New HF lift & chock

[pknowles]

Well I got my 7/8” 4140 hardened steel shaft today and before I had it powder coated I tried it and it also bent, there is a lot of pressure put on that bar. View attachment 104703

Do you think moving your chock forward puts more weight on the safety bar?

 

[Th3InfamousI]

I guess this issue is not new, this was from 2013, when someone put their Yamaha VMax on the lift and the weight did this to theView attachment 104591 safety bar.

That's not the bar that ever came with the lift it's too long and they always had a welded loop to pull on like yours not a hole drilled in with a ring. Also harbor freight wouldn't spend the extra cost to paint it black.

Regardless original bar bends yes, never heard of one breaking and we have a lot of guys on this forum that have those lifts. Personally, I lower the bike overnight anyways as I'd hate to have pump issues and have the bike up in the air with no way to get it down.

The problem with using hardened steel is if it's truly hardened it will eventually snap as malleability is decreased. Whereas using a standard steel it will be more malleable therefore bends easier but won't break, in this application bending is better than breaking.

 

[Jay Dawg]

Do you think moving your chock forward puts more weight on the safety bar?

It’s possible, but the guy with the Vmax Yamaha he didn’t have his front shock extended it did the same thing

 

[Jay Dawg]

That's not the bar that ever came with the lift it's too long and they always had a welded loop to pull on like yours not a hole drilled in with a ring. Also harbor freight wouldn't spend the extra cost to paint it black.

Regardless original bar bends yes, never heard of one breaking and we have a lot of guys on this forum that have those lifts. Personally, I lower the bike overnight anyways as I'd hate to have pump issues and have the bike up in the air with no way to get it down.

The problem with using hardened steel is if it's truly hardened it will eventually snap as malleability is decreased. Whereas using a standard steel it will be more malleable therefore bends easier but won't break, in this application bending is better than breaking.

Yes this is not the one that came with the lift, as I described at the beginning of this post I showed what my original safety bar did when I put my 06 mastiff on the bike. Then I showed another picture of a guy who put a Vmax Yamaha on the lift with a stock bar and it bent it like a pretzel. I ordered this 4140 hardened shaft, hoping it too would not bend… it did. I took into consideration the hardened part. It did not snap it bent. I’m back to using the stock bar, while keeping some of the pressure on the hydraulic cylinder. I’m not the only one that has bent these bars, I have read many accounts some with extended front chocks and some without but many have bent.

 

[Jay Dawg]

That's not the bar that ever came with the lift it's too long and they always had a welded loop to pull on like yours not a hole drilled in with a ring. Also harbor freight wouldn't spend the extra cost to paint it black.

Regardless original bar bends yes, never heard of one breaking and we have a lot of guys on this forum that have those lifts. Personally, I lower the bike overnight anyways as I'd hate to have pump issues and have the bike up in the air with no way to get it down.

The problem with using hardened steel is if it's truly hardened it will eventually snap as malleability is decreased. Whereas using a standard steel it will be more malleable therefore bends easier but won't break, in this application bending is better than breaking.

And that black one with the loop on the end is the one that came with my harbor freight lift, it was in the original crate in the original packing. I have seen others who bought their lifits originally and they had the black ones with a loop also.

 

[Jay Dawg]

And that black one with the loop on the end is the one that came with my harbor freight lift, it was in the original crate in the original packing. I have seen others who bought their lifits originally and they had the black ones with a loop also.

I agree about the hardening, most times it does make it more brittle and that’s why I went with the 4140 steel. And it bent just like the original.

 

[Jay Dawg]

And that black one with the loop on the end is the one that came with my harbor freight lift, it was in the original crate in the original packing. I have seen others who bought their lifits originally and they had the black ones with a loop also.

This is the original bar that came with my HF lift. I Purchased HF lift new and unpackaged it myself.