Improving a hydraulic lift bench

[Grimly]

I recently got a reasonably priced hydraulic bike bench, but I knew it was slightly too narrow for comfort if I was going to be loading and unloading the GS, so I added a couple of wings to it. These are QD, so are taken off as soon as the bike is loaded, to allow closer access to the dirty bits, as necessary.
The wings with their stubby feet make it rock-solid when riding the bike on, and allow me to put my feet down if needed.



You can see where there was a bit of tyre slip when loading - I'll have to put some grippy paint there.

[alke46]

Allow me to warn you of an unfortunate mishap that I had just a week ago. I have a similar setup like yours and I also have small ramps to fit on each wing. Makes it easy to ride slowly onto the lift and keeping your feet down for balance.
I went out for a ride and my intentions were to ride the bike onto the lift when I got home. Only I did NOT have the small wing ramps installed and as I was going up the ramp, I thought I was far enough on to put my feet down and just as quick as a hiccup, my foot went down and there was no ramp. Needless to say, my 700+ pound Honda laid down and looked pathetic laying on it's side.
Of course I could not get the garage door closed fast enough so that nobody could see what had happened.
I will tell you that the whole thing happened so fast that it is really hard to explain just what happened.

Bottom line here is just be careful and take all necessary precautions. Do like I say, not as I do. Those friggin' bikes are heavy when laying on their side.
Good luck and thanks for letting me share my misfortune.

[Grimly]

Bottom line here is just be careful and take all necessary precautions. Do like I say, not as I do. Those friggin' bikes are heavy when laying on their side.
Good luck and thanks for letting me share my misfortune.

A pair of adjacent loading ramp wings will be the next thing

[bwringer]

When I have someone coming over to work on their bike, I have to specifically block access to the lift so they don't try to ride up. I also have to quite emphatically tell them "do NOT try to help or push when I'm pushing your bike onto the lift".

It's amazing how many times I say this to a fully alert English-speaking adult, and ten seconds later they start shoving and yanking in random directions anyway...

My lift has some channels underneath for "side wings". The "official" side wings are pretty expensive, but I like the idea of making some out of wood for those times when I have to work on a lawn mower or something.

[Grimly]

A pair of adjacent loading ramp wings will be the next thing

And sure enough, they were...



And with a coat of cheap red paint sprinkled with dry sand...

[Gorminrider]

I use an electric winch on my trailer....the homemade remote control of the winch is pretty funky so I'd prefer not to share it but for such a low table, you might be able to dispense with long ramps and wings...?

[Grimly]

I use an electric winch on my trailer....the homemade remote control of the winch is pretty funky so I'd prefer not to share it but for such a low table, you might be able to dispense with long ramps and wings...?

Tried it as soon as I got it. Didn't like the overall feel of wrestling with a fully-loaded GS.
If the table had another six inches of lift on it, I'd have recessed it into the floor and avoided the problem altogether.

[Gorminrider]

Indeed, little sleds or training wheels that hold the bike as she loads onto the table do immediately bubble in the brain and it can get out of hand...