BREAKING

Tech Tips/ DIY

“Need A Lift”

Handy Lift In At Pandemonium

Article By: Daniel Donley – Pandemonium Custom Choppers – www.pandemoniumc2.com

Originally Published In The January 2013 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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One Friday night, myself and a few buddies were shooting the shit and throwing a few back when Big John said “Dude, you need a bike lift. Ya know, one that goes up and down. I’m tired of lifting these bikes off these damn tables!” Well, that is where this month’s tech article stems from — that one Friday night conversation! We decided to install a bike lift flush with the floor and use a locking style wheel chock to allow for easy one man loading and unloading. I wanted a good quality lift and wheel chock, so I purchased them from Handy, which is proudly made right here in the good ole USA!

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I ordered some .197 thick steel and had it laser cut and brake press bent.

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Here, I assemble the box using lots of tack welds and making sure everything is square before final welding.

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The box has a 2” lip around the top to set on top of the concrete cut hole.

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With the box in position, I paint around the box…

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…to mark the concrete floor for our cut lines.

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I painted the underside of the box to help protect it from rusting once inside the pit.

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I rented a concrete cutting saw from a local rental store.

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I also rented a jack hammer to bust out the concrete. Let me tell you what, this is a lot of hard ass work and you get one hell of a workout

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Once the pit was cleaned out, we made a depth gauge out of some scrap wood to keep the proper depth in the pit.

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I also used the gauge to pack sand in the bottom of the pit.

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Next, I put a thick bead of concrete adhesive around the pit to seal the box to the concrete. Now, we lower the steel box into the pit. I have to say thanks to all of the guys who helped on this project!

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Here’s the steel box now glued into the pit.

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I had to route the air line for the up and down switch to the top of the lift.

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The Handy lift is installed flush mount with the floor. This project took a day and a half and a lot of hard work. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my friends. Thanks!

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