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Having read through this thread, I will definitely be adding side extensions to my Harbor Freight lift. Gonna make some out of 2X12's. Just have to decide whether they will be attached or free standing. Decisions Decisions
Do as you wish. I damn sure wouldnt want the bike to be a foot further away from me when working on it.
So to that end, any extension I might add would be a slip on so I could quickly and easily remove it.
Do as you wish. I damn sure wouldnt want the bike to be a foot further away from me when working on it.
So to that end, any extension I might add would be a slip on so I could quickly and easily remove it.
Guess I should have been more clear. I don't know whether I will build something that will sit on the floor next to the lift while in use. or something that will attach while in use. Either way...it will be something I can move out of the way
I have the SAM 1200, not sure if it would be ok for a Tri Glide (which will be showing up in my garage soon).
Mine is the Air lift 1200. I will lift my Triglide but requires the air compressor to be at full power to fully extend.
Here is a picture from today when I did a bunch of upgrades that I have been gathering during the riding months. Since it was rainy today I tackled all of them! Check out the "What did you do to your TriGlide today" thread.
Guess I should have been more clear. I don't know whether I will build something that will sit on the floor next to the lift while in use. or something that will attach while in use. Either way...it will be something I can move out of the way
I have the black widow with the side extension, In most cases it isnt that big of a deal to have the bike a little further from you. I can remove my sides if I need to but usually like the extra room for parts and tools.
My K&L lift was just too narrow to guarantee getting both feet down on the lift while riding my bagger up on the lift.
I bought a set of the side extensions, which were quite wide in my narrow shop. They caused minor issues with moving around the lift table, and also kept me a tad too far away from the bike while doing some work. But they took all the "fear" out of the bike going over on it's side while riding it up on the table..
I struggled with what to do for a couple years, then broke out the metal saw.... I narrowed the side extensions by about 60% of their width. I could still attach the side ramps if needed, but the side extensions were now much smaller...
The shortened extensions are great for allowing me to plant my feet firmly on the table when riding a bike up on the table, they don't keep me too far away while working on the bike, and are great for holding tools and parts...
Full width extensions:
Extensions after being narrowed:
Last edited by hattitude; Dec 31, 2022 at 08:18 PM.
I have the handy lift and a set of extensions for it. Put me in with the the camp of people who don't like working on a bike with them on. Too much bending over.
The only time I use them is with a quad.
Did something similar to what GalvTexGuy did, but added some angle iron to hold the 2x6's in place while I slide the two 1" black pipes thru the 1" two hole conduit straps, (that I had to open up just a taste so the pipe slides nice and easy). I put the extensions on, ride the bike up nice and easy, strap the bike down, slide the pipes out, and remove the 2x6's. That way I'm right up on top of the bike with my little T-Rex arms, lol...... DEFINITELY a lot more comfortable riding that 850 lb bike up on that lift while weighing in at 150 lbs, lol! Then I just put them back on to ride the bike off.
Last edited by MotoJockey; Dec 31, 2022 at 09:43 PM.
I also bought 2 of these little ramps that I put in front of some other 2x6's and put this setup in front of, and under, the approach ramp. I also laid some large grit adhesive friction strips on the ramp for the tires to grip to. (You can see the tape in the 1st pic of my last post). That helped a lot as well. The sheetrock screws are to help hold the wood from sliding under the ramp as the front tire hits it. .......
Last edited by MotoJockey; Dec 31, 2022 at 09:44 PM.
Did something similar to what GalvTexGuy did, but added some angle iron to hold the 2x6's in place while I slide the two 1" black pipes thru the 1" two hole conduit straps, (that I had to open up just a taste so the pipe slides nice and easy). I put the extensions on, ride the bike up nice and easy, strap the bike down, slide the pipes out, and remove the 2x6's. That way I'm right up on top of the bike with my little T-Rex arms, lol...... DEFINITELY a lot more comfortable riding that 850 lb bike up on that lift while weighing in at 150 lbs, lol! Then I just put them back on to ride the bike off.
That is a good design you have made there. The HF lift is always a work in progress as have made a number of mods to mine.
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