Making a bike lift

[macx]

Tired of laying on the concrete for service / repair work.
Getting too old for the constant up and down.

Not that I'd be using one every week or anything, but even a half
dozen times a year would make it worth it.

Big enuf platform to be able to put the center stand and front wheel
on it. Of course, will secure the front wheel down. Should be more
versatile - and more stable - than the budget under $100 ones that
just balance the bike on the frame or bottom of the engine crankcase.

Will raise the bike about 22", I'm making it to use with my RV floor jack.
Heck, I've even made a scaled drawing (for change). I love to tinker.

I'm a pack rat so had accumulated enuf misc pipe, angle iron, etc,
to put one together. Lots of scrap mat'ls being discarded on multi-
hundred $million construction projects :-) All I'll need is about 8
grade eight 1/2" bolts for the pivot points and a few small bolts
to fasten some ~3/4" plywood to the top frame.

Gonna break out my welder and fire up my little drill press and
"get 'er done" - got all the pieces cut.

I'll post pics of my bike up on it hopefully in a day or 2.

[riceburner]

simplest bike work table I ever saw (and my father has one), is a table that is kinda similar to the hydraulic tables you can buy, but lifted up by a fabric strap on a winch. Simple as hell and works well. Strong enough to carry a Commando and more.

will take some pics if I get a chance one day.

[macx]

I've got a home made overhead roll around gantry and an RV winch that
I had considered using just like that, but then found that my winch didn't
like to lift that much.

Also decided I'd want to be able to use it independently of my gantry as
that limits where I could use it, so am building it for use with my floor
jack that raises up to about 18"+.

I work away from home for long periods on big construction projects
and could have used that the last couple years where I was cuz I for
once had a garage with my apartment.

It's not going to be that big or heavy so could carry it in the back of my
suv if I did want to take it with me.

I studied how different ones were made and then used the simplest /
easiest to build ideas. It's kind of a conglomeration of different mat'ls
being it's stuff I already had in my stash. Ended up having to buy 12'
of 1" square tubing for about $7 at a local "small piece" steel yard and
eight 1/2" bolts/nuts which were less than half the cost of "clevis pins".

Won't be painted any fancy colors or anything, but it's the functionality
I'm after, esp at my age. Will take some pics and post hopefully later
today if I get it done.

I think I'll pile some heavy objects on it for the first "up" trial, tho,
just in case! That'll probly be me with my wife running the jack
for the maiden voyage. I'm about half the bike's weight so it'd be a
good start. Mostly to make sure it's stable enuf.

[macx]

Got the main part fab'd & assembled.

Now to add a short detachable ramp to get the bike up on the lift,
and which will double as a work platform should I want one under
the rear wheel. (The front wheel will be secured down to the platform
so a platform won't be needed under the rear wheel as very nearly
all the weight is on the center stand)

Also to finish the "runway" for the floor jack and some quick-install
X bracing to hold it in place in the elevated position so I can remove
the jack and so the jack isn't what's holding the load.

It actually goes up and down tho!!
And I was amazed that I can still weld with my poor vision and shaky
old hands.

Should finish it today. Something I've been plotting ever since I got
the bike a couple years ago.