Is that Rounders garage? Asking for a friend?

 

Hey, who said anything abiut cheaping out? I'm simply looking for the smartest solution. I think you can readiuly see from my postings here that I am specifically NOT wanting to accept a sub-optimal solution, from both a usability AND safety perspective!

Jim G

 

Contemplating a Pallet Jack as a bike lift isn’t something I’d do.
I HAVE used a fork lift to change a truck tire before though, once.

I have a 3 bay garage, 3 bikes, a Trike, a 4Wheeler, and a riding mower.
A bike lift works for me.
YMMV

 

If your just wanting to lift the wheels up for cleaning or removal all you need are some wood blocks you cut a notch into for the rear along with a sissor jack or flat jack and you need a flat jack for the front. I made these and they go under the rear portion of the frame where the tow hooks are.


They work. I've lifted the rear wheels of my Tri-glide off the ground with them. Use with a pair of jack stands and you can have both rear wheels off the ground at the same time.

 

I used a Forstner Bit and a chisel to make mine.
They work well when I use the scissor jack on the lift. 👍

 

Yes, I actually saw these in a You-Tube video as well. I wonder if I had them on the forks of a pallet jack, would I be able to lift them (simultaneously) into position, each one surrounding a tow hook. IF I could do that, I could then slip a wide solid object across under the pallet jack forks to act as a "jackstand". THAT would be very fast and easy to do!

What is the center-to-center spacing of those 2 tow hooks?

And, is there enough unobstructed free space UNDER them to slip a pair of pallet forks in there without encountering anything else in the way?

Jim G

 

Being an amateur woodworker myself, I do have a complete set of Forstner drill bits to chew out those flat-bottomed slots. What diameter of Forstner bit do I need to use?

Jim G

 

IIRC, I used a 1” around 2” deep, then a chisel to turn 4 holes into a slot.

 

Dk customs lifts his Tri-Glide with a floor jack and 1 of the rear cross braces. It lifts both sides of the trike at the same time. I don't believe you will be able to get a pallet jack across the rear to lift both blocks because there is a brace that hangs down under the rear pulley for protection, those lift block go in besides the mufflers and the rear tires block access to the area they fit in. If you watch this video you'll see what I'm talkin' about.


I just used a drill with bit, a hammer and a wood chisel to make my blocks. I used fresh CCA 4x4's so it came out really easy.

If you come up with a easy solution to lift the trike let me know. I'd buy a J&S trike jack if they were still in business and didn't come off like a bunch of crooks.

 

Thank-you, heavymetalthunder! I do have a floor jack. I'll look forward to seeing a photo or 2 ot help me visualize the setup.

Jim G