Motorcycle Jack

[usranger74]

I am looking at the Craftman Motorcycle Jack (the yellow one).

Looking for advise or ideas.

Txs

Bill

[cactusjack]

That's a good jack. You will find that the crankcase sits lower than the frame on the Nomad. This makes the bike kind of unstable on a jack. You can use blocks to fit under the frame, to better support the bike or many of us use the Idaho Jack Adapter, which is a small metal frame that attaches underneath and provides a stable surface for lifting.

[trosco]

Bill, usually if it says craftsman on it, it will be good but.... back a couple years ago there were a lot of problems reported by owners of the craftsman motorcycle lift. Seems the hydrallic jack seals would go bad and it would not lift. People were complaining that Sears had sorced the jack from china and it was not rebuildable.
Could be that problem is long gone as haven't heard about lately? But I though I'd mention it incase someone has a more recent expterience with the craftsman.
About 2 1/2 yrs ago paid $39 for a 1000 lb. motorcycle lift from Harbor Freight. It's still working but I had done some mods to add tie down locations.

[ringadingh]

This weeks Princess Auto flyer has a 1500lb jack on sale for $69.00, it looks the same as the Mastercraft ones.

[Cajunrider]

I still haven't purchased one after 2 years? It would be nice to have one on hand.

[ballast]

http://s2.images.proboards.com/cool.gifI had read the reviews of the sears jacks on the craftsman website and there was not much good said.
I just picked up the Harbor Freight for 69 bucks on sale. With Idaho's jack adapter I was able to get the bike up easily all by my self. It has tie down spots and is working just fine.

[ndbigfish]

I have a Harbor Freight jack and Idaho's adapter. My bike is lowered, so I made some ramps to increase the elevation so the jack will fit under the adapter. The down speed on the jack is a little squirrely.

[Jared]

I too have the Harbor Freight jack. I payed $59.99 for it during one of their sales.

I've been happy with it. I don't expect to find anything nicer for that kind of price.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I'm with one of the earlier poster's in that if it is Sears brand it should be good. I am sure it would have a good warranty. They do back their tools good. Sears stands behind everything they sell except for their manure spreader.

[jasperboy]

+1 for the cheap Harbor Freight one. I've had mine since 2005 and it has lifted both my Nomads with no issues. With the 20% off coupons that come in the flyers, you really can't beat it.

[leadbelly]

Thx Ringdingh, I'll have to check our local flyer.... seems like a good price.

[Idaho]

I have a Craftsman MC jack and it works just fine. No problem with the seals, great tie down points. It even came with ratcheting tie down straps.

When used with my adapter frame and the tie down straps the bike is nice and solid in the air.

Thanks for the kind words you guys.

[recumbentbob]

I too have the red craftsman jack and Idaho jack's adapter.
Works fine.

The trouble people had with the Craftsman jack was they left it lifted with the hydralics holding it. When I use mine I lift it until the lock engages (there are 3 locks for different heights), then I release the hydraulics so only the locks are holding it.
Have never had any trouble.

[rickyboy]

I'm with one of the earlier poster's in that if it is Sears brand it should be good. I am sure it would have a good warranty. They do back their tools good. Sears stands behind everything they sell except for their manure spreader.

They may warranty their tools, but don't think the same applies to their electrical tools the same way. I have a whole story on my compound miter saw I could bore you to tears with. I'll never buy Sears again. But that's just MHO

About a jack for the Nomad. I have tried a couple of second hand Canadian Tire, Princess Auto style of jack but find they don't clear the frame etc. very well and I end up having to lean the bike from side to side to allow the jack to go completely through to the other side, for a safe lift. If that makes sense.
I seem to need a jack with a max of 2.5 -3. inches at it's lowest point, to go under the Nomad. I haven't lowered the bike or anything and it was bought by me brand new. Any suggestions? I mean other than running the bike up onto 2x4's or something which has a huge P.I.T.A. factor.

[metalman]

I have the Craftsman yellow and silver colored aluminum jack/lift. It works fine, but I've only used it a couple of times. It sure is easy to move around the shop.

[ringadingh]

I'm with one of the earlier poster's in that if it is Sears brand it should be good. I am sure it would have a good warranty. They do back their tools good. Sears stands behind everything they sell except for their manure spreader.

They may warranty their tools, but don't think the same applies to their electrical tools the same way. I have a whole story on my compound miter saw I could bore you to tears with. I'll never buy Sears again. But that's just MHO

About a jack for the Nomad. I have tried a couple of second hand Canadian Tire, Princess Auto style of jack but find they don't clear the frame etc. very well and I end up having to lean the bike from side to side to allow the jack to go completely through to the other side, for a safe lift. If that makes sense.
I seem to need a jack with a max of 2.5 -3. inches at it's lowest point, to go under the Nomad. I haven't lowered the bike or anything and it was bought by me brand new. Any suggestions? I mean other than running the bike up onto 2x4's or something which has a huge P.I.T.A. factor.

I havn't seen a jack yet that clears the frame well, I run mine up on a couple 2X8s when I use it.
The good thing about Princess Auto is that they have a fantastic return policy if it ever breaks.

[rickyboy]

Ah that they do Steve.

[Idaho]

If you use my adapter you will need to run the wheels up onto wood blocks of some kind to get enough clearance anyway.

Some guys use wood blocks or hockey pucks to level out the bike on the jack because of the engine making the bottom uneven. Seems like lifting the Nomad on a stack of cards to me.

[snarleybill08]

i got rid of my craftsman jack and got the new harbor freight side jack. it will lift the bike 30". i had to add castors and wheels so i could position it under the bike and roll it around with the bike on it. it works great and will easily clear any frame. this is by far the best lift bar none. the wheels and castors i rigged up are a must. i bought 4 harbor freight heavy duty castors, slotted the front tubes and installed the wheels off two of the castors on the front. i then made angle brackets and welded them on the back of the jack and mounted the other 2 castors there. this is the way to go jacking a bike. i paid $159.00 for the jack on sale. i think the castors were around $8.00 each. and even got a service policy for practically nothing. it was the ultimate bargain. bill
'

[usranger74]

Txs - I ended up getting the Craftman (yellow)

Bill

[macmac]

WITH HF lifts get a helper to set the bike back down for a few tries....

There is a odd trick. At first i would just graze the let down pedal, with a toe, and plant my heel on the floor.

Someone told me to MASH that pedal down fast and hard and it seems true then you have slower let down.

Still I had assistance the first times...

With Idaho's lift rails you need a board to ride up made in 3 sections, and a side stand block. The middle section gets pulled out. I use 7/8" rough cut pine.

With out his rail adapter I used a 3 point lift, with two 2x2x 3/8th" pieces of plywood under the frame tabs, and the lug on the crankpan forward, which was fairly stable.

The main problem was i would loose the 2x2 squares all the time. Thats because I have the sence of a mule, and didn't drill a hole in each on and tie them to the lift.