Sunken Motorcycle Lift

[Axe]

I ordered this lift about a month ago and it finally arrived this week. I plan to sink it to floor level. I have seen a few others do this and although it is not going to be a fun project I am going to give it a go.

 

[T__]

Axe, you are going to like that Handy lift.. I have had one for years & they are a very stable lift & heavy duty work platform.. Not a light unit but stable as a rock..

 

You might want to use it a while before recessing it.. There is a chance you might end up adding the side extensions (I never remove mine as the added work surface is fantastic)..

 

 

Twisty

 

[boatzo]

Wow, If I had a shop that clean, I'd probably never do any work in it. Looks great.

[John Ranalletta]

Axe, you are going to like that Handy lift.. I have had one for years & they are a very stable lift & heavy duty work platform.. Not a light unit but stable as a rock..

 

You might want to use it a while before recessing it.. There is a chance you might end up adding the side extensions (I never remove mine as the added work surface is fantastic)..

 

 

Twisty

 

Bot mine with extra wide wings and never remove them. Cutting concrete makes a helluva mess. Nice garage.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Before cutting, make sure you don't have a pre-stressed concrete floor. There should be a stamp somewhere that says if it is.

Not sure what they do for concrete on the right coast.

[SAAB93driver]

I've had a Handy "handyman" model for a few years and love it. I too thought about sinking it so I could just drive the car over top of it.

 

How far you planning on going down? I thought about that too but you lose a bit of lift height so I was going to sink it enough so a car would clear it. I see pros and cons to both, wondered what others users do.

[Smoky]

I moved to this house 7 years ago, and poured a floor in the shop.

 

I bought a lift last year, oh how I wish I had sunk a shallow pit for the lift.

 

Maybe it's not too late, I will watch this thread closely.

 

Good luck on the project, and nice clean shop.

[Axe]

I am going down 7.25 inches which is the height of the lift table fully retracted. Actually I will need to go down an additional 5 inches so I will have about 1 foot of total concrete thickness. My plan is to have the lift table level with the floor when completed. All the way up it is 35 inches so after it is sunk I will have about 28 inches of lift. Plenty I think, in addition I run into clearance issues with my garage ceiling at about 30 inches so this is fine. I looked a other lifts and glad I decided to spent the extra $ and get the Handy. It is rock solid and lifts and lowers my R1200RT as smooth as silk.

 

Concrete saws and jack hammers are not on my list of "Yep been there done that" but I am committed to making this work. Not yet decided how to handle the air hose connection, I will ether trench over to the wall near the compressor and run the line in a PCV pipe with a 90 degree elbow up attached to the wall. Or I will cut a little pocket in the floor next to the hole for the lift to hold the foot operated actuator. I will post pics as the project gets underway. Looks like Monday is when the first cut will be made after that it's too late to back out.

[TonyS]

Talk to professional concrete cutters. The person I have dealt with for years has an electric saw w/water and a vaccuum; this eliminates all the dust and other mess. There is a minimum charge so you can get him to cross cut as well for probably the same cost. This way you can simply lift out the sections and move them with a hand cart. There should be a sand layer below the slab through which you can push a PVC pipe through by attaching a water hose to pipe and jetting your way through. A friend recently recessed a lift for his motorcyle in just this manner; a most cool installation.

[Rocer]

Maybe -Don't lower the river, raise the bridge. You didn't say whether or not you park a car over the lift. If that's why you're lowering the lift would it instead be possible to secure two planks on the floor either side of the lift to give clearance for your car?

[Axe]

On rare occasion I park a car in that space, but it is my motorcycle area. I want the convenience of having a full size lift without having it in the way. It will be nice to ride in side stand down, put it on the center stand and if I want up she goes. It will also make a very nice adjustable height work bench I think,

[T__]

Axe, I think you will find it’s not so easy to just ride it in & place it on the center stand & “up she goes”..

 

Putting the bike o n the center stand will pull the front wheel out of the wheel clamp a fair ways..

 

I usually place the center stand down after it is up by using my jack under the bike or just prying the rear wheel up with a bar then lowering the center stand.. (OR)- Placing bike on the center stand with a piece of thin plywood under the center stand & allowing it to pull the front wheel out of the clamp,, then using a ratchet strap on the center stand to pull the bike forward sliding the stand & plywood forward & the front wheel back into the wheel clamp..

 

Before you dig up your floor I suggest you work with a bike on that lift for a while.. Personally I sure wouldn’t want to lower the bike any more that it is now & have even though of reworking my lift a little to get just a little more bike height..

 

 

Twisty

 

[John Ranalletta]

Been thinking about this thread. Instead of pouring an new bottom in the hole, how much would it cost to have a pan/insert fabricated to fill the hole? It could be made from diamond plate w/ a 3" flange around the edge and bolted down. The lift would fit down in the pan/insert. Likely, it'd be more expensive, but this is a lark to anyway and diamond plate might look very cool.

[Axe]

Axe, I think you will find it’s not so easy to just ride it in & place it on the center stand & “up she goes”..

 

Putting the bike o n the center stand will pull the front wheel out of the wheel clamp a fair ways.

 

I did purchase the optional wheel clamp, I do not plan to install it unless I was going to do some work that required placing enough lateral force to tip it over. The lift operates up and down very smoothly and I don't see the wheel clamp as necessary, a couple of tie downs just in case but she is rock solid just on the center stand.

 

JohnRan, That would look good, however I think having an diamond plate insert custom made to this size would be very expensive. A lot more than the minimum load delivery of concrete which I understand in my case is $150.00

[lvnvbiker]

That clamp can keep you from having an RT on your chest... They are smooth but I have seen bikes "jump" off of them with little provocation.

[RBertalotto]

 

a how to here:

 

http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/motorcycle/motorcycle-projects/motorcycle-lift-ins/

[Axe]

RBertalotto,

Yes I saw your original post on this and it's what gave me the motivation to go ahead with it. We traded some PM's about it thanks.

Jerry

[Kritou]

Perhaps the controls should be permanently positioned away from the lift to avoid any toes being amputated!

[Axe]

Actually made a lot of progress today, more than I figured I would get done in one day. The concrete is cut, busted up and removed, dirt removed down to the appropriate level. I will build the forms tomorrow, the plan is to build a concrete coffin in which the lift will sit. For those of you who don't know it, a concrete saw has to be one of the worst things to operate you can imagine. It is a heavy, dusty, very loud, and dangerous thing to use. Thank goodness I am done with that.

 

The Hole

[BubbaLa]

i guess you didn't rent a wheel mounted machine, just be glad you didn't have to cut any re-bar.the steel will kill the diamond blades.

[Axe]

Done, for the most part anyway.

 

 

 

[boatzo]

Good looking job AXE, let us know how it works out. I see that your garage floor isn't so nice and clean anymore !!

[Albert]

Gee Axe, if your mafia career takes off you'll have a perfect place to stash a body too.

[Axe]

 

I see that your garage floor isn't so nice and clean anymore !!

 

 

 

Yeah the clean up is going to take at least four times longer than the job. When and if the weather gets better, I intend to re-paint the entire floor again.

 

Gee Axe, if your mafia career takes off you'll have a perfect place to stash a body too

 

 

Someone else suggested I have a big party and fill it with ice and beer. Not a bad idea.

 

 

 

[OoPEZoO]

thats awesome.......

 

I now officially have a project to plan

[Axe]

It's in the hole, fits like a glove and works like a champ.

 

[Rocer]

 

 

Someone else suggested I have a big party and fill it with ice and beer. Not a bad idea.

 

 

 

Prototype II will need a drain.

 

Nice job Axe. Will you do mine next?

[notacop]

My wheel chair bound friend did that with his lathe and mill to make them a proper chair hieght for him. I never thunked to do that with a lift. Youse farging brilliant. Well done.