Anybody own a Pitbull Motorcycle lift??
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 3
From: Montclair, CA.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,480
Likes: 25
From: Santa Fe NM
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,970
Likes: 900
From: Omaha
When I first read this thread I just knew instead of only "pitbull" responses this was going to turn out to be a "jack" comparison thread.
Business is a little slow today, so I'll jump into the fire.
I will assume you don't have any jack now.
Here's my opinion:
Harbor Freight steel/Sears Red Jack:
Pros: solid frame, low price (~$90), fairly stable, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, cheap bottle jack, limited warranty, weight makes it difficult to hang on the wall
Harbor Freight aluminum/Sears Yellow Jack:
Pros: fairly stable, light weight, can easily be hung on the wall, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, seems a bit to lightweight, medium priced (~$180), cheap bottle jack, limited warranty
Pitbull:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (~$500), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
JS Jacks:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (on sale now for $400), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
Final conclusion:
In my opinion the Sears red jack is the best jack out there for the average user. I had that jack for a year and had absolutely no problems with it. The primary issue I had was that it was just too heavy to hang on the wall, but that's what made it so stable. I came across a Sears yellow jack for $65 and couldn't pass up the deal. After comparing the red to the yellow, I sold the red for $50 only because I could easily hang the yellow jack out of the way however I do miss the stability of the red jack. If money and floor space wasn't an issue; based on all the reviews I'd buy the JS Jacks.
So getting back the original question; if I could get either the JS Jack or Pitbull for ~$200 I'd have to buy either. For more than $200, I'd stick with the Sears red jack.
Business is a little slow today, so I'll jump into the fire.
I will assume you don't have any jack now.
Here's my opinion:
Harbor Freight steel/Sears Red Jack:
Pros: solid frame, low price (~$90), fairly stable, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, cheap bottle jack, limited warranty, weight makes it difficult to hang on the wall
Harbor Freight aluminum/Sears Yellow Jack:
Pros: fairly stable, light weight, can easily be hung on the wall, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, seems a bit to lightweight, medium priced (~$180), cheap bottle jack, limited warranty
Pitbull:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (~$500), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
JS Jacks:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (on sale now for $400), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
Final conclusion:
In my opinion the Sears red jack is the best jack out there for the average user. I had that jack for a year and had absolutely no problems with it. The primary issue I had was that it was just too heavy to hang on the wall, but that's what made it so stable. I came across a Sears yellow jack for $65 and couldn't pass up the deal. After comparing the red to the yellow, I sold the red for $50 only because I could easily hang the yellow jack out of the way however I do miss the stability of the red jack. If money and floor space wasn't an issue; based on all the reviews I'd buy the JS Jacks.
So getting back the original question; if I could get either the JS Jack or Pitbull for ~$200 I'd have to buy either. For more than $200, I'd stick with the Sears red jack.
Last edited by Bluraven; Mar 12, 2014 at 09:54 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
I had a Pitbull for my street glide, very stable and easy to roll it around with bike on it. But what I found out is I only used it a handful of times a year, and the rest of year had to store it , and it is heavy as Hell and takes up a ton of space. For my new fatboy I just went and bought harbor freight one last week for $59. Does not look bad for price . This time around $59 sounded better than $500 as much as I use mine. I am not planing on jumping all over bike when on lift.
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 205
Likes: 1
From: Brevard NC
Check out this comparison between the 3 jacks(Pitbull, J & S and Harbor Freight) good info in it.... click the link, its a 10 minute video but gives a lot of info on the 3....
Motorcycle Lift Comparison - YouTube
Motorcycle Lift Comparison - YouTube
I have a J&S, and it's everything they say it is. When not in use, I just roll it under the workbench, tighten the brake, and that's that
But no matter what jack ya have, here is a tip..When leaving your bike elevated on the jack, make sure you engage the safety bars and release the pressure off the jack...I usually release just enough pressure to relieve the stress from the jack, but then re tighten it so that its a last ditch effort in case something else fails and the jack starts to decend on it's own
Last edited by Bloozmann; Mar 12, 2014 at 07:55 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 726
Likes: 3
From: Pacific Northwest
No issues with my $50 Harbor Freight jack. My Deluxe is somewhat lighter than the touring model in the video, but I haven't experienced the bouncing around shown on the video and I can move the bike around on the jack just fine.
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Supporter
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 1
From: Farmingdale, New York
I know quite a few people that own the Harbor Freight jack and have had no problems with it at all, I must have just got a bad one.............
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,205
Likes: 3
From: Mebane, NC
Just to bring a little clarity. I have a Red Craftsman Jack and it suits me fine. I have a chance to buy a Pitbull and was looking for opinions. I looked at them today in Daytona and I need to find out exactly which model he has. The Dyna (wider model) wold probably suit me better because it is wider and would allow me to drop my Shotgun Shock when servicing. It wi;ll have to be the right thing for the right price for me to buy it. Thanks for the replies so far.