one thing i saw during your reveiw was while you were lowering the lift keep an eye on how the air bag just touches the zert fitting when close to being in down position should probably eliminate that fitting or just have it to the outside only !
Not sure where you are seeing that. The airbag isn't near any fitting so I assume it's the video depth of field illusion. I'm assuming you are talking about the 4:50 mark in the video, that pivot point zirK isn't close to the bag at all, even when all the way down.
I have been researching a number of lift tables over the last several months and based on your review, very informative BTW, and other reviews and the fact that these are very common in most professional motorcycle shops I have decided to purchase the SAM 1200. I'm just a DIY guy and it might be a little overkill for my needs At 61 with back and neck issues this will be a great addition to my garage and will make servicing my sport tourer and my track day bike so much easier. The furniture dolly for easy of movement is brilliant hack! Take care and ride safe!
Just got my SAM 1200. Outstanding video. I waited 3 years to purchase then almost 70 extra days for delivery due to back order. Well worth the wait! Very pleased with mine from purchase, to delivery, to set up.
I own this exact lift. I also bought the removable lift side extensions. Adding the side extensions increases the width of the table to four feet wide. I can now service ATV's and riding lawn mowers. The side extensions come with everything you need to add width to your table in a couple of minutes. It also has a stabilizer bar that slides into the stationary part of the floor foot that prevents the table from being flipped on its side. My previous lift did not come with this safety feature. The side extensions also come with two more removable ramps that increases the width of the ramp to the same width of the table with the side extensions installed. I also bought the lift dolly that fits into the pin hanging down on the underside of the right rear of the ramp. I slip the dolly over the pin and I can easily move the lift around my shop, unloaded and fully lowered, of course. I also drilled two 1/2" holes in the lift table top and installed two industrial grade eye bolts, which are used for the motorcycle tie down straps. All this did not come cheap, but neither did my 2020 Ultra Limited, which cost me around $39,000. Handy Industries motorcycle lifts are 100% American made. No cheap ass parts or materials used. There's no way in the world I will trust a Chinese made lift, like the ones sold at Harbor Freight, to lift my $39,000 Harley. They look too flimsy and use lightweight materials. I'm afraid they'll collapse. Take my advice and buy a Handy Industries lift. They are MADE IN USA by Americans. Support American workers and manufacturers. Besides, when was the last time you were in a reputable motorcycle service shop and seen the mechanics using cheap Harbor Freight lifts. You haven't, and neither have I. They all use Handy lifts.
I bought one about 20 years ago and couldn’t live without one, I had 2 but sold one when I retired I didn’t want to work on motorcycles anymore just wanted to ride and travel, the one I sold had flush mount floor lights in the table, great lift
my new Handy SAM 1200 just came in last week and it is just like this video said, easy to use and move around on furniture dolly which is easy to move around in the 820 square foot shop at my house / lifts the harleys i have easy / locks work great. my small pancake compressor i use for my nail gun powers the Handy SAM 1200 no problem... very happy with this review .... thank you so much. no longer have to work on my knees... or back... $1,190.00 for table lift & $198.00 shipping to San Diego, CA... $179.00 For wheel vice not free... tax $99.25 / $1,666.25 total, my knee damage and back pain i don't need so i paid the price for table i look at it as a investment. this is the same table that the Harley Dealership uses... if good enough for Dealership then i should be good and safe. harbor freight lift was to fimsy and weak for Harleys... just say`n
Great video!!!! Clean clear and concise. I am sold! So refreshing to see someone other than "Boben Weaver" doing a home video with a head cam!!!! THANKS FOR POSTING!!!
Great video. Ordered mine last week. From Mile-x equipment. And just received an email stating back ordered. 6 week wait. Excited and patiently waiting. Pls do an update video showing any new tie down mounts that you’ve done. Thanks.
Been waiting for mine for 8 weeks now. Found out its sitting in wisconson waiting for a truck with a lift gate to deliver it to my house. Had to watch the video to calm my nerves lol.
Great review I have been looking and studying the handy for a while now. Most of the Harley shops in my area use the handy . That to me says a lot about it also.As far as the floor height when down. You have to realize that a lot of places have these lifts recessed into the floor so that they are floor level . I know this isn’t feesable for a garage but just thought I’d throw that in.
Great review. I've been going back and forth on two different models. One is currently in stock, while the Handy is over a month out. Based off your view I have ordered the Handy and feel it will be worth the wait. Thanks for taking the time to make your review of this table.
This is the first I have seen of Handys new lift. I like the higher lift very much. I have used every generation of handy lift since 1969. They have all been great. Enjoy
Nice table, can't go wrong with a Handy. My 1000 model Handy has been doing a great job for me for 26 years. It holds my Goldwing fine and I've learned to work around not having the drop out tail.
Good informative review. Looks like a great table. I appreciate you including the so called negatives regarding the table to make everything fair. Built is USA is a plus!
MechSavvy- Very well made video, just what I was looking for. I'm retired now and have the time to start working on my bikes again. I've been researching the available options and had it narrowed down to three choices, one being the Handy. After watching your video and speaking with the customer service folks at Mile-X Equip I just placed my order for the Handy. All USA made, at a reasonable price point for the quality, and by far the most reasonable shipping cost. Thanks!
I have the older version and have installed four wheels with roller bearings so I can easily move the lift with a large bike on it or empty. I think you'll find that much more useful than the dolly. Had this lift over 25 years and no problems! (knock on wood)
I understand. But the dolly requires no modification, and almost negligible cost to buy or make a furniture dolly if you don't already have one. I made a heavy duty dolly exclusively for my lift use. Adding (attaching) wheels and making them securely lockable is more of a project IMO. Just depends on your needs, and how crafty you are. While you can do it, and I have, I wouldn't recommend the dolly as a solution to move a bike on the lift, at least not regularly.
I’m partial to Handy myself, I inherited my first Handy lift from my grandpa and I must say, their quality is above all. I also own the lift from harbor freight, that’s what I had before I got the handy and it doesn’t even come close.
I have a 19 HD Street Glide Special and just cleaning it is a pain in the butt. I will be servicing it myself very soon , it just recently went for 1000 mile service at dealer. I think I need that lift. Myrtle Beach S.C.shout out to Mechsavvy Thank you brother!
Thanks for the GREAT review. Mine is on the way because of this review. Thank you for taking the time. I have been searching for a good lift for all of my motorcycles.
Wow thanks for a very clear and precise review!! I think I’ve found my first lift !! Thank you for the review and I’m also subscribing to your Chanel, can’t wait to learn more inner workings and how too’s
I have this lift. I bought it about 25 years ago. Make sure you get the front wheel clamp/vice. Also, when the air hose blows out, it sounds like an M 80 going off, and the lift drops fast , so make sure you have the safety engaged and the air pressure reduced. And don’t ever have a chair or something partially under the lift when you have a heavy bike up on it if the air hose blows out, you will wish you hadn’t done that.. before you buy a lift, if you’re gonna put it in your garage at home, keep in mind, you can’t go all the way up if you have a tall windshield on your motorcycle without striking the ceiling, or the garage door, or if you put the lift up with your motorcycle on it and then you open the garage door, you have to make sure you’re not going to be striking the windshield with the garage door.. it saves a lot of work and actually makes working on your motorcycle a pleasure doing little things like changing the oil or changing the brake fluid/clutch fluid, changing the spark plugs, adjusting the valves. I would not be without a lift for my motorcycles. I also use the lift for other projects like woodworking, or whatever I need to work on . it’s great having a workbench you can change how high it is or how low it is..
Not the same old lift but most of what you say still applies. Safety is way better on this model but you should be sure it's auto-engaging. FWIW, my bike is very tall and it doesn't hit my garage ceiling. But my garage is ~9'. Agree, be careful when first using for any obstacles anywhere.
I’ve had my Handy 1000 for over 27 years and had absolutely no problems. The best accessory for any lift is a Condor Chock. No pinching the rim no trying to hold the bike and crank the vice and no tie downs needed. It also works great for unloading heavy items from your pickup truck.
I tried the condor. And 3 others. I found that if you are going to use one of those type chucks, you will need to bolt this lift to the ground or it will slide when loading. And I had a hell of a time getting it to release when unloading. And, FWIW, of the 4 chocks I tested, the Baxley won and worked better than the Condor for table use.
I have had very little trouble with my lift sliding while putting it on the lift. As far as getting the bike out of the chalk once I have it in the chalk I put a piece of carpet under my center stand and lever the bike upon the stand. Then to get it out of the chalk just grab the frame and drag the front wheel out of the chalk. Next slide the bike as far rearward as you need to and push the bike off the center stand and off the lift. Hope this helps.
This looks like a great lift. I picked up a used Handy 1000 when a local bike shop closed for $150.00 in January. I use it for my Goldwing and of course don't use it much. I sure like the features of the new model. Thanks for the review.
Watched the video a couple more times before my wallet finally cracked open! Then quickly booked in an order through one of their distributors up here in Canada!!! Dam can hardly wait... but I do have to wait... peerz they are busy and behind on their orders... a good sign. The distributor told me once they sell one of these they never see the customer again!!! Another good sign! Since I am now over sixty if I get sixty or eighty years use out of it I will be more than happy!!! : )
Where did you buy yours ? I'm in Vancouver and would like to order from a dealer up here but am so close to the border that a quick trip south isn't an issue. How was the lead time ?
I bought the old 1000 series about 30 years ago so I didn't have to crawl around on the floor. I have never had a problem with it, I did have to drill new holes to accommodate skinny dirt bike tires.
Scott, excellent review. I noticed you said you would include links for sites selling the lift...did you decide against it? I liked your mobility hack. Thanks for the review. (Update) I did find your info in the comments. Perhaps you could include the info in your video description.
One of the best most informative product reviews I have ever seen! Clear fast and right to the point quickly!!! What a relief to watch compared to most. A big thanks to you for your time and effort and for doing such a great job. Since I have now boycotted China finding this was made in America made this even better. Being Canadian I am committed to buying only American because I honestly don't know who else can save us from our suicidal Canadian government!!! : ) I can't wait to buy one of these for my bikes.
Hi guys. Thanks for the positive feedback. Apologies, comments were marked to approve and I missed them. As of this writing (3/17/19), the place I found with the best deal was Mile-X. If you get via eBay they are $1190 to a commercial address, or direct from their website $975 + freight. If you can get delivered to about anyone's business address it's cheaper, or you can have it held at the terminal and go pick it up, which is what I did.
Wow! Sorry I'm late to the party. I really appreciate the straightforward knowledgeable review from someone who has obviously done a lap or 2 around a lift table. I love the lift and the options, now I'm curious to find out at this point if Handy makes one of these bagged-out beauties that now plug into a wall outlet instead of an air compressor. I now have visions of quietly slippin' away, off to the garage for a lil' midnight scooter wrenchin' on the ole Side Peice.
Well-made video with good points made. I have a SAM model bought 6 or 7 years ago. Totally delighted with it. Well worth the price. You get what you pay for. It looks just like the 1200SAM reviewed here but it doesn't have the rubber inflator bag. Mine has a good-ole, time-proven pneumatic cylinder. I am skeptical of the rubber bag for durability and operating characteristics. However, I know, it may be just fine. This new design is probably cheaper to make and provides more profit potential. The American way?Before I bought the Handy, I closely looked at many other tables. The cheapo, Chinese, Harbor freight type tables were a no-go for me. I tried one out and it seemed unstable even with me sitting on it at 200 lbs (before Christmas holiday season eating). The K&L was very interesting but I did not like the big steel frame that rests on the floor and carries the lifting wheels. I kept kicking my toe on this floor frame. The Handy tables are a much more up-to-date design that is time-proven. When the Handy is up, you have better foot room to get up close and personal with whatever you have on the table.My Handy is first-rate quality. I have no complaints about it. I even like the steel wheels. The plastic wheels of the new model strike me as another move to cheapen the table up, sorta like the rubber inflation bag. Most of these are installed on concrete floors and I have no evidence that my steel wheels are hurting my floor. The increased lift height of the reviewed table wouldn't work well for me. With a tall bike (R1200GS or HD Touring) on my table, the windshields or fairings would hit the ceiling joists of my work shop if I lifted higher than my current Handy Lift.Anyway, Handy is a good company and I am sure they back up this new model with a full warranty. In 10 years If that rubber bag dry rots and cracks or those plastic wheels crack, I am sure Handy will replace them.
Nothing wrong with the air bag, they are very tough and have been used on many applications and simply just work. Cylinders are good too but are prone to leaking, especially the cheap ones.
That rubber bag is borrowed from a semi truck air suspension and can withstand 130 psi and millions of cycles up and down as the truck rolls over 10's of thousand of bumps every day and last for several years and can be replaced for 100 to $150 Look up firestone air springs. In this application the air spring should never wear out and I have no Idea why Handy would mention they test it. Only thing I can think of is they don't want you to know it is a heavy truck parts so you come to them if you ever need a new one. But short of running a ice pick through it I don't know how you ever would. ! have seen 10 of these bags support 140000 Lb semi truck/trailer load day in a day out
i just bought one, SAM1200. i get it shipped 6/6/2019... can't wait... tried of working on my knees ... just tried of sitting on ground. need to stand up to do service/repair work... tired of back hurting the next day... i need this lift... great video. sold me on this... i saw a worn out shop lift for $700 but it got sold fast. so for $400 more i will take new one/ harbor freight $400 lift was junk...
Great. Yeah I felt the same way. Back problems keep me off the ground anymore. But with the lift I was able to do my Ducati's 15k service which would have been $$$ at the shop. I had someone offer to give me their Harbor Freight lift. I went to check one out and it was leaking, the other one I looked at was in good shape but I counted 63 pumps to get it to full height, which wasn't very high. The 1200 was the way to go for me. So far I'm really happy with mine. Order from Mile-X? I wonder if they know about this video.
@@mechsavvy9067 i just paid for a Handy SAM 1200 . ordered from The Carlson Company in Rancho Santa Margarira, Calif 92688 800-222-6199 they had it shipped to San Diego, Calif... can't wait to pick it up on 6/6/19 . that's the date i asked for.
Great review! The subsection scissors lift with re-configured safety latching looks wonderful. Liked your inclusion of day-to-day operations, such as storage below your bench, a definite boon for DIY mechanics. The table top looks flawed, perhaps rushed to production? Specifically, the ramp seems to have an upper bend reversed, as the ramp connection to the table does not lay as flat as it should? Agree with you on eyebolts, for sure, wondering if any are made in a quick-connect configuration of some type? Last, the larger side holes in the table are located too close to an edge bend, resulting in weakening the table structure somewhat, but mainly just illustrating a disappointment with quality control. I would love to have one, so will keep an eye on the next production run and save up more egg money in the meantime! Thanks very much for your fine review.
The corners on my ramp were curved just a little out of the box (as shown in review). I'd say it was due to welding heat deforming the corner when they welded the underside channels. The ramp is heavy duty. A couple of hard whacks with a soft mallet cured that and they are flat on my table now. Agreed with your assessment, missed mentioning it in the review. But I did tell Handy about it. I do not know if they have implemented anything new or worked to resolve my minor complaints. One user here said her got one and they had but wasn't specific. The larger side holes are made to attach the side extensions and are reinforced with steel tubing on the inside. I have no worries about the strength of those holes, so that particular thing is OK. Cheers
Good review. i have an older Harbor Freight lift I've used with bikes up to about 550lbs but now have a Harley Davidson Road Glide Ultra that weighs in at around 900 gassed up, so I'm looking at replacing the Harbor Freight. One thing about this Handy table I'm not sure about is the wheel clamp. I'd go with a roll-on wheel chock only because I don't wish to balance the Harley by the handlebar while leaning over the crank the wheel clamp. Other than that, I like it! Thanks.
I tried all the major brand chocks. Had planned on putting one on. I didn't like them. Very difficult to get out once in and because the wheels are up front I found if I was putting the bike on by pushing, the table would slide when the bike went to go into the chock. Under power that's not as much of an issue but you'd want to put some anti slip on the ramp and table as the Handy paint is slippery smooth. I used the 3M branded anti slip stick on pads on mine. Bolting the table rear foot to the ground would cure all that too but I needed mine to be movable.
Thinking about the BOB 1500 or Gruntavore since I have UTV's and a commercial mower. Looks like the BOB is my best bet since it has the rear wheel dropout than I'm not seeing on the Gruntavore. More bucks but I need the side panels. Thx.
MechSavvy, Very nicely done. Being an ME as well, I greatly appreciated the level of detail and professional presentation you provided. Noticed you did not address the outrigger extensions, and am wondering if you did any roll-over analysis and decided against it. Am of the opinion if you are going to put a heavy wide load on such a device, then a wider base is a necessity, but for a lawnmower or something less than 300lbs it would still be a safe solution. Am also curious if the pure scissor base design causes any noticeable twisting? One of the Handy videos showed a large HD motorcycle and the table appeared to wobble a bit when it was coming down. Again, thank you for the great review. As always, you get what you pay for.
The table as reviewed does not come with the outrigger pole. It is included as part of the side table extension kit. One could easily add it obviously but I didn't cover it mainly because it wasn't there. I did not do any CG and stability testing. I will say that with my personal bike on it, a Ducati Multistrada that is a little over 500lbs wet, at the full height I don't have the feeling it is going to tip. Of course I would never push or pull laterally with much force at full height. The outrigger is just a piece of pipe (1.5" I think) as you probably know. Easy and cheap to add if you are concerned of working on a really heavy bike at full height. For me, I've been comfy as shipped so far. re any wobble, I have seen zero wobble on mine going in any direction. No twisting observed, either. Appears pretty rigid for a no-floor-frame design.
what stops the table from falling over when the bike is lifted 36" off the ground? Where's the horizontal stabilizer bar? Lifts fall over... It CAN happen... and DOES happen.
I haven’t experienced any instability with my relatively tall, heavy bike. But I get your point. My understanding is they provide the stabilizer bar with the side wings kit. The rear “tube” is hollow and that is where the stabilizer bar goes. You can add on yourself or order with the lift if you want one. Personally, I’d probably make one myself from pipe at Home Depot cut you my desired length. But I’m any case it’s ready to accept one if you want one.
Like some of the others in the comments section, I've now ordered my SAM 1200 (ordered direct from Handy, they had a nice deal for Memorial Day). And like others, it was at least partially due to your excellent review! And I have a 690 with a tower, so even your bike choice was perfect (understand that you've gone over to the Duc side now...)! I love the suggestion about the furniture dolly, but curious now that you've had it for several years if you've found that to still be a good solution, and if so, same dolly? I'm wondering if the lift has chewed it up over time, necessitating replacement. I was eyeballing a steel version that I could edge with 1/4" thick rubber corner edging, but don't know if it's necessary to spend the dough on that vs. a much cheaper wooden one. And I assume your dolly is 30x18 (that's what it looks like in the video)?
The dolly I use at home is more fragile than the one in the video. It has sustained zero wear. The lifts sits down on it so softly it’s a non issue. Definitely do not need a steel dolly. And yes that is about the size of mine.
I haven't ended up doing much to mine, not enough to video. Ended up happy with it as is mostly. I've got a quick-disconnect wheel vice I'm working on, I'll do a video of that when I finish. I also found the ramp quite slippery, not for my motoycycle but for my old feet. When walking around the lift if you step on it you might bust your ass. I added strips of 3M no-skid stair tread in longways stripes that fixed that.
