Conservative Christian , thank you, it was my first attempt on the conversion, I just took my time and planned it out. A lot of it was trial and error but in the end it works great. I’ve had no trouble with it so far
I just picked up my lift and plan on doing the conversion, your video looks to be the simplest cleanest method to follow. I think I’ll use you video as a guideline. Well done man.
Really enjoyed this I have been watching a ton of these ,so I know what I want to do and I'd agree this is one of the best ones out there I liked and subscribed want to see more of your work Thanks EZ$
Great idea . I saw your first related video and thought the same thing using an air jack. I'm glad you did it , now I know it works. Thanks for sharing
Great video. I've asked the Harbor Freight people at the store if I could use that very pump to modify thier table. Nobody had answers. I figured there was a way ,but I'm not an engineer. Thanks for the info.
Excellent. Mine is almost identical to the HF lift, and that's a very informative how-to. Thanks. Great vid, straight, to the point, no farfing around.
Love the idea on the winch. I was thinking on an electric one, but had concerns on where mounting it would come to play. Hope you do a video on the winch as well.
danny abbatiello , thank you, the winch system is only really there to help load or unload the table, I installed it for the purpose of moving heavy items( ie. riding lawn mowers, snowblowers and such), although I’m sure at some point I’ll need it to load a motorcycle.
Is the winch also a harbor freight item ? I am in my sixties and find it easier to ride my bikes on my lift as well but have toyed with the idea of using a winch my self for safety sake . Will you be making a video of how you mounted the winch ? @@crownline196
Great job looks like it was made that way by Freight, or better. I own one also I been thinking about making it an air lift. Before I attempted doing so this video sure will direct me in the right direction. This lesson gives me more confidence that I need.
This is by far the cleanest implementation of this mod I have seen so far, thanks for sharing it. . After some checking, there are a couple of different versions of this Harbor Freight lift being sold. This model is #69904 and the other one being sold is #68892. The mechanisms and bottle jacks used by the two versions are completely different and while it is still possible to modify the #68892 lift, it requires a lot more work/fabrication. If you want to do this mod with the least amount of headache, get the #69904 lift. Also, the current version of the 12 ton air/hydraulic jack (#94487) has relocated the air inlet to the top of the air motor housing and is on a swivel so there are no more ground clearance/hose routing issues.
Great upgrade, will be checking into which lift I bought just before I left for work, but I did notice that you need to do something about the removable plate, it doesn't care to much for the weight on it. A few of my friends have told me to strengthen the plate almost right off. Again great job on the front carrier and the airlift.
I know because I've had to go through this...................One should realize that H/F sells this table in 2 versions. This modification only applies to the lift having the rectangle tube cross member and the jack having the 2 ears on the bottom. You'll need to go a different route for the other table. H/F part number 69904 is the model in this video, H/F part number 68892 has the jack mounted totally different. You'll have to download both user manuals from H/F and even though the page one photos are the same on both manuals, go to the parts diagram page to see the difference between the two tables. Hope this helps you before you buy the wrong table for this modification.
I have the 68892 model. Has worked well for me. I think the same concept can be used by placing the new jack in a different position. On the 68892 model, the cross member that holds the jack can be removed and a new cross member with the new jack can be put in its place. I might try this in the future, but for now I do not use the lift to often, so a take a few pumps. Thanks for posting this video, nice work on the mods.
Nice build! The only thing I would suggest is to get rid of that tire chalk and get a tire vice. I’m a Harley Davidson Tech and if you ever had to remove your front tire you are going to be stuck. That chalk is best used for trailer transportation of a bike.
the chalk is perfect if your putting bikes on a lift by yourself alot, tire vise is useless for that. If I need to remove a front tire I just use a frame lift.
I just picked up a lift with a leaking pump. My plan is to modify mine the same as you did. I bought the 12 ton jack yesterday. When you have the lift all the way down is there any wiggle room from the base of the pump to end of the adjustable end of the pump. My pump looks like cast iron so I wouldn't want to weld to it. I was thinking maybe a 1/4" flat steel plate and weld a 3/4" black iron pipe to that. I'm not sure if I'd have enough room to add the plate. I haven't cut the mounting ears off yet. That's why I'm asking about the clearance.
Well I was just scrolling these jacks with the airbag cuz I got one of the harbor freight Jack but that is a great idea I just don't know where to begin but I save your video and I'm going to give it a shot that is so cool said the hell of a lot of money 🙏🤗🦾🧰👨🔧😎👍
I'm doing the same setup this sunday same lift and same air bottle jack just bought it today..I have a Harley Road glide though about same weight.. One thing I noticed is the wobble when you first start to lift, Mine does the same thing its kinda like maybe they didn't get everything lined up perfectly on the lift when they built it as these are welded by people or robots i dont know.. But it shouldn't do that. My friend owns a harley repair shop and his $2,800.00 lift does do that with my harley on it, but my harbor freight does.. I'm probably gonna do the same mods as you but i'm going to make the table itself more rigid stronger to see if that helps...Got welder will weld :) Just wondering your opinion on the wobble..
@tripplecross..first I want to tell you that you did a great job with this modification. But I have to ask you, why not leave the ears on the square crossmember, and only use a short piece of pipe and rod, long enough to get across the ears mentioned above. Using that as your pivot point, rather than going completely across from C channel to C channel? One more question. Did you have to drill holes through the C channel frames for the 1/2”rod/3/4” pipe or were they existing? Thanks
What was the inside diameter of your 3/4 hollow rod? Was it a snug fit for the .5 steel rod? Nice video. Trying to mod my lift now after it got stuck in the up position with my bike on it!
I like your modesty especially when you say "it worked for me" but I'll tell you, if anybody did a better job than you on this lift conversion then he hasn't posted it on RU-vid yet!
Very informative and helpful. I bought the same lift. Have not done the conversion yet. I have a Roadglide. When I attempt to roll bike on lift, the table slides forward even after I screw the castors down to touch the floor. Is the rubber mat the key piece to stopping this table from sliding forward when loading bike?
My lift is a couple of feet from the wall. I just place two 2x4 s up right on the floor at the front of the lift . Does the job for me and remove them when the bike up
You can also drill a hole in the bottom frame C channel, and put a wooden spacer block 1-1/8” thick between the frame and your floor. A couple of 1/4” concrete pins into your garage floor, and then you can lag the lift frame to the spacer blocks. One on each side will keep things from going anywhere. In my situation, it’s installed in a shed with a wooden floor so it is fairly simple to secure to the floor
hi I just finished converting mine to air works good going up but table will not close completely coming down like original jack, i think my 12 ton jack is just like yours any suggestons.
I recently purchased this lift and also have a ultra limited and thinking of converting to air, nice video by the way. With the pump mounted like that, will it raise the table fully? I noticed you didn't slide the bar into the highest point of the table? let me know. I did install removable side panels makes it so much easier to load and unload my bike
Question, does your table sit all the way down when you let the air out. I copied this on mine but the ram bottoms out before the table goes completely down
In your comment you mentioned that this, part 2 is the final painted video. Where is part 1? Does it have the measurements and show more details of what you did? I sure wish that you had talked about the measurements. Like how far away from the brace did you drill the holes for the pipe.
matthew reed www.harborfreight.com/1000-lbs-steel-motorcycle-lift-68892.html m.harborfreight.com/21-gal-2-12-hp-125-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-62803.html m.harborfreight.com/20-ton-air-hydraulic-bottle-jack-69593.html
Hey bud. I’m fixing to do the same mod to mine. How is the jack holding up being on its side? I’ve read these jacks aren’t made to operate on their side. Did you have to add fluid? Rebleed?
I just got one of these lifts. I have an 07 ultra classic and my manual says GRVW is 1259 shipped from factory . How is yours only 800 and some pounds just curious because it was all me and my uncle could do to even move the lift with straps for help once I rode it up on the lift.
GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is 1259lbs so that means with rider/pass fuel and luggage it can weigh up to 1259lbs. the empty weight is around 800lbs
Easily the best conversion I've seen on this lift. Question, do you believe a 20 gallon @ 125 psi is enough to push this table with a full dressed Harley? Again good job!
Very good, you may want to put some extensions on the side of the lift so you have a place to put your feet as you are coming on and off, it makes a big difference and you have a place to put your tools and parts while working. Here is a picture of my goldwing on the lift. i.imgur.com/ZLzrPzR.jpg BTW: this lift is 10/12 years old and the pump is just starting to leak, I have a new one on the way.
Click on this link.i.imgur.com/oU4tKZJ.jpg?1.to see this kit adapted to a HF lift,the round bar on the table is one of three,an extra.www.ebay.com/itm/20-Motorcycle-Table-Lift-Side-Extension-Kit-for-ATV-Servicing-Use-BW-1000A-SID/312544573351?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
How heavy is that bike?....my mower is about 1200pds that I want to lift..I need come up with something like this but adapt it wider. Top and bottom..I like your air settup.
Thank you sir for the reply,,I did some measuring...my table is gonna have to be in the area of 48"wide,it can be done though I'm sure of it..just gotta do some more thinking as to the beefyness of it with my weight of the mower along with the weight of the lift..your video is a great inspiration for my thoughts.im thinking more along the lines of a scissor lift type settup now....thank you!
Hey bud, I copied your project exactly but the air side of my jack won't work. I've read several posts that say the air side of these jacks don't work when configured horizontally. I thought the air motor may have got damaged during the welding of the 3/4 inch pipe so I went and bought a new jack and was super careful during the welding. The air jack worked prior to the horizontal mount but failed to work afterwards. How did you get yours to work?
Jon..I dont know how these bottle Jack's work Inside ..but maybe check fluid if and add more when horizontal..just something else to check if you haven't had that thought...does sound like a fluid issue though and makes sense on what u said about laying horizontal of not working.personally I would tip that sucker every way I could while filling it .might work,give it a shot.
Thanks @@hardracer . I will give that a try. I'm gonna call Harbor Freight when they open up and see if they have any suggestions. I'm not giving up and will post up what I learn.
@johnkagen Sorry I didn’t get to your question, but yes, we added more jack oil and worked horizontally as shown in video. This is me but on my other account by the way.
This is actually a fantastic video and my opinion is this would sell on E Bay and would be a hit for those of us owning or even thinking about a Harbor Freight lift, And if you do start selling them on E Bay I hope you announce it and share the link here, Again Great Video @@crownline196
I have the Central Pneumatics motorcycle lift table from Harbor Freight, (the predecessor to the Pittsburgh) that came with the air/ hydraulic jack. After about 12 years of frequent use, the pneumatic pump gave out and I manually pumped it up for about a year. I eventually converted it to a hydraulic cylinder powered by an electric pump. It was a good lift. Now it's a great lift. P.S. Do you have the original angular front wheel stop from the wheel clamp. I'm looking for one. Here's the link to the video on the mods I did. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T6eHjhZNkXw.html Here's the video on the conversion I did on my second lift. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YDfjtZN5AJw.html
