TECH: Build a wheel vise

Well I posted this last night before I saw the choptember sticky and it won't let me edit the title on the main forum screen so here it is again. Sorry

Well about 2 weeks ago i picked up the HF 1000lb. motorcycle lift table. 290 out the door. i read reviews about it before purchasing it (being HF and all) and it seemed the only negative thing people had to say about it was that the wheel vise sucked. i tried "altering" it the day i got it by putting some angle iron up from it, but the thing is just a POS. I had looked up some vises to buy online, but just couldn't see spending 80-120 for a vise. so yesterday i got around to making one. i thought id do a little how to on it, and actually remembered to take some pics of the "durring" part.

Got all the materials from Lowes with the exception of the two pieces of pipe which i had laying around. Also, it appears no store near us sells square tubing so the square tubing you see in the pics is actually 2 pieces of angle iron welded all the way down the seams.

Started with this


Cut maybe half of the outer sleeve off to make it shorter, the jack originally had 14'' of travel in it, after cutting it up it has about 6''


here it is after the inner sleeve was cut and the end piece for the outer sleeve was welded back on. The end piece has a tounge on it that slides in the groove on the inner sleeve


my back tire was awfully close to the back of the lift so i extended the front stop while i was at this



Heres the stationary side of the vise. Measured center on the table, then to the right half the width of my front wheel, which was 1 5/8'' this side of the vise is welded straight to the table


to avoid having to keep puting my bike on it, or welding near the tire i made this out of a kids pool (was going in the garbage anyway). Its the same size as my front wheel (21'', with avon tire) ended up being 27''


from the other side


this is the other moving side of the vise. same as the stationary side except i used the square tubing for the bottom section. here it also has the inner sleeve of the vise welded to it. Very important that it is straight


heres the same piece, with the outer sleeve on it and the brackets welded on. Those legs are what will secure it to the table.


here it is all finished and painted, and by the way, valspar rattle cans suck.





All together it was $39 for material including the utility jack.

awesome!

kick ass garage!!

nice fix, the garage is cool too

It's great that you painted it, you should make up some story about it being in the Harbor Freight catalog, so that dudes go crazy trying to find it...

Originally Posted by originalrumrunner

It's great that you painted it, you should make up some story about it being in the Harbor Freight catalog, so that dudes go crazy trying to find it...

Haha. Yea. I was a free upgrade with a coupon. And then post a link that doesn't work

Originally Posted by vnygra

Haha. Yea. I was a free upgrade with a coupon. And then post a link that doesn't work

Nice job you are not as dumb as you look.

What!!! Haha

Originally Posted by Markee

nice fix, the garage is cool too

Agreed!

Looks good. I will copy that when I save up to buy one.

Awesome stuff, you gave me mind "fodder" for my own pos lift that I use cargo straps on!!! Thanks

Great idea and sweet garage! it would probably look better with a Miller High Life banner instead of Coors (just fucking with ya)

Nice writeup. I have that same pos lift and this little mod will do the fucking trick. Thanks.

I second the garage comment man..

good idea ,nicely done ,but I think I have a coupon for a free upgrade just cant get the link to work

Thanks for innovation the common man can use. Looking to buy MC wheel chocks for a trailer, are any of the HF ones worth a damn?

very clever nice job!

Originally Posted by EODrew

Thanks for innovation the common man can use. Looking to buy MC wheel chocks for a trailer, are any of the HF ones worth a damn?

The ones you use for a trailer just sort of center the bike, you still have to use ratchet straps. Not sure about the hf ones.

Good mod and awesome garage. One thing is bugging me. you have the front twards the garage door and the back twards the back of the garage. How to you wheel your bike up there? or is there more room behind the lift then it looks in the picture?

Originally Posted by doom

Good mod and awesome garage. One thing is bugging me. you have the front twards the garage door and the back twards the back of the garage. How to you wheel your bike up there? or is there more room behind the lift then it looks in the picture?

lol, its the other way now, when i had it like that, i was gettin ready to rip the whole bike apart, and like the it that way for buildin. durring the summer i keep the ramp right at the garage door, so i can roll right up it. Sucks having a small garage, even if im not workin on my bike i have to park it on the lift.