DIY Bike Lift/Stand Thing... cheap, portable, effective

[shmike]

Originally Posted by G-Rex

To each their own, but you couldn't pay me to put my motorcycles on that thing.

LOL. To each their own. Let's compare:

http://www.handyindustries.com/produ...-1000-air-lift

Originally Posted by G-Rex

I have the same lift as Gas Man, and it works great. I would never trust my bikes on that thing, personally.

I'm not sure what lift you guys have but I chose the Handy Standard 1000 for comparison. It has about the same size work area and height and it's a bargain at only $1000!

Originally Posted by G-Rex

There are problems galore with that thing from an Engineering point of view. Sure, it's cheap and easily accessible, but how cheap is it going to be when your bike falls off and you are replacing plastic and other bits because the bike fell over from almost 2 feet in the air.

I have about $50 invested in mine (Not including a store credit of about $50 at Home Depot). So , when my bike falls off, it will still be $50 or about $950 cheaper than if my bike fell off the Handy stand above. That $950 could buy me 2 sets of body work, painted.

The Handy stand is 25% taller when at full height, so we have to assume the damage is 25% worse, right?

Originally Posted by G-Rex

The thing has a decent footprint on one end, but not on the other? What happens if you strap your bike to that thing and start really cranking down on something in the wrong direction?

The foot print is 24" at the narrowest point and 48" at the widest point. You could put the wide slat at the front, middle or rear. I've actually thought about cutting the 48" piece down to 24" as it seems to be good for nothing but catching my knees as I walk around it.

The Handy stand is 24" wide at the platform, so it's foot print is < 24" at it's WIDEST point.

I'm not sure why you'd crank something in the wrong direction but if you do, I'd have to imagine my 48" wide stand would be nearly as stable as your 24" stand.

Originally Posted by G-Rex

Nevermind the fact that it's not a one-man operation. Hold the bike at that height on the platform and then put a rearstand under it? I don't think so.

I am but one man and I put the bike on and take it off the stand/box each time. Putting it on the rear stand is quite easy, I just have to make sure the rear stand is within reach or I'm screwed!

Originally Posted by G-Rex

I like how the guy says *no slop*, but really?? We're talking plywood here. Schmike, if you built that, does it have *any* slop at all? I find it hard to believe that thing is as sturdy as claimed.

Yes, we are talking 3/4 inch plywood, the same stuff used for boat building and the floor of high-end race trailers.

I guess slop would depend on your slat tolerances. Mine are fairly snug. There is certainly some slop in the frame part ( I could push the rectangle into a more "diamond" shape) until the top plank is in place. Once it's there, the 1x2's do a good job of keeping everything square. The weight of the bike actually helps to make the whole thing more snug/stable.

I think it's funny that nobody thinks twice about throwing their bike on a rear stand and wrenching on it. However, put bike on that rear stand on a wooden box 10" wider than the rear stand and all of the sudden, the bike is at risk of tumbling over!

[Gas Man]

Well I had about $1150 into my lift when I bought it. But it's 4' wide and 8' long. Steel and has a 1000# capacity. Sure it was a bunch of money but it will last virtually forever. I have had more bikes on it than I can count. Then I went and spent about $350 on a condor chaulk to swap out the front wheel vise... allot of money? Sure, but it's in the tools as they always say... the lift is probably my most used tool and I love love love it.

That being said, here's a table that a guy on my site made...
http://www.twowheelmichigan.com/show...727-Bike-table

It is a bunch less engineering... still worked for him.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

Well I had about $1150 into my lift when I bought it. But it's 4' wide and 8' long. Steel and has a 1000# capacity. Sure it was a bunch of money but it will last virtually forever. I have had more bikes on it than I can count. Then I went and spent about $350 on a condor chaulk to swap out the front wheel vise... allot of money? Sure, but it's in the tools as they always say... the lift is probably my most used tool and I love love love it.

That being said, here's a table that a guy on my site made...
http://www.twowheelmichigan.com/show...727-Bike-table

It is a bunch less engineering... still worked for him.

Things like this make me feel really silly for not thinking of it myself.

[Gas Man]

I got some slick guys on my site...