I have the Central Pneumatics motorcycle lift table from Harbor Freight that came with the air/ hydraulic jack. After about 12 years of frequent use, the pneumatic pump gave out and I manually pumped it up for about a year. For several years I had been toying with the idea of converting it to a hydraulic cylinder, similar to what's used in a log splitter. After about a year of hunting on line and through junk yards I came across a hydraulic pump unit for an automotive lift. I found a 2" cylinder with a 6" stroke that I thought would do the job. I fabricated a mount out of a 4" square steel tube (a little over kill there. 3" would have been quite adequate). That served as a cross member between the frame rails of the lift frame. I made a post out of 3 pieces of 5/16" X 2" bar stock sandwiched together and welded. I drilled one end to receive the clevis pin of the hydraulic cylinder. Then I centered and welded the post perpendicular to the square tube. The material for all the fabrication came from the local scrap yard. I had to weld the cross member onto the frame far enough forward for the rear lift arms to clear in the down position. That meant removing the rods for the pedals. The rod on the cylinder was much smaller than the ram on the old jack so I had to make a collar to thread on the end of the rod to make it fit into the cup on the V plate. The pivot rod for the V plate broke the center bolt twice so I drilled and tapped each end and bolted a fender washer to the ends to keep the rod in place. Once mounted and connected to the pump unit I rolled my 600# bike on the lift and hit the button to lift it. I found I had turned my lift into a catapult. It lifted the bike to the top in less than 2 seconds, and when it got to the top it jerked the whole assembly back about 4" along the floor. I had to slow it down. To do so I made a restrictor that I put in the fitting by the cylinder to restrict the rate of flow into the cylinder. I had to choke it down from 3/8" down to .025". That slowed the lift time down to 8 seconds and kept it in place. The pump unit has a go switch to raise the lift and a lever to let it down by gravity. I installed a pedal switch on the opposite side of the lift so I can also lift it from that side. Since the cylinder has a 6" stroke and it only takes 4" to lift it all the way, I installed a stop switch to keep it from over extending. I put a 960# bike on the lift and it lifted it about a third of the way up and overloaded it and blew the breaker. I then installed a 2 1/2" cylinder which gave me plenty of force to lift a 1000# bike. I realize that this is a little more work and expense than the air/oil conversion done here, but I think it was well worth it. The only down side is if the lift isn't all the way up, and I want to lift it higher, I have to let it down, either on to the safety bar or all the way down. This relieves the pressure on the hydraulics and allows the motor time to spool up again to lift it all the way.
I never thought about an auto hydraulic pump. I didn't know you could adjust the speed on those. Sounds like it was worth the work. Thanks for the knowledge.
@@jamestijerina2787 --- You can't adjust the speed, only the pressure. I had to improvise a method to slow it down without reducing the pressure. By restricting the flow into the cylinder it fills the cylinder slower. The pressure before the restriction will certainly increase too high because it can't force the oil through the restriction fast enough. There is a pressure relief valve to keep it from over pressuring. When it tries to over pressure, the relief valve opens and dumps the excess flow back into the tank but keeps the pressure up to lift the bike.
I did this with mine to. It go's up pretty fast. I got a little different jack. I didn't have to do any cutting at all. But. what ever works man. Thanks for the video.
It's an older Ac delco jack my dad had and he got it from one of the steel shops he worked at yrs ago. These thing would where out and dad would bring em home and fix them. It's got the air hose and all so I got real lucky with that one.
Great job looks and works like a charm, and what a BAs bike, beautiful! I have a Harbor Freight lift I going to give it a try, thanks to your video it has direct me in the right direction.
Good improvements, though a dab of paint on the ground parts will help it look better and last longer. You might also put a handle or knob on the lowering valve. I like the cradle approach for the bottom of the ram too! I made a similar upgrade when our engine hoist's ram died; Northern Tool had an almost *exact* fit that had air-assist on sale! Drinks air like yours, but it's nice just watching it rise, especially on heavy lifts. If the air part ever quits, I'm going to fix it because the manual handle gets annoying after about a dozen pumps.
Lol I know what you mean pumping a lot. Good I idea on that paint. Haven't thought of that. Yeh, in due time I will do something with the lowering valve, thanks for the ideas. Appreciate the feedback. Enjoy your engine hoist, lol.
stack about 3 short 2X4 blocks under the frame in the front.. when you pull it down on them your bike wont rock at all. do the same thing when tieing down on a trailer.
Great vid, thanks. You might want to think about setting you bike a little further back. It looksalmost front heavy on the table. in the down position.
@@jamestijerina2787 it turned out great so far.. I put several coats on it and then covered it with some rattle can clear coat to keep it from chipping and I haven't had any trouble with it... I just did the top and the ramp. Left the rest red
Just purchased same jack for $67.00 w/ 25% off Sunday. My lift is probably 10-12 years old and has a different setup for the pedals. should have done this years ago, two complete hip replacements changed my mind in a hurry. Great job! But why didn't you mount the jack so you didn't have to ream out where the safety holding bar goes? ✌
I didn't think it was going to do that since I mounted it same place as original. That wasn't discovered until after everything was installed, so took quick way out to solve problem, lol. Not necessarily the best or prettiest.
You didn't need to do all that Notch and all that b******* mine I just didn't put as much oil in it and I said it all the way up there to the very top and it said Mitchell jacket up all the way and flip it over if I wanted to but I just don't put enough oil in it to where it takes it you know to take it up and top it out you know and bring it on up you know higher than what it needs to be but hell I just made me a bracket and I hooked it up actually to the original linkage going to the foot pedal just like it said from the factory and I just use my foot pedal and drop it down like that and I don't f*** with the stupid ass not she put in there for the hose that's a dumbest s*** I ever seen just run your hose under the bottom like a white person don't butcher your lift up I just took a Sim cut off wheel and it opened up that hole up there with the ram goes and stuck it in there but the RAM all the way down and measured it and shoved it up there and just put it in there I mean I'll show you mine mine you know I need to paint but hell
Good ingenuity, but man, I think I would just go right to a table lift designed with the pneumatic jack from the get-go. Can get a Redline for just a little bit more than what you have into yours.
Had an oring go bad. It leaked all the oil out over time. Found a replacement at Ace and topped of with oil and good to go. That's the only problem I've had.
I have the pneumatic version of the HF lift. The pneumatic pump gave out after about 12 years of frequent use, so I converted it to a electrically powered hydraulic cylinder. See my comment above for the complete description of the conversion.
@@jamestijerina2787 Yes I have the soft grip straps and can usually get it strapped down but it looks like there’s no way to put your feet down once you get it into the chock.
It's tight but can be done. Watch your footing because you can slip pretty easy. One guy on here mentioned rhino lining the floor of it. I think that is a good idea.
I'm on the fence about this lift do you know what your bike ways I'm playing with a 900 pound bike i would like a little more cushion for max weight thank you.
That motorcycle can fall to that side and you don't have anywhere to go. You are basically trapping yourself. Murphy's law applies here. Be safe and ride safe!
You don't have to modify it. I just chose to for my personal preference. Why buy a truck and lift it, why put a system in a vehicle. It just comes down to what each individual chooses to spend time and money on.
That motorcycle can fall to that side and you don't have anywhere to go. You are basically trapping yourself. Murphy's law applies here. Be safe and ride safe!
I have the Central Pneumatics motorcycle lift table from Harbor Freight that came with the air/ hydraulic jack. After about 12 years of frequent use, the pneumatic pump gave out and I manually pumped it up for about a year. For several years I had been toying with the idea of converting it to a hydraulic cylinder, similar to what's used in a log splitter. After about a year of hunting on line and through junk yards I came across a hydraulic pump unit for an automotive lift. I found a 2" cylinder with a 6" stroke that I thought would do the job. I fabricated a mount out of a 4" square steel tube (a little over kill there. 3" would have been quite adequate). That served as a cross member between the frame rails of the lift frame. I made a post out of 3 pieces of 5/16" X 2" bar stock sandwiched together and welded. I drilled one end to receive the clevis pin of the hydraulic cylinder. Then I centered and welded the post perpendicular to the square tube. The material for all the fabrication came from the local scrap yard. I had to weld the cross member onto the frame far enough forward for the rear lift arms to clear in the down position. That meant removing the rods for the pedals. The rod on the cylinder was much smaller than the ram on the old jack so I had to make a collar to thread on the end of the rod to make it fit into the cup on the V plate. The pivot rod for the V plate broke the center bolt twice so I drilled and tapped each end and bolted a fender washer to the ends to keep the rod in place. Once mounted and connected to the pump unit I rolled my 600# bike on the lift and hit the button to lift it. I found I had turned my lift into a catapult. It lifted the bike to the top in less than 2 seconds, and when it got to the top it jerked the whole assembly back about 4" along the floor. I had to slow it down. To do so I made a restrictor that I put in the fitting by the cylinder to restrict the rate of flow into the cylinder. I had to choke it down from 3/8" down to .025". That slowed the lift time down to 8 seconds and kept it in place. The pump unit has a go switch to raise the lift and a lever to let it down by gravity. I installed a pedal switch on the opposite side of the lift so I can also lift it from that side. Since the cylinder has a 6" stroke and it only takes 4" to lift it all the way, I installed a stop switch to keep it from over extending. I put a 960# bike on the lift and it lifted it about a third of the way up and overloaded it and blew the breaker. I then installed a 2 1/2" cylinder which gave me plenty of force to lift a 1000# bike. I realize that this is a little more work and expense than the air/oil conversion done here, but I think it was well worth it.
The only down side is if the lift isn't all the way up, and I want to lift it higher, I have to let it down, either on to the safety bar or all the way down. This relieves the pressure on the hydraulics and allows the motor time to spool up again to lift it all the way.
I never thought about an auto hydraulic pump. I didn't know you could adjust the speed on those. Sounds like it was worth the work. Thanks for the knowledge.
@@jamestijerina2787 --- You can't adjust the speed, only the pressure. I had to improvise a method to slow it down without reducing the pressure. By restricting the flow into the cylinder it fills the cylinder slower. The pressure before the restriction will certainly increase too high because it can't force the oil through the restriction fast enough. There is a pressure relief valve to keep it from over pressuring. When it tries to over pressure, the relief valve opens and dumps the excess flow back into the tank but keeps the pressure up to lift the bike.
@@jamestijerina2787 --- I put together a video of the mods I did to the lift. Here's the link.
czcams.com/video/T6eHjhZNkXw/video.html
@Martin Hauk Good job man. Goes up and down smooth. I appreciate the ideas and the tips.
I like the replacement of the hydraulic with an air-over jack. This is an excellent video!
Great idea!
I did this with mine to. It go's up pretty fast. I got a little different jack. I didn't have to do any cutting at all. But. what ever works man. Thanks for the video.
Oh nice. What kind of Jack did you use?
It's an older Ac delco jack my dad had and he got it from one of the steel shops he worked at yrs ago. These thing would where out and dad would bring em home and fix them. It's got the air hose and all so I got real lucky with that one.
wes reeder could you make a video
Great job looks and works like a charm, and what a BAs bike, beautiful! I have a Harbor Freight lift I going to give it a try, thanks to your video it has direct me in the right direction.
Glad I could help. Hope all works out for you.
Pro or Not , For an at home Bike lift not a bad setup. Well Done Sir well done !
I appreciate it. Yeh for as much as I use it maybe once or twice a month right now. Love it.
Nice job brother I like the box you made for the jack
Thank you I appreciate it.
Good improvements, though a dab of paint on the ground parts will help it look better and last longer. You might also put a handle or knob on the lowering valve. I like the cradle approach for the bottom of the ram too!
I made a similar upgrade when our engine hoist's ram died; Northern Tool had an almost *exact* fit that had air-assist on sale! Drinks air like yours, but it's nice just watching it rise, especially on heavy lifts. If the air part ever quits, I'm going to fix it because the manual handle gets annoying after about a dozen pumps.
Lol I know what you mean pumping a lot. Good I idea on that paint. Haven't thought of that. Yeh, in due time I will do something with the lowering valve, thanks for the ideas. Appreciate the feedback. Enjoy your engine hoist, lol.
Excellent!
excellent job brother ty for sharing
stack about 3 short 2X4 blocks under the frame in the front.. when you pull it down on them your bike wont rock at all. do the same thing when tieing down on a trailer.
I appreciate that. I'll be sure and get some cut and try it.
Well done. Great idea.
Great vid, thanks. You might want to think about setting you bike a little further back. It looksalmost front heavy on the table. in the down position.
You can spin pump around by loosening nut. Good video.
Great video brother! Thanks for the tips!
thanks brother just what I needed
Glad I could help. Need any other info on what I did hit me up.
Really....such a good video.
Appreciate it
I wish some one would make a drop in upgrade unit for this lift.
I didn't like the slick paint so I sanded my lift and then rattle can painted it with pickup truck bed liner
That's a good idea. How did it turn out?
@@jamestijerina2787 it turned out great so far.. I put several coats on it and then covered it with some rattle can clear coat to keep it from chipping and I haven't had any trouble with it... I just did the top and the ramp. Left the rest red
@@bendaves77 good.idea I'm sold. I may borrow your idea lol.
@@jamestijerina2787 I don't know why they would make a lift with glossy slick paint... just seems like it could cause issues
www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Safety-Walk-Slip-Resistant-Step-and-Reflective-Tread-6-in-x-2-ft-7768NA/100391699
Just purchased same jack for $67.00 w/ 25% off Sunday. My lift is probably 10-12 years old and has a different setup for the pedals. should have done this years ago, two complete hip replacements changed my mind in a hurry. Great job! But why didn't you mount the jack so you didn't have to ream out where the safety holding bar goes? ✌
I didn't think it was going to do that since I mounted it same place as original. That wasn't discovered until after everything was installed, so took quick way out to solve problem, lol. Not necessarily the best or prettiest.
You didn't need to do all that Notch and all that b******* mine I just didn't put as much oil in it and I said it all the way up there to the very top and it said Mitchell jacket up all the way and flip it over if I wanted to but I just don't put enough oil in it to where it takes it you know to take it up and top it out you know and bring it on up you know higher than what it needs to be but hell I just made me a bracket and I hooked it up actually to the original linkage going to the foot pedal just like it said from the factory and I just use my foot pedal and drop it down like that and I don't f*** with the stupid ass not she put in there for the hose that's a dumbest s*** I ever seen just run your hose under the bottom like a white person don't butcher your lift up I just took a Sim cut off wheel and it opened up that hole up there with the ram goes and stuck it in there but the RAM all the way down and measured it and shoved it up there and just put it in there I mean I'll show you mine mine you know I need to paint but hell
Good ingenuity, but man, I think I would just go right to a table lift designed with the pneumatic jack from the get-go. Can get a Redline for just a little bit more than what you have into yours.
Never heard of those till now. Just looked up. Would those be long enough?
They are the same dimensions as the one from Harbor Freight
Nice job 2:59 The look of Whats up B!tch$s... Awesome
How reliable has the Pittsburg Jack been? The most problems I have had with harbor freight are with the hydraulics. Thanks
Had an oring go bad. It leaked all the oil out over time. Found a replacement at Ace and topped of with oil and good to go. That's the only problem I've had.
I have one of these I got used. Missing several parts I was wondering if you still had the release pedal? I would be very interested in acquiring it.
I don't think I do. I will double check and let you know.
Thanks I appreciate you taking the time.
I wonder why they discontinued the pneumatic version of this lift. I remember seeing both versions available
I don't remember seeing the pneumatic version.
James Tijerina yea they had it in the beginning when the lift used to originally be $329 regular price
Unless your using it for a shop where you’re constantly putting a differnt bike up the foot pump is fine for the average guy
I have the pneumatic version of the HF lift. The pneumatic pump gave out after about 12 years of frequent use, so I converted it to a electrically powered hydraulic cylinder. See my comment above for the complete description of the conversion.
Are you able to ride it in and put your feet down, and secure it by yourself ?
Yes I am but I do have the tow hooks on my forks so I get it tied down pretty quick.
@@jamestijerina2787 Yes I have the soft grip straps and can usually get it strapped down but it looks like there’s no way to put your feet down once you get it into the chock.
It's tight but can be done. Watch your footing because you can slip pretty easy. One guy on here mentioned rhino lining the floor of it. I think that is a good idea.
@@jamestijerina2787 Sounds like a good idea, thanks.
Can you Build mine? I don’t have a Welder
I want to do this to my lift. Can you give me the part numbers to your jack and pump? thanks!
Not sure of the part number. It's the Pittsburg 12Ton air jack from harbor freight. That's the one I used.
@@jamestijerina2787 thanks brother .
@@tangledline year no problem. Goof luck. Let me know if I can help out anymore.
How's it holding up? Any other modifications?
Jack started leaking oil due to bad oring. Finally found one the same size replaced it put oil and good as new. Still works good.
The u bolt location is frigin pointless. I just drilled a couple holes and put eyelets closer to the front like you’d strap it down in the truck
I agree with you sir. Perhaps they will fix that in the future
does it work if flipped the other way?
I'm not sure. I put mine the same way the original one was, but I wouldn't see why it won't work. Just keep in. Mind the oil plug locations
@@jamestijerina2787 thanks for the info
I'm on the fence about this lift do you know what your bike ways I'm playing with a 900 pound bike i would like a little more cushion for max weight thank you.
My bike wet oil, gas, etc.. is 858 lbs. Road Glide is around the same and I would think the CVO weights more for chrome weighs more than alumn.
Your concern is valid. While I have (2) of these (and love them) I’m “playing” with 400 pound bikes that I’m able to put on their center stands.
dude you put a plate backward.....handle hole is the front ..not back
10 min's later it's up lol
Lol sorry for late reply. Went on short mud trip and was trying to clean up and fix some minor problems with sxs.
Lol if only it was that easy, right.
That motorcycle can fall to that side and you don't have anywhere to go. You are basically trapping yourself. Murphy's law applies here. Be safe and ride safe!
I appreciate the heads up from looking from outside the box. I will take into consideration when I put it in my new shop.
You can do better with a long air hose so you don't have to kneel down.
Why buy a bike lift if you have to modify it . I dont get people especially Harbor frieght shit by the way they are going out of business . good luck
You don't have to modify it. I just chose to for my personal preference. Why buy a truck and lift it, why put a system in a vehicle. It just comes down to what each individual chooses to spend time and money on.
Because mine is 10-12 years old and I bought it used. And 65 years old with two complete hip replacements in 2016. Fixin to do the same to mine!
My HF lift table was $200. The jack was $100.
For $300 I got what a $1500 table does.
I saved $1200.
That’s why.
That motorcycle can fall to that side and you don't have anywhere to go. You are basically trapping yourself. Murphy's law applies here. Be safe and ride safe!