Motorcycle Jack Warning 

You’re a badass. You just never disappoint! Your teaching skills are top notch. If that’s not your profession, it definitely should be! These informative videos are fantastic.

Hello dear Paul! Well, I have to say: Great clip, thank you very much! And since I'm not a native speaker (I'm living in Germany): Your language and your manner to speak is just amazing - very clearly, not to fast, perfect! Thank you again and I wish you to stay healthly! Kind regards from Germany 🤗

That's one of the most helpful videos I've watched in a while. I'm going to have to look for a beefier bottle for my CCT now. Thanks, Paul!

Thank you for doing this video! You saved me from buying a piece of junk!!! Thanks again from Missouri USA

Thanks Paul. I am a doctor who loves physics and loves working on his motorcycle. I enjoyed your video.

TOP Notch video! Thanks for the lesson and the heads up. RU-vid makes life so much better with content like this. You've helped me make a better choice in a bike lift...thanks!

Thanks Paul. I will Watch anything you put up on the RU-vid... they are always helpful.

Just love the way you explain so articulately!!! Thank you.

Just physics. I think buying the right bottle jack seems the right cost-effective solution. I just bought one for my 532.5 Honda and it will probably last forever. Thank you for putting the numbers up.

I fully expected you to just complain about a jack that didn't work for you and recommend something else, but as it turns out you had something to teach. thanks for the video, brother.

Great video, Sir. Thanks for the knowledge. I'll definitely keep this in mind for when my jack needs an upgrade.

You are a true engineer Mr. P, I am impressed.

Great explanation. A lot of the new jacks are cheeped down in quality. I found a 10- to 15-year-old Sears Craftsman motorcycle jack and restored it. Actually, I made it better with taking out the slop from the moving arms. It weighs about 90 pounds compared to the new jacks that weigh far less. The restoration project was part of my motorcycle modification to be able to lift my bike up in the air. My bike started out with no provision for it to be lifted up. I solved that issue by beefing up a skid plate. I integrated ratchet straps also. Great project.

You need to take a vacation to Springville Tennessee and pick one up. I ordered mine and when they said it was made I went there.It saved me in shipping cost. I have an 05 Goldwing, it sits on the jack and is very stable.

I’m glad I came across this video. Thanks.

Hey Paul, I entirely enjoyed your video! Thanks for the geometry lesson! I'm looking for a jack like yours, only my bike weighs only about 325 lbs. Anyway, I was very captivated and entertained by your video. Thanks man!

Very interesting Paul! Good job on the math too ;)

Great info Paul ! Bought a Gl1800 about a month ago and have been searching for a lift, don't trust my HF lift. This morning I scored a used Pi*bull on craigslist for 90 bucks ! about an hour away. Cheers from Wisconsin

Thank you very much for the information I was looking into purchasing A lift similar design for my motorcycle this raises a red flag for me my bike Weight is close to yours

Great job on this video! It’s given me tips on enhancing what I have and swapping out the bottle jack was a real interesting point. I may use your techniques for determining my own IMA. Kudos!

I watch a lot of videos and some get a thumbs down but this one is great. Thanks

Thank you for that clear demo 👍👍👍

I am using my HF 1500lb ATV / motorcycle jack to lift and lower antique VW engines. They only weigh about 250 to 300 lbs fully assembled. (As installed in a Bug or Bus). Even though my typical weight lifted is significantly less than the 1500 lb advertised rating, or even the 900 lb motorcycle in your experience, this jack has still been failing to be able to lift my engines in less than 2 yrs of occasional use.

Interesting and informative. Where in Canada? Unless you're coastal BC you can only motorcycle 4 or 5 months a year. Lots of time to wrench and polish.

Great video! JS Jacks is out of business. Good luck finding one.

Damn...wished I had seen this, before I bought my "1500 ibs" made in chYna m/c jack. Love the math and physics/engineering you displayed.

Hi Paul, love your stuff. I have the same jack! Thanks for the info!

Thanks and wow, what an informative video. I've been using the Harley-Davidson branded lift for about five years. I use it maybe 3-4 times a year. I store it in my unheated garage, Wisconsin winters, just south of Canada. I have no complaints. It works nice and smooth after 5 years. And Paul, I just noticed that we almost share the same name!

Hi Paul...Thank you for the lesson. I learned a lot. Well worth my time.

Great insight and analysis from the north!

I ll say it , get a Handy lift ! Shop around for a used one and save money or get a new one . You ll be super happy with it . Thank you for the very informative video .

This is very informative. Thank you for the video. I look forward to the jack that you plan to make on your own. Safe riding!

thanks so much ....ran into same problem after getting a bike that weighed twice as much......good info....

Is it possible to use an air bag in place of the bottle jack? Less moving parts and very powerful. Maybe a bit bulky? All my bottle jacks have failed. Changing or topping up the oil dose nothing. I'm about to buy a used prolift brand bike lift the same as yours guy reckons he's only used it once. This type of lift is the only one I've seen that will fit under a cruiser with only 4 or 5 inches clearance. Definitely remember to engage the lift lock and lower the jack onto it which will help extend the life of the bottle. Hope my new lift goes the distance as I'm fed Up with these bottle jacks failing constantly and which can't be accessed to repair. Great video double the fist ✊ ✊

Great information, I have the same Jack and so far no problems but my bike only weighs 800lbs

I hear ya. I think about that little jack every time I lift my bike. Thank god there's safety latches on it so the weight sits on them instead of the hydraulic jack. I bought mine used and I just bled the air out of it (the previous owner thought it was no good so I got it cheap) I've been using it for 4 years now and it works just fine. As long as it lifts my bike. I will probably continue to use it unless I find something better.

Great information and very useful as usual. Thanks Paul

You talked my language with the numbers… thanks!

Pretty sure that 1500 x 2.5 = 3750 lbs is the pressure on the jack at full capacity, Both bottle jacks look about 2 ton size wise. (pistons are same diameter) So everything adds up correct. The sticker rating was for the jack not the bottle. You can't get a bottle jack that is rated for only 1500 lbs that I have seen.

Great info Paul!! Fantastic vid as usual.

Not questioning your findings, bit have had a motomaster jack for over 10 yrs. Been putting my 950 lb wing on it every winter, which it is now, and have never had an issue with the hydraulics or bottle. Maybe I have been lucky.

Thanks man! Great to know and I love the analysis. I just bought the Harbor Freight jack and put a 1 yr extended warranty on it. I can add to that if I need to and once I get it out of the box, I'm definitely going to check on all these things as my bike is like 8-900 lbs with all the liquid. You know this vid is 3 years old. Did you end up building your own? Sounds like you have enough knowledge to start a motorcycle jack business.

Really enjoying your videos (recently picked up a '15 Gunner). I know the "black" jack you are speaking of. I have tried as well - with the border closed it looks like a no go. If you are interested Fortnine sells a similar model to the one in this video but with a 4 ton bottle jack (K&L MC550 Multi-Lift ) - certainly more expensive than the CT special, but according to the math you shared, it should work . Thanks again!

Not sure .....did u mention if u up the jack u should up the metal

Excellent video, very much appreciate your diy perseverance

Very good info, thanks! Bought a used 1500lb jack, now I’m not to sure I want to trust putting my 750lb VTX on it

J&S won't ship the jack direct from them to Canada? I thought for sure they shipped up your way. I know the shipping is ridiculous but a sale is a sale. Now you have me thinking about replacing my Sears yellow jack

Interesting video. I have 2 Harley Davidson's , one and Ultra Limited which weigh's more than your bike, and I lift it with a jack I bought from the UK called Big Blue. It is a screw drive and will lift a true 1200 pounds with a 1/2 inch drill motor. Best jack I've ever owned. Just a little info from this end. Be safe

Great Video Paul The Jack does what it's supposed to do, BUT It seems like You've subjected the jack to cyclic loading and worn it out more than the manufacturer has (if THEY HAVE at all) I don't think a Manufacturer would put the Maximum SWL on the MC JACK and lift it to it's fullest extent and back down again X number of times or until failure in their R&D department. I can't believe the trouble as a potential customer your having from that Jack you want to up grade, go have a run up on your HD and fetch It and give them a good bollocking.

Excellent very informative. I notice all Jack's and lifts rely on a solid flat surface, I have an Aprilia and I want to remove the swing arm, none of the available Jack's lifts stands have adapters. Unless someone knows better?

The pins also experience a mechanical disadvantage. Their wear may be hidden.

I'm in Michigan about an hour away from Canada wish I could help

I have exactly the same jack as you …but mine doesn't lower completely 🤔

Very good sir, thank you!

Thank you very much Paul brilliant video and loved the Maths, I'm looking forward to your custom build "Pauls jack" looks like you have the same sort of problems with sleepy businesses that we have over this side of the pond , almost have to bribe them to sell their stuff to you ?? thanks again and greeting from across the Pond.👍

I want to see the custom Jack

Good info and well explained. Its very annoying when some companies in the US won't ship across the border when others do. What's the problem? So much for trade agreements.

Great video Paul

I use the extreme max scissor jack on my xct tour. I have the mobile base. I love it but I use an air ratchet to raise and lower it. I like it because it tucks away under my tool box when not in use.

You are so smart! Good job.

Hi Paul, that was very helpful. I live in Canada too, I am curious, can you tell me the brand of the jack you were talking about? Please. Thank you.

Just came across your video while researching motorcycle jacks. Good info. So, doing the math backwards, 1500 pounds divided by 2.47 equals 607 pounds. Does that mean that your jack is best suited for a 607 pound or less motorcycle? Thanks.

Sounds like a good upgrade, you really shouldn't have to do this though! I actually use a motorcycle jack but only for lowering transmissions from cars on jack stands - it's just a small screw type one, I've never tried one of these hydraulic ones.

Awesome video thanks man

Got the same jack to lift my Kingpin @ about 670 lbs. Have had one cylinder fail so I bought another bottle which already is beginning to drift down slightly with the bike on it. Just a word of caution to all that see this, always always use the safety catch.

I couldn't quite make out the label on the jack's original bottle. Is the label from the jack manufacturer, or the bottle manufacturer? Most bottles I've seen are rated in even tons, 1,2,3,4, etc. I've never seen a bottle of that physical size rated at .75 tons. Is it possible the label was intended to indicate the jack's capacity, and not the bottle's capacity?

Great video and information thank you

Good warning, and it is fine to calculate the amount of strings needed for the bottle jack. But if the engineer could not calculate this part of the construction I would be quiet concert of the rest of the construction, holes bolds wildings and so on 😉 if you decide to put so much pressure on it.

Thanks well done,I will look for bigger jack now,

Now.....id like to add a 20k bottle....lift my truck....yeshhhh 😂

I've just bought a similar jack which is also rated at 1500lb - allegedly! It looks like these lifts are all made in China, shipped over, and are then rebranded to suit whoever is flogging them to the public on eBay or Amazon. So, it's very handy to know the real world lifting capacity of the actual lift as a whole, when it comes to motorcycle maintenance. My next bike will be your average street naked, or maybe an adventure/dual-sport type of bike, which weigh somewhere in the region of about 400lb, or 200kg. Using your calculation that gives a result of: 2.47 x 440 = 988Ib (448kg); call it 1000lb (454kg). It looks like these 1500lb jacks are really only suitable for your average middleweight motorcycle, they just don't seem to be suitable for the heavier bikes, like a cruiser, which you have proven quite conclusively, because the jack will fail over time. Look forward to seeing your 'custom' lift build! Cheers.

very informative thx Paul..

My hydraulic bottle jack broke after 10 years. I have a Victory Vegas which is 670lbs and this style jack seems to work fine on it. But then my bike is not 1k lbs. I just bought another floor jack and might try the car jack upgrade on the old one.

Learned a lot. Thanks.

Great information. Never thought about it this way, but now I'm going to have to look into my lift for my Shadow 750

Thanks for doing my homework!

Very interesting Paul

Thank you, very informative.

Hope you found a answer to your dilemma ,

Awesome dude , thanks

Paul pomerleau? Ça sonne québécois lol am i mistaken?

J&S Jack I have used one for years on Harley Davidson Road King. Besides being extremely stable you can roll your bike around on the bike all the way up with no straps. I do it all the time

doing the same her on one since it was my fault for not understanding the weight capacity's, I have a trike, looking to install longer runners, and upgrade the bottle jack to a 4 tone ratio , the trike is around 1100 pounds, frame is wider, just getting ready to try it? not good at welding but oh well? pipe cutting is going to be done with hack saw . any suggestions would be appreciated. many updates to do Kawasaki vn900c 2008 with lehmane kit .

Why not just rebuild the original one or buy the better harbor freight one?

Great stuff

Dear Paul Pomerleau, you seem like an educated man and yet you keep using the term energy when I strongly suspect you mean force. There is no energy multiplier in any kind of lever system in fact only a small energy loss. Force on the other hand is multiplied by this class 3 lever arrangement. Thank you for the video, most informative.

Great video ,I'm having problems with my jack ,same design as yours to lift my Fatboy. But the jack keeps lowering and I don't want that.So why don't the companys that make them use two bottle jacks in the design ? just a idea.

Great video! Math doesn't lie.

Thanks, Paul. 👍🏼

Oh sry forgot something else would you post video adapting new bottle jack to the lift

Thanks for the insight. So by your calculations because of the mechanical "disadvantage" this 1500 lb jack can only lift 600 lbs. This is another example of false misleading advertising. Similar to air compressor ratings and HP ratings on tools. It would be nice to have stronger consumer laws regarding ratings on these types of things. The jack is not junk but is limited by design and mislabeled.

Would the Jack handle a 600lb Sportster for a longer time than 2 years you think?

If you think it's bad in Canada to buy US stuff try living in Australia. I have a similar jack for mine. If it dies you can buy several crappy Chinese one for the price of that US one. Having said that I don't like junk either so I do get it.

seems like a class action against the jack manufacturer is in order...this isn't at all dissimilar from the lawnmower engines that used to misrepresent power output

Hi Paul, thank you for the video. May I ask where I can get a replacement jack that can be swapped with mine? I bought a used jack but due to a torn seal, the jack leaks from the pump pedal. I was hoping to fix by replacing the seal but can’t find the seal. Any help is appreciated. Thanks again !

Good job Paul , I'm having same issues , I failed trigonometry in high school but common sense as I was lifting the bike (when the jack worked) you can feel while jacking the pressure go from hard to soft anyways , the only question I have is at the top of bottle jack the pin that runs threw allows for pivot would that change the math ...let me know

Brilliant explanation, you should be a physics teacher.

So whoever wrote the advertising either didn't understand the actual limitations of the jack, or deliberately misrepresented what it's able to do.

Informative 🙏

Lost track of the times, I had to upgrade, modify, everything from hand tools, chain saws, rakes, shovels, dumptruck, 12 ton trailers, Perkins diesel motors, stump grinders, etc. Moving away from" factory engineered " specs, when needed, to "my way" , with different parts, methods, and or fabrication , has kept my fleet of about a quarter million dollars in equipment , going. Some days I feel like duct tape, coat hangers, and tie straps get me through the day too.