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Harbor Freight Pit Stand

18K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  FluxCapacitor 
#1 · (Edited)
The Monkey sitting on the Harbor Freight Pit Stand. Yes, the rear wheel is a good half inch or so clear of the ground, perfect. Very stable and good to service the chain or other work that is facilitated by being off the side stand.








The Harbor Freight stand is inexpensive and light weight aluminum. It will not work for my other motorcycles, too narrow but for the Monkey it is about perfect.
 
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#3 ·
Among other things along the way, I have been a professional aviation mechanic, HFT are not what I would generally choose for professional use, and yes, mechanics who use tools professionally, can tell the difference. But for throwaway or light duty use, they have some good stuff. In fact, HF has slowly been upgrading their tools. Their new tool boxes are outstanding, not equal to SnapOn but darn good for the price and possibly even for pro use. I am also looking at one of their TIG welders that is a very nice tool with good reviews.

An example of HF not so good quality, a wobble head drive six inch extension, I bought recently at Harbor Freight, removing the seat retention bolts on the Monkey to install the new plugs, the extension snapped in half just above the socket. That is a sign of poor quality and metal that is not through hardened. My SnapOn easily removed the bolts and would remove a thousand more without failure. But I cannot fault it too much as it was only a few dollars for the 1/4, 3/8 and 12 drives that are five times the price on the SnapOn truck (and infinitly better since the HF broke and the SnapOn did not, lol).
 
#5 · (Edited)
Looks like this one?

https://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html

I don't have or wanted spools (Grom) so I went with the flat trailing arm adapter type :

View attachment 81180
Curious why you put the spool on the the shocks instead of the axle?
Yes, that link is the one I am using. Well, a couple of reasons, if the lifting spools are on the axle then one cannot manipulate the axle bolt/nut while adjusting the chain. These are pit stand spools, not sliders, though they would offer some protection I am sure in a low speed fall over. As to the flat type lifters that do not use spools but lift on the swing arm, I have another stand, actually three and that style of lift is not stable, I have had a cycle come off the stand while wrenching on it, spools are much more stable.

Axle spool on my Yamaha:



I have both axle slider (spools) and a swing arm set of spools on my Triumph. I use the lower axle spools for most work but the swing arm spools for driveline and chain work:



Most full size motorcycles, sporting bikes, have hollow axles front and rear wheels, the Monkey and I assume the Grom, being somewhat dimunitive, have a solid axle, not sure how one could install an axle spool without going with a different axle?
 
#7 ·
The Monkey sitting on the Harbor Freight Pit Stand. Yes, the rear wheel is a good half inch or so clear of the ground, perfect. Very stable and good to service the chain or other work that is facilitated by being off the side stand. ........It will not work for my other motorcycles, too narrow but for the Monkey it is about perfect.



thank you for confirming. to use this workshop stand you have to:
* purchase the accessory that replaces the original nut.



(Initially, I thought we used a longer screw to put the support but in fact I saw that the screw was part of the frame).






* fix the shock absorber and tighten.
* fix the coil with the other BTR screw






 
#11 ·



thank you for confirming. to use this workshop stand you have to:
* purchase the accessory that replaces the original nut.



(Initially, I thought we used a longer screw to put the support but in fact I saw that the screw was part of the frame).






* fix the shock absorber and tighten.
* fix the coil with the other BTR screw








The spools I have directly replace the shock retention nuts and do not require an adapter to be installed to the Monkey.
 
#9 ·
I wanted one of those aluminum Harbor Freight stands until I saw this thread. It barely lifts the tire off of the ground! That's good for cleaning the wheel and lubing the chain and that's about it. I also don't have spools because, IMO, there is not a single good spool option for the Groms. They put them in odd locations.

But for those that want one of these stands there is a 20% or 25% off 4th of July coupon. Check the Harbor Freight Coupon Database anytime you shop at Harbor Freight! https://www.hfqpdb.com/


I prefer my Pitbull stand. It's for a full-size bike so it lifts the back of the Grom way up. This makes it so much easier to remove/install the exhaust and do oil changes. This stand can do spools or swingarms and it's adjustable for a wide variety of widths.

 
#12 ·
@3 crows:thank you. can you give me a reference and an internet link for me to find these spools.
we do not find any accessories in France for the Monkey and are obliged to search the internet for tips.
there is no club or forum for the monkey, here.


thankfully, American friends, are always ahead :yawn:
 
#17 ·
The pit stand spools that I installed are by G Craft. Not saying they are any better or worse than the ones you used. Only that they do not require an adapter. They work fine, look good and I see no issue with them. They work with both my Pit Bull stand and the Harbor Freight stand being discussed.

Next, I want front and rear axle sliders.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Just a warning. The cheapo HF stands are adequate for a 230 pound bike and especially with the captive design of a spool lift vs a trailing arm lift pad. But for a 400 pound sport bike or heavier cruiser, no way. I own a Pit Bull set of track stands, front and rear, made in the USA and worth the high price tag, you get what you pay for and if you do not want your machine laying on the concrete, listen to this guy:



The HF stand I bought cannot bend (much) while in use on a 200ish pound motorcycle and the spools have the lifting ears captured. But my warning is more for the type that lift under the trailing arm. They will flex/bend and then your motorcycle will fall. I have seen it over and over. The right tool for the job and know the limitations. If you can bend it by hand it will bend under the motorcycle, especially if you sit on it. I also can tear the HF stand apart by hand and I am not all Hulked up like the fellow in the video and no, I cannot bend my Pit Bull stand, it will flex a little and then spring back, the difference between high strength alloy steel (I imagine 4130) and Chinese crapola.
 
#20 ·
Just a warning. The cheapo HF stands are adequate for a 230 pound bike and especially with the captive design of a spool lift vs a trailing arm lift pad. But for a 400 pound sport bike or heavier cruiser, no way. I own a Pit Bull set of track stands, front and rear, made in the USA and worth the high price tag, you get what you pay for and if you do not want your machine laying on the concrete, listen to this guy:



I looked at the aluminum one and didn't buy it. Too many pieces. The steel one is better as it's all welded together into just one part. It's perfect for a light little Grom. :)

 
#21 ·
The Monkey sitting on the Harbor Freight Pit Stand. Yes, the rear wheel is a good half inch or so clear of the ground, perfect. Very stable and good to service the chain or other work that is facilitated by being off the side stand.

The Harbor Freight stand is inexpensive and light weight aluminum. It will not work for my other motorcycles, too narrow but for the Monkey it is about perfect.
My Monkey is still a couple of days away, but I just ordered me one of these. Never used one before. I do have a Crapsman motorcycle jack, but it doesn’t look like there’s any place to lift the Monkey underneath. Question for using the pit stand: do you have to use spools, or do they just make lifting easier? If you need ‘em, where do you get ‘em? I’m having trouble locating them online.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Some pit stands use spools, some use a cradle that slips under the swim arms, others are convertible for both (see post #9 for a Pit Bull convertible type). Despite the popularity of the cradle type, my experiences with them is that they are far inferior to the type that uses spools. The spool is grooved to accept the upright which when lifted is positively captured. I have seen to many of the cradle type slip and allow the bike to fall or scratch the swing arm. But the spool type can also gouge the swing arm on some bikes if not properly positioned though with the Monkey and the type of spools displayed in this thread from myself and the gent from France that will not be an issue.

I started this thread because I wanted to be able to lift my Monkey minimally to allow maintenance and the stand I linked to is fine for that purpose. But you can be sure on my Triumph and Yamaha I use a Pit Bull. Which, will lift the little Monkey but is admittedly perhaps overkill for it. People can do as their hearts see fit, me, I recommend spools. That said, many people prefer the cradle type. Each to their own ways.

The Craftsman motorcycle lift and the generic similar ones from many suppliers generally work fine for motorcycles with a down tube/cradle type frame. Which the Monkey does not have and with the exposed exhaust system under the engine, would require some sort of fixture or adapter to work, probably not worth the effort.
 
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