Titan motorcycle lift, anyone have them? Quality? Mid grade Chinese?

[concours]

I'm looking to buy a lift, HF looks really cheesy, Handy is great but, $$$. Anyone using these? http://nhproequip.com/products/detai...otorcycle-lift

[Wolfgang55]

I have a HF MC lift. A word to the wise, every grease fitting I tried to use has snapped off when I tried to lube the points. Going to remove these & replace w/ US fittings.
Have to say that I have never felt metal so soft & these are fittings ment to take the regular female nozzle from a hand grease gun. This is just BS.

I was only doing this cause I think it is my part to keep the equipment working.

The unit gets a workout on the easy scale only.

Most of my riding buds enjoy using it to save their knees & a reason for a little social gathering......how many riders does it take to clean an oil filter?

[concours]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang55

I have a HF MC lift. A word to the wise, every grease fitting I tried to use has snapped off when I tried to lube the points. Going to remove these & replace w/ US fittings.
Have to say that I have never felt metal so soft & these are fittings ment to take the regular female nozzle from a hand grease gun. This is just BS.

I was only doing this cause I think it is my part to keep the equipment working.

The unit gets a workout on the easy scale only.

Most of my riding buds enjoy using it to save their knees & a reason for a little social gathering......how many riders does it take to clean an oil filter?

Yup, that's my beef with the whole Chinese junk scene. Too shitty to even work a little.

[divotdm]

This is the one I have

http://equiptool.com/i-365780-ranger...heel-vise.html

Ranger is a brand of BendPak. Though I think the lift is from China with their name on it. It comes with tons of accessories and raises up higher than most. I have used just about every weekend for 2 years with no problems. It has 4 casters that raise to roll it around, a cable actuated lock, the reversible side extensions, air or foot pump, Half way decent wheel vise, rear tire cutout that slides into the platform and rear support bars. The only complaint I have with it is the "powder coat" Not a quality paint job.


Thanks,
Dave

[ScottV]

Get the HF and don't look back. Yes it's made in China, yes the grease fittings suck. For the price you can't beat it. I love mine between the sale price + 20% off coupon = cheap and functional. Oh yeah the wheel vise sucks too, just buy the wheel chock HF sells and bolt it on.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb...ift-91764.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-96349.html

[racer1735]

Yep, buy four grease fittings and the HF Condor knoock-off wheel stop. Replace the wheel stops hardware with stuff you buy at the hardware store and you have a set-up that is very well made for right around $350.

[sperz1]

I picked up the assorted pack of fittings (from HF) when I bought my trailer and have yet to have one fail.

The stock fittings on the trailer and the table lift are terrible.

[sporthog93]

watch craigslist you can pick up a handy lift for 500 to 700, I have 4 currently, one is over 30 years old. The old airbag model, not my favorite but it is better than a chinese pos.

I did look at Greg Smith Automotive equipment website, they have a warehouse in New Hampshire, i don't have one of their lifts but do have a tire machine that has been decent.

[Guy Young]

Originally Posted by concours

I'm looking to buy a lift, HF looks really cheesy, Handy is great but, $$$. Anyone using these? http://nhproequip.com/products/detai...otorcycle-lift

That looks like a very similar the Panther lift I got, which came with the vise and a bar on the fixed end that widens out the footprint to make it more stable. The Pather's pricing is a little less than "yours," but yours includes free shipping. I picked mine up at the trucking company to eliminate the tailgate fee. Definately a heavy sucker.....

I just ordered the 12" side extensions for mine... hoping they'll be in this week.

One thing the Panther does not have is the tow bar to move it around. I've already planned on welding on that attachment once the dust settles a little in the garage.

[mark883]

Originally Posted by concours

I'm looking to buy a lift, HF looks really cheesy, Handy is great but, $$$. Anyone using these? http://nhproequip.com/products/detai...otorcycle-lift

Looks a lot like mine. Don't remember the brand, bought in Indy, I'm pretty sure its a Taiwan or Chinese import, reasonably well built, probably better than a HF. I think its basically a Handy ripoff.

Air cylinder is a bit jerky going up, but nothing too scary. I've left an BMW R1100GS and Harley Heritage Sofatail on them overnight, and they were still upright and in the same position, when I returned.

Being short and kinda skinny, I should have got the width extensions, to make it safer / easier to walk/ride/push a bike up and down the lift.

Just parking on the unelevated lift makes it easier to work on a bike.

[Guy Young]

Originally Posted by mark883

Looks a lot like mine. Don't remember the brand, bought in Indy, I'm pretty sure its a Taiwan or Chinese import, reasonably well built, probably better than a HF. I think its basically a Handy ripoff.

Air cylinder is a bit jerky going up, but nothing too scary. I've left an BMW R1100GS and Harley Heritage Sofatail on them overnight, and they were still upright and in the same position, when I returned.

Being short and kinda skinny, I should have got the width extensions, to make it safer / easier to walk/ride/push a bike up and down the lift.

Just parking on the unelevated lift makes it easier to work on a bike.

I'm not particularily short (6' 1-1/2" on a good day), but my age and some injuries has left me not quite "weak," but we're not far from it. That's the very reason I decided to get the extensions for my Panther. If you ride a bike up (yeah I know, a no-no), you have no where to plant a foot.... except another X inches down to the floor. In addition, there is really not enough width to set the sidestand pad until you get the bike situated in the vise. Found that out when I put my KLR up just to try it out. I've also ordered a roll of abrasive non-slip material to put in strategic places on the lift ramp. This will eliminate a wheel (and foot) from trying to slide away from you should it be wet, or you have hit a patch of oil somewhere in the garage. These ramps are coated with a smooth paint, and I know they'll be slick as Hades if not bone dry.

[bwringer]

Originally Posted by Guy Young;14914380[URL="http://gbyoung2.smugmug.com/Family/Garage-Project/11686385_YA8pi#1143772130_2pDqf-A-LB"

[/URL]

I think there are a lot of these lifts sold in different colors and brand names. That lift looks identical to mine, which also looks identical to the lift in the first post:

Here's mine, from Complete Hydraulic just south of Indy:
(Yes, I know there are several things wrong in this photo. Shut up. This was when we were setting it up -- the air line has since been moved, the position of the bike corrected, etc. and so on.)


Anyhoo, these lifts are DEFINITELY made in China (or maybe Taiwan). The crate it came in had Chinese writing in various places, and it had Chinese shipping tags.

On Complete Hydraulic's web site, they don't address the issue. I've seen other vendors of the same lift attempt to claim that assembling or painting the lifts here makes them US-made.

Does that automatically make it a shitty lift? No, it does not. Political crap aside, it's a stable, high-quality, well-made piece of equipment at a reasonable price and I can get parts (and support) if needed from a local supplier. The grease fittings are not Harbor Freight's crap, by the way.

Here's some interesting info from another local lift seller (Greg Smith Co.) regarding Asian manufacturing:
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Articles.asp?ID=148

[Guy Young]

Originally Posted by bwringer

I think there are a lot of these lifts sold in different colors and brand names. That lift looks identical to mine, which also looks identical to the lift in the first post:

Here's mine, from Complete Hydraulic just south of Indy:
(Yes, I know there are several things wrong in this photo. Shut up. This was when we were setting it up -- the air line has since been moved, the position of the bike corrected, etc. and so on.)


Anyhoo, these lifts are DEFINITELY made in China (or maybe Taiwan). The crate it came in had Chinese writing in various places, and it had Chinese shipping tags.

On Complete Hydraulic's web site, they don't address the issue. I've seen other vendors of the same lift attempt to claim that assembling or painting the lifts here makes them US-made.

Does that automatically make it a shitty lift? No, it does not. Political crap aside, it's a stable, high-quality, well-made piece of equipment at a reasonable price and I can get parts (and support) if needed from a local supplier. The grease fittings are not Harbor Freight's crap, by the way.

Here's some interesting info from another local lift seller (Greg Smith Co.) regarding Asian manufacturing:
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Articles.asp?ID=148

I'm happy with mine thus far. 3000 lifts from now may tell a different story, but the price I paid was well below what Handy Lifts were gojng for, plus there was no delay in shipping. The new owners of Handy are still gtting there poo together which would have pushed delivery out a couple of months. Being the impulse buyer that I am, I wanted mine now, which happens to be a thread in Jo Momma.

[JimVonBaden]

May as well get the HF lift and save the extra from the middle man. They are very likely made in the same factory anyhow.

Mine is the older style I have had for about 4 years now. It is a great unit and never an issue, and has been used a LOT!



I added this for one man loading:



The new HF lifts that look like the ones above are pretty nice too, but really, like the Handy, require a nice clean and smooth floor to work on.



http://www.harborfreight.com/1200-lb...ift-94813.html

Find yourself a 25% off coupon and get it for $375.

Jim

[enumclaw]

Originally Posted by ScottV

Get the HF and don't look back. Yes it's made in China, yes the grease fittings suck. For the price you can't beat it. I love mine between the sale price + 20% off coupon = cheap and functional. Oh yeah the wheel vise sucks too, just buy the wheel chock HF sells and bolt it on.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb...ift-91764.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-96349.html

Everything he said. I've had mine for a year, have put KLRs, V-Stroms, Concourssss, and a 'wing (watched that one pretty closely I admit) on it, no problems.