Anybody own a Pitbull Motorcycle lift??
#11
It looks nice but when the bike is up on it the darn thing is wobbly and moving it around can be a little bit scary because of the wobble. I strap my bike to the lift when it is up, don't want the bike falling off. I got this lift for our '06 XL1200C and it worked OK but the wobble was their even with the lighter bike...
#12
#13
When I first read this thread I just knew instead of only "pitbull" responses this was going to turn out to be a "jack" comparison thread.
Business is a little slow today, so I'll jump into the fire.
I will assume you don't have any jack now.
Here's my opinion:
Harbor Freight steel/Sears Red Jack:
Pros: solid frame, low price (~$90), fairly stable, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, cheap bottle jack, limited warranty, weight makes it difficult to hang on the wall
Harbor Freight aluminum/Sears Yellow Jack:
Pros: fairly stable, light weight, can easily be hung on the wall, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, seems a bit to lightweight, medium priced (~$180), cheap bottle jack, limited warranty
Pitbull:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (~$500), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
JS Jacks:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (on sale now for $400), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
Final conclusion:
In my opinion the Sears red jack is the best jack out there for the average user. I had that jack for a year and had absolutely no problems with it. The primary issue I had was that it was just too heavy to hang on the wall, but that's what made it so stable. I came across a Sears yellow jack for $65 and couldn't pass up the deal. After comparing the red to the yellow, I sold the red for $50 only because I could easily hang the yellow jack out of the way however I do miss the stability of the red jack. If money and floor space wasn't an issue; based on all the reviews I'd buy the JS Jacks.
So getting back the original question; if I could get either the JS Jack or Pitbull for ~$200 I'd have to buy either. For more than $200, I'd stick with the Sears red jack.
Business is a little slow today, so I'll jump into the fire.
I will assume you don't have any jack now.
Here's my opinion:
Harbor Freight steel/Sears Red Jack:
Pros: solid frame, low price (~$90), fairly stable, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, cheap bottle jack, limited warranty, weight makes it difficult to hang on the wall
Harbor Freight aluminum/Sears Yellow Jack:
Pros: fairly stable, light weight, can easily be hung on the wall, gets the job done
Cons: Asian made, seems a bit to lightweight, medium priced (~$180), cheap bottle jack, limited warranty
Pitbull:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (~$500), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
JS Jacks:
Pros: USA made, solid built, extremely stable, lifetime warranty
Cons: High price (on sale now for $400), takes up a lot space, too heavy to hang on the wall
Final conclusion:
In my opinion the Sears red jack is the best jack out there for the average user. I had that jack for a year and had absolutely no problems with it. The primary issue I had was that it was just too heavy to hang on the wall, but that's what made it so stable. I came across a Sears yellow jack for $65 and couldn't pass up the deal. After comparing the red to the yellow, I sold the red for $50 only because I could easily hang the yellow jack out of the way however I do miss the stability of the red jack. If money and floor space wasn't an issue; based on all the reviews I'd buy the JS Jacks.
So getting back the original question; if I could get either the JS Jack or Pitbull for ~$200 I'd have to buy either. For more than $200, I'd stick with the Sears red jack.
Last edited by Bluraven; 03-12-2014 at 09:54 AM.
#14
I had a Pitbull for my street glide, very stable and easy to roll it around with bike on it. But what I found out is I only used it a handful of times a year, and the rest of year had to store it , and it is heavy as Hell and takes up a ton of space. For my new fatboy I just went and bought harbor freight one last week for $59. Does not look bad for price . This time around $59 sounded better than $500 as much as I use mine. I am not planing on jumping all over bike when on lift.
#17
Check out this comparison between the 3 jacks(Pitbull, J & S and Harbor Freight) good info in it.... click the link, its a 10 minute video but gives a lot of info on the 3....
Motorcycle Lift Comparison - YouTube
Motorcycle Lift Comparison - YouTube
I have a J&S, and it's everything they say it is. When not in use, I just roll it under the workbench, tighten the brake, and that's that
But no matter what jack ya have, here is a tip..When leaving your bike elevated on the jack, make sure you engage the safety bars and release the pressure off the jack...I usually release just enough pressure to relieve the stress from the jack, but then re tighten it so that its a last ditch effort in case something else fails and the jack starts to decend on it's own
Last edited by Bloozmann; 03-12-2014 at 07:55 PM.
#18
#19
I know quite a few people that own the Harbor Freight jack and have had no problems with it at all, I must have just got a bad one.............
#20
Just to bring a little clarity. I have a Red Craftsman Jack and it suits me fine. I have a chance to buy a Pitbull and was looking for opinions. I looked at them today in Daytona and I need to find out exactly which model he has. The Dyna (wider model) wold probably suit me better because it is wider and would allow me to drop my Shotgun Shock when servicing. It wi;ll have to be the right thing for the right price for me to buy it. Thanks for the replies so far.