Testing out the new lift

[DK Custom Products]

Ran out of room at the shop for building bikes, so we are setting up a new building (metal shed) with a lift.


Sporty was the first bike to go on the new lift. But I will post a couple more pics as soon as we get the Tri-Glide on it in the next few days.


Mark is still installing the insulation as we are testing out the new lift.

Glad Mark is almost done with the insulation! It was snowing here today, and it's 9* right now as I'm typing this. I know that's not cold for alot of you, but it is pretty unusual down our way. :xzqxz:

Kevin

 

[Lucky]

Good Looking Lift! Gonna need that insulation this week.

 

[GARYD]

Great looking lift. Get the ceiling insulated real quick - that's where you'll really loose the heat. ThumbUp

Good luck and wear your snuggies in the meantime.

 

[Papa Zook]

Good to see your business continue to grow Kevin. You're obviously doing something right!

 

[dafoot2]

What brand lift is that? Been looking at all the lifts out there, and trying to find the most economical.These lifts for trikes are expensive.

 

[HDB0B]

Upside down manufacturers name on lift??? :xzqxz:

Did you do this on purpose so you have parts trays instead of flat area???

My curiosity is getting the best of me!

Bob orag:

 

[DK Custom Products]

What brand lift is that? Been looking at all the lifts out there, and trying to find the most economical.These lifts for trikes are expensive.

Upside down manufacturers name on lift??? :xzqxz:

Did you do this on purpose so you have parts trays instead of flat area???

My curiosity is getting the best of me!

Bob orag:

It is a Pro-Series Equipment Lift Table

http://www.proseriesequipment.com/products/auto-lifts/motorcycle-lifts/pse-tcmlw.php

Yes, the side extensions can be turned upside down, like in the picture, for a tool/parts tray, or turned right side up for the wheels on a Trike.

This weekend I'll be pulling the Tri-Glide up on it and seeing how it does.

Kevin

 

[WindyOne]

Kevin what kind of insulation is that? It looks way better than the pink batts.

 

[coronetracer65]

Congrats on the new building and the lift ! Stay warm , that is an unusual cold for you Folks ! We have been below 0 for a few days plus wind and wind chills of 35 below here in Indiana. Lots of drifting snow too , blahhh ! Ebert

 

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin what kind of insulation is that? It looks way better than the pink batts.

Hitting the cracks/crevices with the Great Stuff spray foam and the silver insulation is 1" foam panels.

Congrats on the new building and the lift ! Stay warm , that is an unusual cold for you Folks ! We have been below 0 for a few days plus wind and wind chills of 35 below here in Indiana. Lots of drifting snow too , blahhh ! Ebert

Yeah, we've had some crazy cold weather here the last week...not like you get, but really cold for us.

We're almost done with the insulation and getting the shop set up for full use...still a bit to go.

Here are a few pics from this weekend-

Pulling the TG in for the first time-

Up onto the lift ramp-

Locking it down-

Up it goes... wow, it is really dirty, poor TG needs a wash -

All three bikes will fit in there, with another on the lift with enough room to work.

Kevin

 

[Sully]

Well Kevin, what do you think about the lift for the TriGlide :Shrug: is it a good fit :Shrug: how about the power to lift the TriGlide, I noticed it was rated for 1000 lbs :Shrug: in your honest opinion, does it do the job safely :Shrug: Thank you for your support, ThumbUp

 

[dafoot2]

According to the link the lift is rated at 1500. I think it comes with a service jack rated at 1000. Looking at the rear of lift with the tri on it looks like the extensions are pushed down or maybe it's the photo. How's it seem the with tri on it? Steady?

 

[DK Custom Products]

Well Kevin, what do you think about the lift for the TriGlide :Shrug: is it a good fit :Shrug: how about the power to lift the TriGlide, I noticed it was rated for 1000 lbs :Shrug: in your honest opinion, does it do the job safely :Shrug: Thank you for your support, ThumbUp

According to the link the lift is rated at 1500. I think it comes with a service jack rated at 1000. Looking at the rear of lift with the tri on it looks like the extensions are pushed down or maybe it's the photo. How's it seem the with tri on it? Steady?

Yes, the lift is rated for 1500 and the frame jack for 1000. Power to lift is great, it goes right up with the TG at a good pace...just as fast as it did with the Sporty.

As far as fit- Length is fine, and it has an extended wheel brace, so it can work even for long front ends, but the standard is plenty long enough for the TG. It is a 48" wide table, which is standard width, but as you see a bit of the rear tires do hang off the sides just a bit. Not an issue.

We've only put the Sporty and the TG up on the lift. We have not actually worked on a bike while on the lift yet.

The ramps just slip in, and are meant to be removed after the bike is on the table. I did not do that. But while riding up they did not shift...that was solid.

Up in the air, at the highest stop (38" I think) it is NOT as steady as I would like. But I have worked with other lifts that were more expensive that were even less steady. The main functional issue is, will it collapse. I do not believe it will. However, it is just nicer to have something that is rock solid (no movement when you push it side to side)...but those generally cost 4-5 times as much.

I am not planning on sending it back, but, I can't recommend it right now either. Give us a couple of months working with it.

I can say this, if we were making them, we would have used heavier gauge steel in many of the components. But we have a strong ethic to over-engineer.

Kevin

 

[Sully]

Thanks Kevin, keep us posted. And more pics when you can. :wave4:

 

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks Kevin, keep us posted. And more pics when you can. :wave4:

Will do. Yesterday we worked on a Sporty for about 3 hours that was lifted almost all the way. There are 7 stops and we were on the 5th one.

After working on it for 3 hours, we both realized we had not thought once about the table, that we were completely comfortable with how stable it was.

Of course, a Sporty does not weight what a TG does. As soon as we get the TG back on it, and spend some time working, will share my impressions.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

We got the TG back on the lift yesterday...worked on it for several hours yesterday, and again for several hours today.

Here's a pic with it at the 6th out of 7 height lock out positions-

Great news is that once we got it up and working on it, we did not have a second thought about it's stability.

Another pic-

You can see that the extensions are tilted out a bit from the weight. This is not because anything bent, but because the holes in the extensions are a bit larger in diameter than the shafts they are sitting on. Tacky, yes, the best workmanship, nope, but it was solid and got the job done.


One of the things we were working on required us to remove the left rear wheel. We used the jack that came with the lift and, once we loosened the lug nuts and double secured the front wheel with a strap, we jacked the rear wheels off the lift and pulled the left wheel of the trike.

I completely forgot to get any pics of that! But everything worked well, as it should. During yesterday and today we must have lowered it and raised 5-6 times as we were working on different parts of the TG, zero issues.

Kevin

 

[Sully]

Great, Thanks for your report on the lift. I'm going to look into one. ThumbUp

Kevin, where does it ship from ?

 

[coronetracer65]

Awesome Kevin , congrats to you and Devan it is a nice addition to your shop . Looks like a pretty nice lift and I'm sure you guys will tweak it to make it better ! Ebert:clapping:

 

[DK Custom Products]

Great, Thanks for your report on the lift. I'm going to look into one. ThumbUp

Kevin, where does it ship from ?

Franklin, IN and they said they would contact me when they shipped it out with an estimated delivery time...but they did not do that.

Awesome Kevin , congrats to you and Devan it is a nice addition to your shop . Looks like a pretty nice lift and I'm sure you guys will tweak it to make it better ! Ebert:clapping:

It is too soon to tell how it will hold up over thousands of ups and downs...but right now we are happy with how it is working for us.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Update:

We've had this table now for 14 months. Some weeks it has as many as 5 different bikes or trikes on it, but most weeks just 1 or 2.

We've lifted them hundreds of times, and the unit is working as well today as it was the day we got it.

I am pleased with the service it has provided us thus far.

Kevin