I bought a K&L MC550 motorcycle lift from Rocky Mountain ATV via the internet. When it arrived it was really beat up. The bottle jack had it's own box that disintegrated. The bottle jack was banging around chipping the paint of the lift and the bottle jack itself.



I unbolted the above part and reinstalled it upside down to hide the marks. This part had the worst nicks. Otherwise I didn't mind the chipped paint too much.

With the lift on level pavement I could rock it back and forth. I could visually see that one bracket for a caster was not at a 90° angle.



This one corner was 0.2 inches higher than the other corner. Although the lift was banged around this didn't happen in shipping. This piece of steel is half an inch thick. I took the washer that was under the nut and put it on the other side, next to the caster. That made a big improvement. I was planning on adding another washer under the nut but there wasn't enough threads. The stud barely had enough threads the way it was.

Then from the top you can see this one piece is also angled to the side.



Next I used it to jack up my cycle as high as it would go. The lift has latches to prevent the cycle from lowering on it's own. I could not raise the lift to the top latch. I could jack it up and up but it would then stop, even as I kept pumping the bottle jack.

I contacted K&L. Anthony Morter from K&L Support told me to try adding more hydraulic fluid. The manual also told how to purge air from the bottle jack. After adding hydraulic fluid I opened the valve to lower the lift and then I tried quickly jacking it. Since the valve was open it didn't go up but the manual says this will purge any air in the system. Then I tried to lift my cycle and it went up all the way. I fixed it ... or so I thought.

Next I jacked it up and secured the lift at the top latch. I went to the other side and measured the height. It was 17.5 inches. Then I wanted to see what the maximum height the lift could go. I jacked up my Harley as high as it would go. Then I went around to the other side and measured the height to be 17.5 inches AGAIN!? How could that be? I tried that again. I made sure the valve was tightly closed and then I jacked my cycle up as high as it would go. Then I just stood there and watched as the lift drooped and lowered my cycle down to the latch. It only took about 7 seconds to lower to the latch. I contacted Anthony Morter from K&L Support and told him I needed a new bottle jack. He shipped me a replacement that I received a few days later.

Summation: This lift has a good design and built with some very heavy steel. I had some problems with my lift right out of the box. It may be possible that the banging around during shipping could have caused the problem with the bottle jack. The box looked like it was shipped a few times. Not only to Rocky Mountain ATV but it also looked like it went out to a customer to shipped it back to Rocky Mountain ATV. Being banged around could not account for the half inch piece of steel that holds one caster being bent. That thick steel would take a hell of a lot of force to bend.
Then I noticed what I think is the real problem with this lift. It was here on this label:

This lift was designed by Americans at K&L Supply Company. I think the lift has an excellent design. But there are some serious quality control problems in the manufacture of this lift.
By moving one washer to the other side of the steel bracket I was able to get my lift to work and hold my cycle stable. I didn't try to return it. This thing weighs over 75 pounds. Sending it back would be expensive.

I have a lot of work I plan on doing on my Electra Glide this winter. This lift will come in handy. I am also welding up a dolly. With no moving parts except the wheels that should really hold my cycle stable. I'll post another thread about the dolly.

 

Looking forward to seeing your thread on the dolly build . After Christmas I plan to remove my spoked rims with aluminum ones . I've been wondering/worrying about leaving my bike on a jack similar to the one you have . I agree , a bike that size or any bike for that matter should be worked on using a solid platform . Good luck !!!

 

 

I think there was another recent thread about jacks, you might do a search. Sad you have to go through so much grief with your K&L, actually inexcusable!

I am thinking about getting a Harbor Freight lift (Pittsburgh "brand") soon, item #69904 or 68892 (both seem to be identical). Was on sale for $279 a week or two ago, now $399 but 20% off coupon, advertised for $289 come 1/11-13/19 sale. Lots of reviews on HF that seem to be very good overall.

 

 

I've similar issues with other K&L products. They aren't what they used to be; inexcusable for the price.

 

 

I'm going to have to do some research before I decide to buy a new one . We have a Princess Auto here and I'm guessing that HF is the same thing , so to speak . I might just have to buy a good quality one considering it's probably going to be used more than once a year . A good investment for the long run .

 

I looked at those jacks before I bought my J&S. Glad I bought the J&S (made in the USA) Most of the jacks on the market are made overseas, sometimes you get what you pay for (waiting for the Harbor Freight and Craftsman guys to chime in) I have no problems putting my Ultra in the air with no straps and doing whatever I need to do for extended lengths of time. You spent how much on the bike? Then use a Chinese or Korean cheap jack, I don't understand

 

I had the harbor freight, very unstable on my 1994 softail custom. After my recent purchase of my 900 pound Road King, I didnt even think about going cheap,, J&S no hesitation. No movement whatsoever! Its hard enough working on the big bikes, worrying about stability is not worth saving a few bucks.