what to look for, etc was difficult to get so I figured the rec from the Indy shop would be good.
It is definitely not a J&S jack, looks like some of those craftman or whitney jack. I think it came from Dennis Kirk if I remember correctly. Back of my mind says it is a "Big Red" jack.
While the J&S jack has some features that would be beneficial, I am posting for those that are having problems getting the jack under the bike in the first place to lift it up. My Jack needs 5 inches of clearance to slide under the bike.
Non of my Harleys I have owned have I been able to slide the jack under the bike either on the Jiffy Stand or held up vertical. With that being said, I went and got a 2x12x12 treated board from the lumber store, cut it into three 2 foot 8 inch pieces, and chamfered the edges 45 degrees to make ramps and place one in front of each tire and the third where the Jiffy stand will be. Then I simply drive the bike up on the boards and lift the bike from there.
Hope this helps those of us who are vertically challenged and have lowered our bikes to ride safely.
Non of my Harleys I have owned have I been able to slide the jack under the bike either on the Jiffy Stand or held up vertical. With that being said, I went and got a 2x12x12 treated board from the lumber store, cut it into three 2 foot 8 inch pieces, and chamfered the edges 45 degrees to make ramps and place one in front of each tire and the third where the Jiffy stand will be. Then I simply drive the bike up on the boards and lift the bike from there.
Hope this helps those of us who are vertically challenged and have lowered our bikes to ride safely.
Regards,
Crankster
In post #33 I basically said the same thing. Ride up on wood to lift the bike.
About casters on the lift to move the bike. My EazyRizer doesn't have them. I position the bike so I can get around it if the bike has to stay on the lift a few days. I don't need to move it.
Bylynbob I agree look for a used dunwel Jack.l bought mine 26 years ago. And it has lifted everything for my ultra to a Sportster. I did have to change the bottle jack and wheels last year. But it was a easy repair. It's 4 inches off the ground and 18 inches apart at the lift supports. Bought it in Daytona and they shipped it to my house on Long Island 26 years ago for $390. I use c-clamps hold the bike frame to the jack
safety is Paramount especially when working alone . You can push an ultra around in a garage all day long on this Jack
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