Harbor Freight Lift 1000 lb Lift - Fatal Flaw - Read This

[Sidecar Bob]

This thread was started 5 years ago. You would think if it was a common problem that they would have done something about it by now....

[rcmatt007]

having just read recent reviews..... harbor freight still seems to sell junk

[desertrefugee]

...and I'm still using my HF table. Always has a bike on it. Almost always up. As I said earlier, there are a number of bike shops around here who use them. They are all happy. (I asked). I could have spent a grand on one. I doubt I'd have been any more satisfied.

YMMV. Caveat Emptor. Etc.

[dontwantapickle]

...and I'm still using my HF table. Always has a bike on it. Almost always up. As I said earlier, there are a number of bike shops around here who use them. They are all happy. (I asked). I could have spent a grand on one. I doubt I'd have been any more satisfied.

YMMV. Caveat Emptor. Etc.

Same here! I am very happy with my HF lift.

[Brant]

...and I'm still using my HF table. Always has a bike on it. Almost always up. As I said earlier, there are a number of bike shops around here who use them. They are all happy. (I asked). I could have spent a grand on one. I doubt I'd have been any more satisfied.

YMMV. Caveat Emptor. Etc.

Same here! I am very happy with my HF lift.

Yep, same here.

[rcmatt007]

okay, we now have a N of 3..... but then again, I have heard that 87% of all statistics are mode up

[desertrefugee]

Then there are those nagging binomial distributions - which may almost be what we have going on here with HF stuff.

[rcmatt007]

and I have been around enough to know a lot of negative reviews are bogus.... just read the ones on me

[Don R]

Mine is the 68892 model. I haven't had any trouble so far. I've had a couple gl1000's dressed, a couple KZ1100's and a lot of cb750's on it. Mine was $299.

[thirtythreeandathird]

This discussion started awhile ago (July 30, 2013), and it seems went idle on August 21, 2018...but I hope no-one will mind if I add more to the conversation.

The Harbor Freight motorcycle lift table is without a doubt, a popular addition to the garage. After viewing numerous youtube videos, I bought one, model 68892 for under $300 dollars. This is the one with the channel shaped "[" frame as opposed to the later model " L" shape.

The first thing I noticed was what 'Placerville' (the original poster) mentioned, the "safety bar" bent like a noodle when the weight of the bike was on the table.
But when I jacked the table up a couple of pumps to remove the safety bar, something made an explosively loud pop. The table catastrophically failed under the weight of the bike (around 800 pounds)...
Here's what happened:
The bottle jack that is the muscle in this table is mounted on two rotating pins, about 1" in diameter, that are in tubes welded between the frame rails. The jack ram pushes with brute force against a scissor arrangement which lifts the table. With an 800 pound motorcycle on the table, there is a lot of pressure on these components, and mine had catastrophically failed. The tubes showed multiple fractures longitudinally, like Wiley Coyote's shot gun barrel. Apparently the manufacturer had elected to use undersized thin walled tubing, which exploded under the forces. I would post pictures if that is permitted.

Why didn't I return it to the store you may ask?. Well, suffice to say, sometimes life gets complicated. Anyway, I have decided to repair it, and I would like to share that adventure with you. Also with photos...can someone tell me how to post pictures?
Thanks for reading this. More to come.

[Track T 2411]

Here's a link to the procedure for posting pics. You may have to have five posts before the system allows posting pics, but it works for some users right away. This thread and others can be found in the 'Test' forum, listed at the very bottom of the main forum index. You can also post a test thread.
One thing not mentioned... you need to be in the 'full editor and preview' window, not the 'quick reply' window. Also, some photos may post sideways or upside down, depending on how they were taken and if you're posting directly from a phone, tablet, or computer. You might have to edit for size and orientation to get what you want...

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44847

[ob1quixote]

Been happy with mine so far, but have only lifted a BSA 441 Victor, so no test yet with heavier motorcycles. Modded immediately with a roll-on chock, liking it so far!

[thirtythreeandathird]

Here's a link to the procedure for posting pics. You may have to have five posts before the system allows posting pics, but it works for some users right away.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44847

Thankyou TrackT
33.3

[thirtythreeandathird]

Thanks to TrackT for the link to posting a picture.

So, with that, here are the images of the broken carnage. Note, I had attempted to weld an earlier crack, as shown in the second picture, but the tube just fractured in a different location next time I tried to use the lift.

[thirtythreeandathird]

My plan: cut out the bad parts and weld in new, thicker tubes. I sacrificed one of my hoes (Not THAT kind of hoe !) because I needed a piece of hickory to act as a drilling guide, and then used a hole saw and drill rod (and lots of cutting oil) to remove the cancer: